Last Day...

MOM, AT HEALING HOME

ME AND MR. ANDY

Today we took mom and Karina to Healing Home to hold the babies.  Mrs. Sue also came.  They loved it.  We had Johnny Moos for lunch and walked home.  This will be my last time to post from China.  I will blog again when I touch ground in Fayetteville!

The next to the last day......

HERE WE ARE GETTING A FOOD MASSAGE

AT THE PARK

Today we went to get a foot Massage then to the Century park.   At the park we rode bikes and had a picnic.  Then we went to church.  We had sweet and sour chicken (my favorite!) for dinner.  Then we dressed up for Halloween – I was a cat, Karina was a model, Lindsey was Karina’s paparazzi, Megan was a ninja, and Kelly was Book Face.  We got lots of candy on this day! 

Mom and Karina are back

Today we went to the airport to pick up mom and Karina.  We went to Zhujiajiao, in are language its called the water village and ate lunch there.

We went to the fabric market to pick up my dress and Mrs. Sue's coat.   Then we came back home and looked at Mom and Karina's pictures from India until our pizza came.  After dinner we went to bed because tomorrow we are leaving.

New Dress

RIDING THE BUS TO ZOE AND ABIGAIL'S SCHOOL (WE HAD TO DROP OFF A PUMPKIN)

I TRIED ON A DRESS IN THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORE.  I REALLY LIKED IT SO I BOUGHT IT!

Today Mr. Andy and I rode the bus to school.  We took a pumpkin to Zoe’s class to carve.  Mr. Xu came and got us from the school and took us to Care 4 to get some groceries.  We also went out to look at the furniture store where Mr. Andy is having a table made.  The girls had a half day of school so we picked them up before lunch. We ate lunch at home and went to the fabric market and tried on my dress!  They are doing some final alterations so we will get it tomorrow when Mom and Karina are here!  We shopped for Converse shoes for Megan and Lindsey.  After dinner we went to a family worship service.  Now it is late and I am going to bed!

Word from the West

Today Mr. Andy and I Skyped with the Schwartzmans and the Stuckey.  These are friends of ours that I have known since I was very little.  I also got to skype with my family.

In the United States we have Wal Mart, over here they have Care 4.  Care 4 is a lot like Wal Mart.  We went there to get some stuff and  then we went to get a pumpkin for Zoe. 

After we went to have lunch with Lindsey, we came back home and I napped.  After my nap it was time to pick the girls up from school.

I didn't do much today, but I enjoyed Skyping with my friends and family.   

At the book store

Today Mr. Andy and I went to a gym and I did the treadmill for 20 minutes. We had been to this gym before and the gym is not my favorite place.  I do not like to work out!

After working out,  we came back home and Mr. Andy took a shower while I read my book. 

One day when I was in the car, there was a book of things to do in the area.  I saw a bookstore that I wanted  to go to.  This bookstore was near where Mrs. Sue works.  Mr. Andy took me to the bookstore and I got a book on a little princess.  We also went to have lunch with Mrs. Sue.

After lunch, we went to the grocery store.   I thought it smelled like a dead rat.  Otherwise the grocery store is almost like the grocery store here. 

At the Zoo

Today Mr. Andy and I went to the zoo. I saw Monkeys, Lions, Donkeys, and Camels. After the zoo, we went back home and then I fell  asleep.   Then Mr. Andy said it was time to go pick up Zoe and Abigail at school.

We also got to watch Lindsey play soccer.  Lindsey is a good soccer player, but her team lost the game.  They played hard!

After Lindsey's soccer game, we all went hom, ate dinner, and went to bed.  

Here are the Chinese words I have learned:

Dui - yes

Ni Hao - hi

Ni hao ma - how are you?

Hao - good

Peng yo -friend

Wo ai ni - I love you.

Zai Jian! (that means good bye!)

Beijing!

COURTNEY AND LINDSEY.  THIS BUILDING WAS IN THE MOVIE KUNG FU PANDA

I CAN BE A DRAGON!

THIS BUILDING IS CALLED 'THE BIRDS NEST'.  IT IS WHERE THEY DO GYMNASTICS. 

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

We took the sleeper train to Beijing on Thursday night.  Friday we got off the train and walked around to catch a cab to the hotel.  After we got settled into our hotel, we went to the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and at night we saw the acrobats.

The Forbidden City was awesome!  The inside gave me a very cool feeling.    There were broken statues from a long time ago and this is where several Chinese Presidents used to live.  There was a lot of history in the Forbidden City. 

Tianamen Square was where we saw the acrobats.  It was awesome and cool to see them because seeing them made me want to be one.  They could do tricks and there was a juggler too.  The juggler juggled 10 balls!  

Saturday we went to the Great wall.  The Great Wall of China is the biggest wall you could ever see.  It was built to separate China from anyone that could hurt them.  We climbed the steep stairs a long time and when I got to the top I was so proud of myself.  Mr. Andy, Lindsey, and I climbed back down and went with our group to Ming Tombs.  This is a place where Buddha is buried.  I liked hearing about Ming Tombs from our tour guide.  After Ming Tombs we were off to Jade Museum.  At the Jade Museum there are more cool things to see like people making bedding, quilts, and pillows.  I got to touch one of the quilts.  Some of the stuff was very silky and soft.

At the end of the day, Mr. Andy got a food massage.  You had to be about 20, so me and Lindsey were not allowed to have one.  We just sat by Mr. Andy and waited. We were so jealous because Mr. Andy would say "AHHHHHHH, I feel so relaxed!".

After Mr. Andy's foot massage we went to have tea.   I don't drink tea at home, so I am not a big fan of it anyway, but I tried it and  it was nasty!

Sunday we went to the Silk Market (where I bought some great gifts!) then to the international church.  Then we went to the airport and met my Uncle David.  We waited for our plane to Shanghai which would take us home to where the Theilman's live.  I think Mr. Xu missed me because when he saw me at the airport he winked at me :)

Healing Home Kids

Healing Home is an orphanage that I visited.   When I was there I saw kids with cleft lips and palates.  It made me feel very sad for them.  I saw smaller babies and even a very brand new baby.  These children are at the orphanage just because of the way their lips and palates look.  The way people think in China is different from the United States.  In the United States we would keep the baby, take it to a doctor, and it would have surgery.  We were at Healing Home for an hour.  I was sad when I left because I felt sorry for the babies.

One of the babies was mischievous.  She tried to get out of the gate and she would go under tables and try to hide from us.  She thought Mr. Andy was hilarious.  I am guessing she was around 1 year old because she was crawling.   Her name was Sombrita (not sure how to spell it).

Birthdays and strange cakes

Today is a special day because it is Abigails birthday.  She will be turning 6.  After we ate breakfast  I went with Mr. Andy and took the girls to the bus stop so they could go to school.  I walked back from the bus stop with Mr. Andy and we did the Bible with each other.  We read in Psalms about how you can hold your anger in and not let it out.  After a short nap, I went on a walk with Mr. Andy.   We walked around the neighborhood then headed to the movie store where I bought a movie for Abigail's birthday.

On this day I also got to have lunch at each of the girls schools.  I felt a little awkward because I didnt know anyone.  The food was some kind of noodles.  Lindsey eats what the school serves but you can bring your own food. 

After lunch we went on a search for a birthday cake for Abigail.  We had to go to four different stores because Mr. Xu thought we were looking for a different kind of cake, like a coffee cake.  We finally got him to understand it was a birthday cake that we wanted.  We finally found a birthday cake but it was different from what our birthday cakes are like here.  It was round with crackers on the edges and fruit on top.  The inside was sort of soft and chocolaty.  

 Once we found our cake, we went and picked up the girls from school .  We headed to an arcade for 1 hour and went home to eat some pizza.  After dinner, Abigail celebrated her birthday with the cake and opening presents.  She liked her movie and she also got a Barbie that she liked.  This was a tiring day.

Babies and Bargains

Mr. Andy and I took Kelly, Megan, Lindsey, Zoe, and Abigail to the bus stop so they could go to school.  Mr. Andy and I went back home and got ready to see some kids at an orphanage.  We saw many cute kids and got to watch them for an hour.  Most of the kids had cleft lips and palates.  I got to hold some of them and they climbed into our laps. 


 Next we went to an under ground market and I got a sweat shirt for 10 RMB, 2 glass dolls for 50 RMB and a watch for only 10 RMB.   I also got a fan and a stand for 20 RMB.  After shopping we went and got some lunch, then Mr. Xu drove us home and he asked me if I’d give him a high five. I did! Then Mr. Andy and I went to pick up Lindsey, Zoe, Abigail, Megan, and Kelly and ate dinner and went to bed.

(Sorry having issues uploading pictures...will try again tomorrow!)

Mr. Andy and Me at the Bund

While Mrs. Sue was at work and the girls were at school, Mr. Andy was a great tour guide. 

Today I went to see the Bund with Mr. Andy.  It was very crowded.  There was a beautiful view from the top of the Bund.  We saw a big river then we saw a mall. We went into the mall and found a sweat shirt for me but we won’t get it until tomorrow.  

I finally got to to see Buddha! I think he is very shiny and its wierd that he has four heads.  He also has a large stomach.  I thought he was ugly.  

We waited in line for 45 min  to see a pearl tower.  There were malls inside the tower and you stood on top of glass.  I didnt like this because I thought the glass would break underneath me and we were up very high. 

After the tower we had lunch and waited for Mr. Xu.  Mr. Xu thinks I’m so funny and we laugh alot together.  He took us home to wait on the girls.  While I waited I watched "The Last Song".  The ending of this movie was very weird.

 The girls got home from school, did their homework,  and then we had dinner then went to bed.

Shanghai Sunday

Today I went to the airport again with Mrs. Sue, Lindsey, Mom, and Karina to drop mom and Karina off for India.  After leaving the airport we went to McDonalds came home to get ready for Church.  Mr. Andy, Lindsey, and I went to a different church and met up with Mrs. Sue, Kelly, Megan, Zoe,and Abigail later at Johnny Moos.   Lindsey and I both got chocolate milk shakes then we walked home which took 1 mile.   That night we watched a great comedian, Tim Hawkins on a movie. 

We're in China

Today mom, dad, Karina, and Jamaiya and I got up and got ready to go to the airport.  We got to the airport, went inside, and Dad and Jamaiya said good bye to us. I was a little sad at this time, but I was also starting to get very excited about the trip.   We got on the plane and right away I met a man named Michael.   He was our flight attendant who I liked to mess with.   Guess what? He put my name on the loud speaker because I was mocking.  He said  "And we hope Courtney Linn has a good flight to China".  Then everyone looked around for me and Mom didn't even know what Michael had said over the loud speaker.  

During this short flight I was able to relax and rest a little.  After the flight I was thankful to be getting off the plane. Once we were off the plane we used the restrooms and went to the McDonalds at the airport.  After breakfast, we waited a long time for our flight to China because they couldn't get the door to our plane open. 

The next plane ride would take us 15 hours to get to China.  I did not sleep well on this flight but there was a movie we could watch.  They also served us meals on this flight.


After a long plane ride we met the Theilman's at the airport.  I was so tired but very excited to see them.  It was good to hear Miss Sue's voice say "hey!" and see Lindsey's smile!


We got our bags, went to the Theilman's house.  Mom, Miss Sue, and Mr. Andy walked to a local restaurant and brought us back some food.  I had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice and it was YUMMY!

Packing my bags . . .

Have you ever wondered what you have to do to take a trip to China?

Well, let me share with you what I've learned. I've learned that you have to get a Passport and a visa in order to be allowed into China. We also had to get shots at the doctor's office. Airline tickets had to be purchased. Then the fun stuff - we got to go shopping for some clothes I needed. I'm going to be stylin' . . .

We've gathered lists of things needed for the people that we're visiting. We've mostly packed our bags.  Four more sleeps and we get on the plane! This will be my first airplane ride. I feel a little nervous about it and at the same time excited. I'm going to try to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I will keep this blog updated during my time in China so you can experience China with me. . .