Yesterday we decided not to go on the tour to the local park, but instead catch up on some much needed rest and just play with Nicole. She is such a joy to be with. Some of her funnier antics such as giving us a "Raspberry" or sticking her tongue out have had us in stitches.
I'm getting ready to give you a .................raspberry!
Last night we had a group meeting to go over the documents necessary for when we go to Guangzhou and obtain Nicole’s visa for entry into the US. Our lead representative, Daphne, is an incredibly loving, thoughtful, and sincere lady. She talked about how she hopes her "nieces," as she refers to the adopted babies, will grow up with pride about their heritage and perhaps come back someday for a visit. She also presented us maps of the Hunan province with Changsha, Chenzhou, and Guangzhou circled.
Most touching of all was the little red purses she gave each of us for our daughters. It contains a small amount of soil from Nicole’s hometown, Chenzhou. It is a Chinese tradition when someone leaves home to give them a purse with some soil from their hometown so they will never become homesick. It is also to give them good luck and blessings on their travels. It was a very touching moment since Daphne had traveled to Chenzhou, a 4-hour trip one way, just to obtain the purses.
Chinese people are very friendly, extremely courteous, always helpful, and most sincere. They can puzzle you sometimes though. For instance, while they are more polite I think than we are in the US, it is tradition and common practice to cut in front of you while standing in line. The first time this happened to me I was in a line at the grocery store counter and must have had 5-6 people just cut right in front of me. At first it irritated me, then I figured, "what the heck, I’ll find out about this later from Daphne." She explained that yes, it is a common practice in China and is not viewed as rude, while we in the US would find it rude.
You also have to be aware of the tone you use when speaking. For instance, "ma" can mean mother, horse, or a curse word, depending on the tone. After being told this by Daphne, I decided not to try any Chinese. I don’t want to end up in jail because I thought I said, "Thank you" and they heard, "I’m blowing the place up."
We are having a wonderful time with Nicole and watching how well she is bonding to us. Since our first day together she clung to both of us without hesitation and is becoming a real monkey, climbing all over us.
Today we are going on a tour to the riverfront in Changsha, which will be interesting.
Winding up the tongue......getting close.....
here it is! Enjoy!
What an incredible blessing from the Lord this trip has been.
