April 1, 2005 April Fool's Day! Hey Everyone! Well, this is our last day in Nanchang and how sad we are NOT! We are ready to go to the White Swan Hotel, which is supposed to be very nice. This hotel is not that bad, but we have eaten the same thing for breakfast and supper for the past 6 days, and the smell of it is often nauseating to Heidi. Lunch is our saving grace, as we have ventured out to various restaurants to eat. Last night at dinner, Tim comes back to the table with a softball sized meatball. Tim was brave enough to try it, but did not eat it. He said it wasn't very good. We never did determine what it was. Heidi is sticking to fruit and rice, but I have tried several things with mostly good results. The flavors are very different than what we are used to. Today, after picking up Leah's Chinese passport (more on that later), we had a traditional Chinese lunch at a restaurant. We were all a little nervous at first and our guide had to order for us. Heidi forgot the card that states "I am allergic to seafood," but our guide understood, "NO FISH, VERY SICK, HOSPITAL IF EAT FISH." It turns out to be one of our best meals since we have been in China. The sweet and sour chicken tasted just like Happy China in Madison. Leah is a chow hound and loves the dinner table. Eating is when she is the happiest. I didn't know a little baby could eat so much food. We got up this morning and had our standard breakfast, and then off to the police station. Believe it or not, this had nothing to do with anything we had done, but only to pick up the baby's passport. We were all laughing that this was the first meeting with the Chinese government that they did not ask us for money. It was very quick and painless. They supposedly insured that the adoption certificates and passports, as well as the baby you had matched; however, Heidi was standing next to Tim and the official held up the picture and Tina's passport and matched Heidi and Leah to it. I guess, at this point, it doesn't matter. We are through with the Chinese side of the adoption, and as far as they are concerned, Leah is ours. After the police station, we went to the porcelain market. We bought some things that we haven't figured out how we are going to get into our luggage. In general, we have not found things to be that inexpensive here. But our guides have pre-arranged deals with certain vendors which are to their benefit. When we went to the Pagoda, the guide said, "Shops on every floor. Can only guarantee quality on 2nd floor." Later on he told another person in our group that he got a discount for bringing people to a particular shop. This has become a running joke amongst group 106. We also have many laughs about our other guide who is always telling us, "Come to my room. 3:30. Bring money." Apparently, our guide worked out a deal with our hotels, and we pay him U.S. cash rather than paying the hotel. I'm sure we are getting the short end of the stick. On a better note, Leah is really beginning to come out of her shell. This is not a totally good thing, as she is VERY stubborn. In our referral paperwork, it said she liked getting her way, and boy, were they right! She successfully pitched a fit most of the time we were on the bus today. This does not bode well for the plane flight home. She has begun to laugh and no longer screams when we change her diaper. She was much better in the bath this morning, too. She is still at her best at the dinner table. Just like we said yesterday, everywhere we go, people gather around to look at us. We have not figured out if it is the babies or all of us Americans. People are, as a whole, very friendly. The teenage Chinese girls love to touch and play with the babies. Leah was a big hit with this elderly lady at the porcelain shop who kept saying how beautiful she was and even gave her a little orange for her to hold; however, Heidi did not think this was a good idea in the porcelain shop as Leah has a pretty good arm, and I am sure they have a "you break it, you buy it" policy. In the afternoon, Heidi went with the group to visit a Chinese village about 20 minutes from our hotel. I stayed back at the hotel with Leah. She was sleeping, and we didn't want to disturb her. She gets so crabby on the bus anyway. However, as it turns out, Leah woke up 15 minutes after the bus pulled out, and we could have gone. Heidi said she and everyone else had a great time at the village, and she will post more about the village later. I will upload some pictures of her experience. She took some great pictures and, of course, has some of cute little old men. Tomorrow will be a big test, as it is the babies' first plane flight. All of us are traveling on the same flight. Wish us luck! The next post will be from Guangzhou where we will have internet access in the rooms – hip hip hooray. Love, Rich Village Elder     Cute Chinese Girl   Get it, Daddy!     Leah Jumping     Lots of Food     This page hosted by