Baby went with us to visit an ancient Chinese city. Maybe some of you can find it on a map of China. The name of the city is Kaifeng and it is one of several cities that used to be the capital city in all of China. While we were there, we saw some men going swimming in the lake. It is very cold here, and the lake has ice on it. Brrrr... Some Chinese swim in lakes in the winter as part of their work-out.
We asked Baby if he wanted to join them for a swim, but he said he preferred to stay in the car, in his little bag, under a blanket.
Kaifeng is where Kate was born, and we visited the orphanage where she spent part of her life. While we were there, the orphanage director told me that Kate 'can be the bridge of love between Kaifeng orphanage and Love Without Boundaries.' I don't yet know the whole story, but I think Kate was one of the first children LWB helped in Kaifeng. We toured the baby room, which currently has about 8 babies. Most of the children in Kaifeng are put into foster care through LWB sponsorship. There was one little baby girl with Downs who kept giving me big smiles when I patted her tummy. She was adorable.
At Kaifeng orphanage with staff
Our next stop was the Kaifeng Jewish area. I have always been facinated with Jewish history, and I had read that there was a Jewish community in Kaifeng many years ago. The Jewish line has been assimilated for many years, but there are still some Chinese who claim Jewish bloodlines. We walked through the area because the road was too narrow for a car (Jeff stayed in the car with the girls). We visited an old woman who lives in a home that used to be part of the Jewish synagogue. She is the widow of a Jewish man who had the Chinese/Jewish surname, Zhou. They invited us in, and allowed us to take photos of the Jewish artifacts they had. It was amazing!
I was almost overcome with emotion several times during the visit. It was something I will never forget.
Kate had a rough night last night with fever and sickness. I decided to start her on the Zithromax I brought. Tonight she is starting to feel better, so I hope she is on the mend. Poor baby was pretty listless all day. Zoey is allowing me to touch her once in awhile, as long as Jeff is within sight. She has gotten hysterical a few times when our guide tried to take her potty (without Jeff) or Jeff has left the room. He is her security right now, so he has total care of her. We are just going to take it easy tomorrow and have fun with the girls to help them bond. We did find strollers today (not as inexpensive as home) and they both LOVE riding in them. It's so funny to see their faces light up when we put them in their strollers and head outside. Just wait until I teach them to shop....
There are ping-pong tables in the pool area, so Jeff and I had a rollicking game while the girls watched. They were highly amused. The Chinese people here couldn't decide which was more odd, foreigners playing ping-pong, or 'twin's in strollers.
