On the Road to Hengyang City

Yesterday was a full day. First off I opened my mouth and commented to Tony about the lack of humidity. So of course when we woke up yesterday it had rained and the humidity felt about 98%. We spent the day traveling to Hengyang, where Jax was born. It took close to three hours to get there. It was a beautiful sight with all the rice fields. It is the beginning of rice planting season so there were people and beasts of burden out in the fields. The also grow a yellow flower plant so there were fields of yellow everywhere.

Traveling on Chinese highways is a very different experience. You're given notice of about 15 feet that your lane is closed for repair. We also learned that the "emergency lane" is in reality a secondary passing lane. Forget traffic citations because there are no rules.

Hengyang was an event. The Mission Viejo Development Company would probably just go in, level the place and start over. There is truly no rhyme or reason to the streets, buildings, etc. Once inside the city, it took us about a half hour to find one street. It was basically an alley, and the street sign was placed about 20 feet away from the intersecting street. Our guide probably asked 6 people where the street was. We drove by it three times before the driver saw the sign.

We had a late lunch at a noodle place. I was a little scared about the health standards, but the food was really good. This morning I still have my stomach so I'm happy. Tony felt like a rock star with everyone staring at him. It was funny to see the looks on people's faces.

Morgan has been having a great time. This morning she said she enjoyed being here. Anna has been teaching her some Chinese songs, so hopefully she will remember them and teach them to Jax.

Jax is still getting use to us. When he is tired he starts crying and saying the same thing over and over again. Not knowing what he was saying we asked Anna to ask him what he is saying. She starts talking to him by saying mommy said you were crying last night. Much like Bart Simpson he denies everything by answering, "No, I wasn't crying". So she says it again and he says "No!" Finally, he starts saying the all too familiar phrase. With Anna there to interpret, we learn he's saying that he wants to go back.

Although it's difficult to hear your child say that he wants to go back, it was at least comforting to know that he was loved and treated very well by his foster parents. So on the way home from Hengyang he starts crying over and over again Chinese, "I want to go back! I want to go back!".

We got back to our hotel and once we opened the door to our room, Jax, sitting on my lap, starts crying and unloading on us in Chinese. He probably cried and yelled at us for for about an hour. After letting him vent, Tony took him to the playroom for a bit and then they came back. Now completely worn out he went straight to sleep and slept the whole night.

This morning he seems happier, but still a little sad. He laughs easily and is into everything. He loves to sing and he talks nonstop when he is playing by himself. He's starting to interact with Morgan more.

Today is a "free day" so we're off to Martyrs Park, which is a park commemorating those that died during WWII. We may try to take a dip in the pool or try out the bowling alley on the 6th floor of our hotel.