Saturday

Countless hours by plane, train, and automobile (cliché much?) we arrived at our home for the next week.  After breakfast of cabbage, porridge, boiled eggs (not me, just observed), rice noodles, little dumplings, and something green with an impressive amount of garlic, we were left with several hours of time to kill before meeting at the orphanage.  So, what did we do?  Well, what any foreigner would do in a country where they spoke only 2 phrases ("Ne How"- phonetic spelling for the Chinese "hello" and "She She"- phonetic spelling of the Chinese "Thank you").  We set out to explore with our cameras and our smiles.  Everyone was so friendly as we snapped pictures of everything from fireworks, mushrooms, cats, and flowers to garbage dumps, moldy ceilings, and construction sites.

Lunch was amazingly delicious which of course made me regret the package of crackers I wolfed down earlier in anticipation of my new found picky eating.  After lunch we toured the orphanage and saw the babies.  The orphanage is very well run and clean.  More on this tomorrow. 

After getting the full tour we loaded into cabs and went on the ride of our lives to Chinese Pedestrian Street (closed to cars, shopping area).  Yes, lanes are really more of a guideline in China, pedestrians can cross anywhere they see fit, and bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles can feel free to weave any direction they please (including oncoming traffic).  All of this left the Americans white knuckled and the cab driver nonplussed.

We walked around and shopped.  When we went to a grocery (for fear I was about to die from lack of caffeine)  Jean showed us the candy bins.  We filled up bags of Chinese treats for our kids.  There was some laughter from Jean and a new friend from the orphanage over my confusion about a package of candy with a shrimp on it.  "Shrimp flavored candy?"  "No, it looks like a shrimp but tastes like a peanut!"  Oh, of course, how silly of me....I mean who would eat shrimp flavored candy...:^)

After leaving another amazing meal at the orphanage, the sky was dark, our bellies were warm, our bodies exhausted, and our hearts were full of appreciation for Chinese hospitality and love for this new place we are calling home for the next week.

God Bless,

~Heather