San He Tour

Today our guide took us to the town of San He, which means three rivers.  It is an ancient town about one hour from Hefei.  It was extraordinary.  We loved it.  I think we went in a big loop, but, when we came back to where we started, I told Jane she could take us the exact same way again, and I wouldn't know it because I would see something new to look at.  It was exactly the kind of town you would want to see if you were to take a trip to China.  The local residents seemed a little more used to tourists because it is an ancient town that draws Chinese tourists from Hefei.  They were interested in us, but we weren't the same sort of attraction that we are on the streets of Hefei, a city of 3 million people, all of them staring at us.  Our daughter, who goes by the nickname of Da Qing, prefers Jane when Jane is with us, and we understand that.  It was better for her to hold Jane's hand when we toured around with her today because people see us with her and talk about her being an adopted child in front of her and we can appreciate how difficult that is for her.  They assume she was adopted as a baby and we have brought her back to see her country.  With that in mind, they are impressed that she still speaks Chinese, although I think the only way they know that is they see her turn away when they speak to her about being adopted.  When someone asked Jane if Da Qing was her daughter, she kindly said yes. 

 

I wish so much that all of you could have been with us today so you could have experienced it with us.  I'm replaying it all in my mind because I don't want to forget any of it.  Of course, I can use my mind that way right now because our 8 year old darling is napping so I am free to be in my own thoughts.  She is opening up more each day, and getting more lively, but she is used to a routine of napping after lunch and going to bed at 9 p.m., and so far she has not tested those routines.  She hasn't been speaking when we leave our room, but today at lunch, she was talking a little bit in the hotel restaurant.  We don't understand each other, but according to the offical rules of diplomacy and parenthood, we're interacting, and it shows she is opening up.  When we get back to the room, she is giggly and happy, especially when turning the bathroom light on and off.  Let me rephrase that because just saying on and off doesn't paint an adequate picture.   It's really more like onoffonoffonoffonoffonoff.  Well, you get what I mean, but it is simply delightful to her and we are delighted she's delighted.

 

I will try to post a few more pictures of our trip today after this.  The internet connection is a little slow, and I'm not sure how much time I have until our live wire comes to.  Right now I've got to get to the window.  We're on the 18th floor and way down below at a construction site (they're everywhere in China) there are some workers bathing against one of the fences screening the view from the street level - but not from those of us on the 18th floor.  And me with no binoculars!