Happy December

December 1, 2010 Xi'an City

Wow each day feels so full!

Monday - Met Marie Ling in the morning and spent the afternoon together including a walk to the supermarket. Dinner with the other daopting family at a Cantonese resturant. They had some wild things on the menu including duck feet, intestines of either a pig or cow and Mary swears she saw rat, too!

Tuesday - Another full day. Went to the Civil Affairs office to process the adption at the local level. The official was not pleased with the power of attorney letter I brought. It was notarized locally, authenticated at the state level and certified at the federal level in washington. He says it was then to have been approved by the Chinese government. Ours was not so it has taken a few extra steps. Our guide, Tom assures me that it will work out and we will have her passport for departure to Guangzhou on Friday. We were at the office for 2 1/2 hours in the morning and then went to the passport office for her to get a picture taken in the afternoon. Last night we visited the "Muslim Bazaar" and saw the drum tower and bell tower from which they gave the people time markers in the ancient times. Later, with the help of our guide, we ordered and feasted on plates of dumplings. Yum, yum.

Wednesday-  We had two big adventures today. First we drove about an hour to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. They were amazing! Three "pits" hold a total of over seven thousand warriors intended to protect the First Emperor of the Chin Dynasty who is buried about a half mile away. Each soldier is unique. Most were damaged and reconstructed, but it is incredible to see this huge place larger than four football fields full of rows and rows of them. The adults in the crowd could have spent much longer learning about the place and how the warriors were made, but our little one became bored and tired of hearing people babble in English around a big hole in the dirt. Thank God for the concession stand on the way out which helped distract her from her foul mood. It is clear that when she has had enough she has HAD ENOUGH!!!!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the orphanage where Marie Ling has been for the past few years. It was a very pleasant experience and the visit did wonders to relieve the fears that have been racing through my mind since we recieved her referral in January. The "Pink Castle" as the orphange is known in adoption circles included three large buidings and a playground full of swings, multiple climbing structures and even a trampoline! We saw the classroom and the dormitory where she stayed as a little one and the dormitory she stayed in recently when she moved up to the first grade. The dormitory for young ones was neat and orderly with sixteen "seven dwarf" sized beds. The dormitory she moved into in September held two sets of bunk beds. Marie Ling was excited to show me everything and to introduce me to her teachers and caretakers.She danced with her classmates to the tune of This Old Man (the teacher said the song was about a rat!) She shared her candy with a couple of her friends and hopped up on her bed for a picture. I was afraid the visit would upset her and we would leave reluctantly and with tears. Neither was the case; I can't think of how the whole experience could have  been more positive and I am so grateful to have a view into what her life has been like the past few years.

More soon.

Michelle