Thursday,
August 30, 2007
Today was another good day. Aleina woke up on her own at
about 7 am. She wasn’t real happy at first but within
minutes she started singing. She constantly says something
that sounds like teeow. Our guide has no idea what she is
trying to say but she says it repeatedly. Too cute. We
went to breakfast and she put her little hat on and was
all smiles.
After breakfast, we met our tour guide and traveled to a
rural village outside of the city of Nanchang. It was an
extremely poor village so I thought it would be a good
idea to take the candy and pencils I brought for the
children in the area. Our guide said it was ok to give,
but that she should give them to the children as they
would understand her more. I was so glad that she handed
them out. We stepped outside the van and she was instantly
attacked by about 8 children. They were clawing at her and
trying to grab the bag. She was yelling at them to stop
but they wouldn’t. Then a little old lady came up and
yelled at the children. Then, she turned to our guide and
she began attacking her for the bag of goodies. Our guide
was very good and handled the situation well. While
walking through the village, the smells were overwhelming.
It was filthy dirty and the houses didn’t have windows or
doors. The people were very dirty but very polite and
generous. We visited a house of an elderly couple. The
floors were dirt and the walls were stone. Their
generosity was amazing. They were very polite and offered
us all chairs. We sat and talked a bit while our guide
translated their questions and our comments. One of the
things that struck me as particularly interesting was how
happy these poor people were. They gladly showed us their
home as if it were their castle. They were truly happy
with what they had even though it was so little. We could
learn a lesson or two from these people. We also visited
the rice fields and were able to see farming families in
the process of building their homes. It was so hot and
humid and these poor people were literally soaked with
sweat. They stopped and waved and smiled at us.
Right now, Aleina and the other little girl, Chong, are
playing so well. They are laughing and giggling like old
friends. It is amazing to see these two beautiful little
girls become a part of their new family. Today, we went to
another Chinese restaurant and Aleina had this little
packet of napkins. She turned to me and said, “mama”. I
wanted to cry. Then later today, she came running into our
room, yelled mamma and grabbed my hand to follow her. She
is really starting to accept me and it feels wonderful.
Daddy, guess what? We have been looking at your pictures
and I have been pointing to you and saying, “baba” which
is daddy in Chinese. Today, she was showing the other
little girl your picture and she said, “baba”. So, she
knows you are her daddy even though you are not here. She
also points to Kyle, Adam and Caden’s picture and says,
“gee-gee”, which means brother. So, we’re making progress.
I love it. Everyday, something new.
Her personality is amazing. She is a little mischievous at
times but when I tell her no, she takes it well. So far!
She has this little expression where she pushes out her
top lip and bites her bottom. It is too cute. I hope to
get a picture of it.
Well, good bye for now. I want to thank you all again for
all of your wonderful comments and words of support.
Sally, I love the quotes!! Also, hi Zoe!! I think you are
Aleina’s biggest fan! She can’t wait to meet you too. To
the men in my life, I love you and miss you lots. Keep
checking our email as I send you personal notes and
comments. Love you guys!! |
Good morning sunshine!
I like my new hat.
Did someone say candy?
Village kitchen
My new friend Chong |
