Jia's New Birthday!

One of the surprise discoveries we made when visiting Jia's hometown is that her birthday is not August 11th, but instead July 8th! She was very excited to be instantly older.

Jia, Willa and cousin Han spent the day going on rides at the Mall of America.

Then they camped in the backyard with friend, Kat.

Her present from us was a long awaited phone.

And she asked for adorable new specs from Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy 11th birthday to our clever, creative, kind Jia!

China, Day 20: Qichun, Hubei: Jia’s hometown and the Unexpected.

Jia’s hometown is Qichun, Hubei. It’s a "small" town in China of about a million people, and when she was adopted ten years ago, it was less than half that size and primarily farmland. On the way there, we drove by field after field of lotus plants with huge pink and white blossoms.

 

Her county is known for producing many scholars. It is also known for its beauty as it has many lakes, mountains and valleys. The town has expanded rapidly in the last ten years because it has become a large producer of medicinal herbs. We were able to try some local dishes when we were there.

 

(With our extraordinary guide Cindy.)

In addition to having Jia see her homeland, we planned what we thought would be a simple visit to her Social Welfare Institute and her foster mother. Instead we ended up embroiled in a mystery complete with clues from old photographs, a hidden note, and an imposter. We followed our hunches, untangled the web of secrets, and uncovered bombshell after bombshell. Thankfully, the new information makes Jia happy. She met people in China who care deeply for her and now has lasting connections there. That is what’s most important.

We also received a picture of Jia as a newborn baby dressed by her birth family!

Our guide and driver were intrepid detectives and we will be forever grateful to them for what they helped us uncover during our journey. We are also so proud of Jia for gracefully navigating a very complicated situation.

This was the last leg of our journey. This trip was life-changing for all of us, especially for the girls. They both discovered more about who they are, formed lasting relationships, and hopefully developed a love for their homelands along the way.

China, Day 19. Yangshuo: Chinese Cooking Class

We started the day a little later and were able to sit on our balcony for a bit and enjoy the view. It was the first moment we’ve had to reflect on our trip. It has been such an incredible one.

 We had a terrific breakfast at the Resort and then headed into town. 

In the morning, the group did a Chinese cooking class! Dishes included Kung Pao Chicken, dumplings and sautéed eggplant and string beans. The class was at the Cloud 9 Cooking School, and everyone carried their dishes to their tables after the class and ate them for lunch! The food was fantastic and we received recipes so we can make the dishes at home.

 

After shopping more in the market, we took a two hour bus ride from Yangshuo to Guilin and then a 5 ½ hour bullet train ride from Guilin to Wuhan, Hubei, Jia’s home province! 

In Wuhan, we are staying overnight at the same hotel where a very sad Jia was handed to us on her adoption day. It has been renovated, but we absolutely remember the lobby and of course, everything that followed. 

Tomorrow we meet Jia’s foster family! Jia is so excited that she is giggling in her sleep right now!

China, Day 18. Yangshuo: Li River, Qing Farmhouse

Today we took a 4½ hour cruise down the Li River. We were surrounded by huge green mountains the entire time.  Our ship had three levels – two levels with large booth seating and one roof deck level for scenery viewing. It was an extremely hot day, but the breezes on the deck made all the difference. The unique and spectacular views speak for themselves.

 

(water buffalo)

 

(cormorant fisherman)

 

(more water buffalo) 

We disembarked in very hot Yangshuo and snapped a picture of the girls with a cormorant fisherman.

 

We then walked through the market and visited a 300 year old Qing Dynasty farm house. We learned that most old farm houses have been destroyed for new construction, so this one is very rare. After we entered, the grandma taught the girls how to make soy milk using the same stone system as used hundreds of years ago. The grandpa then showed us his pet bird and had it do some tricks.

We entered the main living area where Willa sat in a 300 year old chair. The grandpa told us about their lives. The stone house was very cool for not having air conditioning. The grandma served us peanuts. The grandpa’s five-poison jar was on display in the front of the room. It contains a liquid plus poisonous snakes, centipedes and other creepy things, and he takes a sip of it every day for longevity. He collected the ingredients himself from the area. Gave us all the shivers.

He also had a big jar of black ant tea. People apparently drink it for the same reason. We saw a package of dried ants for tea later at a store and learned that black ant tea is pretty common in certain communities.

Before we left, the grandma showed us her coffin. It is also sitting in one of the main rooms. Apparently most Chinese people are cremated, but it is traditional for very old farmers to be buried. The grandma was very happy about her coffin because she knew she had nothing to worry about if she died.

 

 

 

(Men pull their shirts up like this when they're hot.)

(Willa in a 300 year old chair.)

 

We then checked into Yangshuo Mountain Retreat on the Yulong River. This was our view and our room. It truly was a special place. We enjoyed watching the non-stop flow of bamboo rafts going down the river.

That night we attended the Impression Sanjie Liu water performance which highlighted various minorities and their songs, dance and costumes. The outdoor backdrop was incredible and made it an exceptional experience.

 

Tomorrow we are going to Jia's province!