A Day in Nanchang

Today we spent the morning with Kristin playing in the room and then went to breakfast. She enjoyed pieces of bread, eggs, and congee - a Chinese food similar to oatmeal. We met our guide and the Divi family and took a cab to a nearby park. The parks in China are amazingly beautiful. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were there due to the holiday. We walked through the park and the Chinese people were so nice, many came up to Kristin to touch her furry pink bear outfit. The park also included an amusement park with lots of rides for the children - there were roller coasters, flying bobs, water boats, bumper cars, zip lines, etc. One game children went fishing for small gold fish and they could take as many as 5 fish home. There was also a water area with really large Koi fish - they were at the bridge where people were feeding them. It was a beautiful day to spend some time at the park and the girls loved it. Next our guide took us to a Chinese flea market - it was a great adventure. I found a basic calligraphy books my students may enjoy when we learn about Ancient China later this year, as well as, a few picture flash cards with fruits and animals. Our friends bought some squeaky shoes and decorations for the Chinese New Year. There were so many people at this market area and lots of food vendors including skewers of cherry tomatoes, lots of fresh fruit, sugar cane, and a jambalaya stew, and then some other items we were unsure what they were. We came back to the hotel for Kristin to nap and then Scott and other people from our group walked to the market to get some more bottled water and rice cereal. We had our 1st playdate tonight in our hotel room where Julia and Kristin could play together as we all dined on KFC. It was quite the experience to order at KFC - a bucket of chicken was ordered which came with a few pieces of chicken, nuggets, sandwiches,ears of corn, a roll, etc. The Divis oldest daughter "A" kept the girls entertained by blowing bubbles. She has been a delight to have on the trip and is a wonderful big sister! Kristin stayed up and played with mom and dad a little longer - she plays with the stacking cups and loves her music box. She also loves just bouncing to mom and back to dad. She is sitting up fairly well and her legs are getting stronger and stronger each day. She went to bed easier tonight and we hope she sleeps as well as she did last night. Tomorrow we were scheduled to visit Kristin's orphanage, but since we found out she was cared for in foster care and the trip is 2. 5 hours one way by van we decided to not do this. Five hours in a van did not seem like the best way to spend with our baby girl. Echo, our guide, is planning a surprise trip tomorrow morning since we already booked the van. Tonight over dinner the families were sharing how it doesn't really seem like we are in China - everything has gone smoothly and we have enjoyed every adventure. Our guides in Beijing and Nanchang have been fabulous. We will be here until Friday and then fly to Ghuangzhou. where we will spend several days completing adoption requirements.