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Luoyang Journal
(Lea)
Our first few days of parenthood were a little tiring. This was not really
due to Grace, as she is a lovely baby with a beautiful smile. We managed
to learn the basics of her care and the great fun of playing with her in a few
days! For the most part she is easygoing and not fussy because she is
curious about what is going on around her. However, she is stubborn and
vocal about
getting the food and the toys she wants! And she is very smart and
alert! Our first days were tiring because we were either always going
to meetings getting paperwork done or we were cooped up in the hotel room!
It was too cold to take her out for the most part. Still, we wanted to see
some of Luoyang, Grace's birth city. So we did go on the group tour to the
White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist site in China. It was filled with
beautiful Buddhist temples and monks praying. The drums in the drum temple
went off while we were there. Luoyang is also known for spicy food and we
enjoyed that at the hotel restaurant every night! Grace has been wonderful
at restaurants-she takes in everything around her. I also had a
unique opportunity to visit Grace's orphanage while Keith stayed home with
her. As expected, the orphanage was stark and without heat (they bundle
the children up), but it was very clean and obvious that the staff really cared
for the children. The assistant director gave us presents for the girls--a
cloisonne fish that symbolizes happiness and a pencil holder for when they go to
school! She told us that we were now all one family, bringing China and
the US together. Her eyes lit up when someone gave her photos of children
adopted a few years ago from the orphanage. She let us know how happy it
made her that her children were going to happy families where they would be
loved. We also got to meet the nannies and Grace's nanny had a lovely
smile. I watched her play with little children there. Still, the
reality is that the staff ratio is 1-2 caretakers per 15-20 babies. This
means that Grace didn't get much personal attention. It is really hard to
think that for Grace's first year she did not get to be hugged all the time--she
does now! And while at the orphanage I got to see some of the 450 children
there. Of course, I wanted to bring home all the children we saw. They had such
great smiles and all need good homes. So if anyone out there is thinking
about enlarging their families--there are beautiful children waiting for you!
(Keith)
Luoyang is a small industrial city in northern China; it doesn't have a lot to
offer in terms of site seeing spots; rarely sees many westerners; and the air
pollution is the worst I have experienced in the world. I loved it.
In addition to being Grace's birth city, Luoyang is the most hospitable city I have been in and offered the most memorable (in a good way) dining experience in China. The people are genuinely excited that you are in their city; they ask for nothing but conversation or a smile. As I waited for the group outside of a local grocery, I was approached by three separate people simply wanting to shake my hand and give me the "thumbs up" sign. As I walked the city, often people on bikes would curiously glance my way, occasionally giving a small wave. Never was I approached for money or touted.
Our hotel, "The Peony Plaza" was definitely not one of the world's best hotels, but had an interesting assortment of restaurants; each served very authentic Chinese food . . . very unlike anything you'd find in America. Each place required Daphne (our CCAI rep), to translate and order for us. One of the spots served Eastern delicacies such as "Braised Duck Gizzard in Soya Sauce", "Fried Chicken Feet", and "Baked Ants"; I can only imagine a vat full of ants in the kitchen. The second restaurant served less exotic dishes that were closer to the Chinese food we know. The dining area was surrounded on three sides by cooks making the dishes. One night several Chinese army officers were celebrating several tables over; one of them came over and sat next to me to chat. He explained that one of his comrades was being reassigned and they were wishing him farewell; he wanted to welcome us to Luoyang. Again, nothing but good will intended.
The three of us had some very memorable meals and conversation in this hotel, and we enjoyed our stay in Grace's birth town.
Check out our Luoyang Photos.