Today, I got all of our official papers and said the oath. (The only thing left to do is getting her visa tomorrow.) I have to say, the officials here are considerably more friendly that those in Jia’s province. The guy who helped me even smiled. Weird. I’m used to officials being so serious.
Maybe it’s a North China/South China thing. Both of our guides have insisted that there are many differences, from attitudes to accents. Our guide here said that since her own mother is from the North, she can understand Jia’s accent well and even speak it. For example, Jia’s nickname, Bing-Bing is pronounced just the way it sounds, here in the South. But, up North,( and the way Jia pronounces it) it is different. It’s similar to how the French pronounce “bien”. The “ng” of Bing is made with the tongue pressing the back of the roof of the mouth. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don’t. She’s given up trying to correct me. Haha.
In the North, they also roll the words more. It’s has a slight French sound to it. It’s really beautiful. All the people here comment on how articulate Jia is and what good Mandarin she has. I find that interesting since she has an accent here. Maybe it’s because she’s so petite and such big words come out of her mouth. She is also very kind, so she says things like, “It’s very nice to meet you, Sir,” and, “That hat looks beautiful on you, Miss.” It stops people in their tracks. Another thing I have to thank her foster mother for, excellent manners and a very sweet countenance.
In one of the pictures, we had just walked into a store with lots of kids’ clothes, mostly girls’, and Jia went straight to the most fluffy and girly dress there and said to the lady, “Ayi, I want that one, please.” Of course, the lady whipped one out with lightning speed and Jia asked her if she could wear it. I let her try it on. We ended up getting it, but I would not let her wear it around for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the lady explained it well enough and Jia understood.
Our guide, Cornelia, can shop. She took us all over the city to find the best shop for “this” and the best shop for “that”. She got some great deals for us and I picked up lots (and lots) of presents for Jia’s birthdays through the years…a couple of pricey things for special birthdays, but most small, cute things, just as reminders of China.
Cornelia navigated the stroller for us most of the day, so we could shop. (She is amazing! Definitely a new friend.) She liked all the same stuff that we liked, so I told her that if she comes to the US, I’ll take her shopping. One store that Rachel and I loved was a Tibetan store. Tibetan style is slightly different from traditional Chinese, in that, the items are very brightly colored (even more so than Chinese stuff). Well, if you know me, you know I like bright, colorful things. I found a beautiful purse and Rachel found a bunch of skirts, dirt cheap, I might add.
While Rachel and I were in a “government store”, (I guess that means cheaper prices? not sure) Cornelia took Jia to walk around and play. She even fed her. She got these yummy little bread things from a street vendor. They remind me of Indian Fry Bread, but they have green onions in the middle. They were so delicious. (Oh, by the way, by about the fourth day of the trip, I gave up being gluten-free. With all the noodles, dumplings, and bread things, it would have been crazy hard to stay GF without starving. I’ll just deal with the effects later.) Just so you know, I had the best macaroon ever tonight with dinner. Oh my. I’m glad they don’t have pastry shops like this near me.
Jia is still doing remarkably well. We are laughing and playing a lot. She’s quite the silly jokester. (She will fit right in.) She is understanding me when I tell her no or that it’s time to leave or that I need her to use the restroom before we leave because I’m really sick of squatty potties. She also is understanding me when I say, “This thing first, that thing later.” That one really helped. It was very confusing for her before she got that.
Nighttime is still rough for her and I think it will be for a while. Tonight she realized that she had actual pictures of her foster mom in the photo album I gave her. She sat on my lap and hugged me while she looked at the picture and cried. She went to bed with the picture tonight. Not only is she missing her foster mother, but her foster father and three younger brothers. I’m praying that God heals her little heart very soon.
Here are today’s pictures. Only one more day here and we’re home bound. We are loving Guangzhou, but are soooo eager to get home.
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