Thursday in Taiyuann

Every day gets a little better with Anna.

She is slowly getting used to us, her new family. We are getting regular smiles now.

The boys are competing to be the ones who play with Anna or get to push the stroller! 

Dylan was excited that there were REAL robots on display in the hotel lobby.

Dylan said he'd never actually seen a real robot and could we buy one? I got a video clip of him using an iPhone to control it: pretty cool!

Anna conked out at nap time. Note the hand stuck in the cracker dispenser cup

The hotel pool requires swim caps (the tight fitting ones) but we struck out at two different stores trying to find them... And just couldn't communicate to the store employees. So we ended up using the baggy transparent ones that you see used in food factories.

Yes, we DO actually feed our kids!

Lounging in the pool chairs afterwards. In broken, but understandable English, the life guard explained to me that my sons doing cannon ball is not allow.

Breakfast on Thursday morning! 

We are still in Taiyuann here.

Pauline and Tyler were 90% recovered from their flu bugs, thankfully!

Anna is a huge fan of congee (a porridge like meal) and wolfs down the watermelon: great to see! Improved eye contact, a wider range of body movement, more smiles, and lots of cuddle/comfort time with Michelle are all such encouraging milestones!

It's a nice hotel: the Wanda Vista. We really are the only white people we have seen staying here: still haven't entirely gotten used to the attention, the waves and the prolonged, interested stares!

George took us for a short walk to a local park around 9:30 this morning. The other CCAI family, Wendy & Isaac Fix, with newly adopted son Levi, joined us.

How do people in crowded cities wash their cars?

This question has been one of many that I haven't been able to answer about everyday life in China. Seeing this mobile car wash service makes good sense...

Walking with my new daughter. It even feels strange to type that!

 

A public fitness park includes an outdoor gymnasium where many retirees hang out every morning to exercise, socialize, play cards and gossip!

As our boys ascended the monkey bars, a crowd of people gathered around us.They are looking and noticing right away, but don't approach you until someone else does it first. Once that ice is broken, (by you or by them), others immediately move in --- to use the word "swarm" is not an exaggeration --- to listen in and find out the details of who you are, where you're from, and why you're there. They love the boys, they admire the ladies (Michelle, Pauline and Wendy), are curious about why we have Anna and Levi with us, and are looking to me for answers (with George translating)

There is no equivalent to this that we've ever experienced. 

According to George, several of them said they wished Obama was a little more like me, and one old very short man missing several teeth said I was like the mayor of Taiyuann. Lots of good natured ribbing. It's not just a Dutch thing: people are keenly interested/snoopy in other people certainly in China, too!!

George said their nickname for white people is dee beeza which is big nose.

Tons of seniors playing card games. Gets very animated.

We had to ask George for help on this one: who is the guy with the white cap and what are these binders?

According to George, he is a match maker, who sets up men and women for marriage. Methinks you've got to be pretty desperate in your love life if you've decided you need THIS man to hook you up: YIKES!

Seniors playing hackey-sack!! And not only were they fit, flexible and quick, their fancy moves were nothing short of incredible! This was one of about 5 groups we saw. They invited Joel and Tyler to join them in playing.

They even gave us a hackey-sack birdie: cool souvenir!!

The time seemed right for our first unofficial family picture. The setting was so relaxing: no traffic, crazy intersections, honking or mopeds. This is us!

An interested crowd quickly formed. They wanted Dylan in the picture. One funny thing that I've noticed is that in a group picture like this, the Chinese will pat your butt. Not a grope, not a smack, just a momentary push of their palm against your "bottom". Try that on another guy back home and you wake up in Langley Memorial Hospital in a full body cast!

Group shot with George. 

It's an oasis in the middle of a crazy busy city! A paved sidewalk wraps around this lake just like Stanley Park sea wall. 

Dragon Lake. Even though the water is murky, unforgiving and looks like Oma's pea soup, you see people fishing and lots of little minnows, etc darting around in it. So it can't be that polluted. It's definitely scenic and gorgeous to look at!

Anna was just drinking it all in

Back at the seniors outdoors gym. Look at this elderly gentleman: incredible!

I get pulled hamstrings just WATCHING him.

Lots of seniors are there with their grand child.

Physical fitness isn't just the domain of the young in China. It seems to be a fairly high and common priority among people of ALL ages, as we learned today

Checking out a Zen Fishing Garden. I didn't fully get how it worked, but people are actually fishing for goldfish, which appear to be stocked in the lake.

Pauline prancing among the pretty pads

Girl with her mom

It reminds me of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden in Vancouver's China town.

Produce vendors playing cards with their wares on display...

Michelle read books to Anna in the hotel room and put her down for a nap

While Anna napped, we returned to that park again to explore

Dylan takes it in stride, all this head patting and special attention!

Fall colors starting to kick in.

In addition to standing out because of our skin color, we also stand out as the only ones wearing shorts. Tyler said lots of people playfully slapped his bare leg as they were talking to him. I'm told it's out of season and the locals find it chilly

These super compact mini vans are stick shift and are everywhere in China. Wish I could import one to the US. 

Swipe your ID card and you have use of a bike. I saw this system used in Toronto and think it is the coolest idea!

A Toyota bus only available for the Asian market

Michelle and I took Anna to  Wal Mart. About 20 minutes into it we realized this might be her first time at Wal Mart, and quite possibly her first time sitting in a shopping cart and very likely her first time going shopping. So many firsts that her little mind is processing  these last few days. We thought it was worth a photo!

These mannequin children are supposed to be European/North American. They were a little frightening to say the least, and the eyes blink every 90 seconds (just kiddin)

These two are getting along VERY well. What a treat to enjoy this time with just Michelle and I and her. It has been such a blessing to have Pauline join us on this trip

I caught the tail end of a full mouth, 10-tooth grin by Anna, in the hotel lobby

One final dinner with George, our CCAI rep, inside the mall by our hotel...

Chairman Mao's picture is commonly seen here in China, on everything from the money to the cups on your restaurant table...

Our waiter with George... It's like an Asian Red Robin dining experience except with humor and flambuoyancy  mixed in...

Anna again ate a very hearty meal, and didn't seem too alarmed at all the noise... 

Walking back to the hotel through the mall...

Our last night in Taiyuann is behind us! 

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we make the trek to the city of Guangzhou. We fly out at 1:35 p.m.