XUAN'EN, HUBEI
Today
we flew from Guangzhou to Enshi, Hubei. We connected through Wuhan, Hubei.
Wuhan is the provincial capital and it’s where we first met Xixi. We didn’t
include it on our itinerary, but now Xixi can cross it off the list of cities
to visit (even it was just the airport).
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| Xixi with the directors of her orphanage. |
The
orphanage director drove us the 1.5 hours from Enshi to Xuan’en, Xixi’s home
city. The ride was breathtaking. We have traveled from the sea to the
mountains…and we’ve left the pollution of southern China behind us. The route
took us over a winding mountain road passed tree filled valleys, winding
rivers, terraced hillsides with tea plantations and small farms. It was so
beautiful. For Dawn and me, it reminded us of our travels through Sichuan
before we were parents. Xixi looked out the van during the drive, taking it all
in.
China
is changing so rapidly, when Xixi and her friends from this orphanage were
adopted in 2004, it was a 23 hour van ride for the staff to drive the girls to
Wuhan. 10 years later you can make the same trip via a 1 hour flight, 4 hour
bullet train ride and soon to be, a 6 hour trip on a new super highway.
We
arrived in Xuan’en and checked into our hotel. Xuan’en is a quaint Hubei
mountain town along a river with steep ranges on each side. We are so impressed
by how beautiful it is and how friendly the people are. The town is very small.
Imagine a town twice the size of Leavenworth, WA, remove the Bavarian theme and
replace it with an authentic Chinese vibe…it would be Xuan’en.
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| Xuan'en |
After
getting settled we went for a walk through the local fields and hillside, before
going into town. We were rewarded by being invited into one of the familie’s
homes, where, via our guide, we swapped stories of life in the USA and asked
questions about their life in China. They were unbelievably hospitable and we
stayed for almost an hour talking with them. It was good for all of us to spend
time this way and helped bond us to this place even more.
We had
some serious Sichuan hot pot for dinner tonight. The guide was reluctant to
dine there as he didn’t trust that we could take the heat. We forced the issue
and had another wonderful meal. Xixi was in her element and relished the spicy
pepper corns that infused the hot pot broth. She can now add quail egg, duck
feet, beef tendon and flat tofu to her growing list of culinary conquests. She
ate as much spicy hot pot as the guide and me and she has earned a lot of
respect along the way. To our friends that adopted from Xuan’en, you were in
our thoughts a lot today. We saw the faces of your daughters in the local
residents. It is so clear that our girls are from here. Like for
Jing in Shanwei, the resemblance of our girls to these people is remarkable.
Today at dinner, there was a family sitting across from us with a two-year old
daughter. It was like seeing Xixi as a toddler when we first met here in Wuhan.
During
our walk home from the restaurant we stopped by the public square where many of
the residents were out enjoying the cooler night air. Groups were dancing in
unison to western pop songs, roller skating and just hanging out and talking as
families and friends. Xixi jumped right in and joined a hundred or
so local women in a synchronized dance. She was so happy learning the steps and
following along. There was no silliness in it. There wasn’t a moment of
awkwardness or embarrassment. She looked so content, like she was home.
Tomorrow
it’s off to her orphanage and a full day there. She’s anxious to see her
special care-giver whom she remembers through our photos of her. She will get
to play with children her age that were here with her before she was adopted,
interact with the younger kids and have lunch with the full group and then
we’ll visit her finding spot. Like in Shanwei, I’m sure it will prove to be
emotional and meaningful for all of us.
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