Sunday, October 14, 2012

Souvenir Shopping Day- Anna gets some China clothes

Today we had a free day so we decided to go souvenir shopping.  As usual, things never go as planned in China and we ended up walking much farther than we thought and ended up in a busy Chinese shopping area but not a tourist souvenir area.  We did happen upon a little store that had traditional Chinese clothes and got Anna an adorable outfit.  We finally found her some shoes that fit.  She just LOVES them and they are totally obnoxious!  She looked very cute and Chinese today. The shopping mall had gelato, so everyone enjoyed a treat.  While we were walking to the shopping area we came to a beautiful park.  It was bustling with tourists and older Chinese men and women playing cards and majang.  The trees had to have been hundreds of years old.  They were just amazing.

I think the exhaustion and stress of being in another country and caring for a two year old definitely got to me today.  I was really disappointed that we didn't find souvenirs for the kids and we hadn't eaten lunch.  It was almost 3 o'clock and we walked a long way to a restaurant we had seen that said it had the kind of Chinese food we liked. Of course it was closed. I was hot and exhausted from carrying Anna and I just started crying right there on the street.  We ended up going to a Middle Eastern restaurant nearby and they were so nice to us.  I think they felt sorry for me.  They gave us cold water and turned the air conditioner on for us in a private room.  (It's really hot and humid here) The food was amazing! And I really felt refreshed and cared for by the Lord after the meal.  When we got to the hotel we found out from our guides that right across the street there are traditional Chinese souvenirs at decsorrent prices.  So I took a nap while the kids played with Anna and after that we went to the mall and the kids had a blast buying exactly what they wanted as souvenirs. We came home, got Anna to sleep and enjoyed Papa John's pizza.  So thankful for some western comforts during this long stay in China.

Tomorrow is a big day.  Esther turns 13!  She is so excited.  We are going on a cruise of the Pearl River tomorrow evening to celebrate. She bought a beautiful silk Chinese style dress to wear.  She is just so beautiful and grown up these days.  She definitely turns a lot of heads here in China!

The bad news about tomorrow is that Anna has her doctor's appt. and TB test tomorrow.  It will be a long process so pray that we would all have energy, that Anna wouldn't be afraid, and that I wouldn't pass out during the TB test.  Those things make me sooo woozy!  Especially if she is really upset. After tomorrow, we have alot of free time since our consulate appointment to get Anna's US Visa isn't until Thursday.  We are really looking forward to getting that Visa and getting home.



2 comments:

  1. HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Miss Esther!!!! What an amazing place to be celebrating your special day. Happy "birth" day to you too Mommy Michelle! After I became a mom, I had a shift in thinking; Moms should be the ones too get the birthday gifts! Never goes over here, but a nice idea...

    What will I do once you return home - I have been reading your posts like mini-novels. I love hearing about your adventures and experiences these last weeks. Praying you all are sleeping peacefully tonight and that tomorrow will go easier than expected with the TB test. We all just had them for our homestudy and while a bit 'itchy', not too bad for us. I will be praying for an easy procedure and good results!

    Again - Happy Birthday to your sweet first born, hope today is joyful and this coming year is blessed! m.

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  2. Tell Esther Happy Birthday from Grandma!!!! Praying that all goes well. See you when I get back from Portland.

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