Brother Blue

The families can see the finish line. We have just gotten back from our last group dinner.
The first group (including us) leaves the hotel at 5:45 tomorrow morning.
I am only flying to Hong Kong. I will spend the day there tomorrow and fly home Saturday.
The quote of the day came from Marisa the 4 year old. She was adopted about 3 years ago from the Hunan province. “I like China, but I like home more.”
A lot of people in our group would agree.
SHOPPING
The morning activity was shopping at the pearl market.
Many of the parents bought pearls for latter in their daughters lives.
We were in stores that hand tens of thousands of pearls. And it was store after store like this.
I didn’t buy anything, because I had no idea if I was being had. I know nothing of pearl quality. (I really I like silver much more than gems, stones, and pearls).
Most folks headed home after that. I wondered the shopping district.
Most stores have someone standing out front yelling about what they have in side, what is for sale, and why you should come in.
Words of English most of these people know: hi, hello, how are you, come inside, and hansom.
I was called hansom more times today than the rest of my life combined.
For all I know there could be some Chinese word that sounds like hansom, but means “big silly white boy”.
The prices were hard to wrap my head around. One store which would be equal to American Eagle or the Gap had a sale where stuff was 2 for 20 yuan (which is $2.50). I bought two t-shirts for $6.25.
It is more a cost of living thing than anything else. Most folks make less than $2000 a year and any sense of free market is less than 20 years old.
For $300 I could buy one of the coolest wardrobes ever (assuming I was 6 inches shorter).
I love looking at what others think is cool and trendy. Most of the shirts that had writing on them were in English. Part of that could be because we are less than 60 miles from the former British Protectorate Hong Kong.
I wanted to find stuff with Chinese characters on it. It was almost imposible.
LUNCH
While wondering the market I got one last squid on a stick.
On my way back to the hotel I needed something more substantial. I was looking for some rice or noodles.
A young man placed an add for a sushi place in my hands.
I looked at it for 30 seconds and thought, “Should I chance it?…I am only here two more days. Why not?”
So I ate raw fish.
And it was cheep.
And it was good.
And 7 hours out, I am doing great.
I didn’t venture too far from what I knew. I stayed away from anything that looked like it was made with mayonnaise.
Once again, a very friendly helpful staff, who dealt with my requests, which came through gestures and points.
There was a family sitting a cross from me, Parents and a 9 year old daughter. Laughing and having a great time.
At one point I caught the girl staring at me and got a big smile.
As she left the restaurant she walked over and gave me a big toothy grin and a very clear “Good bye” in English.
PRAYERS
Please pray for restful nights of sleep, on time flight, extra room on planes, easy customs, peaceful babies, and calm parents.
As this small journey is ending, new lives are beginning.
I can’t believe I got to be a part of it. An honor and a blessing.

Sitting down to recount today and I keep thinking to myself, “Did that happen today?”
It is defiantly the home stretch. Most of the families will be in their own beds in less than 48 hours.
They are ready to be home. And I don’t blame them.
PRAYER REQUEST
Please keep our friend Dana in your prayers. The group that did the family home study didn’t get all the paper work to her (which she just found out today), so she and her aunt have be scrambling here and her husband has been scrambling back in IL to get the necessary paper work.
MORNING DASH
I walked about 35 minutes this morning to the grocery store. There isn’t one close, which is sad. My mission, an anniversary cake. An awesome couple from GA celebrated their 10 wedding anniversary today.
The plan was to get a cake with their names on it, but I got to the store and no one was in the bakery. What was worse, I didn’t have my phrase book. This would have been so much fun to figure out. Who knows what I would have ended up with.
Instead they had little cakes for two (I hope they were for two). They looked just like birthday cakes with the frosting flowers. Not knowing what the plan for dinner was or how many were going to join us I bought 14 of them.
Me (looking like me) in the middle of the Chinese grocery store with a hand basket full of cakes for two.
People were pointing and laughing.
Nothing I could do, but smile and wave.
DAY TRIP
We went to a Buddhist temple today. One of the things that was suppose to happen was any family who wanted their baby blessed at the temple could.
We showed up during the daily service, which didn’t look like it was going to end any time soon. So we moved on.
You think they would have checked something like that ahead of time.
Then it was off to a museum which use to be a house (belonging to the Chen Family). Every inch carved or covered with statues.
Beautiful.
FUNNY MONEY
I was paying for dinner tonight and as we were getting ready to leave the waitress came back to me to say, “It is not real.”
I had passed her a fake 50 yuan. They have been warning us at every tern to look out for fake money.
I have not been on the look out.
I got burned.
So I now am the proud owner of a fake bill (which cost me $6.25).
GO SPEED RACER
Besides the car on the streets there are swarms of motorcycles and bike.
Makes sense. Hard to buy a car when you make $200 a month (and that would be lower middle class).
It is amazing to watch them move. It is like watching a flock of birds dart in and out of each other.
Today as I was crossing a street, I looked up to see a man in a motorized wheelchair out in the traffic with all the bikes and motorcycles. And he wasn’t moving to the sidewalk.
Just driving through traffic.
Pictures from the temple and the Chen house up tomorrow.

…anther layer of skin.
My face keeps pealing, but it is feeling better.
I just look really gross. (As was pointed out to me today by 4 differnt people.)
TRAVEL DAY
Yesterday we flew for the first time will all the babies.
It was a really good day. Everyone had lots of energy. I think that is because it was the first time in a few days that the families really felt like they were doing something. Not just waiting for paper work.
The progress was obvious. All the moms and dads were energized by this. Home is getting that much closer.
I was asked to carry all the important travel documents by our guide to the next stop. And it wasn’t like I just happened to be standing next to Marie before we headed through security. She sought me out and asked if I would carry them on.
One of the fathers thought it was interesting that the person who had the least stake in all of this was trusted with the consulate documents.
I resisted the temptation to hold the documents hostage for a ransom.
The travel was painless enough. A little delay because of rain.
They made a choice on the plane, I don’t I would have made. They handed out newspapers in English with the latest news and pictures of KY.
By the time luggage arrived (11pm) everyone was spent from the excitement and the travel.
HOTEL
The hotel is very nice. It is a 5 star hotel by China standards, (which would be a 4 or 4 1/2 in Europe). It is the nicest of the three hotels we have stayed in.
Each floor has an attendant who hits the elevator call button for you, and greets you when you exit the elevator.
The staff (like everywhere we have been in China) is very nice, and they speak more English than Chongqing.
At dinner last night I even received a great recommendation from my waitress (and it was one of the cheapest things on the menu), which was awesome.
Normally when I use the description I am about to use, I would mean it in pejorative way. That is not the case now, but it the best and maybe only way I feel in the new hotel.
I feel like I am at a Disney Resort.
For the last week, we have been really the only international tourists anywhere. Communication has been hard, if not impossible. It was very obvious we were in a very different place than our own. That is not to say we weren’t welcome, but it was just foreign.
Here, most of the hotel guests are American, British, or Australian. There are 88 families at the hotel just from the agency that Brad and Joia are using. Families everywhere.
Which is very cool.
There are lots of “theme” restaurants in the hotel, from different parts of the world. All of the staff at each place are in appropriate costumes.
The atrium of the hotel has a large waterfall and faux Chinese building.
The only time I have ever been in a hotel with such a friendly and attentive staff is in a Disney hotel.
One of the two swimming pools is an odd squiggly shape.
It almost feels like we are in the Chinese part of Epcot.
Not that any of that is bad. The part of the city we are in use to be a British protectorate. Many of the people in our hotel are international business professionals. (The conversation going on at the table next to me at breakfast was amazing.) It is just very different.
It is almost culture shock; very similar to what I feel when I get home from foreign travel.
I needed to go for a walk this morning, into the market, where I encounter two double size sheet covered with scorpions drying in the sun, to feel at home.
BUT very different.

Note to friends and family: My e-mail server is down for some reason and I can’t send or receive e-mail. Little hard to communicate with tech support from here. If you sent me a note and it bounced, that is why. Also, I am having a hard time getting responses out to e-mail I did receive.
PAYING THE PRICE
To make amends for my food choices yesterday, I headed right back to the squid stand.
I pointed at the squid. Held up one finger. Got out my money.
They grilled the squid. Dipped it in sesame seed oil. Then asked if I wanted the spices.
Yes! Yes I did!
Normally, they would use the paintbrush and spread a little of the spice on. This time they shoveled it on. The two guys cooking looked at each other and laughed, thinking “We are going to get the silly tourist.”
It was my penance for yesterday performance.
It was hot.
It was spicy.
It was awesome!
HOT! HOT! HOT!
A question from “W” in Casper, WY:

The answer is yes! Here is the hour by hour for today:

And the next 7 days here in Chongqing:

FATHERHOOD?
I heard a phase today that I didn’t expect. “Congratulations, you’re a father!”
We did group pictures today. Not a choice I would have made with 14 babies under the age of 18 months.
We did an everyone photo, a mothers with babies photo, a fathers with babies photo, and 14 babies all together.
There are two single mothers in our group. One is traveling by herself (a heroic task). I am an extra set of hands and have help out from time to time. When it came time for the fathers picture, all of a sudden baby was in hand and I was a “father”.
But for only 2 minutes.
HEROIC TASK
I am having a really good time. I always do. I am also having a unique experience, in so far as my responsibilities. I am a friend. I am hands. I am uncle Gene. Not just for Brad and Joia, but where ever I can.
At the end of the day I return to my private room. English Premier League soccer games on Hong Kong ESPN. Big bed. Quite room.
There are 14 families who are doing an amazingly difficult thing. They are opening there homes and hearts to little girls who’s lives are being turned upside down. In the long term an awesome thing. In the short, scary.
14 little girls with fourteen different personalities. All taking this in different ways.
Some laugh. Some cry. Some are quite. Some poop all the time. Other only with medical help. (I have overheard more conversation about BM in the last 4 days to last a life time).
All of them just want to be home.
But they can’t. The days are filled with waiting. Waiting for paper work.
It would be different if the days were filled with this and that.
But they are not. It is out of all our hands. We are just in this hotel. In a very foreign land. Wanting to be home.
It is an amazing thing to open your family and your life to someone new. I have always been impressed by that.
I now have a great appreciation for these amazing families who are also doing this heroic thing. Two weeks in China, creeping to a normal daily life.
Love them. Thank them. Pray for them. They are amazing people.
I am so blessed to be here.
SELFISH
I needed to add one selfish picture.

Thanks for all the well wishes we have received from back home. I wanted to follow up with a few of the notes I have received.
From Brett K.:

From Winter K.:

A number of questions about my health have come in. Basically, I have been very healthy. I have not been attacked by snail, which is good. I have eaten lots of weird stuff with little effect.
About 5 or 6 days ago my face broke out into some sort of rash. It was a bit painful. After about two days the skin started to dry and split. This was painful to the touch and stung after being in the smoggy air (combined with sweat).
Yesterday it started to peal. Today I look like I have scales. Huge flakes of skin falling off. Very gross to look at, but feeling fine.
I should be back to normal by tomorrow.
MORE SEARCHING FOR ART
I met my first unhelpful person on the trip today, but I don’t blame her.
There is a “Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital” a few block away. The plan was to walk over and ask for someone who spoke English. From there I was going to show them the picture I was trying to find. Hopeful they would have a lead.
When I got to the hospital I went to the receiving window and ask, “Do you speak English?”
“Sorry.”
I pointed to the phrase in my book, “Is there someone else who speaks English?”
She thought for a moment and then she had this most amazing look. It said, “Yes there is, but I am not going to disturb them, so you can talk to them.”
Oh, well. I will try again at the next stop.
INTO TOWN
I needed to head down town for a few things. One, I needed to track down where the Catholic Church is for mass tomorrow. Two, my mother asked me to get her some local fabric.
Once again, with phrase book and dictionary in hand, I started with the bellboys.
After letting them know I was looking for fabric and not clothing, they asked if I wanted to head to the “ancient town”?
No, we were there yesterday. I want to buy stuff were locals buy, not tourist.
They tell me there is a market in town. Point to a general area on my map and hand me this piece of paper.

So I get in a cab and hand the note to the cab driver. He nods and we are off.
Side note: It is an amazing feeling to head into a city you don’t know, with a driver who you can’t communicate with, hoping to end up in the right place. All I could do was hang my arm out the window, bob my head to the music, and enjoy the skyline (and the sheer number of other cars and bus we are just missing).
I have been down downtown and can tell we are heading in the right direction. After 10 minutes, he stops and nods as to say, “We are here.”
I pay and get out. I was not prepared for what I would find.
Later I saw in my travel guide it is simple labeled “market”. That doesn’t do it justice.
It was 7 stories tall. Must have had 1500 little shops, some not much bigger than my hotel bathroom. The aisle was not more than three feet between stores. Stuff floor to ceiling. You could barely move.
It was so intoxicating.
Everything you could need for your home could be found. Fake flowers, school supplies, office supplies, toys, clothing, dishes, cleaning supplies, safety signs, and everything else.
Most stores specialized. Some to the point they carried only one thing. Like umbrellas. Yes a store with 600 umbrellas. Or tape. Floor to ceiling rolls and rolls of tape. Or tooth brushed. Thousands of them.
I would have liked to have taken pictures, but I felt a little self conscience taking pictures of peoples livelihood.
It took me hours to walk the whole thing. I bought a bunch of stuff I didn’t even know I needed.
Here are some of my favorites (and yes I really bought them and have no idea why)

After a few hours I realized that I was not going to find the fabric I had been in search of and moved on.
HAPPY ACCIDENT
I started heading for the center of town. The information that I was given led me to believe the Catholic Church was near the city center. As I trying to match my map to the street signs (which is hard to do when there are no Roman characters on the signs or the map). I find a sign for “Arhat Temple”.
Cool. I read about this and here it is.
It is a Buddhist temple. There are 20 or so monks in residents. It has stone carvings that are 1000 years old.
That is amazing for a number of reasons. 1) That is really old. 2) It is in the city center. There is an office building to one side and an apartment to the other. 3) A little thing called the cultural revolution.
I wish I knew more about what was going on. In the Buddhist tradition, an “arhat” is someone who has reached enlightenment. Siddhartha was the first to do so and is called the Buddha. As Buddhism changed and morphed as it moved through Asia it was believed that more and more people also reached enlighten. This temp was to 500 individuals who had done just that.
It had the same feel as Guadalupe (on a much smaller scale). Mostly locals visiting (me being the only exception). The vibe ranged from tourist to devout. Lots of candles and incenses being lit.
Again, much of it I didn’t understand. At point a woman gave a monk a red cloth. He took it up to an alter. He prayed. He lit incenses. He sprinkled water on the cloth in a specific fashion. After she received the fabric back she kneeled and bowed a three times holding her hands in the “first communion photo” prayer hands.
There is so much I don’t know.

The temple.

Candles

and incense.

1000 year old carvings.

I AM WEAK
I am sorry. I gave in. I am weak. I am a coward.
For lunch today I ate at “The Pizza Hut“.
Not because I needed American food.
Not because my stomach was having trouble with the local food.
I did it for the air conditioning. I am so ashamed.
Hours in the market. Walking around town. The temple. A peeling face. Not enough breakfast.
I couldn’t even look the hostess in the eyes when I told her “seating for one”.
Even worse…I ordered the “American” a small pepperoni pizza.
I apologize to my mom, my country, and my God.
I will do better the next time I promise.

PRAY FOR THEM
It is easy to forget, looking at pictures of smiling babies, that what is happening here is hard. Moms and dads have left children behind for two weeks. Little girls have had everything they have known for their whole life changed (in the long term for the great, in the short term hard). The food is different. The communication is hard.
Not that any of this is supper bad, and someday will just be more great family stories. Until then, it can be hard.
Please keep the 14 families (and their newest members) in your prayers.
STAY THERE
In the comment section of Brad and Joia’s blog, people are saying over and over again, “We can’t want for you to come home.”
Yesterday that sentiment changed a little with the comment,”But Gene will need to stay there…I really enjoy reading about his daily journeys into the unknown.”
I think that is a complement???
MORNING QIGONG
Out side are hotel is a park with a large square. Every morning a number of groups gather in the part to do their morning qigong. Qigong literally translate to energy (qi) practice (gong).
Qigong has been part of Chinese culture for over 2500 years. The belief is that we have a lifefore or energy flowing through us call qi (often spelled Chi). If the qi gets stagnate in out body (not flowing properly through out) we get sick, much like stagnate water.
By doing different breathing exercises or movements, we can insure that our qi moves properly keeping us healthy. Qigong was passed down from master to student in thousands of different ways over the last 2500 years.
Each morning people gather to do their particular type of pactice. Some with swards. Some with fans. Some just move their bodies. It is beautiful to watch.
If you click the picture below you will see a short video of the largest group that meets each morning. It is all women (minus on man) and they move for about 90 minutes to music. They move for 5 minutes then stop for a minute or two. They all do the same order of moments together.
The video is more than 12MB. I have set the link up to open in a new window, so you can keep reading here while the video loads.

ZOO
We spent the morning at the zoo. It is a very nice zoo. The highlight was obviously the Pandas. Pandas are native to this region. As a species they are over a million years old. There is only about 1000 left in the world.

Lots of Panda pictures
We were also very lucky to see the very rare Red Panda. I know, it looks nothing like the panda bear. Very cool animal from the Himalayas none the less.

Lots of Red Panda pictures
But the most popular animal in the park had to be the horse that was Uncle Gene. I spent most of the day with one older sibling or anther up on my shoulders.
Which was a lot of fun
SQUID ON A STICK
I was told there is one thing I need to do in China, by one of my roommates. Eat squid on a stick. Jason (one of our new friends) and myself headed off after the zoo to do just that. It was so good, we went back for seconds!

“FOOT MASSAGE”
We were told that we needed to go to this day spa to get a traditional foot massage. For about $7 it was 1 1/2 hours long.
How could you spend 1 1/2 on a foot massage? By also getting your legs, arms and back done.
I was done in three acts. Like nothing I have ever had before. Joia, Kendra (a new friend) and myself went.
There was no communication between us and the staff. We had no idea what was going on.
We tried to leave twice thinking we were done, only to be rushed back to get more work.
If felt awesome, but unusual.
I think it is better if I don’t go into a lot of detail.
Here is a picture of my feet in some herb bath, being rubbed.

As a side note, people in my life have always felt that I should give masseuses an extra tip because my feet are so big and it requires more work. The young woman who was working on me had to get a talker stool to get high enough to reach the top of my feet. (That is not a joke. It really happened).

…a super big blog is coming. Because of the afternoon adventure I haven’t had time to blog yet and we are about to head off to dinner. (Remember China is 12 hours ahead of the east coast.)
So check back in about 4 hours.
Lots of good stuff!

This morning we wondered in to an older part of Chongqing for a little shopping. Lots of woodwork and silk to be had (especially if you were willing to bargain, though it is hard to quibble over thirty cents).
The star attractions? Ms. Ava Farmer of course.

Even the local find her adorable.
PLUNGERS
I received a number of questions about why I was buying 6 plungers.
It is not the local food. I can (and do) eat anything here. I have intestines of steel.
Last night Brad and I juggled for the whole group. We had no clubs, so plungers was the best we could do.
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
By far my favorite place to visit in China is the grocery store. It is absolute bedlam. Full of people and sighs and smells I have never seen before. I love just standing in the middle of the energy.

Two American favorites in their Chinese labels.

I have no idea what rapeseed oil is.

When you buy the frogs live, you know they are fresh. They also have eels and many fish live, which they will bucher for you on the spot. It is kinda like the combination of a Safeway and a Petsmart.

Squid anyone?

…or duck?

Again, no idea what these are, but they are beautiful.

Why haven’t American marketers figured this combo out yet?

These are not buffalo wings, they are chicken feet. Mmmmmm!

There was a small error on the http://joiafarmer.com.ava site in the last 12 hours.
One of the entries was out of order.
If you didn’t read Brad’s entry X Off Another Day you should visit.
More cute pictures.

HOW TO STAND OUT
Be 9 inches taller and 50 lbs heavier than everyone in site (check)
Wear a cowboy hat (check)
Be six to eight shades paler than everyone else (check)
Constantly be looking at a phrase books (check)
Buy every plunger that the grocery store has in stock (check)
ON THE SEARCH FOR ART WORK
I hope to find a poster of a drawing while I am here. I think it is from the 11th century. It is a qigong drawing of the enter body in story. Each organ has a story. It is beautiful.
Some how I was foolish enough to think I would be able to find one in about 10 minutes.
Wrong.
It makes sense. It is kind like finding a picture of beautiful piece of Native American art work and walking up to the concierge at some Marriot some when and expecting them to know where to buy a copy.
When I first asked the concierge at our hotel (who speak little English) he told to me that he could not explain the drawing to me. Then (with the help of the phrase book and lots of pointing) he understood that I wanted to buy a copy. He was dumfounded at the request.
After some begging for help he gave me the name of a bookstore downtown.
My first cabbie drove in circles, and I knew it. He also stopped every other cab he saw and went and talked to the driver. After about ten minutes of this, he put me in another cab.
This is odd, only because I was heading to the center of town. It would be like a DC cab driver not knowing how to get to the White House or a NYC cabbie not knowing where Time Square was. Maybe he was afraid of driving over the bridge, or he did like me.
Cab driver number two got me down town. Since getting here we haven’t ventured from our little part of town. I had no idea how big the city is. Downtown is huge.
The bookstore was beautiful. 5 stories. I went to the culture section of the bookstore (because in the US anything qigong is culture or philosophy or religion). After some pointing at my photocopy and the phrase book (and the help of three people) I was sent to the fifth floor, science and medicine.
Of course.
So with the help of 5 staff people we ended up in the middle of the acupuncture books. Which is close, but not quite right. So more pointing and they realized that I was looking for a poster of what I had in my hand. Not a poster of the acu-points on the human body, but a copy of what I had.
No luck.
Do you know where I could find one?
No luck. None of them had any idea.
I keep being amazed at how willing everyone is to help out. I can’t image everyone trying so hard back in the states. Sure there are lots of helpful people at home, but here everyone is going out of their way. Trying their little English. Being embarrassed they don’t know much, but trying anyway.
I am in their country. I mispronounce the two things I know (hello and thank you) and they keep smiling and trying.
The cab back was an adventure in it self. We traded some paint with another cab in turn three.
Was the trip a failure?
No.
I didn’t get what I was looking for, but I did get what you would expect from trying to find an obscure artifact in a country you don’t speak the language and signs you can’t read.
An adventure.
We passed a traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital on the way home. I will ask there tomorrow.
If nothing else, another adventure.