A New City

Things are going very well (as I write this she is crying because she doesn't' want to lay down and take a nap but is beyond tired :). Typical 3 year old. We arrived in Guangzhou two nights ago. This is our last stop before heading to the states. Now all the paperwork is on the US side so we aren't expecting any bumps - except for the fact that Paul has misplaced the one paperwork item that we were told is VERY important and not to lose. Our guide has indicated it won't be a problem. I hope she is right. I expect Ella to test positive tomorrow for TB. We will do an x-ray on the spot. She doesn't show any other signs so I'm not too worried about it.

The hotel here is beautiful even by US standards. There is a coy pond that weaves through the second floor. There are jade sculptures, furniture and other items for sale throughout the building. They even have a play room for the children which is sponsored by Mattel. We are on an island and most of the buildings have a European feel and many streets have large courtyards. There is a lot of construction going on. From what we can tell, there is some organization to the traffic here :) It feels more like a vacation now. Paul is reading the local news paper and one headline reads "Policemen must take care to beat the right people for the public good" makes me feel safer! The culture is amusing. Women wear fancy high heels with any and all outfits and to any location - such as the Great Wall which has thousands of stairs. Personal space doesn't exist. If you think there isn't room for one more person on the elevator they will show you wrong by squeezing their whole family on. It isn't uncommon to see people bathing at public restrooms or taking a nap on the street under a tree (they aren't homeless). Many people work far from where they live and traffic is slow and crazy so they do what they need to.

With that said, young children who are being potty trained (around 18 months and sometimes younger) wear split pants. They are what you think - pants with a large split at the seam. When the child needs to potty they simply squat and do their business right there. Yes, number one and number two. The side walk is a common place to relieve yourself. We had an experience with Ella just yesterday. While in a local store (nice store) without warning she looks at me and states something in Chinese and then pulls her skirt and panties to her knees and begins to assume the position. Paul and I yell "NO" at the same time and quickly dressed her and took her to the nearest restroom.