Day 7

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

So, tonight ended with a Thanksgiving Dinner that our guide organized for us at the hotel's restaurant. We all expected the standard "Western" meal, which in China translates to pizza, steak, spaghetti, and other various things that are associated with American cuisine, but we were pleasantly suprised with TURKEY! One of the hotel hostesses is American and somehow she arranged for a turkey to be cooked for us. According to our Chinese guide, Lineker, there are no turkeys in China, and he has no idea how she found one or found someone who knew how to cook it. He had never had turkey before and we had to tell him how it would normally be served and what would be served with it. It was very cool and a great way for all of us to celebrate together. We aren't with our families, but our travel group has quickly become a family and we were all able to bond together and enjoy a fun evening with our new babies. It was a great way to end an excellent day. It seems that all the first time parents are getting the hang of things and all the families are definitely starting to fall into patterns with their new girls, it is very cool to see and experience.

This morning started with a trip to a porcelain dealer...which meant more spending for the boys and more shopping for the girls. I almost had to physically restrain April today...once she found a pattern that she liked, she wanted one of everything in that pattern. I managed to get out of there with only a little dent in our remaining spending money and a set of rice bowls that I get to somehow bring back to the states without breaking them...no pressure there.

After the shopping trip we drove to a village just outside of the city we are staying in (Nanchang). Our guide wanted us to experience a little bit of what life is really like in China. The hotels we stay in are five star hotels and he didn't want us to think that this is the way all of China lives. There are over a billion people in this country that live at or below the povery line and we got to see this first hand. Many of the houses in the village are nice, but they have no heat and no running water. The entire village works together to ensure that everyone has what they need and that they get all the work done that needs to be done. The village we saw is close to a city so they have some of the benefits that come from city life but it is still a very poor village. I can't imagine what some of the truly rural villages are like.

We then spent a little bit of the afternoon walking around the city. Ok, what we were really doing was walking to the closest McDonalds, but we saw some very interesting shops on the way. One whole block of shops appeared to be a Home Depot, just small shop style. Each storefront had a different aspect of home goods. One had plywood, another sold, hardwood floors, next to that was bathroom fixtures. It was like seeing the Twilight Zone version of Lowes. In front of the McDonalds was a large scooter parking area. While I was in ordering us some cheeseburgers, April saw someone knock over one scooter, which started a game of dominos as a bunch of them starting toppling into one another. What killed me is that some of them had car alarms on them. You know...the annoying car alarms that always seem to go off at 4 AM...well over here they put them on their mopeds! Very interesting.

As for the food at McDonalds...it is the same as what we get back in the states, they just have some added selections to their everyday value menu that you wouldn't see back in Wisconsin. I am not exactly sure what they were...but the pictures didn't look appetizing. I am finally over the rice and Coke diet so I wasn't feeling very adventuresome. I will leave that to the Food network stars...

Happy Turkey Day everyone! Find something to be thankful for today and enjoy your time with family and/or friends! We miss all of you and will see you soon.

BJ, April, and Sophie (Hey...that has a ring to it...I think I like it!)