Mission Accomplished

Today, we got to shop a LOT. We got fans. FIVE fans because we kept getting them as "free gifts" for all the other stuff we bought. I don't now what will happen to them all. We got some other stuff also. We had no guide today, so we had some freedom. The pool at our hotel is nice. We went there today. It's fun to experience it all. I'm so glad we got to come to China.  Guangzhou is my favorite but Xiushan was special.  We're packing right now. I'm ready to eat normal food. Though the noodles are good. Thanks for following our blog. 

~Lydia

Today was our last day in China.  We leave tomorrow morning to head home.  Today we didn't have a guide which is easy in Guangzhou because many people speak a little English and Google translator is a huge help.  So, we took a cab back over to Shamian Island and shopped and had lunch at Lucy's.  Lucy's is this restaurant over by the White Swan hotel that caters to Americans.  Their grilled cheese is especially good.  They also have some Chinese food, but most of their menu is American.  We saw many new adoptive families from the US in there.  Then, this afternoon the kids and I went to the pool while Craig went on an unexpected adventure.

You know how we paid through the nose to ship the baby carrying basket and bamboo hat home?  Ya, well, it turns out that Chinese customs denied our shipment because it didn't have some certificate that it was machine made and not handmade.  Actually, we aren't really sure which way they were made.  We think the hat was machine made but we are really unsure about the basket.  If things are handmade they cannot be taken either out of the country or into the US...I'm not sure which...maybe both....for fear that we are transporting insects to the states.  So, our guide from Chongqing called us to tell us and as it turns out, the package was in Guangzhou where we are.  So, Craig had to get an address, get a cab and go on a wild goose chase for this thing at the airport where it got denied.  Three hours later he returned to the hotel with our package.  The cab driver apparently got stuck in the middle of this mess translating for Craig and going to bat for him and he got a hefty tip for his above and beyond work.  So, these silly things just keep costing us money.  And, we aren't sure that they will even make it through the airport when we try to get them through...actually, they probably won't.  So, after all this, we probably won't end up with them which really stinks because they were from Xiushan which is Lydia's birthplace.  Craig is such a good daddy to go chasing after these things and to keep spending money on them for his baby girl!  He knows that she thinks they are special.

Tonight we had dinner in the hotel room.  Most everyone is sick of Chinese food.  I am almost there but had to have noodles one last time. 

This has been such a wonderful trip.  Lydia says she wants to come back in 10 years...especially to Guangzhou.  She's liked Guangzhou far more than the other places.  She likes the little shops where she can find all sorts of little treasures.  Chongqing used to have those lined up and down the streets but they aren't really there like they used to be 10 years ago. 

We were talking at lunch about what the children have learned by coming to China.  We heard that they have learned that not everyone has the same opportunities as they do.  That our living conditions are vastly different (I think it is safe to say that 90+% of the housing in China would be considered slums in the US).  They learned that many people here really struggle to make a living and will sit in their little shop or restaurant all day and be hard pressed to make enough money to feed themselves and their family.  That the market is saturated by oversupply.  We talked a lot about how these people seem very content with their situations, and, from our guide, we get the sense that the people are very content letting the government lead their lives, owning all the land, and providing housing that we would consider to be completely unacceptable.  They seem happy outside playing games, dancing and exercising the park.  But, they don't have a fraction of what we have.  At the same time, the government blocks things like Google, Facebook, HGTV's website, etc.  The majority of people most likely do not realize the opportunities that people in the US have.  And, we all agreed that was probably for the best.  There's nothing they could do about their situation here and so all that knowledge would do is depress them.  Our guide, Lina, in Chongqing asked to see pictures of Violet.  Lina is very well educated.  We joked that she is a walking Chinese history textbook and geography textbook.  She is a beautiful woman who dresses very stylish.  However, she kept telling us how "we" (the Chinese people) are rich because they have enough to eat.  That their government takes care of them by doing this, that and the other.  That their government has these plans, has fulfilled these promises, etc.  She feels very indebted to her government.  She has never been out of the China.  She has never been to the US.  One day she asked to see pictures of Violet so I showed her a few.  In one was part of our front yard.  She was astonished.  She asked if we could farm our garden (front yard).  Then she saw a photo of the backyard and about fell out of her seat and asked the same question.  I got to explain was an HOA is by telling her it was the "government of the neighborhood" LOL!! Then, she saw a photo of Violet where the kitchen was in the background and she couldn't believe what she was seeing.  I had to explain to her that we buy our food like she does (she lives in an apartment) and so she couldn't understand what we did with all that land.  I had to explain that we play in it, plant flowers in it and enjoy it.  She had absolutely no idea.  And I'm not sure she is better for knowing.  I didn't intend for her to see all that, I was just pulling up pictures of Violet from my phone. 

I think our kids appreciate their lives a little more.  Jake finds it sad that they can't choose their path based on their dreams and expect to attain those goals because opportunities are so limited.  Lydia said very sincerely, "I'm happy I was placed for adoption and I'm happy that I got adopted by this family."  I think she has a new found respect and appreciation for her birth parents' choices.

Great trip.  Some questions answered and gaps filled.  Closure in many ways. Positive outcome.  Mission accomplished.

~Carla