(Letter written after return from China 8/17/8)

I wanted to update you all before we left, but there was just not time. So, I am doing it now even though we are home, there is much to tell.
When I last left you it was Thursday morning in Beijing and with all of the temples to see marked off our list, we didn't have much planned. So we decided to hit WangFuJing, the market where they serve up fresh bugs on a stick (you may have seen Andrew Zimmerman, or Anthony Bordain on the travel channel eating some of these Chinese delicacies). We got there early, before any of the bugs were ready, so we walked around the shopping mall and let Seven play in the kids play area. This was one of many shopping malls in Beijing, and they are all nicer than any of our malls in Charleston. Very modern and this one had a whole floor dedicated just to children, with play areas for every age and children's store after children's store of clothes and toys. And we are supposed to be the "Developed" nation. Anyway, Seven fell asleep in her stroller after much playing and we headed over for some 'lunch.' As we entered the back alley of the shopping street we could smell the aroma of meet over a fire. They could have been grilling hamburgers or chicken, from what the smell indicated. However, each vendor proudly displayed his product on the counter and there were no hamburgers or chicken fingers to be found. The first and most notable item we came across were the live scorpions on a stick. They were so angry to have that stick stabbed through them, they were stinging themselves. Michael was going to try one until he saw them, then chickened out. I was kind of glad - not sure how we would treat a scorpion sting to the small intestines:) Right next to the scorpions were the silk worms and cicadas, these were all well cooked, but we still didn't try any of these either. We passed by roasted seahorse and starfish, squid on a stick, raw or cooked,, take your pick. There were also many other "meats" and things we weren't sure what the origin was. We finally got brave and decided to try these fried meatball looking things. I'm still not sure what the actual 'meat' was and I probably don't want to know, but it wasn't too bad. Tasted kind of like pork? Maybe chicken? I ate one and let Michael finish as my mind started to think of all the things I could have been eating and got grossed out:) All in all it was a very fun and cultural experience to say the least.
As we exited the market we heard faint rumbles and felt a cool breeze. As we looked up we could see the clouds rolling in. We knew we had very little time so we sprinted for the end of the street where we could catch a cab. (The place where we were was pedestrians only and cabs were not allowed). Fortunately we stumbled upon the next subway station and hopped on. The rain let up just enough to allow us to walk back to our hotel from the subway, but we were restricted to indoor activities the rest of the day. So we decided to try out the hotel swimming pool which was conveniently indoors. We got all ready with swimsuits on and headed toward the pool only to be stopped by some of the staff asking us, " Are you going to swim?"
"Yes." we replied.
"Do you have uh swim cap uh?" (the Chinese like to add the sound "uh" to the end of most words:)
"No," we said, "Do we need one?"
Yes, apparently in China it is considered very unsanitary to swim without a swim cap and the hotel requires a proper swim cap to swim. So I guess those swimmers in the public water supply were ok since they were all wearing caps:) ha, ha.
So we bought our fancy swim caps and went on to the pool. It was well worth it, Seven had a blast, as she loves the water.
After swimming we were able to squeeze in a quick workout in the gym with Seven sleeping in the stroller (swimming always wears her out). Then we headed out to get genuine Chinese dumpling for dinner. Our Frommer's guide recommended a place that served a variety of stuffings for very little. Each order comes with 10 dumplings and we ordered 3 different kinds just to try them out. ( we tried to order beef, veggie and fish, but with the menu all in Chinese and our waitress not speaking a lick of English we got beef pork and egg. Not too far off. They were actually very good. We could not eat all 30, but the entire meal with our appetizer was less than $5 US so we weren't worried about leaving a plate full of uneaten dumplings.
As we walked along the street waiting for a cab we stumbled upon a Chinese pharmacy. Of course we had to take a look. They had the regular shelves of vitamins and analgesics, but they also had all of the natural herbs and medicinal teas displayed in jars for purchase. It was pretty cool. They also, like most drug stores, had candy so I decided to get some chocolate. I picked up a package with silver and green wrappers, (usually indicating mint chocolate - my favorite), so we bought it and went home. Later I discovered that my 'mint chocolate' was actually tiny jerky nuggets fancily wrapped. I was disappointed to say the least.
So Friday was the next day - the big day. I was going to see the US women's gymnastics individual finals - hoping and praying for Shawn Johnson to take the gold. Michael did not have a ticket, but we were told by several sources to the west entrance of the park and there would be people scalping tickets. And we did just that. The second guy we came across had just the ticket we wanted and it was actually less than I paid for my ticket! Wow! We pulled some money out of the ATM (which was an adventure all it's own just to find one), and we headed into the park. With an hour until our event started we looked at the security line to get in and figured it would take us at least an hour to get through that line. Ugghh. But wait, we hadn't even settled into line and we heard, "You, with baby, you come here." We were escorted out of the line and told to go straight through so our baby did not have to wait in the sun. Thank you, Seven:) Then when we got into the stadium, we were moved from our seats up to the front where the baby would have more room to stand and play. We're really gonna miss the special treatment we got in China. So,as we sat in a sea of Chinese fans cheering on there own, we whooped and hollered as Nastia and Shawn took gold and silver. It was so awesome to be there in person and see them both have the meet of their lives. Wow, I could hardly hold back the tears of joy as we saw Nastia's face and the hug and kiss from her dad and coach when she won. Then to see 2 US flags lifted during the medal ceremony and to sing our own National Anthem in the stadium was so cool.
As we left the stadium, I headed toward the wheelchair ramp to go down with Seven sleeping in the stroller. However, I noticed another ramp going down to the back of the stadium where the gymnasts exit. The guards were gone. So with some hesitation Michael and I headed down to try to sneak a peak of the gymnasts up close. There was a small group of press and Chinese volunteers mingling outside the doors. Some of the other countries' gymnasts were outside just hanging out waiting for their bus. No one seemed to notice that we weren't supposed to be there. Then the Canadian news team pulls us aside for an interview. Asking about our experience and excitement over our country's bug win. We must have appeared important, because the Russian news team jumped in after them to get an interview from us.
Then the moment came for the US team to exit. With Nastia and Shawn still being held up for routine drug tests, the rest of the team came marching out led by Marta Karolyi. Before we could say anything Bridget Sloan and Alicia Sacramone ran up to us and started ooing and awwing over Seven. They let us take their picture and off they went. We didn't get as much from Shawn and Nastia as they were very exhausted, I'm sure. But we got their pictures and were satisfied with our accomplishment of sneaking in the back entrance.
What a day. Now EVERYTHING we wanted to do in China was complete.
We splurged on a fancy buffet dinner in the hotel that night while Seven kept the staff entertained, then it was time to pack up and leave the next morning.
China was truly great.The people were so kind and hospitable. I don't know of anywhere int he US where you can find such unselfishness. It is really sad that our country claims to be 80% Christian, yet we stick our noses up to most foreign visitors and allow our wealth and busy schedules to prevent us from showing others the love and grace that we have already received. Thank you all for all for your prayers. We will miss China, but we are glad to be home. Hopefully this trip will help us to remember to be kinder and more patient and hospitable to others.
God Bless, Kristen

(Letter sent from China 8/10/8)

Yesterday we got to see the women's gymnastics in the qualifying comp. It was sooo awesome to see them in real life. I could tell our girls were nervous and there were a few unexpected falls, as you probably saw on TV if you watched. But we secured a 3rd place position and will definitely advance into the team finals. I'm not sure who will be in the individual finals, but Shawn Johnson will definitely be there. It was hard to keep track of the scores, they don't display them as clearly as they do on TV. Please cont. to pray that we can get tickets to the finals, they are not showing the gymnasts on TV here, so if we miss it, we won't get to see it at all.
It was absolutely crazy and exciting getting to the games yesterday. We left our hotel at 8 am to get on the subway and head there. We had to make 5 subway changes to get there, and the final line is only for those with tickets to the games. We got there right when the security gates opened. We felt so privileged to even be there as there were many that were not allowed in because they were still looking for tickets. There was a guy selling flags for the different countries, so we went to buy an American flag to wave during the competition. He wanted 25 Yuan for the flag, and we offered 15, when he countered with 20, I must have gotten caught up in the moment, but I blurted out, "They're going for 15 down there." I LIED. I totally and completely lied. He said ok and we paid our 15 and walked away. What happened? I felt so bad. Bargaining is expected here, but I don't want to be dishonest about it.
It started to rain just as we were getting on the final subway. The locals are so nice, one man gave up his rain cover to give to me and Seven as we were getting soaked. On the subway it was neat to see people from so many other countries wearing their country's colors and flags, all excited about the games. Seven proudly waved our American flag we "bargained" for at the entrance.
Wow, when we walked out of the subway terminal into the Olympic village it was amazing. It was hard to believe we were still in China, as everything is so new and modern for the games. All of the structures, the Bird's nest, water cube, National indoor stadium, They are all just as beautiful as we imagined. It was odd, however, that no where to be found were there any vendors of cheap memorabilia for the games. No Olympic T-shirts or nick-naks, No Olympic sports mugs, or crazy hats. Just water and ice-cream Like the rest of China. Even inside the stadium, there was only one small booth set up with a few shirts and some mascot animals. Not one thing with gymnastics on it. Not the same as in the US, where they get you to buy a $10 t-shirt for $50. So disappointing. We will have to find these things in the city somewhere.
For lunch I ordered a "box meal" from one of the vendors. It came with a plastic carton of rice and a foiled package with chicken and veggies and peppers. (Yes, peppers). Then you break this other package which begins to steam and set the other stuff on top of it to steam your meal. Pretty cool. However, the 'peppers' mentioned earlier were so hot, I could not eat the meal, my mouth burned from my tongue to my stomach.
Before the gymnastics began we were supposed to meet up with the Canadian lady we met to sell her our ticket, however we had not thought about her not being able to enter the village without her ticket. How were we going to contact her and tell her where to meet us? So since we still had 3 hours before our event we ventured back out of the village to find local internet cafe. We drew pictures of a computer and a globe to try and describe what we were trying to find and some Chinese helpers directed us to an internet cafe reachable by the "special olympics" bus line:) Yeah, we thought that was funny. It was a bus line special for the Olympics games. So the bus took us to a corner where we then found a Chinese pharmacy and tried to get them to direct us to where we needed to go. They flagged down some other passers by who led us through the rain to a tiny grocery store. We went upstairs to find fresh vegetables and computer parts. When we showed the man our computer picture he pulled out a dusty keyboard from a plastic bag and showed us the price. No, we don't want to buy a computer. Then finally someone else pointed us down this hidden hallway that opened up into a room of about 50 computers. We found it! By now we only had 5 minutes to email Jen and hope that she received our email in time to meet us there. A kind Japenese boy got up from his computer and let us on. Fortunately Jen had a blackberry and instantly got out message to meet at the South gate. Success.
Seven was asleep in my ergo carrier by this time and I didn't trust that the bus would take us directly back to where we needed to go So we walked the 1.5 miles to finally meet up with Jen. God is so good. We found her and were able to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing gymnastics in the Olympics.
We finally made it back to our hotel last night about 6pm, bathed and showered and Seven and I both were in bed by 7pm. Yup, no supper just straight to sleep. We had a wonderful sleep and woke up to clear skies! Yes, the rain washed away the smog and now we are looking forward to the Great Wall today. Thank you for sharing in our adventures, We will talk to you soon. Love you all, God Bless,
-Kristen

(Letter sent from China 8/11/8)

Sorry it has been a few days since I have written, so much has happened. When I last wrote, we were on our way to the Great Wall.... It was truly GREAT! Only a 1 1/2 hour drive outside of the city and we were in the beautiful countryside - totally different than urban Beijing. The air was clear and the skies were nice and overcast so it wasn't too hot. We got to take a chair lift to the top, yes, seven rode with us ion the lift (would totally not be allowed in the US), but she was securely strapped to me in the ergo, and I think she really liked it. We only had one hour to spend on the wall, so we didn't cover much , but it was plenty. There were many steps to climb, some very steep, and each stop off point there was something different to see. Seven enjoyed all of the steps and must have climbed over 100 steps with us holding her hands, she was sad to leave. On the way down we got to rid a toboggan. I sat Seven in front of me and just headed down, it was way cool. We shopped a bit at the bottom and then headed to lunch with the group. Another meal where they just bring a ton of Chinese dishes served family style, only this time, pretty much everything was good except for the soup which tastes like it had fermented fish juice and hot red pepper in it [mmm :( ]. We got back pretty early, rested then began looking for a place to eat dinner. We were still pretty full from lunch so we wanted something light, nothing fancy. We found a pizza place right around the corner and decided to try it. Michael wanted the buffet, but I just wanted to order one slice. They were very concerned to make sure I knew I was not allowed to try anything from his buffet plate. OK, of course. Then they told us we would not be able to sit together if he got the buffet and I didn't. Ha, ha, so we both got the buffet:) It was actually really good, they had everything from pizza to fried dumplings to brownies and ice-cream for dessert. Not the 'light' meal we set out to have, but a delicious adventure all the same.
We began the next morning very early and headed to the Summer Palace, another huge park with lots of ancient Temples around a beautiful lake and, of course, lots of steps and bridges to cross. The best part was when we were walking along one of the canals and noticed several signs along the edge of the water that were conveniently translated into English and read, "Protect the drinking water, No swimming or Fishing allowed." However, there must have been 30-40 Chinese people swimming laps up and down that very channel. I guess one of the many reasons we drink bottled water in China:)
That night we went to a Chines acrobat show, which was pretty cool. We got to see 14 Chinese girls all stack themselves onto one bicycle and ride around.
Yesterday morning we went to the Temple of Heaven, the most famous temple in the world. It was really pretty and the park was the liveliest park we've ever seen. There were Chinese people all around doing Tai Chi, or aerobics, or some kind of dance. Some had ribbons they were twirling through the air ( they actually let me step in and try it , it was fun, but a lot harder than it looks). There was one section with a bunch of workout equipment like chin up bars and sit-p benches and other things hard to describe. Everything was being used, not one piece of equipment was empty. Men and women were working out and stretching, and walking along the foot massage stones specially placed in the ground. In the US this area would have been vacant except for kids trying to play on it. No wonder the Chinese are in so much better shape than we are.
When we got to the temple there was a wall with beautiful blue glazed tiles over the outside. Michael wanted to get a picture, so I set Seven up there to look at the decorative lion/ dragon thing on the end. I set her down like she was riding a horse, which she loved. She was smiling and laughing and petting the 'creature.' Almost instantly a crowd formed, (probably the largest we've seen), and they were all taking pictures of Seven on the wall. Moms and dads wanted pictures with their own children and Seven, pictures of just Seven, it was so funny. She soaked up every minute and just sat there smiling and laughing and having a great time.
We then headed to the Silk market to do some shopping. They have more than just silk, pretty much everything you can think of, from clothes to electronics, to arts and crafts. Those of you who have been on foreign missions and have experienced 'market' shopping and bargaining can get a pretty good sense of what this was like. However China has about a billion more people than those other tiny countries, so it was pretty intense. We bought lots of clothes for very cheap, then had to get away from the madness.
We let Seven play in a nearby park with regular children's playground equipment. They had a merry-go-round there that she loved and wanted to keep going back for more:)
Last night we had to go to the grocery store to get more water and things, so we headed to the shopping mall since you enter the store through the mall, (this is not strange here in China). So we entered the mall and followed the sign that said, "Exit." We passed through a hair salon and a bunch of ATM machines into a hallway. Went down 2 flights of stairs and entered a back ally way that smelled like a grocery store, so we knew we were going the right way. We walked and walked and finally cam to an open door with a man standing there who looked like he might be the store manager. He smiled as we passed through into the milk and dairy section of the store. We were in and no one seemed to blink an eye that we came in the "back way." We had to pay for our groceries in 3 different places as tea and ice-cream are each rung up separately from other groceries. We also had to pay 3 Yuan (about 40 cents US) for a plastic bag to put everything in.
We were sad to find out that the US women did not do so well in the Gymnastics team competition putting China in first. We didn't get to see any of the performances, just little highlights they showed later on. But I can see why China dominated on bars - Wow. If you all saw it, you know what I'm talking about. We're still pulling for Shawn Johnson to take the all around and I'm very excited because I found one ticket so I will be able to go! We are still looking for Michael a ticket and may have some possibilities on Craig's list, so we are hopeful.
I'm not sure what we have planned for today, but I'm sure I will have more adventures to share with you soon:) Thank you for all of your prayers, so far we are all healthy and doing great.
God Bless, Kristen

(Letter written from China 8/9/8)

So we just got back from our 2nd day of touring China - and I can't believe all that we have already done and seen. Yesterday morning we woke up to the hugest and most diverse buffet breakfast I have ever seen (this is included with our package). They have everything from fresh made omelets, to congee, (a Chinese dish that is a cross between grits and rice soup). They also have yummy fruits, half of which I still don't know the name of. Wow we get this every morning:)
With our bellies full, we went out to explore the town. We saw Olympic volunteers at every corner, just sitting there to answer any questions you may have. security is also heightened because of the Olympics, however most of the security guards were sleeping, so I'm not sure I feel much safer. On our walk, Seven fell asleep, so we headed back to the hotel to work out in the gym, much needed after a full day on the plane the day before.
We then headed to Beihai park which was so neat. You may have seen the pictures with the lotus flowers and riding on the boat. Seven has become quite the celebrity among the Chinese, she gets her picture taken everywhere. The smog has still been pretty bad which makes the heat so much worse. Our diet during the day consists of water and Popsicles:) We met a fun Canadian girl at Beihai who is going to join us at the gymnastics tomorrow - we had an extra ticket and she has been trying to get tickets to see the gymnastics.
We then headed to the Beijing zoo. Seven loves the pandas. We got to see the babies that were born not too long ago, however they are already so big, but so cute to watch. We didn't have time to see all of the zoo as we had dinner and the opening ceremonies to attend to. Our tour guides arranged for us all to have dinner at the Peking Duck and watch the ceremonies on a large flat screen.
What an adventure in food. The restaurant serves everything "family style" on a lazy Susan. So we got to try some pretty interesting things. I stayed away from the squid, but tried everything else. No crickets or bugs, but some pretty strange tastes. I can't say I enjoyed them all, but the adventure of it was fun. Seven and I fell asleep watching the opening ceremonies (remember we had been up since 3am), so we headed back to the hotel.

This morning began at 7 am - (Yes, Seven slept until 7, hallelujah!) We feasted again at breakfast and headed out to Tienanmen square and the Forbidden City with our group. The Forbidden City stretches for miles and miles of temples and courtyards where the Emperor held his concubines and castrated all of the other men in the compound so they could not sleep with his girls. Wow. Again, Seven was such a trooper, she loves walking up and down all of the steps and eating ice cream and popsicles. As the rest of the tour group headed back, exhausted after so much walking, we decided to press on for more. We took a rickshaw ride(bicycle with a chariot thing on the back) around old china and went to the Coal temple which sits on a huge hill and can be seen from most of the city. I just want to say, thank goodness for breast feeding - I was able to nurse Seven on the rickshaw (of course none of the locals here care), so she was refueled and ready for more sight seeing at our next stop. We hiked to the top of the hill and enjoyed a beautiful 360 degree view of the city.
What a day. We hope you enjoy the pictures and we will have more for you in the days to come.
God Bless,
Kristen

8.8.8 Adventures in China

( Letter written from China 8/8/8)
Thank you all for praying for us. We are safely in China! Praise the Lord. I must say we are so proud of Seven, she is the best traveling baby ever. She slept the whole way to DC, Then our 13 hour flight to Beijing was turned into a15 hour flight after we had to wait on the runway for 2 hours so they could re-fuel the plane and check for fuel leaks (yes, that should have been checked before we boarded, but oh well). Seven, without any concept of time proceeded to make friends with everyone around us and enjoyed jumping up and down in the seat. As we flew she enjoyed walking up and down the aisles and quickly caught the eye of a 4 1/4 year old bilingual Chinese boy named Caleb who followed her around everywhere. I think she's just been speaking Mandarin this whole time and we didn't know it:).
While our wonderful daughter made flying a delight, it was still comical that the only TV screen we could see was at the front of the plane and I had to lean to my right just to see a 1/4 of the screen, (no personalized tv screens on Air China). But, everyone was so nice and 7's boyfriend's dad was very helpful to give us tips about getting around in Beijing and also gave us directions to a church we can go to on Sunday.
After 8 hours of sleep for 7 and one for me it was so exciting to finally touch ground in China. It looked like we were flying into a gentle morning fog, only it was 3:30 in the afternoon. It only took 2 hours to get through immigration and collect our luggage. The international airport is nice, and modern. I, of course, had to pee as soon as we landed so I went into the restroom and found a beautiful sparkling porcelain toilette set into the floor of the bathroom for me to hover over. I've been in enough 3rd world countries that I was not too surprised and went on, just appreciating that there was running water. Unbeknownst to me I must have walked into the one local stall, as all of the other stalls contained true sit-down toilets:) Learning lesson number one.
It was so comforting to be welcomed by our American tour guides and we had a private taxi to our hotel room. Seven enjoyed being able to sit with Mommy in the car and got to look out the window at all of the tour buses.
Our hotel is great, we walked into a beautiful lobby with a giant crystal chandelier and tall palm trees. glass elevators took us all the way to our 11th floor room. We were disappointed to see that they had reserved us a room with two twin beds rather than one king and a baby crib, however, they were most accomodating and quickly transferred us into a giant executive suite with a large King size bed a sofa, lounge chair and computer desk. The room is twice the size of the first. We were warned, however, that we would have to stay on the "unlucky" 4th floor. (Unlike in the US which is the 13th floor). We were willing to sacrifice:)
So we quickly unloaded our stuff and headed down to one of the hotel restaurants to enjoy some true Asian cuisine. I must say, so far I like Chinese food. We even had what tasted like Gelato for dessert, mmm. After a bath we all quickly crashed into bed, even Seven, who didn't seem to notice that she was in a different crib. She has stayed very much on schedule as she slept a total of 14 hours in a 24 hour period,(typical for her), putting her awake at 3:30 am this morning. So we'll have to work on that.
We are supposed to meet our travel agent today to get our tickets to see gymnastics on the 10th, and we are still looking for the finals ticket to come available. But either way, we will have fun and I will try to keep you all posted on our adventures.
Sorry for the lengthy text, I will try to send pictures soon.
God Bless, Kristen