Beautiful Red

Almost ready

2007-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

We leave Columbus on Friday, March 2. We arrive in Cambodia on Sunday, March 4. Okay, so we're going with the rotation of earth, but it's still a long trip...

Wrapping it up

2006-05-19T01:52:00.000-07:00

Well, our last day in China has been relaxing so far. It's a beautiful day on Shamian Island, sunny and about 80 degrees. After breakfast, Xiu Dan took a brief nap, and then we hit the pool. The water was a bit cold for Kori, Xiu Dan and I, but Chien and Pak jumped right in. We dipped our toes at the kiddie pool, and spent about two hours chatting with other families who are also in China to adopt kids.

We had a nice lunch at a restaurant we'd visited earlier in the week. We worked a little bit with Xiu Dan on the hand sign for "more." Her usual manner of banging her hands and shrieking when we're not feeding her fast enough wasn't working out so well for us. The girl loves to eat, and has found very few things she won't happily gobble. After lunch, we hit a coffee shop for cappucinos and mango shakes.

After picking up a few more souvenirs, we returned to the hotel, exhausted from all of our hard work. Xiu Dan crashed pretty quickly, the boys watched some X-Games skateboarding competition on the tube, and Kori and I dozed briefly. It's 4:35 p.m., which means that we'll be getting up in 12 hours: very, very morning for the McCollum clan.

The end of our trip has left me with mixed emotions. I'm thrilled to be returning to friends and family; it's time for us to start our lives together in Columbus. But I feel a twinge of regret. We're taking Xiu Dan away from China. She's losing something of her identity, and no matter how hard we try, she'll never really have a good chance to learn Mandarin or feel completely 'Chinese.' I remember being misty-eyed when as our plane took off with Chien from Vietnam.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and eating at my own table after a month on the run. Living out of suitcases can be fun, but only for a while. Unfortunately, I'm going to be massively jet-lagged and absolutely beat for my monday morning presentation. Yeah, that's right. I have a major presentation on monday at 10am. I usually love presenting, and I genuinely like the client, but I'm afraid I might not be at the top of my game. Oh, well. We'll see.

Kori and I put together a list of China-related topics I should address. I don't know if I'll have time, but I promise I'll try to post my thoughts on everything from traffic to manners to urban planning shortly after I return. In short, I've loved this trip, and I love China. I love the way my boys -- and girls -- have travelled. Very few breakdowns and many, many wonderful moments. Thanks for all of your prayers. We'll see you all soon.

Speaking of seeing you soon, our plane arrives on NW 1691 from Detroit at 4:22pm Saturday. You're welcome to meet us there if you wish, and/or show up at our house for a few minutes afterward. I promise we'll be happy to see you, but I can't promise we'll be very engaging hosts; I doubt I'll feel like cooking, and I may fall asleep immediately upon arrival. You can open up a bottle and toast us if you can hear over the snoring. Otherwise, you can all see Xiu Dan at Central Vineyard (meeting at Calumet Christian School) on Sunday morning at 10am. We may sleep through the entire service, but we wouldn't miss it for the world!

Starfish

2006-05-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Starfish
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Seahorses and scorpions

2006-05-18T07:44:00.001-07:00

Seahorses and scorpions
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Croaked

2006-05-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Croaked
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Shopping arcade

2006-05-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Shopping arcade
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

We need more of these. Pedestrian streets, not McDonalds...

Deer hooves

2006-05-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

Deer hoofs
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Market

2006-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Door

2006-05-18T07:35:00.002-07:00

Door
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Doors

2006-05-18T07:35:00.001-07:00

Doors
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

You've got mail

2006-05-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

You've got mail
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Market street

2006-05-18T07:34:00.001-07:00

Market street
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Soon this scened will be dominated by a huge skyscraper.

Market street

2006-05-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

Market street
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

People really couldn't seem to understand why I wanted to take pictures of their neighborhood.

Man with trumpet. In chicken suit.

2006-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Man with trumpet. In chicken suit.
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

It makes perfect sense. To someone.

Illegal tiger paw sales

2006-05-18T07:31:00.001-07:00

Illegal tiger paw sales
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Apparently it enhances male 'vigor.' Doesn't do much for the tiger, though.

Coffee and tiramisu on Shamian Island

2006-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

Coffee and tiramisu on Shamian Island
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Lost in Canton

2006-05-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Until about noon, my prospects for an interesting walk in the city looked dim; an ill wind -- the fringe of distant typhoon Chanchu -- was blowing through Guangzhou. Umbrella-inverting gusts and stinging rain had already nixed my plans for a half-day photo safari, so I left all of my camera equipment at the hotel when we went to lunch. As we ate, the winds died down, and the rain subsided. We enjoyed yet another fantastic meal, I paid the bill and parted ways with Kori, Xiu Dan and the boys. They headed back to the White Swan, I set out across the bridge, off Shamian Island and into the weird and wild world of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou -- formerly Canton -- was the first port in China to trade with the West, and it is still the heart of the Chinese economy. Today, Guangdong Province generates nearly 30% of China's annual gross domestic product. I'd suspect that most of my clothes, electronics and household accessories were made not far from here. Modern capitalism is alive and well on a massive scale in 'red' China.

The first part of this afternoon's adventure, however, took place on streets that look pretty much like I imagine they'd have appeared a century and a half ago. Exiting the island via a pedestrian bridge that crosses a thin strip of water and a wide city street, I found myself a few steps from a gigantic, 3-story herbal medicine market encompassing an entire city block. I spent a half hour or so wandering around, admiring the astonishing array of dried fruits, roots, animals, leaves and odd items whose origin and use I could only imagine.

There were literally thousands of products I'd never seen before; long stringy things, broad and flat scratchy things, things that looked chewy, things that looked scaly. I couldn't tell whether some of these substances were animal, vegetable or mineral, and wouldn't know whether to eat them, smoke them, rub them on my skin in a poultice or drink them as a tea.

The smells were equally unfamiliar ranging from mouthwatering to miasmic: meaty aromas from giant mobiles of long, oily jerkies, fresh herbal fragrances from huge sacks of dried chamomile and rose buds, heady musks from endless piles of star anise and ginseng mingled with the fetor of funky, freaky foodstuffs from worlds I've never imagined.

From there, I wandered into an old, old neighborhood -- the winding streets with ancient shops reminded me of some old version of China I've only seen in movies. The fortune tellers and curio shops of my imagined Canton have been replaced by little stores selling nuts and bolts and hinges and spools of wire; so many shops selling such odd assortments of products. One appeared to sell nothing but used faucets, another only stocked doorknobs.

Pressing further into the city, I stumbled upon a street selling all kinds of aquatic critters -- water snakes, turtles, crabs, spotted lobsters the size of my cat, frogs, water beetles -- and buckets upon buckets of live scorpions. There must be a huge market in China for live scorpions. Scorpions and padded bras -- they're on sale everywhere.

After a mile or so, I spotted a familiar but unwelcome sight: an immense McDonald's 'restaurant.' The McD's marked the entrance to a large pedestrian street lined with stores selling all sorts of clothes, none of which appealed to me. I have enough dress shirts, and I don't like the styles favored by Chinese youth. When one is my age, one doesn't look good in pastel t-shirts covered in English slogans like "Style. Fashion. Free. Fun." Nor am I in the market for another padded bra. I finally spotted a tea shop. I bought a couple of small teapots to prove that I had actually been shopping for three hours.

I walked for about 15 minutes looking for some familiar landmark that would lead me back to Shamian Island. I finally decided that I was completely lost and that Kori was probably wondering if I'd been Shanghaied. I flagged a taxi which drove for about 20 minutes before reaching Shamian Island and my hotel.

Returning to Shamian Island from the city is sort of like stepping off some turbo-charged escalator -- it takes a few moments to get one's bearings. Shamian really is beautiful, even if it doesn't seem very Chinese. We had a fantastic Thai dinner at a riverside restaurant tonight. We watched the sun set over the Pearl River, and enjoyed some great family time.

Tomorrow is our consulate appointment. Very serious stuff -- no cameras, no backpacks, no smiling -- but it's all just formalities. She's ours, and we're coming home on Saturday. 'Nuff said. If I have time and the weather permits, I'll try to retrace some of today's steps with a camera and a couple of lenses. The markets were cool, and the old streets are just dying to be photographed.

I'll get caught up, um, later?

2006-05-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try a more detailed post sometime between now and tomorrow. It's been difficult finding time; we're trying to experience everything at once -- Guangzhou, Shamian Island, the baby -- it's difficult to make time, it's also difficult to get all of my thoughts together.

I also hope to take a photo safari some time today or tomorrow -- a couple of hours without the kids; just me and the camera. I'd like to remember this place, but it feels like we're speeding through at a bullet's pace. A couple of quick thoughts.

Guangzhou city: It's huge. Given our time, we won't get much of a chance to see Guangzhou; we'll probably visit a few markets.

Shamian Island: Calm, peaceful, a little fake-feeling. Infested with ladybugs (adoption-related inside joke).

White Swan Hotel: Big, fancy, filled with too many people adopting kids to make us feel like anything more than consumers at this point. The 12 clubs and restaurants are all too expensive to enjoy; one of the bars has a $10 cover charge. The gym costs $10 each time you use it, and the in-house laundry is criminal -- $2 for a kid's t-shirt, $12 for a skirt -- only the very rich and the very dumb use the service here.

I'd love to get to know the city, its people and restaurants a lot better, but it's just not going to happen on this trip. And we're ready to get home to see all of you. Just a couple more days and one very, very long plane ride with a squirmy, assertive child in our lap.

At the park on Shamian Island

2006-05-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

At the park on Shamian Island
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Both the U.S. consulate and our hotel are on Shamian Island, a former British concession back when Guangzhou was known as Canton. The island is now home to a bunch of consulates and offices of foreign governments. It's peaceful and very European-feeling.

Xiu Dan's medical exam

2006-05-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Xiu Dan's medical exam
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

The exam is required by the U.S. consulate.

Yeah, Xiu Dan hated the exam

2006-05-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Xiu Dan hated the exam
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Roots and such

2006-05-16T06:32:00.001-07:00

Roots and such
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Chinese pharmacy

2006-05-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

Chinese pharmacy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

In China, there's a blurry line between food and medicine. All of these items are used to make soups and tonics that cure various ills.

Box O' Turtles

2006-05-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Box O' Turtles
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

This was one of about 20 varieties of turtles for sale at the market. They're usually eaten in soup.

At the market

2006-05-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

At the market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Examining the various wares

Teapots

2006-05-16T06:29:00.001-07:00

Teapots
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

I bought one of these. They're very cute.

The market

2006-05-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

The market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Just over the bridge from Shamian Island

No comment

2006-05-16T06:27:00.001-07:00

No comment
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

When I get home, I'm going to raise a toast to all of you, my faithful blog readers!

Pak loves his sister

2006-05-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Pak loves his sister
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Update from Guangzhou

2006-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi.

We're in Guangzhou. Everything is fine, but I don't have time to post. That will come soon...

The apex

2006-05-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

The apex
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Well, it's mother's day, our last day in Nanchang. All along, we've wanted to ride Jiangxi Province's newest attraction -- the world's largest ferris wheel. At more than 50 stories, this sucker is huge. Driving to the "Star of Nanchang," it doesn't look so big until you realize you've been driving towards it for 5 minutes, and you still haven't gotten that much closer.

Up close, it's pretty impressive. Apparently three other cities in China are in the process of building even bigger ones. I can hardly imagine that.

It took about 30 minutes to make one full revolution. Chien was a bit nervous, but we all got through it well. 50 stories. That's one big ferris wheel.

Yes, it's very, very tall

2006-05-14T00:02:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's very, very tall
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

That's one big ferris wheel

2006-05-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

That's one big ferris wheel
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Inside the gondola

2006-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Inside the gondola
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

World's tallest

2006-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

World's tallest
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Happy mother's day

2006-05-13T23:58:00.001-07:00

Happy mother's day
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Another delicious meal in Nanchang

2006-05-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

Another delicious meal in Nanchang
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Jiangxi cuisine is yummy

2006-05-13T23:57:00.002-07:00

Jiangxi cuisine is yummy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

I wish I had these recipes; I'll try my best when I get home.

Some quality time at the hotel

2006-05-13T23:57:00.001-07:00

Some quality time at the hotel
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Seriously, this girl makes me laugh.

2006-05-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Seriously, this girl makes me laugh.
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Thoughts from Nanchang. From Kori.

2006-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

The boys just left to have some big boy fun. They have been cooped up in the hotel room doing baby things for several days now, so I took them to the play room at the hotel so they could wrestle and throw balls and run around and now John is taking them out to see the city lights on the 20th floor and to a nearby coffee shop for a drink and card game. Xiu Dan is asleep. She ran around with us today and didn't get all of her afternoon nap so she was tired. I thought I would write some of my thoughts from Nanchang.

When I think of Nanchang I think of the worst sore throat I have ever had and of my daughter. Both very memorable. The sore throat felt like knives stabbing my throat repeatedly every time I swallowed or even breathed. I could not eat much and drinking even water hurt. I was taking an antibiotic in case it was strep and all the Motrin I was allowed. But after 5 days it has finally subsided. It is just a little sore now and I have a runny nose but I am feeling much better.

All that clouded the first few days with Xiu Dan. She was definitely very bonded to her foster mother for the first 6 months of her life and then her nanny and the orphanage director for the last 5 months. She grieved and grieved. It was terrible. She would push me away and cry whenever I got near. I had visions of her never letting me close, now being sick did not help the emotions either. But after 3 days she finally began to bond to me too. Now she wants both me and John the same. She is so much happier now too.

It is really neat to see her personality begin to come out. She is silly. She likes to make faces, stick her tongue out, and make noises like vibrating her lips or clucking her tongue. She loves to play. We brought these stacking cups and she loves them. She bangs them, puts them inside each other, and stacks them up. She sits in one place to play. My boys were always on the move. They never sat still for more than 2 minutes at a time and always needed a new activity. She is quite content to sit and play with the same toy for 30 minutes or so with very little interaction from anyone. She loves her brothers. She just sits and watches them. She waves her arms at them and kisses them. They have been so sweet with her too. They play with her and get her to laugh. She loves to cuddle. She always wants to be close to us. She loves to have us hold her and she hugs and kisses so much. She really seems to enjoy the hip carrier we have too. She likes how close it holds her to us. She loves her blanket. She is a girl after my own heart. She likes to rub her blanket up to her lips and mouth. Some times she sucks on it and other times she just rubs it on her mouth. I used to do this when I was little. She is happy. She always has a smile. She is stubborn. She wants what she wants and she wants it NOW! But that is being a baby. She is verbal. She loves to make sounds. She says ma ma and da da and ba and ak and nnn and aaaaaaa. Not really to or about anyone but it is a start. She loves the water. Baths are so much fun for her. We haven't done the pool yet (the one here is not heated and even Chien says it is cold) but I am sure she will love it. She loves to look at her self in the mirror (she makes faces). She loves looking at the computer. She is a very deep sleeper. Once she is asleep she can sleep through anything. I am in love with her.

My boys are wonderful. They have worked so hard on school work lately. They are more helpful with Xiu Dan than I thought they would be. They love to hold her and get things for her. They truly love her and feel that she is an important part of our family. They could do without all the crying, though. So many people have commented at how great the boys are and how well behaved they are. They have been very flexible and willing to go everywhere we have had to go and do all the boring things.They are enjoying seeing all the new things and experiencing China. They haven't complained once. They are so fun to be around. I love them so very much. They are the best boys in the world.

My husband is wonderful. He is the best dad ever. He loves to play with the boys and with Xiu Dan. He loves to experience new things with them. He loves to talk with them. He loves to dream with them. He changes diapers (more than I have). He will bathe the kids. He will hold them and ease their fears. He will wrestle with them. He will read to them and put them to bed. He is silly with them. He loves them so much.

Tomorrow is mother's day. My first with 3 kids. the best 3 kids in the world. I am getting tea in bed and a mango drink at a cafe later in the day. Who could ask for anything more?

Answers for Mrs. Hall's class

2006-05-13T01:02:00.000-07:00

Pak,

We can't wait to meet her! She is the cutest peanut we ever saw!!!

Thanks so much for sharing these with everyone. The class all said "AHHHHHH" when I showed them this.

We saw your giraffe and Chien's Peek-A-Chue in the bed with Xiu Dan. That was so nice of you all to share with her. She has the best big brothers any girl could ask for. I bet you spoil her just a little bit.

Madison: "When is the baby's birthday?"

June 7

Ben: Does she cry a lot or is she happy more?"

She's happy more.

Since we are into measurements these days, the class wants to know how tall she is and how much she weighs.

9.5 kilograms and 70 centimeters.

Bridgette: Does she talk?

A little. She says, "Buh" and "Duh" and "Mmmuh."

What does she call you?

I think I heard her say, "Ak."

Can she tell you and Chien apart?

Um, not yet.

Well, we have got to go! Talk more later. We have to get our pledges started and then we will be reading a new book Hannah placed in the library for her birthday book. You will have to read it later.

We miss you bunches!

I miss you too, very much.

Love and Prayers are with you all today!

Mrs. Hall and class

Posted by Anonymous to Beautiful Red at 5/12/2006 06:13:26 AM

A rainy day in Nanchang

2006-05-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a chilly, rainy day in Nanchang. This morning, we headed out with the Roths and with our guide to the Public Security Bureau to get the girls' Chinese passports. The procedure took about ten minutes; the documents had been prepared prior to our arrival. All we had to do was verify our identity and sign some papers.

After that, we visited a shop nearby to buy some of the porcelain for which Jiangxi province is famed. We bought two full tea sets, one of which we will save to give Xiu Dan when she is older. We learned a little about the invention of porcelain and its importance in Chinese culture, history and economy. Apparently, it was first fired in Jiangxi about 10,000 years ago and was refined over a few hundred years. Porcelain, gunpowder, paper, printing, the compass and noodles -- all are Chinese inventions.

We returned to the hotel, gave Xiu Dan an bottle and put her down for a nap (she slept way too long, and we're paying for it now. It's after 9pm, and we still can't get her to sleep). The boys did homework while Kori and I watched Sumo and drank tea. We kind of skipped lunch, so we ate some dried fruit and crackers we bought earlier in the week.

At about 3ish, Xiu Dan woke up, and we decided to go shopping. The weather had cleared up a bit, and we hadn't had a chance to fully explore the 'walking street' filled with shops about a mile away from the hotel. We made dinner plans with the Roths and hit the road. Unfortunately, the rain decided to give an encore, and we got soaked. After a good dinner with the Roths, we came home, exhausted. Xiu Dan got a bath, and we put her down to bed. Repeatedly. After a few moments of peaceful repose, the kid would start shrieking. We've decided not to play hardball on bedtimes so early in our relationship, so we've been getting her up to comfort her when she screams.

I brought her over to the computer -- which she loves -- to do a video chat with Patti Simmons. About 30 seconds into it, Xiu Dan reached down and grabbed the left option and command keys. She ripped them both clean off. I got them back on, but the option key is jacked up. The shift key seems funky now too. Grr.

It's 9:25, and Xiu Dan just fell asleep. Finally. I'm praying it lasts, 'cause I'm exhausted.

G'night.

I think I can, I think I can...

2006-05-11T22:48:00.001-07:00

I think I can, I think I can...
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Woman, thou art loosed!

2006-05-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Woman, thou art loosed!
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Mary at the passport office

2006-05-11T22:47:00.002-07:00

Mary at the passport office
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Laura Roth, Sofia, and Grandma Nancy

2006-05-11T22:47:00.001-07:00

Laura Roth, Sofia, and Grandma Nancy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Afternoon nap

2006-05-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

Afternoon nap
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Response to Miss Burby's class

2006-05-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Chien,

We hope you are having an amazing time.

I am. I'm having fun buying souvenirs. I visited Xiu Dan's orphanage yesterday.

How's your sister?

She's good.

Do you think she's cute?

Yes. She has a very round head.

Have you gotten her to laugh at you yet?

Yes. She has a teeny, little giggle.

How's your mom feeling?

Better.

We miss you and can't wait for you to get back.

I miss you too.

We worked on our name poems and thought of you. Here's a poem for you. We hope you like it.

Cool Kid

Huggable and helpful

Invincible at races

Excellent at math and handwriting

Nice

Thanks. I didn't think I was very good at handwriting.

Emotional day

2006-05-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, we joined the Roth family and Mary, our guide, on a van trip to Zhangshu, the town where Xiu Dan lived until Monday morning. After about an hour and a half of expressway, we turned off onto the paved, but very bumpy road that took us to Zhangshu. To be honest, I was surprised; the city is much bigger than I expected. Drab, but bustling, Zhangshu is home to about 800,000 people; hardly the tiny burg I had pictured.

When we reached the city limits, our van pulled off the side of the road to meet the orphanage director, who would drive ahead of us to lead us to the facility. Again, I was surprised -- the orphanage was a rather large, 5-story complex right in the middle of town. It could have just as easily been a small office park. We passed through a small gate, and parked the van. There were actually two sets of buildings that belonged to the facility, and they were separated by a small, park-like garden. There were old men and women lounging around in front of the buildings, and I asked if they were caretakers. Our guide told us that the orphanage shares the site with a convalescent home, and also with a residential facility for mentally handicapped adults.

With Kori toting Xiu Dan and running the video camera, and me snapping photos, we followed the director up a set of stairs in the building on our left, and found ourselves in a large play room. Inside there were about a dozen babies and about 7 or 8 women, nannies. When the ladies saw us, their faces lit up. "Dan Dan!" they exclaimed, and they rushed forward to pinch Xiu Dan's cheeks, to tickle her belly and to tug on her feet. Xiu Dan grinned broadly, but didn't reach out to any of them.

After a few moments, the director shooed us along and led us to a reception room, where we exchanged pleasantries and asked questions about Xiu Dan's history, likes and dislikes. The orphanage staff was pretty evasive, and didn't tell us anything more than we had already learned. We asked if we could see where the kids slept, and the director nodded. He led us across the courtyard to the other building, and up a flight of steps. Along the front of the building was a balcony hallway that led to a series of little studio apartments. Our guide pointed to one and said, this is Xiu Dan's room. The main room was small but tidy, and had a handful of toys, four green walkers, and some baby clothes hanging to dry on a line.

Off the main room was a small kitchen, a tiny store-room and a bedroom with one adult-sized bed and three shiny metal cribs. The director pointed, and our guide said, "That one is Xiu Dan's." We walked over, took some pictures and touched the crib. Chien picked up the little pillow and hugged it. A middle-aged woman dressed in a red and white striped shirt -- our daughter's nanny-- came in the room, and came to Xiu Dan, arms extended. Kori flashed a glance over to me, and we both nodded. Xiu Dan was reaching out to the woman, and we decided to give them both one last hug. Xiu Dan giggled and hugged the woman. After a few seconds, Kori took our daughter back. Xiu Dan cried briefly and then settled back into her mom's arms.

After a brief visit to the Roth's daughter's room, Mary told us it was time to leave. We all got back into the van and left, possibly forever. About a block from the orphanage, the van stopped, and Mary pointed to a small alcove in front of a building, and said, "That is where they found Xiu Dan." We took pictures and video, and moved on. A few moments later, we paused at another building where the Roth's baby had been found.

Sobering, this adoption thing. What a mix of sadness and joy. Both Chien and Pak were affected. I think that this trip is helping Chien add details to his own story. He's picturing his own orphanage (which we were never allowed to visit), his own nanny, his foster family and his birth mother. The only pictures he'll ever have will be in his imagination, and will probably always be colored by this trip to Zhangshu.

Xiu Dan seems no worse for the wear. I'm sure the visit was confusing for her, but she's continuing to bond to all of us, and has given Kori a lot of loving today. I'm still the one she turns to when she's really sad or tired, but she's coming around.

We took a few pictures and some video, but I think we're going to keep those private for Xiu Dan, her family and close friends. Right now, all of the kids are sleeping peacefully. I pray that God is speaking words of truth, comfort and security to them in their dreams, and I'm glad we'll all be together as a family in our little hotel room when they awake.

Xiu Dan's nickname of the day...

2006-05-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

... pork chop.

The orphanage

2006-05-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're taking a two-hour trip to Xiu Dan's orphanage in Zhangshu, a town so small, I can't find it on my map of China. It should be an interesting trip for all of us. Hopefully it won't be too traumatic for Xiu Dan. I'm praying it won't set us back on our bonding. We'll see.

We think it's important for us to take pictures of the orphanage for her so she can have that part of her life story when she gets older. We may or may not be able to go inside. Chinese officials are very guarded about their institutions, and the Chinese media never talks about orphans or adoption. Maybe that's why we get so many strange looks wherever we go in China...

We have pooped!

2006-05-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

For a while there, we thought that Xiu Dan would never poop. Three days in, and she was still feces-free. We surmised that all of the solid food we had given her was going directly into thigh production, but apparently she does have a fully functional colon.

We did a little research about Chinese potty training, and we discovered that we can 'facilitate elimination' by setting her on the potty, lifting her knees and making "ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca" noises. Amazing, these Chinese babies. No wonder she was grumpy all day. We didn't know how to poop her. After about 10 seconds of "ca-ca-ca," she started to grunt, screw up her face, and well, you get the rest. Woohoo. We don't have to go the suppository route. Ew.

Anyway, Xiu Dan is now asleep, and the boys are getting ready for bed. We had a pretty good dinner tonight. Eating out in Nanchang has been more challenging than anywhere else we've been in China. Neither the menus nor the waiters speak English. Some have pictures, but at one restaurant, we actually had to do animal sounds to indicate what kind of meat we wanted. We now bring along a handy Chinese phrase book, which actually works better than just looking at the menu pictures. Tonight, for instance, we just looked and pointed, and were a little surprised to find that what looked like sliced beef, was actually sliced intestines of some sort. Tasty, but kind of gross. Also, the little pictures didn't show the chopped up frogs ended up in our fried noodles. No problem. We're all exceeding our recommended caloric intake anyway.

Pray that Xiu Dan attaches fully to Kori; it's flattering for me, but a bit of a drag. I'm tired of holding her all of the time, and Kori isn't getting all of the love she'd like to receive from the girl. Oh, well. We have lots of time to work on that.

At some point, I'll try to write down some of my thoughts about China as a nation/society. A lot of great things, a lot of not-so-great. That having been said, we're in love with the country and its people despite its shortcomings. To slightly modify the old saying about churches, "If you find a perfect country, don't go there -- you'll screw it all up."

Xiu Dan and some Norwegians in the playroom

2006-05-10T05:03:00.005-07:00

Xiu Dan and some Norwegians in the playroom
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Pak and Xiu Dan in the playroom

2006-05-10T05:03:00.004-07:00

Pak and Xiu Dan in the playroom
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Brass lions at Tengweng Pavilion

2006-05-10T05:03:00.003-07:00

Brass lions at Tengweng Pavilion
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Tengweng Pavilion

2006-05-10T05:03:00.002-07:00

Tengweng Pavilion
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Various Nanchang literati from the past

2006-05-10T05:03:00.001-07:00

Various Nanchang literati from the past
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Nanchang's Gan River

2006-05-10T05:03:00.000-07:00

Nanchang's Gan River
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Not quite bonded

2006-05-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Xiu Dan is doing pretty well. We've spent all day around the hotel, just hanging out together. We've found that Xiu Dan is definitely a daddy's girl -- to a slightly frustrating extent. She shrieks every time I leave the room, or pass her to Kori, and she clings to me with the same vise-like grip she used to stay attached to the orphanage director yesterday morning.

We've also discovered that Xiu Dan has a temper. She's quite assertive, and gets frustrated when we can't figure out exactly what it is that she wants. Boy can she scream. In the words of Strongbad, she's like a Japanese cartoon: her "mouth is extremely small when it's closed, and ridiculously huge when it's open." The only thing she's missing is bright blue hair and really cool robot boots.

Kori's feeling some better, but her throat still hurts a lot. No one else has gotten it -- so far, so good. We're going to go out to eat in a while and then give Xiu Dan her first bath with us. We're trying to get as much skin contact with her to encourage the bonding process, especially between her and her mom.

Just chillin' today

2006-05-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your comments and warm wishes. We're so blessed to have so many friends who care about us and about our adoption adventure. Andy, I would pay cash money to see you do those cartwheels.

And since you all seem to care I'll continue on with all of the details.

Xiu Dan slept through the night, and woke up happy and ready to eat at 5:30. She's only cried a little occasionally, when one of her family members leaves the room. She's definitely bonding well. Kori says she's a daddy's girl. We're going to just chill around the hotel today to give Kori a chance to recuperate and Xiu Dan a chance to get to know us all in the safety of a non-familiar place.

A few cool things we're learning:

• Believe it or not, she appears to be about 95% potty trained. Take of her clothes, hold her over the toilet and make a ssssssssssssssssssss sound, and she tinkles. Sweet!

• I think she knows us by name. We say, "Where's Mom?" and she looks at Kori. "Where's Dad?" and she looks at me. I'm not sure she can tell Chien and Pak apart, but that's okay. Neither can 85% of the white people we meet in America (not to mention, inexplicably, a few of the Chinese we meet here).

• Per the orphanage director's suggestion, patting her on the back helps her to calm down. That's good to know.

• Video conferencing via iChat is the bomb. Skype is great, too.

• We've discovered that she hates transitions. If one person puts her down, she cries for a while. Gives her back, she cries for for a while. The only thing she likes consistently is for daddy to hold her. :)

And a clarification:

• We didn't exactly pick the pink outfit for her first pictures. It was one of the only outfits that fit her. She's chubby!

In mama's arms

2006-05-08T05:47:00.002-07:00

In mama's arms
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Happy now

2006-05-08T05:47:00.001-07:00

Happy now
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Not happy now

2006-05-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

Not happy now
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Cuddling

2006-05-08T05:46:00.001-07:00

Cuddling
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Deciding to not cry

2006-05-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

Deciding to not cry
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Sleeping soundly

2006-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a day. Neither Kori nor I slept well, and by the time we got up, it was clear that Kori was feeling really awful. She started taking Cipro, and I stuffed my system full of Immodium. After breakfast, we met up with the Roths and our guide, Mary, in the lobby. We rode in the hotel's van to the Jiangxi Provincial Adoption Office, and walked up a flight of stairs. Mary led us down the hall to a room with two babies and about 5 Chinese adults.

I saw the Roth's baby and thought at first that it was Xiu Dan. The other baby was too chubby to be our little peanut. Nope. The chubby one, dressed in a lavender jumpsuit-type thing, was ours. She was holding on tightly to a man who turned out to be the orphanage director. The other ladies referred to him as Ba-ba, or Daddy. The officials asked to see our passports, and only after they had carefully cross-referenced them with our paperwork did they let us hold the babies.

Xiu Dan held on to the director with an iron grip, and started wailing uncontrollably when I took her in my arms. Inconsolable for hours, Xiu Dan spent most of her first few hours sobbing. At about 1:30, we took a late lunch, and Xiu Dan was doing better. We fed her little pinches of bread and a few small pieces of fruit. She didn't take a bottle, and wanted nothing to do with rice cereal.

After lunch, Xiu Dan started to perk up. The boys actually got her to smile a couple of times. Speaking of the boys, they've been wonderful. They're absolutely, totally, head over heels in love. Chien said it's the best day of his life. They can't stop kissing her; they absolutely adore her. She wasn't too sure about them at first, but it's clear that she really digs having two silly brothers.

We had to go out again at about 3pm for a few more official meetings; notaries and administrators and such. We went to a supermarket and got a few more supplies, and had a great dinner of steamed dumplings. Xiu Dan loved the dumplings. Kori and I are pretty exhausted. Kori feels a little better, but she's still nowhere near 100%. Xiu Dan is now sleeping quite soundly on the bed, flanked by her big brothers, who are listening to their bedtime stories.

Here's what we know about Xiu Dan so far:

• She doesn't like drinking from bottles. We had to cut the nipples (on the bottles, or course) pretty radically to get her interested at all. She much prefers cups.

• Xiu Dan received great care. She's healthy, she's certainly not underfed, and she seems to be used to being fed by hand.

• She's a bit clingy. She likes to be held very closely, and she doesn't like to be put down. She may be a bit high maintenance in this regard, at least at first. Probably won't be ready for the church nursery for a few months.

• She likes to grab things. Noses, glasses, mouths, eyes -- whatever she can reach, she'll grab.

• She has teeth. Four that are completely in, two that are most of the way in, and a mouthful of little nubs that could break through at any time.

• She can't walk. Her legs are strong, and she can stand with assistance, but she definitely can't walk. That's good: Kori really wanted to see her first steps. We don't even know if she can crawl; she won't let us put her down long enough to find out.

• She's perfect. Plus, she has the most adorable smile, and a sideways smirk that always makes me laugh.

Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers. I can't wait to bring her home.

She's ours!

2006-05-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

She's ours, she's chubby, she's beautiful, and she's seriously ticked off. Crying a lot, but is coming around.

More later...

At the adoption affairs office

2006-05-07T20:54:00.001-07:00

CRW_9670
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

On the bus back to the hotel

2006-05-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

CRW_9682
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Today's the day

2006-05-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a rainy day in Nanchang; noisy, too. From our 11th floor room, we can hear the traffic honking and revving and sometimes yelling, even with our windows closed. There's plenty of construction going on in the neighborhood, and the boats on the nearby Gan River lend an occasional toot to the cacophany. Kori's trying to get some sleep, she's started a course of antibiotics, and is supplementing it with Ibuprofen and Immodium. I'm just taking Immodium.

In some ways, it seems an inauspicious day to bring a new child into the family, but "This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." It's just the kind of day, the kind of city, the kind of weather Jesus would show up in. In that spirit, and despite our flagging health, we've put a brave face on it all, and dressed ourselves in matching red shirts to celebrate our Chinese daughter's heritage and, of course, her name -- Xiu Dan, or Beautiful Red.

In less than an hour and a half, we'll be heading out to get Xiu Dan. Last night we met another family, the Roths, who will be going with us to get their daughter today. They're young and smart, and very nice, and they brought a grandma with them to help. This is Laura and Todd's first child, Nancy's first grandchild. We'll be sharing the rest of our trip with the Roths, all the way through to Guangzhou.

I don't know exactly where the "Adoption Affairs Office" is, what it will look like, how long it will take -- this is all quite different from our other adoptions. All I know is that by this afternoon, our family will be complete again, and that the most beautiful little girl in China will also be one of the most photographed.

Some of the recently-adopted babies in the hotel seem happy, others cry all of the time; some seem vigorous and healthy, some are a little flimsy. Some are basically bald, others have alarmingly robust shocks of hair protruding from their tiny scalps. Some have very light skin, others dark. I can't wait to see Xiu Dan. I wonder what she looks like now?

I can't wait to touch her, smell her, hold her, comfort her, change her, bathe her, feed her. I can't wait to introduce her to her big brothers, to see their joy and to hear them come up with new, silly games to keep her entertained. Thank God, I won't have to. The time is almost here...

Update from Baby Central

2006-05-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Gloria Hotel in Nanchang, China is Baby Central. Every room on the eleventh floor is occupied by new parents (or, as in our case, soon-to-be new parents) of little Chinese babies. You can't swing a wok without hitting an adoptive family. It's kind of weird, we've gotten used to being the only family around with Caucasian parents and Asian kids. Here, we're a dime a dozen.

Things in Nanchang have been relatively uneventful. The city itself seems nice enough; about 4 million people, decent public transportation and good restaurants. We've had two excellent and very economical meals in the city so far -- Nanchang's food is generally quite spicy, which is great for us. The transformer the hotel gave us for our electronics is no good, and we may have burned out Kori's iPod speakers, but other than that, we're having a pretty good time.

The biggest problem we're facing is that Kori's feeling awful. Achey, breaky, nauseated; she's just feeling pretty lousy all around. We're praying that she comes around by tomorrow morning when we go to the Adoption Affairs Office to get Xiu Dan. This should be one of the best days of our lives. It would stink if she feels too sick to really enjoy it. So, pray.

It's only 9pm, but I'm going to try to get to bed. I could use a good night's sleep. When we get Xiu Dan, I'll post new pictures as soon as possible.

Much love.

Tomorrow!

2006-05-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

We just received word that we'll be receiving Xiu Dan A DAY EARLY!

She's OURS tomorrow!

Praise God. Now it's starting to sink in...

Yangshuo to Guilin to Yangshuo

2006-05-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

I love so many things about China, and I’ll probably get back to one or more of them after a short rant about one of the things I detest – government interference with access to the web. China has something like 30,000 full-time information inhibitors, internet cops whose only job is to keep people from getting full, reliable internet service. I won’t pretend to understand the technology, and I’m not really interested in discussing the politics. I just want to get my email. Some of my friends in the States have been marvelously helpful, recommending software workarounds, but I’d suspect that many a man has gone broke underestimating the cleverness of a determined and well funded bureaucracy. Just when I get one thing to work, it stops working. At least it’s the weekend now, and I don’t have to spend any more time stressing out about not being able to communicate with the office, but if I don’t have decent web access in Nanchang, where we’ll be getting our daughter, I’ll be livid. I’ve been looking forward to posting dozens of pictures of Xiu Dan each day, and clogging my blog with minutely detailed descriptions of her every move. Presumably, the hotel with have an IT guy or girl who can help, but I’m not terribly optimistic. I may have the only Macintosh laptop in China. Chinese people stare at it like it’s some sort of navigation device rescued from a downed alien spacecraft. Last night, as I was sitting at a bar furiously trying to reconfigure my proxies and ports and other things I don’t remotely understand, a british chap came up to me and said, “Nice piece of kit. I miss my ol’ Mac; I had to leave it back in Shanghai.” I asked hopefully, “Oh, a Mac guy. Perhaps you can help me connect to the internet?” “Nah,” he laughed, “Yer on your own. These blokes have it all so buggered up, I can’t make hide nor hair of it. G’luck, mate.” Sigh. At any rate, by the time you get this message, we’ll be in Nanchang, and only a couple of days away from getting Xiu Dan. Tonight, we’re in Guilin, a beautiful little city about 5 hours upriver from Yangshuo. Yangshuo was great, but if I had to choose to live in one of the two cities, Guilin would win, hands down. Guilin is big enough to feel like a real town. Yangshuo at its best feels like a wonderful resort, and at its worst like High Street after a big football game. Guilin is as beautiful as Yangshuo, but in a different way. In Yangshuo, the mountains were literally within reach. In Guilin, the same jade mountains are on the outskirts of town, just on this side of the horizon. Here, there actually seem to be businesses and stores that cater to real people, not just tourists. One could settle down here. We left Yangshuo this morning and rode for an hour and a half through driving rain that at times almost obscured the scenery, breathtaking mountains and bucolic scenes of farmers working by hand in rice paddies, vineyards and orchards. Upon arrival, Kori and the boys checked into the hotel, and I left with our guide to visit a local hospital. I have for some time been interested in Chinese medicine, but I’m not really into ingesting weird herbs – I saw that episode of the Simpsons where Homer ate the psychodelic chili, and I wasn’t in the mood for hallucinations or unpredictable intestinal activity. Nor was I up for trying acupuncture. After 16 hours of being tattooed, I think I’ve had enough elective needling for year or so. I wanted moxibustion (I’m sure you could look it up on Wikipedia and find great articles and groovy pictures. Of course, Wiki’s blocked in China, so I couldn’t help you even if I could get online…). Moxibustion, or ‘cupping’ is much scarier to look at than it is to experience. A doctor lies you down on a table, lights a small torch, heats the air within a series of small, glass cups and places the cups on your bare back. After about 15 mintues, the resulting suction inside the cups creates silver dollar-sized, purple hickies on your back. It feels weird, but doesn’t hurt. Supposedly, it readjusts your chi. I don’t know anything about that, but it did make my back feel better. The therapeutic effects diminish before the hickies, which will fade away in about five days. Pak, who is very empathetic, almost cried when he saw my back. He insisted upon putting lotion on the circles, despite my assurances that they don’t hurt a bit. He also didn’t want me to take my shirt off at the pool; he was afraid I’d scare the other people. Oh, wow. It’s 11pm, and I need to get up at 5am to make my plane to Nanchang. I should be off. I’ll continue the update later. Bye. Okay, it’s 7am, and we’re sitting in the departure lounge at the Guilin Airport. Getting up at 5:30am was challenging, but we’re all here, and poised to make our 7:30 boarding call. I’m not sure what to expect of Nanchang. It’s certainly not a tourist destination. A city of nearly 5 million, Nanchang is famous for well, um, I’m not quite sure. I’m hoping it’s famous for reliable internet access. That and a decent hotel pool will be just fine with me. The most important thing in Nanchang is our daughter. She’s probably not in Nanchang right now; her orphanage is in Zhangshu, a small town an hour or so outside of the city. But in two days, she’ll be in Nanchang, and our family will be complete again. So, I guess our trip is turning the corner. To this point, it’s been a family vacation. Starting Tuesday, it will be about something much more important. In one sense, I’ve been dreaming about this for months, and so I’m more than ready to be a family of five. In another sense, I think I’ve been in some sort of denial. The adoption process is so frustratingly long and unpredictable, it’s usually a good idea to steel oneself, to think of the ‘gotcha’ day as something in the distant future that will happen eventually, in its own good time. Now that the day is upon us, it seems a little unreal, a little numb, a little nauseating. I think that our emotions are saving themselves for Tuesday, at which point they’ll break free in a torrent of tears, laughter and ‘happy dances.’ Today, however, feels something like the night before one’s wedding – a diffuse, but heavy pressure dammed up safely behind a membrane that will stretch and grow increasingly thin over the next few hours. I think the kids feel it too; the threat of an emotional breakthrough – or maybe breakdown – hangs over them like heavy clouds undecided: do we rain, or do we disperse? Well, the terminal’s getting full, and I think we’ll be boarding soon. More later.

Nightlife in Yangshuo

2006-05-05T05:54:00.002-07:00

I have it on good authority that Yangshuo isn’t always like this. The national holiday has brought about 3 times the normal number of Chinese tourists, so place is a bit zooey. Everyone, it seems, want to be in Yangshuo this week. During the day, it’s not so bad. West Street, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, is kind of crowded, but many of the tourists head out of town to enjoy hiking, climbing and the other outdoor pursuits for which Yangshuo is famous. The town is still pleasant and relatively tranquil, perfect for strolling about, lounging under umbrellas at cafes and haggling with trinket vendors. At night, the place goes nuts, absolutely bat-guano loony. West Street after dark is 50% Bourbon Street, 50% Kings Island Midway and about 73% intoxicated. At about 9pm, the discos engage in what seems to be some ill-advised experiment to determine which is more likely to induce seizures in sane people: blaring great music over lousy speakers or blaring lousy music over great speakers. Invariably, the bars playing Dylan and old R.E.M. sound as if they’ve bought their speakers from Toccoa, Georgia’s stock-car racetrack, and the bars playing Brit’nay, InSync or their Chinese counterpart (truly scary) are equipped with state-of-the art, concert-quality (and volume) systems. If you don’t mind getting jostled and having to keep your hand on your money to thwart pickpockets, and if you’ve already lost your hearing, and are immune to the detrimental effects of hours upon hours of flashing lights, you might actually enjoy a Yangshuo nightclub. I only went because I had to. The Global Café is a decent little spot with passable margaritas and reliable internet connection. I still have to do a little business correspondence, so I sat down, ordered a drink and started chatting via instant messenger with the various people who were hanging about my office in Columbus. Unfortunately, I have video conferencing capabilities at my office and on my laptop, and I got to see my pastor, Jeff, lifting his t-shirt and flashing his hairy, Greek (as in ethnicity, not as in statuesque physique) chest and stomach at the camera while I was trying to talk with Jeremy. I could have gone a couple more weeks without seeing that. Oh, well. At any rate, I took care of all my emails, talked Megan and Kara out of jumping off the building, and gave everyone at the office the opportunity to hear the band and watch the light show. The band was loud, and not that great. Did I mention that the band was loud? After about 45 minutes, the show finally did the trick (I’m assuming the musicians are paid to drive away loiterers, non-intoxicated internet users and small waterfowl), and I headed down the street to MC Blues, another joint in town with wireless internet connection. I didn’t really want anything to eat or drink, so I sat down on the curb outside the restaurant. I opened up my computer, resumed my chat with Brian Estabrook and CRASH! a plate from the restaurant exploded on the pavement just inches from my feet. I assumed the dish had come from the balcony, accidentally knocked off the table by some careless and/or inebriated patron. As I was looking up to confirm the source of the flying saucer, CRASH! another plate hit the street. I shot a glance over at one of the nearby tables just in time to see a rather surly looking Chinese man pick up a bowl from the table and chuck it my direction. I closed my laptop, put it in my bag and jumped to my feet. I grabbed my flashlight (also useful as a bludgeon in times of distress) and stared, agape at the unhappy diner. A woman at the table was also very agitated. I thought she was probably ticked at the man for making such a scene, until she took an ice cream bowl and shattered it on the ground. “What on earth is your problem?” I exclaimed! The woman muttered something that sounded like “Slow service,” and the man put his hands on the table and acted like he was going to jump up and attack me. I took a step back, clenched the flashlight in my fist, and thought to myself, “If a fight breaks out, I think I can take him, but I’m not sure how many of these people are his friends.” Thankfully, a crowd had gathered, and the proprietor had emerged from the store. Other people in the street took up my task of berating the gentleman, and when I felt it was safe to turn my back, I walked into the bar, set up my laptop and finished my correspondences. I need to go out again tonight; with any luck I won’t have to hit anyone. Today’s our last full day in Yangshuo, and I don’t need a souvenir assault indictment to remember my stay. Peace.

Email problems...

2006-05-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my email is now being blocked. Please pray that I get this resolved soon; I can't do any correspondence for work, and that is very bad.

On the river

2006-05-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

On the river
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Wet, but fun.

Melody and husband

2006-05-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

Melody and husband
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Our hosts.

Lunch at Melody's

2006-05-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Melody's
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Honestly, the simplest meals are the best. The touristy places stink. The farmers' houses? Delicious.

By Melody's house

2006-05-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

By Melody's house
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Much cooler looking than Indianola Avenue.

Cavern

2006-05-04T07:32:00.001-07:00

Cavern
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

The lighting was a bit 'over the top,' but it was cool anyway.

Our hotel

2006-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Our hotel
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Trust me, it's prettier in person.

Following a Melody.

2006-05-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's actually been such an astonishing day, I'm not even sure where to start. We met Melody yesterday. Melody is a 40-something Chinese woman who works as some sort of a freelance travel facilitator. She approached me as I was leaving my hotel: "I can do laundry for you. Much cheaper than your hotel. And if you want to go on tour or rent a bike, I can help you." As it so happened, we were in need of both laundry and tour services, so I negotiated a price for both. I gathered up our dirty clothes and delivered them to her; she promised 27 hour turnaround. Not bad, when you consider that her price is a quarter of that at my hotel. After a decent breakfast at MC Blues, the place I've been hitting in the morning and evening to get connected to the internet, Kori and the boys returned to the hotel to prepare the backpacks for a day on the road, and I hit the local branch of the Bank of China to exchange dollars for yuan. After a long and frustrating wait, I was able to make the transaction. I returned to our room to fetch Kori and the boys, and we headed out to meet Melody. Melody had promised us a tour of the countryside. I didn't know that we would be following Melody on bicycles. Tandem bicycles. I also didn't know that the tour would take us nearly two bone-rattling, bun-busting hours away from the city to Melody's small farming village. If I had known in advance, I probably would have declined. I'm so glad I didn't; today was one of our best days yet in China. Just a couple of miles outside of town, the scenery is breathtaking. All of those mountains that looked so fantastic on the boat? They're even fantasticker up close. On the boat, you can't see the rice paddies and villages and dirt roads. You can't see the ducks and chickens and dogs and water buffalo. On a bike, you can see, smell and touch it all. After an hour or so of cycling (well, Kori and I cycled, the boys sat behind us and rode), the terrain got pretty rough, enough so that we had to walk beside the bikes about a quarter of the time. But the scenery just got better and better. Unfortunately, I didn't take as many pictures as i would have liked -- the cycling was exhausting, and dismounting and stopping our caravan was inconvenient. We stopped along the way and took an hour long tour of a stalactite filled cavern. It was similar to Ohio Caverns, but less-well maintained (people were allowed to touch the stalactites and stalagmites; this ruins them) and more garishly lit. But it was great fun. We grabbed a bit of a snack and hit the road again. After what seemed like a very long time, we reached a tiny village nestled in a plain between a couple of mountains. The road to Melody's simple, hand-made, brick and stucco house was so steep and so muddy, we had to park the bikes and walk the last few hundred yards. When we arrived at the house, Melody apologized, "It's a very simple, poor house. We do not have a nice or new house." We assured her it was lovely, and it honestly was. Spartan, but beautiful. Melody's husband, who stays at home and tends the pomelo, peanut and rice crops while Melody serves tourists, had cooked a wonderful meal. I'm serious -- the farmers in China know how to cook. Some of our best meals in this country have been prefaced with "I'm sorry, this is just simple, farmer food. I hope it is okay for you." We had a stir-fry of beef, onions, eggplant and water chestnuts, another beef dish with garlic and vegetables, a pork and tofu platter and little egg dumplings stuffed with pork. It was all quite nice. After lunch, we rode our bikes another half hour or so to a tributary of the Li River. We rented two small bamboo rafts, donned life vests, loaded our bikes and took our seats. We spent the next hour and a half enjoying a leisurely cruise down the river. We disembarked about a half hour from town, and rode our bikes the rest of the way back. Needless to say, we're tired. We're also sunburned -- Yangshuo has gotten quite hot over the last couple of days. Over-exertion and overheating aside, we had a thrilling day. Tomorrow, we're just going to chill. We might not even leave the hotel. We'll see...

More thoughts from Kori...

2006-05-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

More random observations from Kori

Pak's allergies seem much better over here. His asthma is non existent which makes me think it is all allergy related. Chien had been getting hives every other day when we were home and since we have been here he has had hives once and they went away before we could get the medicine in him. Makes me also wonder if he has allergies.

Yangshuo is incredible. The scenery is like nothing I have seen before. It is so beautiful I can not describe it. There are a lot of people here though. It is a national holiday. We still get lots of strange looks. An older Chinese man even took pictures of our boys on some playground equipment because we were so interesting. I wish the restaurants did not cater so much to westerners. Almost all the restaurants serve pizza and burgers. I just want to eat local chinese food.

China has lots of playgrounds with exercise equipment for adults. It is all free. Columbus needs these. John took a picture of me on the "elliptical" machine.

Our hotel is nice. The boys love the pool and ping pong table. The pool is outdoor and a bit cold but I finally was able to slowly dip myself in so I could swim the boys. We had a great time but I got sunburned.

My toe is doing really well. It did not hurt until Thursday last week. It now only aches a bit if we have walked a lot. Thank you for all who prayed for it. I have been able to do everything we have wanted to do.

I have had a lot of time to relax and contemplate motherhood while in Yangshuo. My boys are so very different from each other. Chien is so competitive and he views the world as something to conquer. Pak is so sensitive and honestly enjoys every aspect of life to the fullest. For example, we found a ping pong table. Chien of course was very good from the very beginning. He understands the strategy and has incredible hand eye coordination. And he wants to win. So all he wants to do is keep score and make it a game. Pak on the other hand struggles with learning just how to hit. But boy is it funny to him as he tries and tries and tries to learn. He doesn't get frustrated. He just has fun. And he learns how to do things along the way.

Another example, the pool. Chien jumps in first thing and swims all around and wants to race Pak. Pak on the other hand is slowly gets in feeling the water and having fun experiencing it. After he gets in he just wants to swim around and be free. Once Chien has conquered the pool he is done and wants to get out and move on to the next conquest. Pak on the other hand will stay in the pool forever just having fun until he gets cold or tired.

Yet another example is homework (and probably school work in general). Chien wants to know how many pages he has to do. He wants to just do them and conquer them. He doesn't care about thinking about them or learning more about the subject, he just wants to complete it as fast as possible. Pak has to experience the subject. I can't make him move any faster on it. He has to move at his own pace. He loves to learn and think but hates to have to write it down or complete a worksheet. But boy does he retain what he has learned and can apply it to different situations. He is very intuitive. I have a lot of respect for all the teachers the boys have had and will have.

Thanks you for all you have done for them. They are both truly incredible boys. I love them both with all my heart and soul. I don't always know how to best parent them. At times I feel very inadequate. Especially when it comes to trying to teach them both at the same time. And now we are adding yet another person to the mix and she is a girl. What will she be like? How will I be a good parent? How will I learn to teach her? God help me.

Answers for Sarah

2006-05-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Dear John, Was the great wall fun?

It was a lot of fun, but it was very tiring walking up all of those steps.

Kori, did you eat any bugs?

Yes. A cockroach.

Chien did you eat grasshoppers?

Not yet.

Pak what bugs did you eat?

A scorpion.

Pak and Chien how is your homework doing?

It's hard to do, but okay.

I can't wait to see Xiu Dan's face when she gets home.

Neither can we!

mis you, Sarah your aunt and sister

We miss you, too.

Another wireless cafe

2006-05-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. Yangshuo really does understand the needs of Western tourists. I've now found two places with wireless internet connection. This one has pretty good food, too. We're sitting on the second floor of MC Blues Cafe looking out over a little side street in the shadow of a beautiful limestone peak. We're finishing up our dinner of hot and sour soup, Sichuan chicken, Thai chicken sate and bacon pizza. Everything but the watery local beer was quite good, and we're hoping to grab something from the dessert menu in just a few minutes.

Tomorrow, we're hoping to head out to the countryside to do some exploring. I'll try to take some pictures of Yangshuo so you can get an idea of our surroundings. We've done a pretty good job of relaxing here. Chien has become quite a good pingpong player, and Pak has been doing a lot of drawing.

More later...

Finally answering Mrs. Hall's class. Sorry...

2006-05-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

Have you played any of the Chinese sports? (Morgan)

We played ping pong and a hackey-sack kind of game.

This badminton looks very fun but where is the net?(Mrs. H)

There isn't any net.

Is the city pretty? (Jordan)

Yes. Very pretty.

Have you seen any parades? (Bridgette)

No.

Have you met any children and made new friends? (Camden)

We talked to a little baby at the Summer Palace.

Have you seen any snakes yet? Are you looking for bugs? (Lynsey)

We caught a dragonfly, and we ate some snakes. We also saw eels, which are kind of like water snakes.

Finally answering Mrs. Hall's class. Sorry...

2006-05-02T02:47:00.000-07:00

Have you played any of the Chinese sports? (Morgan)

We played ping pong and a hackey-sack kind of game.

This badminton looks very fun but where is the net?(Mrs. H)

There isn't any net.

Is the city pretty? (Jordan)

Yes. Very pretty.

Have you seen any parades? (Bridgette)

No.

Have you met any children and made new friends? (Camden)

We talked to a little baby at the Summer Palace.

Have you seen any snakes yet? Are you looking for bugs? (Lynsey)

We caught a dragonfly, and we ate some snakes. We also saw eels, which are kind of like water snakes.

Answering Miss Burby's class

2006-05-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

Did you like your unusual snacks?

Yes. The cockroach was my favorite.

What did the scorpian taste like?

It tastes good. I can't really describe it. It was crunchy.

How do you eat them? Do you have to cut them to eat them?

Nope. I just stick the whole thing in my mouth.

They looked interesting!

The class said it's hard to have school without you, but we know you are seeing and doing amazing things!

What was the Great Wall like?

It was big and stoney. It was difficult to walk on. My favorite part was going on top of one of the watchtowers. You could see all of the hills from the top.

Was it as big as you thought it would be?

It was bigger than I expected.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:55:00.002-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:53:00.001-07:00

Li River vista
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

CRW_9313
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Li River vista

2006-05-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

CRW_9332
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Hutong

2006-05-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

CRW_9224
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

One of Beijing's quickly-disappearing hutongs.

Brooms

2006-05-01T19:51:00.001-07:00

CRW_9214
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Handmade brooms in a nook of a hutong.

Crickets

2006-05-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

CRW_9194
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

The resident had a large collection of animals. This box housed two of his pet crickets.