Shopping is an interesting experience in China. Everything can be negotiated (some people find this fun; I prefer to know up front what I'm dealing with, part of my planner personality, I guess). I also don't like feeling like I have to talk somebody down from an obviously elevated price they give foreigners; I don't know who is getting cheated in the end - them or me. I think I may look kind (or stupid), and they decide to take their time in coming down to reasonable levels.

Some people are just dear to begin with, others are very aggressive about showing you everything in their store. I enjoy Michael's Place, if anyone knows their way around Shamian Island enough to know what I'm talking about. He and his wife have been very kind to our family, and fair in their pricing.

Today we walked around outside of the island, and saw more of what I would consider "real China." Shamian Island is like a garden paradise, and very geared towards the foreigners who have influenced the place so much. But just across the bridge are the people of Guangzhou going about their business in the usual Chinese way (of course, they too have been influenced by the foreigners, but it is not as blatant as Shamian Island's sort of China-ala-Disney surreal atmosphere).



We strolled down a street that included some very interesting Chinese pharmaceutical items, including longan, dried seahorses, dried starfish, dried snakes, mushrooms of all shapes and sizes, various seeds, nuts, dried plants, herbs, dried sexual organs of deer (why take Viagra when you can eat this stuff - okay, I can think of a few reasons), and many things I couldn't identify. Apparently the Chinese can't identify everything readily either, so it was labeled accordingly. Kathy told us about everything and what it was good for; Sarah decided the scorpions were a bit much for her, though.



Chinese markets always feel so busy and vast to me. So much stimulation, color, and items for sale are packed into one small area, which is further packed with hundreds of Chinese people, and even more packed with the small things one hardly notices (or really wants to notice). And of course, as you walk dazedly through the mazes of alleyway storefronts, you have to watch for bicycles, scooters, minivans, and other vehicles that would just as soon plow you over as stop (they all drive with their horn, you have to listen for it and jump out of the way!) We walked through the pet market, which housed many critters of every description. Many were in quarters that were far too small and overcrowded, and some were obviously unhealthy (although many looked okay, too). And while there were fluffy friends in their cages waiting to be purchased, the strays wandered nearby looking for scraps; a sad juxtaposition of the desired with the undesired animals of the city. I did see many very well-kept aquariums in the pet market, though, which I appreciated, with clear water and happy inhabitants. (Although many of the stock tanks were overcrowded, there were some gorgeous display tanks that included live plants and crystal clear water).



We also saw the juxtaposition of the well-to-do and the ignored humans of the city; there were huge shopping malls with many nice items, and just outside were the beggars (most of whom had disabilities) heckling for a yuan or two. They are quite aggressive about their begging, and while I wouldn't have minded giving them a meal and some yuan, we had been warned that some beggars wait for an open purse to take the opportunity to grab and rob you of as much as they can. So I guiltily avoided eye contact, and quietly hoped they would find food and warmth in some way without my help. After finishing a little shopping (we left with some children's DVDs in Mandarin and some socks), I herded the children into a taxi, since they were also disturbed by the attentions of the men poking them and asking them for money (as if gold would fall out of Gennie's hair), and held on for dear life as usual as the driver honked and swerved in the traffic. The taxi driver also took us on a longer ride than we had expected, until I asked him in Mandarin to please stop and let us out!

We have two more days in China before we take a bus to Hong Kong and fly to San Francisco and then home. I feel sad that our trip is ending so soon, and yet very glad to be going home and settling in. I will miss some things in China - the herbal tea, the sweet people, the Chinese grandmas, the incredible history, the gorgeous faces of the China natives, the delicious food. The red lanterns, the plants and birds. Even some of the unique smells will be missed. But, I am looking forward to drinking water out of the tap, to eating uncooked vegetables, to breathing in the clearer air, to people who know what a line (queue) is (shoving through the airport is tiring and tends to make you weary of people). I know Sarah and Gennie are tired of being grabbed (literally) for pictures, and I am personally looking forward to crosswalks, true non-smoking areas, and not feeling crowded in all the time. I guess I'm just a country mouse missing her Colorado home (which the Chinese would consider a TINY little town - under 5 million is small in their book)!

I know that Eleanor Zitao will further grieve her homeland when she arrives in Colorado. We have only had two weeks in China, and while there are many things we love about this country, we already ache for home. I can only imagine how this little girl will feel when the initial culture shock prolongs into weeks and months. Hopefully I can provide her with the basic comforts of familiar-ish food, and the sounds of her language via DVD, CD, and my lousy Mandarin attempts. We'll definitely need to stock up on the ramen noodles, watermelon, tomatoes, and rice. We'll also need to try to get her to eat something OTHER than those things! I'll get her enrolled in Chinese school - I really hope she can retain her language as she learns English. I'm also hoping it might inspire my other daughters to learn another language as well... guess we'll see how that goes!

New life, new home, new place in mama's heart... all waiting for her to decide to embrace them. I see a little more of her opening up every day.