The Countryside

Claudia was born in Shang Rao about 3 hours from where we are now, Nanchang. Both cities are in Jiangxi province. She was found in front of the Chatang Old Folks home. The Cha in her name comes from the finding place. The part of Shang Rao where Claudia was found indicates that her birth mother would havbe from the countryside. This is true of all of the girls in our group. In effort to attempt to understand life in such a place we took a trip to the village of Cho Xian which is about on hour or so outside Nanchang City. Life is vastly different there.
We first visited the house of a family which dated to the Ming Dynasty. The home has been in the family for generations. Its floors were made of dirt - although well swept. A stream ran through the home and pictures of ancestors hung on the wall. There was electricity but no surfeit of lamps or lighting. I did notice that the man of the house wore flip flops with "USA" on them.
The next home we visited offered everyone ice cream. The house was a little more modern with fans blowing cool air which was welcome after coming off the dry and dusty streets of this small village. Families inthe village had multiple pets which included dogs, cats, chickens and potentially the duck we saw wandering around. There is no plumbing in the village and the cooking is done by wok-like wood stoves.
It goes without saying that the people of the village showed true kindness by welcoming us into their homes. They asked nothing - although the group brought candy for the children. Obviously, we cannot read minds or speak the language, but the people of this village appeared genuinely interested in meeting us and extended hospitality one would only expect in the small towns of American fiction. One woman offered the entire group cigarettes - although nobody in the group smokes. Another family asked the group to stay for lunch. However, it was hot and humid and an air-conditioned bus beckoned us and our army of one-year-olds back to the hotel.


I have posted a new slide show below of some of the sights. Please enjoy them and try to get a feel for the life her birth mother was living.

Girls Girls Girls

This is a photo of Anna with Claudia. Anna is the eldest of the bunch born in April of 2007. Anna has the most hair and is more physically stable then most.She did not like anyone looking at her the past few days, but alas today was abreaktrough not only could we look at her but she smiled back.

Claudia and the others are all born in July of 2007. Claudia is not the youngest,although she is by far the smallest and the baldest. The orphanage director told me they always called her "Bao Bao" for just this reason. Claudia has finally started to sit unaided but only for short periods. She can't crawl or walk yet but once we are home we know things will move quickly. She can't hold a bottle or feed herself, but did hold a teething biscuit today to gnaw on. But she does have spunk and enjoys pushing the others and stealing their toys.

This evening we enjoyed Pizza from pizza Hut. It tasted like home just needed a little more sauce. While we ate the girls enjoyed bubbles. I have posted a slide show below of some of their photos. Little Grace is missing from them as she hit her head and needed a little down time. Each baby is very unique and has a totally different personality. Although they all love congee and steamed eggs. Those who had difficult first days have finally adjusted to the change and bonds between parent and child have formed and are visible. The bonding can beseen in extra smiles, little giggles and out stretched arms. The anxiety that was once on their little faces is all but gone and replaced with laughter. The fear we all felt upon meeting our daughters has totally disappeared and family units have formed. Tomorrow we are heading to porcelain alley to shop for some local items that arespecific to our daughters' province and then to the countryside to get a better idea of where are little ones come from...only two more nights here in Nanchang then off the Guangzhou.We miss everyone at home especially Colton, who we talk to daily. Claudia has been calling Ge Ge (big brother) for days now and I know she will be so happy to meet him.

Tian tian qin qin bao y bao, xiang qin xiang ai hao bu hao.

Every day {we}kiss and hug, {growing} more dear to each other

Gun Shots and Teng Wang Ge

This morning at about 5 am I was awoke by gun shots....so I thought... but it was only firecrackers. I have heard them various times since arriving in Nanchang. The reason behind the firecrackers was a funeral. Out of the hotel window I could see that there was a large procession of people in white, playing music and carrying flowers. It was much different then anything I have ever witnessed and well worth the 5 o'clock wake up call. After that it was off to breakfast' where Claudia continues to enjoy congee and steamed eggs, then and off for a short tour..

The major point of interest in Nanchang is the ancient Teng Wang Pavilion, one of three towers located south of the Yangtze River. In Chinese, the pavilion is called Teng Wang Ge - Ge' referring to a two story building; however, this tower has nine stories - three that can be seen from the naked eye, four hidden inside and two below the ground. The tower is located on the eastern side of the Gan River and the style of architecture used is from the Song Dynasty.

The reason why this tower is so famous amongst Chinese is that it is including in one of Wang Bo's poems. The poet accompanied his father to the tower, one night, and he recorded the event through poetry. His poem described the night in an emotional way that made the poem stick into the minds of many Chinese. One year later after writing this poem, he died. The popularity of the poet continues today with Chairman Mao having often quoted him and with the lines of his poem written on the pillars of the tower's front gate.

Above is a photo of our group at the Pavilion. After that we headed back to the hotel for some R&R. We will be having massages this afternoon in town (8$ a person can you believe it) and then a Pizza Hut Party in the hotel. Most families are in need of some Western food. We have been enjoying the Chinese flavors here and prefer eating Chinese while in China, but c'est la vie.

I am hoping to get photos of all the other babies and parents this evening so I can introduce you to them all. All of the girls are Ling babies, from the Ling orphanage so in all actuality they knew each other before they knew us and will share this special sisterhood for a lifetime.

I have posted a slideshow below depicting the funeral and tour. I also finally posted another which includes my photos from Tianmien Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.