Trip to China
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Saturday, July 7, 2007 We left the rice fields of Nanchang and arrived on the lovely Shamian Island in Guangzhou with it’s stately British Colonial Architecture and schmancy resort hotels. Here, we don’t stand out so much as this is an international resort destination with people from all over the world. With it’s location so near Hong Kong, most Chinese speak very good English. Our Hotel, the White Swan, even greeted us with a “Going Home Barbie”. A special edition Western Mommy with a Chinese baby. I cooed “look! It’s Ava and me.” My friend Stephanie came all the way from Hong Kong to see Ava Claire. You can see our photo in front of Starbucks, yes, Starbucks. My coffee radar was working properly as it was one of the first logos I recognized. She has come here on business with the head of Food and Beverage for Disney, so she took us on a tour of the spice district in Guangzhou. It was ripe with mysterious spices and exotic scents. Starfish and seahorses dried in the sun along side herbs and spices that I have never seen before. Roy had a Fear Factor moment on the street as we ventured deeper into the more local food markets and encountered cages of pigeons and roosters waiting to be slaughtered. I’m not sure if it was the fowl carcasses or the scorpion that did him in. But he christened the sidewalk with his breakfast. Poor Daddy. You can see Ava singing to me alongside the gentle Pearl River. She is laughing a full belly laugh when we tickle her tummy. She is sitting up on her own now and gets up on all fours. She could not do that just this past Sunday. Her progress in 6 days has been remarkable. See what love can do? Ofcourse Roy tells the other parents that she can do all sorts of amazing things (which she can). But he likes to get a rise out of the first time parents. We have made friends with the highchair and stroller. And I think she knows what a camera does. Can you tell from the photos? I am going out today to order some things that will be important to her later in life. She will have a chop made with her Chinese and English name. And there is an artist who will engrave a photo of Ava with her brothers into granite. Her photo was taken this morning for her American passport. And she needs a shirt that says mei mei (little sister) in case any of us should forget who she is. Soon, Xiaorong will be always Ava Claire. But I will still whisper softly into her ear “wo she ni di mama, wo ai ni, ni wen piao liang” I am your mommy, I love you, you are so pretty…

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