Nanjing

I just talked with Mr. G. He is doing well and is anxious to get Katie. Yesterday he got a chance to walk around Nanjing a bit. He said it is very different than Wuhan, where he was when we adopted Leah three years ago.

He has not seen many other people from America or other western countries in Nanjing. A lot of people are staring at him, probably wondering why he is in China. He said that this city is nice, but that there are a lot of homeless people on the streets. Some have approached him asking for money. He helped one very old woman who was carrying a baby. "Shyeh Shyeh nee (Thank you)", she said, over and over. Homelessness does not happen everywhere in China, just like it does not happen everywhere in America. But sadly, it happens. We have so much to be thankful for, with our homes and food and families.

Mr. G. said that most people he has met in Nanjing do not speak English. When they do, they may know a word like "supermarket", but they don't know that "grocery store" means the same thing. This has made things kind of hard, but it helps him to know what it will feel like for Katie. She will have a lot to get used to in America!

Mr. G. said the breakfasts in the hotel are very good, but the food is so different from what we eat! This morning, he had an egg baked in a tea mixture, boiled pumpkin, and dumplings. Some of the food is very spicy too!

Nanjing is about an hour and a half from Yangzhou, where Katie lives. Tomorrow (10pm Sunday night in NY), he will meet her for the first time. Imagine meeting your parent for the first time ever at age 13! How do you think she feels about that?