Journal Entry- Saturday, November 7, 2009

Hi family and friends, Ni Hao (knee how),

It is Saturday early evening as we send you greetings from smog free (sorta) and steamy Guangzhou.

We arrived here late last night after taking Jin on his very first flight. He did great, though a wiggle worm. It was very uneventful which is a very good thing indeed. The entire flight he entertained himself with the airline headset and switched to each and every music style possible. It was comical to watch too. He also enjoyed "reading" the daily newspaper and emergency response cards found in the seat pockets. He truly enjoys perusing magazines and newspapers.

Our last day in Lanzhou was very good....that being said, we are glad to have that part behind us. I think we now have some feeling of what it must be like to be a person who is looked down upon, or stared at. As Adele said at dinner, there is a part of this trip that has broken a prideful part within us and made us more humble.

We enjoyed our final breakfast in the hotel dining room and packed up our belongings to then meet Sally at 1:15 to check out and enjoy a meal with her. She took us to a local restaurant called The Red Earth. We were in a for a treat! Sally ordered some local yummies. We had cold sliced chicken, the bone in along with the visibly uncooked skin with goose bumps, we politely ate a piece and then allowed Jin and Sally to finish this, a plate of various blanched mushrooms tossed in sesame oil and fantastic dumplings. The dumplings were stuffed with assorted meats, carrots and some even had fruit. Then the most beautiful part of the lunch event came out! Please see the picture of the local spring traditional lunch.

It was a beautifully ornate brass pot (dragons over it) with an alcohol burner. In the pot were all sorts of "things" including, leeks, potatoes, potato noodles, seaweed, balls of fish, sausage, other meats, vegetables, sea cucumbers (long black, slimy sea creatures), honey dew melon and more. It was truly something different! That's all I have to say about that...

After lunch we went back to the "relic" market where we went earlier. We had ordered name chops, blocks of stone with the boys' names carved in them. we watched the artists carve these with a hammer and chisel. Extraordinary! At a tea shop we bought several items and the proprietor insisted we sit and enjoy the tea ceremony, which we did. A photo is included. As tea is such a significant part of the culture it was interesting to have her explain that on the table were several small clay animals and such that she poured tea on, for good luck, blessings, etc.

Our tea hostess.  She served us black tea which she bought especially for herself.

                                                                                                                                     

It is such people as this nice lady who was excited to share her culture, Sally and Susan, our guides who have taught us well and cared for us, and other kind people along the way who have really made this trip a blessing...

As Jin would say, "WOW!!!"

Sally, our guide, bought Jin a treat from a street vendor, which is pictured. It was something like candied crab apples on a stick, rolled in sesame seeds. It was called tang hu lu, the fruit called shan zha, very tart little apples. Jin licked the candy off; did not like the candy. Last night on the plane our dinner came with a bowl of four little "apples" about the size of a pecan in the shell, I think they might be called haws haws. No taste.

We returned to the Lanzhou airport through the Red Mountains that struck us so fascinating earlier. The clay from these mountains is used to make bricks so it was of interest to see the people making a living by making bricks out of this foreboding landscape.

A view of the Red Mountains from our van

Are we there yet?

We made it to Guangzhou last night near midnight. The others in our travel group arrived earlier so it was nice to meet back up with them at breakfast and meet their little china doll daughters, ages 2 and 6. Beautiful, sweet girls with dark hair and bright black eyes. We (Jin, Adele and Clint) were all wound up so it took a while before we crashed. We must say, the room at the China Hotel (Marriott) is very plush and the hot shower was very welcome. Of course we then felt bad about being spoiled westerners. This afternoon when Jin "discovered" the big, deep bathtub he took off his clothes and asked for a bath! He loved playing in it for about 20 minutes.

Hearing Test

This morning required us to go to a medical facility of exams. Here we met many other American families who were also adopting. We three families somehow thought our children looked brighter and healthier... It was quite the spectacle with all the crying, squirming children being shuttled from exam room to exam room. Mike Kellam, member of our travel group, is a doctor so it has been interesting to have him explain certain medical things to us. We noted the exams were done without gloves!

Well, after all that we had cheeseburgers and fries at Lucy's, a staple of the adoption scene. It is an American style restaurant decorated in movie posters and American license plates! This meal was included in our package. A cheeseburger never tasted so good. The exam and Lucy's is located on Shamain Island and it is here we do all of our shopping. Today we bought 5 traditional silk costumes for the boys, in various sizes and colors. They were five for 200 yuan, which is about 5 bucks each outfit. Tomorrow, after church, we will have more time to shop. All the treasures of China right here at our finger tips! :)

One other note about people, tonight our hotel was host to a grand and elaborate wedding party with hundreds of people filling the lobby and fresh roses by the bushel. We understand it was a Chinese movie star. We saw her; she was stunning. Last night we saw on TV the State Funeral of a the man who was known as the Father of the Chinese space program. Sally was telling us that her father in law is a retired interpreter. During Mao's Cultural Revolution, as an academic, he was imprisoned for 10 years. These run-ins have shown us we are very blessed to be having such educational experiences and is giving us a greater appreciation for the great Chinese people.

My 1st bubble bath- bubbles are great!

As we get ready for bed with Jin in his Buzz Lightyear pjs, we thank you for your prayers and huge well wishes! Jin did great with the doctors and we return Monday to have his TB test read. Please pray all the children, in our group- 3, are TB free as we look towards flying home very soon. The Lord is great and greatly He should be praised for his enduring love and protection. Know we miss all of you and look forward to returning to Nashvegas soon.

Love,
The Holloways

Journal Entry- Thursday, November 5, 2009

To God be the Glory great things He has done...

Thank you for the prayers. Today has been a better day by far!

Mr. Wu, our driver

Some of you may wonder how we get around in China. We are blessed to have private drivers and a small "van." Our driver, who most certainly must be one of the most gifted drivers we have ever seen, is a Mr. Wu. In talking today with Sally and Mr. Wu, we learned Wu has two children, a daughter 15 and a son 10. This is a large family by today's standards. When the son was born it was not allowed that they have two children so Wu paid a fine of 7,000 Yuan, which is slightly more than $1,000. While we do not know his salary we do know that 300 Yuan is not an unsual monthly salary, that is about $45! Wu said he was happy to pay it as he loves children and was content to get a son. However, he did advise our guide, Sally, to stop at one!

As for driving, I think we have mentioned it is every man for themselves. Today Mr. Wu made a casual U turn across six lanes of traffic like it was altogether common, which it probably is, but to us it felt like a near death experience!

This morning, as with several mornings, we awoke to some fog, but realized that the lion's share of it may actually be smog. This has caused us some nasal difficulties. Thank goodness we brought alka seltzer. Like we mentioned with the zoo, we take such things as clean air and clean water for granted. We cannot drink the water or brush teeth with it, we must use bottled water. Most of China does not have potable water. While we are on the subject...bathrooms. In the hotels we have western toilets, though sometimes no tissue (better carry your own), but out in the real world we mostly encounter squatty potties. A shock to our western mentalities!

Sally, our local guide

Today was a day of rest while Sally worked on our paperwork, going to and from the Notary and offiicals making sure everything is signed, sealed and delivered. This morning she did take us to Dragon Park for a very nice stroll alongside the Yellow River. As it is Dragon Park dragons are everywhere, including a large bronze stylized dragon on top of a 2 story granite pillar. We were able to take a few steps down to the river and on about 2 feet of sand were able to touch the river and throw rocks in it, which Jin loved. There were many, many colored rocks in the river; tiny green pebbles we wondered if they might be Jade, which is common here but prized around the world. As the river is 5000 km long these pebbles may wash from thousands of miles away.

In the park we had the local specialty tea at a little cafe (that is a generous description). It is called something like 8 Charo Tea. It was served in large glass root beer mugs with a huge carafe of hot water. The mugs contained the 8 elements: green tea leaves, a huge rock of sugar, red dates, rose buds, an apricot, wolf berries, raisins, and an unknown seed pod called a longan (all dried). To make tea you rinse all of this with one round of hot water, then dup the water, then fill the mug to the brim with hot water and let steep. You can get two good mugs of tea from this then you can eat most of the stuff! It was different, tasty.

Tea is a very important part of the culture and many people are seen carrying their tea. Yesterday, we also had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony in the hotel lobby, they thought we wanted to buy the table at a cost of $10,000. The tea ceremony was fascinating, but not enough tea to wet your whistle!

Thank you to everyone who share your prayers and encouragement over yesterday's discipline issues. Today they were considerably abated, but we also made sure he had his nap, took things easier and had Sally, our guide, give him a firm talk in Chinese. We have learned a few Chinese phrases, so that helps too. But most importantly we started the day with a family prayer that things would be better....how often we neglect the most important tools we have as parents? Calling upon our own Heavenly Father for peace, patience, guidance and love.

Though Jin does not know Jesus, religious instruction being forbidden in the orphanage, we have tried to pray before each meal (I am sure this also draws looks as we bow our heads and fold our hands). This morning, in the hotel dining room we forgot our breakfast prayers. After a bite or two, Jin stopped, folded his hands and looked at us expectantly. Praise the Lord for giving increase to tiny seeds planted in trust and love.

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18

Friday night, the 6th, we fly southeast to Guangzhou to meet up with our travel group, the Coys and Kellams and our guide, Susan. Early Saturday morning all the children will go through a very thorough medical exam and consulate paperwork. We request prayers of swift procedures, easy paperwork, a safe and noneventful 1st airplane ride for Jin, and continued peace and joy.

Good night one and all,
The Holloways

Journal Entry- Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today's message will largely be about gastronomical delights. As you can imagine Chinese food is very different, much different than "American Chinese food". Last night we went the local grocery rather than eat in the hotel. On the same street as the grocery they had an evening market where you could go and buy your evening meal from one of dozens and dozens of street vendors. Most of the items available consisted of various meats and veggies on sticks that could then be roasted over small coal fires right in front of you. We certainly had no idea what meats were being offered. We did see many kinds of fish, squid, beef, pork and other "skinned things." Because we have a hard time communicating other than pointing we were sort of at the mercy of fate. We did try some things on sticks, but have no clue what they were! Maybe not a good idea? We also had some potatoes that were diced, deep fried and then seasoned in front of us. Again, no idea of the seasoning but they were delicious! We also had a "corn treat" on a stick that was somewhat similar to a sweetened, congealed corn mush! We thought it was pineapple when were buying it! Today at the market we also bought some apples that tasted like pears, nearly translucent in color, and served sold nearly ice cold. Delicious! Another interest fruit, pictured, is red dragon fruit. The skin is red, the flesh white with black seeds and somewhat the taste of kiwi. Tonight's dinner consisted of half a roasted duck, sliced off the bone then served with onions and a thick brown sauce.

All of this was wrapped in a small rice flour tortilla. Good but duck is very fatty. One last food note that is interesting, each night the maid comes around, knocks on the door and hands us mini Kit Kat bars! How funny!

Today our guide took us to 5 Springs Mountain which is a park, zoo, temple complex and more. We saw Taoist shrines, a Confucian courtyard and a Buddhist Temple with a 600 year old bronze Buddha about 15 feet tall.

Confucius

Here in this park complex is a favorite place for the elderly to walk and get their exercise. Some also come here to play their musical instruments, pipes and small horns. We told one horn player we liked his music. He said we looked like happy Buddhas. This is becoming a theme. The zoo was a site.... The animals were in cement enclosures, pits and large cages...no grass, no clean water. It made us appreciative of the fine zoo in Nashville.

Jin's favorite cloth sculpture

Today was a bit of a rough day with Jin...we have heard the third day with the child can be. Discipline issues began today as he is testing us, pushing the boundaries and seeing what we are made of. Also, he was tired today and that made things worse. While we are prepared for this it is hard, particularly when the issue/discipline occurs in public. We are already the object of curiosity, being westerners, but accompanied by a Chinese child draws further stares. Of course, we may be overly sensitive, but at times it feels as though the eyes of the whole city are upon us! Please pray for strength for us in this regard.

We had tea this afternoon in the hotel. 

We shared in the Chinese tea ceremony. 

Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers and good wishes. We feel them giving us strength. Please feel free to reply, we like sharing with you, but as this email goes to about 200 people, please be careful not to hit reply to all. Thanks!

Love to you all,
We Three in Chi-ny

Journal Entry- Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Greeting from Lanzhou,
We pray this email finds you well; we are experiencing wondrous adventures daily. Last night we ventured out for dinner and to get some air. We walked to KFC. Yes, you read that right. The Colonel is very popular here. It was refreshing to order using a number off the menu. Jin had chicken nuggets and fries along with hot milk. The Chinese are used to drinking hot milk especially children. Sally, our guide here, said that they have mild stomachs, but they can handle beef noodles for breakfast?!

Jin was happy to drink the hot milk. We also bought him new shoes in mall and found a park for him to release some energy. He is certainly going to give Jon Campbell a run for his money! The two will be twin terrors!

Our adoption agency here gave each parent a lanyard to wear as we travel about which explains in Chinese that we adopted Jin. When we show that to people they seem to warm up to and smile. Many will then fawn over him. It makes us feel better too. Sally, our guide, is wonderful. She is with us 3-4 hours during the day as we site see. She is very informative. We are blessed by her kindness and thoughtfulness. We are grateful to learn more about the Chinese culture from her as her English is very good. We have experienced the Chinese attentiveness, kindness as well as self- assertiveness.

Have we mentioned there seems to be no driving rules or laws present nor enforced here? It is every car, van, bicycle and motor bike for itself. Pedestrians be ware! We crossed the streets ourselves and made it safely. We aren't joking when we say Chinese drivers are better and crazier than New York City drivers.

Today we visited the Yellow River which flows right along Lanzhou. It is roughly 5,000 plus km long. It is very sandy too. Attached you will see a bridge which crosses over the river which is from Germany and was to only last 80 years, but it is now over 100 years old, built in 1905. It took over 1 year to be shipped from Germany.

The Yellow River

We walked along the river which is bordered with Water Willow trees. It is quite beautiful. Alongside the river's edge there is a large area for exercising. The Chinese are very conscience about exercising. The area, where they exercise, is like an adult playground. Please see the attached photo.

We tried it out too; it was great even for Happy Buddhas :)

Then we visited a historic tourist site, the Water Wheel. 500 years ago they drew water from the Yellow River with these wheels to irrigate. Please also see the last photo which shows a real sheepskin raft. These were used to float up and down the river. They are made from entire sheep bodies which have been tanned and blown up. No joke! Honestly, they were disgusting to see in person.

Come float down the river on me

OMG- they really do float!

From here we walked around an open air market not far from our hotel. It was another world within itself, you can almost imagine being in an ancient Chinese market. There was stall after stall of jade, beads, coins, carvings, brushes, calligraphy, and the like. Many people had their items displayed on the ground.

  Sally treated us to a meal of Beef Noodles. It was great. I felt Chinese myself. Many restaurants don't have actual doors to open during the day, but with it be cold; you walk thru plastic strips which block the cold in the doorway. Health codes are of no concern :) But the meal was great. (Yes, we had tetanus shots before we came!) There were 3 rows of long metal tables; we sat on short metal stools and ate our beef noodles with a little vinegar. You grab them with chop sticks bring them to your mouth and slurp! We asked Sally why vinegar and she said it makes it taste even better. Jin was in heaven. He loves them. They were mild according to Sally. Clint really enjoyed them even though he is not one to eat spicy items. The Lord has shown us a lot about ourselves and how we view people not like us. We are still getting many "looks".

Those are some spicy beef noodles!

Beef Noodles

After our afternoon rest we ventured out by ourselves. We took some clothes to the laundry then went to the grocery store and got a few things we could eat for dinner and for the educational experience. Jin carried the basket and kept throwing things in! When we emerged from the grocery store (partially underground) the street had been transformed into a two block long market of vendors selling fruits, veggies, roasted meats and such. There were so many things on sticks to eat you cannot believe it, even mini squids! All you do is pick your meat, veggie, and starch and then they cook and season it over tiny coal fired grills. It was sometimes revolting, but incredibly fascinating. We tried some delicious deep fried potatoes and some meat on sticks....what was it? We don't know but it cost 15 cents a stick!

What we thought was pineapple....it's actually made of corn.

We did not try any of this!

Our meat cooking...well, we hope it was meat?!

A few words from yesterday we forgot to mention. When we presented our gifts to the orphanage staff, one gift was a large fabric wall hanging of the US quilted by Adele's Mom, Karin. It is very colorful and attractive for children. We showed them where we live in Nashville and where another of their former children lives. They seemed especially pleased with this.

A few notes about Jin. He seems to be adjusting to us well. One street asked him if we were his mama and papa, two words we understand; he pointed to us and said Mama! Papa! He is eating very well, we have to control that he does not eat too much. He drinks lots of water and seems very happy. He is sleeping well at night and naps for an hour about mid-day. He is mimicking our words and can count to ten. Thank you for your prayers and messages of good cheer. They are gifts from God and a boon to our spirits. We thank God for you!
Clint, Adele and Jin

Journal Entry- Monday, November 2, 2009

Hello All,
This will be from Jin's Papa. I know Adele gave you the news for SUNDAY. It was a thrilling day, 3 years in the making. When he saw us he came running with arms open wide! We sent pictures to him earlier so he would know us when we did meet. How thrilled we were! He has a very sweet spirit, not unlike his brother. He had saved for us pieces of candy from the care package we sent to him several weeks ago. Can you imagine a 4 year old saving candy to give to his parents? He saved a lollipop for Jon Campbell, too! Then, as the Nanny got him ready Sunday to come to us, he asked to save a hard boiled egg from his lunch as a gift for his parents!

Today we spent the morning with notaries and an official signing papers and adding our thumb prints.

Notary, left, and goverment official playing with Jin and his Handy Manny toy during the paperwork process.  He is a charmer for sure!

With the paper work finished, we say good bye to Jin's orphange family.

The gentleman holding Jin is the orphange Director often called Papa or Uncle.  The lady pictured is an orphange employee who was nanny to Joshua, Jin's best buddy now living in Michigan.

He "signed" his name with a full handprint! Afterwards we presented gifts to various officials and the orphanage staff. We had a lunch of sliced pig fat....that is the last time we let the guides order for us! We have also had roasted buckeyes, ox, duck, lamb and other things I have elected not to inquire of their origin, animal, vegetable and mineral!

Waitresses are smitten by Jin

Tomorrow and the next few days we will see some sites here while our paperwork is completed. We are at the end/start of the ancient Silk Road, the desert being not far off. The countryside is the bleakest; yet striking I have ever seen with ancient "sandstone" mountains. Lanzhou is much different than Beijing, being so far inland. Lanzhou has little rain yearly so they irrigate daily from the Yellow River. They have planted trees along the mountain sides which don't grow very tall as a result. Your eyes are opened to have vast and diverse the world is just in a short ride from the airport to Lanzhou. We are blessed abundantly! Many people who live in between the airport and the main city are farmers; fruit, wheat and corn. There is also a brick factory in Lanzhou. The ground is so dry it is good for dust storms and making bricks. We also saw holes in the mountains. That is where the farmers rest from the heat and keep their farming tools. As our guide said, “not so rich and cosmopolitan as Beijing.” As one of only a few westerners we have gotten many looks and today were likened to Happy Buddhas! Yeah, flattering!

Journal Entry- Sunday, November 1, 2009- Gottcha Day!

Happy 95th Birthday Grandpa Adinolfi!  How fitting we got Jin today.  We landed in Lanzhou this after a little later than expected due to SNOW! That is not a type o. We had snow when we woke up this morning. I am sorry, but this email will be short because our beds are calling. We are beginning our bed time routine and schedule tonight. I promise to share everything tomorrow. In short, The Lord is so good! Our first encounter was full of hugs, smiles, tears and laughter. We hope you enjoy the photos too.

Love the Holloways-4

Grand Soluxe Hotel Lobby

We meet Jin just feet away from here 10 minutes after we check into our room.

Jin and his Papa

Jin and his Mama

Pizza dipped in ketchup is not very good?!

Listening to his new Mario Brothers toothbrush play music

Jon Campbell picked this out for Jin and he played it all the time!