Today is our last day in Nanchang. We leave for Guangzhou in the morning. We are there for 4 more days and then we fly home! We miss our boys like crazy. They are doing very well with their grandparents and we are pleased.
Yesterday was a cold and rainy day, so our group spent most of the day in the hotel. We, being former Oregonians, bundled up the baby and decided to venture out anyway in the rain. We shopped a little and then went to the Teng Wang pavilion (pictures coming soon)! This place is a beautiful pagoda style palace that was originally built 5000 years ago by the brother of an emperor during the Teng dynasty. It has been rebuilt multiple times- this one was rebuilt in 1989. Most of the day was pretty low key. Allie loves to be outside and is content hanging out in the Baby Bjorn.
Today was a busier day for us. We decided to walk from our hotel to Ba Yi square in search of a photo card for our camera. Since it is a weekend day and nice outside, everyone came out of the woodwork. We really got a feel for the heavy population in China. Nanchang is a city of 3 million and it is considered a small to medium size city. When we reached WalMart, every imaginable space on the escalator was completely full of people and there was a mob line of people waiting to get on the escalator. This was the line just for entering the WalMart store! We didn't get to see the check out lines (and didn't want to). I tried twice to use a restroom and there were lines just for entering through the door! I gave up and waited til we got back to the hotel.
We walked through the busy mall area to get to Ba Yi square. Our other option was to take a cab, but after our last experience, I wasn't about to with a baby on my lap. The walking alternative wasn't much better. Every time you cross the street it's like playing human frogger. People's standards of safety here are just not even close to ours. On several occasions I've seen people riding little mopeds on busy streets with their child, helmetless, perched on the front of the bike. Our facilitator Jane said that it is illegal, but people do it anyway because there isn't enough law enforcement. Apparently babies don't have car seats either.
The walk was entertaining, nonetheless, but overwhelming. Loud blaring music and hustle and bustle from every direction surrounded us. It was a cold day and people had their kids bundled from head to toe. People here are quite sensitive to cold and they ball us out if even a slight patch of skin is exposed on the baby. One thing that's funny though is the toddlers don't wear diapers. Instead, there is a slit in their pants and their little butts hang out. If they've gotta go, they just go. It's so funny to see them bundled in a snow suit with their hands and faces covered and their butts sticking out.
On the note of being sensitive to cold- John manages to draw a lot of attention to himself, not only because he is one of two white faces in an enormous crowd, but because he underdresses in cold weather. He has been running every morning in shorts when it's 50 degrees out. Every time he passes groups of people he hears a string of very enthusiastic Chinese, followed by laughter. Translation: "Look at the white fool running down the street in shorts and a T-shirt".
I don't have too much more to report for the time being and I will try to post more pictures very soon. I was able to at least find a new card that works in my digital camera, so I am back to taking pictures. Alexandra is doing great. She is still very happy most of the time, though we have learned she can have quite a temper too. When she's mad, she's mad. She and her brother Aaron will have a lot to talk about.
I'll be in touch!
-Laura
Laura
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