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february 11:
Good Morning Marisa!
Marisa is sleeping so well that some
mornings we are having to wake her up just
to get breakfast before our day starts. On the
right we are proud to report that she already
knows how to share her toys. :-) A Chinese
family of about 15 stopped to play with her in
the lobby this morning while Nathaniel was
watching her. We might have been able to
work a free babysitting deal if we were lucky.
:-)
Marisa is sleeping so well that some
mornings we are having to wake her up just
to get breakfast before our day starts. On the
right we are proud to report that she already
knows how to share her toys. :-) A Chinese
family of about 15 stopped to play with her in
the lobby this morning while Nathaniel was
watching her. We might have been able to
work a free babysitting deal if we were lucky.
:-)
Marisa Mei-Lian Freeman
And then there's KFC
Someone in the group got hungry for KFC.
We brave the taxis to get to one and enjoyed
the "Dragon Wrap Special." You'll have to
ask Natalie. :-) Just getting places in the
cab is an adventure. We have to get our
guide or the concierge to write the address of
where we're going in Chinese and then have
the return address also. The cab drivers
speak zero English so without these we
would be lost.
Someone in the group got hungry for KFC.
We brave the taxis to get to one and enjoyed
the "Dragon Wrap Special." You'll have to
ask Natalie. :-) Just getting places in the
cab is an adventure. We have to get our
guide or the concierge to write the address of
where we're going in Chinese and then have
the return address also. The cab drivers
speak zero English so without these we
would be lost.
Lunch Anyone
Is it any wonder the Chinese are such
healthy people. This is a lunch box from a
restaurant in our hotel. Rice and fish on one
side. Spinach base with broccoli and beef
on the other. All this for about US$1.20. Now
that's good eatin'.
Is it any wonder the Chinese are such
healthy people. This is a lunch box from a
restaurant in our hotel. Rice and fish on one
side. Spinach base with broccoli and beef
on the other. All this for about US$1.20. Now
that's good eatin'.
Chen Family and Guangdong Folk Art
We visited a museum today built in the home
of the wealthiest family of Guangdong in the
late 19th Century. Your wealth and power is
evidenced by the size of your front doors -
these were at least two stories tall. To the
right are beautiful glass panes used in
panels between the rooms. It took many
artisans over 4 years to complete this home.
We visited a museum today built in the home
of the wealthiest family of Guangdong in the
late 19th Century. Your wealth and power is
evidenced by the size of your front doors -
these were at least two stories tall. To the
right are beautiful glass panes used in
panels between the rooms. It took many
artisans over 4 years to complete this home.
Other Art
Painted panels and sand paintings adorned
some of the other rooms in the
home/museum. A number of sculpture and
pottery exhibits also showcased some of the
amazing work done during the time by local
artists.
Painted panels and sand paintings adorned
some of the other rooms in the
home/museum. A number of sculpture and
pottery exhibits also showcased some of the
amazing work done during the time by local
artists.
The Friendship Store v. 2
As we were all running low on groceries, we
made another trip to the local grocery store.
Here you'll see dried/fried worms. The larger
they are the more power for healing they
have. Get ready - a small container of large
worms can cost as much as US$8,000. We
saw Ginsing root for nearly the same.
Frankly, I think I'll live longer without it.
As we were all running low on groceries, we
made another trip to the local grocery store.
Here you'll see dried/fried worms. The larger
they are the more power for healing they
have. Get ready - a small container of large
worms can cost as much as US$8,000. We
saw Ginsing root for nearly the same.
Frankly, I think I'll live longer without it.
Beautiful
Beautiful flowers are all over the place. Even
with all the air pollution in this big city, city
workers strive to keep streets clean and
common areas beautiful. This flower is one
of many. We repeatedly see worked
sweeping leaves from the streets, etc.
Needless to say, they have many workers in
this country of 1.3 billion people.
Beautiful flowers are all over the place. Even
with all the air pollution in this big city, city
workers strive to keep streets clean and
common areas beautiful. This flower is one
of many. We repeatedly see worked
sweeping leaves from the streets, etc.
Needless to say, they have many workers in
this country of 1.3 billion people.
You may be wondering what happened between lunch and dinner. I (Doug) had to do about 2 and a
half hours of paperwork while Marisa was napping and the others played games. Our paperwork is
done as a group since we have one or two guides/interpreters. Trying to get questions answered for
42 families and get everything done right is quite the trick. This was in preparation for Marisa's
doctor's appt tomorrow and some other passport/visa paperwork. She actually becomes a US citizen
when we touch down in Chicago - yea! Interestingly, some research I did led me to understand that
while the US recognizes dual citizenship, China does not. So if she were to ever return to China
some day she would be treated (likely) like any other US citizen.
half hours of paperwork while Marisa was napping and the others played games. Our paperwork is
done as a group since we have one or two guides/interpreters. Trying to get questions answered for
42 families and get everything done right is quite the trick. This was in preparation for Marisa's
doctor's appt tomorrow and some other passport/visa paperwork. She actually becomes a US citizen
when we touch down in Chicago - yea! Interestingly, some research I did led me to understand that
while the US recognizes dual citizenship, China does not. So if she were to ever return to China
some day she would be treated (likely) like any other US citizen.
You know the drill - slide show first and then the video. I'm happy to report
the Internet connection has been a little more forgiving for us. Enjoy!
the Internet connection has been a little more forgiving for us. Enjoy!