Some Random Thoughts

I (Caryn) thought that I would post this morning (while I am awake) some random thoughts about our trip.

*This morning is the first morning since we got here that we all didn't wake up between 4-6. We slept until 8-9, although Jody & Madison did just tell me that they both woke up around 5-6, got up for a while and then went back to bed.
*The funny thing is that because we have been getting up so early, last night we had planned to go to the local park around 6:30 this morning to see the locals. The park is filled with thousands of people exercising, sword fighting, and ball room dancing. We slept through that this morning. I guess we will have to set our alarm tomorrow.
*The breakfast buffet at the hotel is very large and plentiful. The first morning, Ming filled his plate up high with western food and ate it all. I doubt he had ever seen that much food at one time before. The next morning, I showed him where the congee (chinese rice oatmeal) was, thinking he might want that since it is what he is used to eating. He told me he did not want that! I don't blame him at all. That stuff looks awful. I remember when we were in China with Jamae, I took her off of congee the first day because the stuff looks nasty.
* So far we have eaten two chinese dinners. They were excellent. The funny thing is that Madison liked the food (she claims to not like chinese food) and Jamae didn't like the food (she claims to love chinese food. She's chinese after all, as she would say).
*We have also eaten at KFC, Papa John's, and Dico's ( a chinese fast food place). Ming had been to a McDonald's before, but never the others. He liked the food. That is good news since I don't really know how to cook chinese.
*We learned that on special days, like American New Year, the children in his group home would be taken to McDonald's for a special treat.
*So far we all feel good. That has been a blessing.
*To say that Ming loves his Nintendo DS we bought for him would be an understatement. We have a hard time getting him away from it. We do see it as a blessing though. It allows him a way to pull into himself. Being with all english speakers must be very difficult.
*Ming came to us with a backpack filled with school books, a bag with stuffed animals, a bag of clothes, and a box of treasures. We still haven't seen all the treasures yet.
*It is very, very hot and humid here. Being from dry Moses Lake, we are suffering and sweating.
*We have 2 connecting rooms which has been wonderful. When we were here with Jamae, we were not able to get connecting rooms until the end of the trip. We have one room with a queen bed, a roll away and a couch that Jamae is sleeping on. The other room has 2 twin beds and a roll away.
*The beds are HARD! They make me wake up with a backache. I think Ming must think they are very soft, because when we saw his bed yesterday, it is a piece of plywood with a bamboo mat on it.

The family is ready for breakfast. We will write again soon.