Last Day

This post will be somewhat scattered as my thoughts are everywhere.

It's the afternoon of our last day here. It's bitter-sweet for sure. On the one hand, it's time for Ai Li to have some stability in a routine. On the other hand, we're about to thrust her into the abyss of a huge unknown where she is even more the odd one out. There will be no more familiar language being spoken around her. No more familiar smells, customs, people. We are sad to be leaving, yet today, now anxious to get home. It helps that it's a cruddy day outside.

We've gotten quite friendly with one of the store owners, and enjoy sharing tea with him and the staff. Cody has taught two of the young men in there how to play chess, and they've taught him hackysack.

Going back a bit, the minute we arrived at the Beijing airport and stuck out like sore thumbs, Molly looked at me and said, "Welcome to my world, people. It feels awesome to see that everyone's little like me and looks like me. I could get used to this!" Everywhere we've been, we have experienced life from 'her world', where we are the different ones, where everyone stares at us. I'll never take her perspective for granted again.

OK - back to the present. We went to a grocery store - Carrefour - the other day. It was fun and we brought all these things back to the hotel to try out. Some were winners, some absolutely NOT. While we were there - and anywhere we go, actually, Steve and I have the girls between us. Steve's usually in front blocking and then I'm herding and sheltering. Cody floats - usually up front. So, we're in line at the checkout (and I will never complain about waiting in line at Walmart again - this line was s-l-o-w) and I had the good fortune to be standing in front of the local village drunk - who was buying another bottle of the good stuff - a bottle he most certainly didn't need. His breath was on my neck he was in close for a better look. I could have passed out from the fumage that eminated from behind and that I was apparently now wearing (drunk people spit when they speak - old queen of scorn here got a direct hit). Try as he might, he could not figure out these big folk with the 2 little Chinese girls. He poked me to start a little chat (like I needed to get face to neck now - uh NOT). I pulled out our handy-dandy electronic translator and thought I'd explained it enough to satisfy him. Drunk man wanted my magic tablet that entered his world. I can tell you that every button has been pressed now (sorry - banged) - several times. Apparently the magic tablet only works for the big people so it got handed back to me - smears and all - with much mutterings. Well, since he couldn't get the magic thing to work, he took a pen and started to write all over his hand to ask me more. You know how when some people cannot understand, others tend to just speak louder, as if that'd help? I found out only too quickly that when one cannot read Chinese, drunk man shoves it closer and closer to your eyes. By now, we have paid our bill and decide to skedaddle away.

We've just said some goodbyes to another shop keeper who's as sweet as can be. She's the one who has taken the time to talk with Ai Li - rather than just talk at her - and she's the one who told us that our daughter was terribly homesick for her friends and was very sad. She hugged Ai Li and asked her privately if she was happy now - the reaction was our well-known little impish smile with a busy tongue licking her lips. She's OK!!!!!!!!!!!! She's comfortable with our love. Thank you Ada for being so sweet to our child and really understanding what she needed.

We found a great little restaurant last night - sort of just stuck in the wall and very basic. Delicious! The menu was bigger than some books. We stuck to things we knew more or less. We are all quite proficient with chopsticks and find ourselves using them over the other utensils. How's that for cool? We may celebrate our last dinner there tonight, but we spotted another place that we may just try out too. Decisions, decisions.

Steve and the kids are all on the third floor playing ping pong right now. There's a huge international tournament going on now in Guangdong province and we've been catching some of it on TV. Speaking of TV, a TV reporter and camera guy stopped me in the street yesterday while I was on my own running an errand. I thought they were going to ask me about adoption, so I said 'sure' when they asked for an interview. So - what were the questions?
1. What number do I call in case of emergency.
2. What number do I call in case of fire.
3. What number do I call in case someone steals my purse and I need the police.
I didn't know the answer to any of them. I could tell them that if I needed the police I would merely stand there and scream and let all the shop keepers come out and help me. As there are guards everywhere, I'm sure the police would hear me, and besides, what would I call with? I don't have a cell phone.
We met other 'dumb American families' who'd been interviewed as well, and none of them did any better. I thought I'd prepared for everything. Wrong - I didn't study my phone numbers. Take heed, future China visitors - learn your numbers!

Going to find the ping pongers. Here's to hoping for a distinct lack of turbulence as we fly home.