March 29, 2005 Hello Everyone! It is Tuesday night, and baby Leah is sound asleep in her crib. She has spent the majority of the day crying, but we are unsure why. It seems she may have a stomach ache, and she may also be teething. She is not running a fever, so I guess she is all right for now. She hates her formula, but will eat her rice cereal. She likes to eat fruit, bread and congee. We probably need to get her started on a new formula, but that is challenging since everything is in Chinese at the stores, and I don't speak Chinese, and most employees do not speak English. So, it is almost impossible to figure anything out. When we went to Walmart, it was very interesting with everything in Chinese. We bought some Sam's Choice bottled water that we recognized solely from the color and design of the label. This is how we bought most of the stuff we got. We spent the morning hanging around at the hotel (it was fun, with the men playing spades and the women chatting). No one has a room big enough for all of us to fit, so we just hang out in the hall. We ordered pizza from Pizza Hut. Rich called and tried to order it, but it took 20 minutes with our guide's help to order 3 pizzas. The Chinese did not know what a pepperoni was, nor what sausage was. We ended up with two Cheese Lovers and a Super Supreme, which, by the way, did not have pepperoni on it. By the way, the delivery man has to take a taxi to deliver the pizza. It was just like home and was really good. Everyone in the group was sitting in the hall eating pizza. We were happy campers. I'm sure the locals think we are nuts when they pass by and see all of us sitting around on the floor, especially when we are eating. In the afternoon, we took a bus ride over to this beautiful pagoda in Nanchang. I'll post some pictures so you can see. It's bizarre to see this ancient structure amongst somewhat modern buildings. The pollution is really bad. You can see the smog in some of the pictures. You can actually smell it when you go outside. It is amazing the number of people here. It looks like Times Square or Mardi Gras everywhere you go. There are people walking, on bicycles and small scooters/mopeds everywhere amongst the trucks and cars. There appears to be no rhyme or reason the traffic laws here. Trucks and cars don't stop at intersections; they just kind of flow together with the bicycles, scooters and pedestrians weaving in between. It really is amazing how well it works, even though it is rather scary for us westerners who are not used to it. China is a study in contrasts. There are very nice beautiful buildings interspersed with buildings that we would condemn in the U.S. There are BMWs driving along with the two wheeled carts pulled by hand. They are building a tremendous amount here. The skyline is full of cranes, and there are new high rises going up everywhere. The new buildings mostly seem to be housing. It is amazing. As a whole, Nanchang is a drab city. It reminds me of parts of the northern U.S. cities that are run down and in disrepair. The people are also a significant mix. For example at dinner tonight, there was a large table of Chinese sitting near us. There were several older people sitting at the table, and they were all waving and smiling at us and the babies. There was, however, a young man in a military uniform sitting at the table that stared almost angrily at us all night. Most of the young people here wear the same fashions as in the U.S. You see American brands everywhere, and the KFC's we have passed by are packed with Chinese. As a whole, the people are very friendly and curious about us. They usually smile and walk with the babies. I noticed that you do not see Chinese with their babies in public. I cannot think of a single time that I have seen a Chinese person out with a child under 5 years old. This probably makes us stick out even more, if that is possible. Leah has now eaten chocolate ice cream thanks to Rich. She loved it. We weighed her and she is a chunk; although we already knew this from our arms nearly breaking with carrying her around all over. She weighs 20 lbs! Oh, and Becky – Leah loves the baby sling. She curls right up in it just like your Elizabeth did that Saturday you showed us how to use it. It's a good disguise, too, because although she had on a tee, shirt, and jacket, the Chinese temperature police would not think it was enough, so hiding her in that sling was perfect! We really appreciate you lending it to us.   Breakfast with Friends (Eden and Leah)     Business Center Posting Pictures \ Com'on Mama     Girls with a Really Big Lion     Hangin' in the Hall       This page hosted by