Last Day in Nanning

Day 7 - Nanning visit to Mountain Park (Wed. 6/23)

We met our guide (really only an interpreter, he did not really do much else) in the morning and went to Jiangxi (spelling) Mountain Park which overlooks part of the city of Nanning. It was a very pretty park that was fairly extensive. The part of the park we entered had a covered walkway which was recently built. It was a very hot, humid, and sunny day so it was nice to walk under a covered area. During one of the stops along the walkway I took out some bubbles and began blowing them. Lia was very excited about the bubbles and wanted to hold the bottle and dip the bubble wand. I let her and she would hold the wand for me to blow the bubbles. This was the first time that she let me play with her. It was really our first break through moment of enjoying each other. Other times she would just push me away or shake her head no to me. After our bubble time we walked some more. There was an area with outdoor exercise type equipment which Andrew enjoyed trying out and then a section of park with Chinese zodiac sculptures. Our driver picked us up and took us to another part of the park. There was a pond loaded with carp that the kids were able to feed. Both Lia and Andrew enjoyed feeding the fish and watching them. There were so many fish they literally looked as if they were swimming on top of each other, out of the water! We were also able to rent a small boat to ride around the pond. We were the only boat on the water and Andrew was the captain! It was a fun little ride although the wiring on the boat's forward and reverse switch was interesting. It got very hot as we drove the boat around. I don't think that it would have passed US safety standards. After the park we headed to McDonald's for lunch. Andrew got a happy meal and I got a double cheeseburger, fries, and a coke (diet coke does not seem to be available). Paul did not get anything and we weren't sure if Lia would like the food, but she sure enjoyed the french fries! When we returned to the hotel, Paul sat with Lia until she went to sleep. We all took a nap. This was the first day that Lia started crying for her foster Mother at naptime and at bedtime (her Di Yi). She also seemed very subdued and sad while we were in the hotel room. When we went out she was very happy and wanted to hold Daddy's and Andrew's hands but each time we returned her personality would completely shift. We know she is grieving for her loss and it is so hard. She is also very attached to the shoes she was wearing when they brought her to us. She does not want to take them off, even at bedtime. That afternoon we went to the hotel pool and discovered that Lia wanted nothing to do with getting into the water. To Paul's dismay, she did not want Daddy to get into the water either and screamed and cried when he jumped in. Needless to say, Daddy sat by the pool with Lia while Andrew and I enjoyed the water. He was able to get her to put her feet in the water sitting by the edge but that was about it. After the pool we headed out for another run to Walmart to buy some snacks and blankets to give to the orphanage. We discovered that Lia had definitely been shopping before. She picked up some children's shorts and held them up to her to see what they looked like! We bought some Chinese cookies and yogurt drinks which are very popular with children. On our way back to the hotel we picked up some dinner. Once it was time for bed, Lia got very upset. Her shoes had been off and she put them on and kept trying to pull Paul to the door. She cried and cried for her foster Mom. Everything she was doing told us she wanted to go home. She wanted to leave. It breaks your heart to know what she is going through and to know that her foster Mom is most certainly grieving too. Eventually Paul was able to get her to sleep.