Thanksgiving In Chongqing

Happy Thanksgiving from Chongqing, China!

Simon often says that we should not just give thanks on Thanksgiving day but everyday for God's daily provisions. But, this year in particular, we are very thankful for the good Lord in providing us Duo Duo. She is bonding to us well.

Yesterday, while Helen was out with the gals getting their $10 massage, Simon took care of Duo Duo by himself. Simon had to go to the photo kiosk to develop the pictures which were taken at the orphanage with our disposable camera that we had mailed earlier to Dianjian over four weeks earlier. You could tell that Duo Duo loves to go out. Once Simon put on her little coat, Duo Duo started kicking and smiling. While walking around, Duo Duo's eyes would dart back and forth checking things out. She loved to be outside!

This morning, we went to old town Chongqing where there are many antique, arts and crafts, and clothing shops. Here, you could bargain on the price. We bought a couple of beautiful Chinese outfits for Duo Duo and some things for the boys. Also, several of us bought an interesting novelty item - a small statue of a little boy that urinates when you pour hot water over its head. You physics geeks can try to figure out this phenomenon.

Next, we went to visit Chongqing People's Square. This pagoda looking building is the famous landmark of Chongqing. During WWII, Chongqing became the temporary capital of National Republic of China after the fall of Nanjing. We had a group picture taken in front of this edifice.

Later, we had our Thanksgiving lunch at a nice Szechuan restaurant. Since Chongqing neighbors Szechuan province, they share many of the same spicy dishes. Instead of the traditional turkey, we had duck. By the way, the platter did include the duck's head. This reminded us of the scene in the movie A Christmas Story where Ralphie and his family had to go a Chinese restaurant to celebrate Christmas dinner after the a pack of dogs ravaged the turkey. When the waiter brought out the duck platter with the head still on, the mother started screaming and said that the duck was staring at her. Then, the restaurant owner calmly took a cleaver and chopped off the duck's head. End of story.

Finally, in the evening, we received our adoption papers for our US Consulate appointment next week. Tomorrow, we'll receive the baby's passport.

In the morning, Simon will be joining a small group to visit the Dianjiang orphanage which is about a 2 hour drive away. They do not recommend the babies to go on the trip in that it might cause a bad reaction. So, Helen and Duo Duo will stay around the hotel. We are starting to pack for our trip to Guangzhou on Saturday.