It's a bizarre thing, running in a city where you can't read streetsigns, speak or understand the language, where you don't look like anyone else, and where running is pretty unsusual - especially for women. But a wonderfully bizarre thing, and I think I go a little faster, propelled by the heightened awareness and the danger inherent in not being able to ask anyone how to get back (I carried a card from the hotel). I got to see the ballroom dancers up close and personal, whirling in their colored skirts, and the early morning street vendors squatting next to baskets loaded full of fruits and vegetables from the country. One street I went up (called Business Street - seemed to be residential, go figure) had about ten couples ranging from thirties through sixties it seemed, playing badminton for exercise - a popular early morning exercise. I loved my run, tho finishing by 7 was essential because by then rush hour is nearing full swing, and i felt like I'd been a lifelong smoker by that time.

Cerys had another good night, ten full hours of sleep in her little crib next to Becky's bed, but had a harder day today, still not eating much of anything, just drinking her bottles of formula. She's still fighting off a cold and perhaps a mild ear infection and certainly just the general holy mackerel, my world has just been turned upside down malaise. But she adores her mama, has had eyes only for her since the moment they met (she'll tolerate me, but Becky is preferred). We figure it'll take a few days to process all our new germs and to get her appetite back - she's just a little slip of a thing already, we don't want her missing too many meals! After breakfast at the lobby buffet, Chinese business people elbow ot elbow with the international new parents crowd, we met for our group trip to Wal Mart. Twelve families, twelve shopping carts, nearly as many new strollers in the shopping carts, and tons of toys and walkers for the orphanage (the orphanage director said walkers was what htey needed most, so most of our group purchased one for the orphanage - I think we cleaned them out, actually). Of course, most everyone went somewhat nuts buying things for their new baby, but the only-in-China stuff, it seemed -and formula. The top floor of the Wal Mart looked pretty much like any Wal Mart, just with everything written in an entirely different language. The bottom floor was sort of food hall at Harrods meets Wal Mart - the wild assortment of fresh seafood and meats and bizarre produce in great quantities. And all of the schlocky home stuff was Chinese themed. Checkout was the same, but witnessed by plenty of people gawking at the Americans with their stuffed carts, each with a beautiful Chinese baby in a Baby Bjorn or hip carrier or stroller - we're definitely the "you'll never believe what I saw at Wal Mart" dinner time conversation in more than one CHinese home tonight!

The kiddos were pretty wiped out by the experience - lots of firsts for these babies: first time out of the orphanage, in a hotel, seeing white people, on a bus, in a restaraunt, and certainyl in Wal Mart. Only three babies accompanied us on our afternoon field trip to a local kindergarten. Becky stayed back, sleeping with Cerys, and I walked with a little less than half our group to a complex about fifteen minutes away - a private kindergarten where parents leave thier children all day or even all day and night during the work week. It was a beautiful place, lovely classrooms, attentive teachers, screaming kids. I took out my photo album to show them my blond little daughter their age, they crowded around, loving the pictures - and took plenty of pictures of them. They had a music class ready to perform for us - I'm pretty sure it was Little Bunny Foo Foo in Chinese which was, of course, adorable. Next was avisit to dance class where thses 4-6 year olds did two long dances for us - amazing the choreography they had down with just a little coaching from their teacher - and replete with displays of the splits, toes-to-ears stretches, and so on. One little boy was so anxious not to miss us in another classroom he came hightailing it out of the potty with his pants around his ankles - pretty funny. As we passed by an outdoor classroom, teh kids were making construction paper snowflakes and they gave us each a few - there was definitely a feeling of precise orchestration to the visit, that they were showing us just how wonderful life could be for these children - but it was very human as well, as any interaction with children is bound to be.

I kept kneeling down to get to their level, and they'd flock over, wanting to touch my hair, wear my sunglasses, touch my ponytail, or play mimic games with me - pretty fun. One shy little boy gave me a sweet drawing I'd watched him do. The boys were the most gregarious, but I saw most everyone staring at the little girls, trying to imagine what their girl would look like three or four years down the line - pretty sweet. It's been amazing to watch these parents fall in love with their kids and vice versa, and to see how quickly they get in tune with their babies, beginning to recognize cries of hunger versus pain versus loneliness.

On the walk back, I was drawn to an afternoon street market - bowls of live turtles and frogs and eel and fish, cages with ducks and chicken and hte women with the flashing knife and bloodied apron behind them - we were as much an attraction there as the market was to us.

Well, Cerys is back and dinner is here and she's needing some sleep and some love, so oI'm off (a lovely couple loaned us one of their two laptops for a few hours, so I'm in the room instead of on the expensive hotel computer).

love to all!

xoxox
H