TUESDAY
Today we went to the Five Springs Park here in Lanzhou. As always, the drive there took more years off my life and added at least 10 new gray hairs. I have figured out one thing about Chinese drivers, lanes, lights, signs, etc......yeah, they're all optional. I can't tell you how many times I've seen my life flash right before my eyes, knowing that we were either about to get creamed, or we were going to cream someone else. I think playing Frogger is much safer.
Anyway, the park was very beautiful. The retired people come here for their morning exercises. Watching them was so much fun and we seemed to draw a crowd. I laughed at some of the ladies that told us our daughters had fallen into the honey pot. It was explained to us that they meant they had received a Sweet Life. I guess by Chinese standards they are probably right.
Our guide Steed is hysterical. He took turns with both of the girls in their strollers to "dance" in between all the ladies doing their exercises. He had the park in stitches. Thankfully I have video of this event because it truly was too funny. Steed also took the sword of an older "Kung Fu" guy and pretended to play the guitar on it and he joined in on some singing too. Melody says he's this crazy ALL the time. Desi took everything in with her continued stoic face. We went past a Buddhist Temple. Don't worry, I only took pictures and didn't get too close to the thing. It really gave me the creeps.
After we made it to the other side of the park we went to one of the saddest things I've ever seen in my life. The zoo. I was told it was bad, but I had NO idea just how bad it was. NONE of the animals had green space. Everyone of them were on concrete and it was dirty and nasty. Our zoological society would shut this place down 5 seconds after they walked in the gates. All of the animals looked well-fed but it was such a gray, dreary place and it just made me so sad walking through it. On more than one occasion we asked if there were plans to add ground/grass/etc. but I don't think that's going to happen. Some of the animals appeared to be sick and injured. Especially this one monkey. I finally just had to walk away.
Once we left the park it was off to lunch at PIZZA HUT!!!!! Halleleuia, Praise God, Thank you Jesus. Food. REAL food. Food that I recognized:-) Steed and Melody helped us order our lunch (AND we ordered pizzas to go too so we could have dinner!!!!!) and then they left to eat noodles and mutton. Sorry, but that just sounds disgusting and I told them too!!!! As Chris (the husband from Dallas, TX here adopting a 2 year old) and I sat there waiting for our food, this American guy walked up and asked if we were from America. YES!!!!! He works for a construction company and has lived in Lanzhou for the past 3 months. He told us we were Americans #3 and #4 that he had seen there since he had arrived. He's the project manager for a condo project here. He stayed and talked to us for a long time. I think we are going to try to have dinner with him one night as he is as desperate for English conversation as we were. He has a place next to his hotel that he said served Chinese food like we know in the states. Sounds good to me.
While we were in the restaurant, Desi decided to show me some of her "naughtiness". She was banging the fork against her plate. I told her to stop no less than 15 times. She didn't and so I took the fork and plate away from her. Oh brother, the look on her face was priceless. I think she was probably allowed to get away with murder at the orphanage. If she only knew what was ahead of her at our house:-) She still wakes up and looks at me like YOU AGAIN?!?!?!?! I think she's hoping that one day I'll be gone:-( I keep trying to show her affection but she will have none of it. She's ok with me taking care of her, but I don't think she's realized just yet, exactly what this whole "family" thing means. I hope that when we get home and she sees the interaction I have with Devan, Jordan and Jenna that she will see that loving me and having me love her isn't such a bad thing. Prayers for her to open her heart to me would be appreciated.
Tomorrow we go to the Gansu Museum. Only 2 1/2 more days here and then onto Guangzhou. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!! I am so ready to get out of here:-( I am ready to find people that really speak English. OH and I'm ready to NOT be the center of attention all the time. Geez, I have been the only white girl for so long I'm starting to get a complex. I definitely have a greater understanding of what it means to be a minority.
I really wish I could label the pictures but my laptop is not loading the pictures correctly to where I can see each one so I will give a recap here: there is a picture of Desi with their guide Melody, one with the guide Steed dancing with her in the stroller, one of the women exercising at the park in the morning, one of Desi bundled up for the cold, one of all the attention she drew, and then one of the poor conditions at the zoo, and Desi with the panda.
Luckily, the Malone daughters love pandas.
Continued prayer is much appreciated!
More pictures and updates to come!
Devan
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