This is going to be a quick post, since we have to be up at 4 am - oh dear Lord - to get ready to catch the bus that will take us to Chongqing to catch the plane that will take us to Beijing to catch the plane that will take us HOME!!! Prayers for traveling mercies and long naps for Liann will be much appreciated.

Incidentally, if anyone is so inclined to leave a comment to let me know people are reading these posts, I'd love to have them. I have no traffic statistics, so have no idea if anyone is even reading this blog, other than my nearest and dearest.  Not that I've ever needed an audience to spout off, but it does help. 

Anyway, we began the day at the Fuling Cultural Arts museum, which gave an absolutely fascinating history of Fuling and the Ba people. Some of the earliest relics have been submerged as a result of the Three Gorges Dam - however, construction is almost complete on a underwater domed viewing station that will allow people to continue to see the relics. Sadly, pictures were not allowed, so I have books with photos and explanations of the relics if anyone is interested.

After lunch, we traveled back to the orphanage for the closing ceremony. After one final group picture, the girls received a present from Director Yang - a lovely jade pendant with the Fu symbol and a carving of the vegetable used for the Fuling pickle,  and the symbol for Fuling carved on the back.

[The girls (or most of them) with Director Yang]

We were also invited to plant a gingko tree, reknowned for its longevity, with the girls' names on them; we've been promised that we will receive a yearly picture of the tree and its growth. Liann and Erica, both from the same travel group in 2005, planted the first one together.

[Erica and Liann working the land]

We also had a chance to go back inside the orphanage, which was nice, since Liann wanted to see "her baby" again. I'm fairly certain she knows the baby isn't coming home with us. . .

Tonight, the staff at BLAS threw a banquet for us. I had the chance to thank Director Yang (who is retiring), using the only words I had - "Xie xie." She enveloped Liann and me in a huge bear hug and held us for the longest time. There were tears in both our eyes when we let go.

I want to end this blog with some pictures of our new friends and the happy families we've met on this trip. I hope we get to cross paths again. These are very special people.

[Renee, Grace and Evan]

[The Australian contingent: Joy, Alan, Lucinda, Lucy, De Ang, Jayne, Adrian, and Suzanne * Please correct me if I get the names wrong!]

[Debby, Terri, Anslee, Emma, and Andrew]

[Mary and Livie]

[Christine and Olivia, Ai Lin and Roseann]

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this trip so special for Liann and me. We will always treasure these memories.

Posted by heartstringsoh at 8:41 AM EST

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What an amazing day we have had! Despite the fact that I miss my stateside family like crazy, this has to have been one of the best Thanksgivings I've ever had.

We began the day at the orphanage where the building was all decked out in red for its ribbon-cutting ceremony.

As if paying tribute to the day, the weather provided the rarest of sunshine and blue sky throughout the ceremony and after.  As the theme from "Bonanza" burst from the speakers, the Fuling and Social Welfare Institute officials were introduced and the opening speeches were read. Directer Yang's speech noted that the new Fuling SWI has 430 beds with a library, play areas, PT room, and much more. Everyone reinforced how its doors are open at any time for our girls to come visit. 

Then the girls were brought up on stage in small groups and given a present by one of the Fuling officials; the present turned out to be a Chinese dictionary. Liann immediately began leafing through hers, and when I asked her what it said, she replied, "I can't read it; I can read it when I'm five." Of course.

Kathlene gave an absolutely beautiful and diplomatic speech on behalf of the Fuling families, and then came the ribbon cutting itself. All the children were invited to cut part of the ribbon, and allowed to keep the section they cut - so we now will always have a physical reminder of the role we were allowed to play in this wonderful ceremony.

[Liann, who clearly needs some scissor safety tips]

[And more ribbon for the officials. . .]

Then came the performances, including a wonderful dance by one of the girls, singing by a boy from the orphanage, and a rousing rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Jingle Bells" by the girls. I only captured a few of the girls in this photo for a couple reasons: (a) my camera doesn't have a wide enough lens to get all 43 of them; and (b) there were as many cameras crowding me as if Obama himself were walking down the street.

The final piece was everyone getting to write their name on a special wall that will be a part of the new orphanage. Our name may be misspelled, but the intent was good. . .

After the ceremony, we were able to go back and see some more of the orphanage. This meant Liann and I were able to go back and visit the baby we'd fallen for yesterday. Liann was so sweet with her, calling her and all the babies part of our family, and when the baby cried, saying, "Don't worry, your nanny will take care of you."

We had a lovely Thanksgiving lunch of smoked turkey and fried rice at the orphanage. Then it was back to the hotel for a brief rest, and then off on a tour of the Fuling countryside.

The Fuling country is beyond beautiful. We stopped at a village called Liang Gui, which translates to "Magnolia." It is an experimental agricultural base for the region, cultivating new approaches to planting and bringing additional prosperity to the farmers, who rent their land to the scientists but continue to farm the land.

[Cow and photographer]

The villagers got a kick (I hope) out of seeing all these silly-looking foreigners. The head of the village was exceedingly kind and had a basket of Mandarin oranges brought onto the bus as we waited while the bus and pile of just-dumped gravel had a standoff as to who would rule the road.

[Bus vs. gravel]

[Mandarin orange trees]

On we traveled to the Wujiang Fuling Pickle Factory, where the president of the factory gave us a personal tour of the premises. Fuling is reknowned for its pickled vegetables - when we asked what the English name for the tuber was, neither our guide nor the president could give a name. Perhaps looking at a picture will spur some answers - otherwise, "pickled tuber vegetable" it shall remain.

[Photo of tuber vegetable and packets of Wujiang pickles]

Pretty scenery was noted on the way home as the sun set. . .

To finish the day with a kick, we were taken to a hot pot restaurant for dinner - this is where Greg gets really jealous. I LOVED this type of eating. Hot pot is essentially a fondue type of dish, with two types of bubbling broth in the middle of the table - a seasoned beef broth, and a SPICY pepper broth up top. You throw any manner of meat, vegetable, and whatnot in the broth, let it cook to its yummy goodness, and then eat it.

[Hot pot with accompaniments; Erica and her grandma Kay look on with consternation]

The accompaniments  shown in the picture are lamb kabobs, quail eggs, tripe, bean curd, beef meatballs, fish balls, fish pieces, bamboo shoots, cucumber, sprouts, various mushrooms, and more. The "normal" broth was absolutely delicious; and Natalie's friend Nancy and I even ventured to try the various foods in the spicy broth. I'm happy to report I survived the experience and happily, even enjoyed it. Dare I even mention the fried milk doughnuts, which quite possibly are the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. Liann did respectably, although reported to "not like" most of it - she stuck with fried shrimp and orange slices for the most part.

So that's my Thanksgiving. As I reflect on the day, I am so thankful, not only for my family and friends, but for this unparalleled opportunity to travel here with Liann, to experience the Chinese people with their warmth and hospitality, and to see firsthand the beauty of this land.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

Posted by heartstringsoh at 8:24 AM EST

Updated: Thursday, 27 November 2008 9:44 AM EST

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As I write this, there is an outdoor plaza outside our window, pulsing with music and packed with at least a hundred people  line dancing. Kinf of like a stripped down version of the Olympics Opening ceremonies, I suppose.

So we left Chongqing very early this morning to travel to the girls' hometown, Fuling. It took a couple hours by bus, but the scenery was gorgeous, even in the haze.

Finally we arrived in the city, with its distinctive suspension bridge to remind us that we were here.

After our arrival, we made a brief stop at the Fuling Dam, which keeps the waters of the heightened Yangtze from reaching the city. We also saw the spot where the Yangtze and Wujiang rivers meet, and then found our hotel, the Tai Ji.

Then it was off to the old orphanage, a place of some very happy memories for me. Many of the parents had never seen the orphanage before - their children had been brought to them in Chongqing - so this was completely new to them. Reactions in the adults ranged from calm curiousity to full-blown tears. Many of the children, though, seemed to look at the SWI as just another building, albeity with a playground.

Then it was time to visit the new facility, which is up at the very most tippy-top of Fuling. It's a beautiful new place. We got to play with the babies and/or decorate the rooms. Liann and I quickly found a baby in one of the rooms that we wanted to cuddle with. I believe this was one of the Special Needs rooms, but can't be certain, since they were all so darn cute. Liann, who usually can take or leave babies, was a wonderful friend here, finding toys and bringing them over, and generally flirting with this baby. It was very very sweet.

As a wonderful end to the day, everyone traipsed to another building in the facility, first to make dumplings, and then to eat them. It was the perfect dinner.

Posted by heartstringsoh at 7:29 AM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 26 November 2008 8:10 AM EST

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