The elevator at our Will-We-Ever-Get-Out-of-Here-Home-Away-From-Home? 3 elevators for 35 floors. Yeah. Sometimes it took 20 minutes to get from the bottom to our 17th floor by the time an elevator arrived to arriving at our floor. SO grateful to not be any higher up!
Killing time with a 750 piece puzzle. We did about 1/3 of it, and gave up. :o(
Both girls are being good, though Yang had a tantrum today. Not a horrible one, but one nonetheless. Taxi driver dropped us off 1/4 mi away from the apartment, but it was a quick ride (just 16 Yuan, or $3) and we're used to that. (being dropped off far away)
(Nov. 17)
Yang's 7th birthday! But oh, my gosh, we're bored!! I had an orange and a peanut for breakfast. Yes, one peanut. Mei had some shrimp-flavored noodles and Yang and a little of EVERYTHING.
(Later) Not my favorite day... We went to Pizza Hut for lunch, where the food was way overpriced, with LOUSY service (as in many restaurants we've been to), but the food was decent enough. Yang is not very good in restaurants, to put it mildly... She plays constantly with her plate and silverware and cup (always drinks hot water), hollers at the staff, demanding whatever she wants, stands up, plays with whatever she can reach, etc. I don't think we'll be eating out much at home a the beginning! LOL It was her birthday, so I bought her 2 scoops of ice cream and she was pleasantly surprised. :o) NOT used to eating anything cold, it took her forever to eat it! She loved it, though.
LOL This Pizza Hut is NOT the one we went to, but I wanted to share it with you! LOL You are seeing the entire restaurant and I don't believe they've served pizza in there in a LONG time, if ever! LOL All I saw were those bamboo steam baskets! And no, we did not eat there, though it was right around the corner from the apartment exit door.
In the afternoon, I gave Mei her birthday gift - a pendant I'd bought yesterday on the Island. It is rectangular, jade-looking, with the Chinese character for "daughter" on it in silver. She seemed to like it. I hope she understands the significance of it. The translator app on my phone doesn't seem to translate very well...
Unfortunately, after that, she (Mei) got really wild (an hour later?) and slipped into her habit of shouting everything. This is a habit both girls have. THEY TALK LOUD. I told her twice to lower her voice (using gestures she understood) and she continued shouting, and I stood up, threw the remote near her hip on the couch (did not hit her with it) yelled at her angrily to STOP SHOUTING, and went to the bedroom loft to cool down. Later, I came down (it got incredibly quiet downstairs during that time) and I used the translator to say, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." She smiled gratefully, I gave her a hug and I went back up and took a nap. This trip is getting to all of us...
I was contacted by two moms staying at the Garden, inviting us over this evening for dinner at a restaurant. I really wanted to go, but taxi drivers always drop us off so far away that after dark I didn't want to chance getting lost, so I had to turn them down, offering to do something tomorrow. :o( Stupid, dumb taxi drivers!!
Nov. 18
A pretty good day. Hung out in the morning then took a taxi to Shamian Island again, and had lunch with a really nice facebook family from outside of Peoria! They had 10 total children, and 2 years ago adopted 2 girls (who came with on this trip) and were adopting a 13 year old this time, so we had 5 girls at the table at Lucy's, ages 14, 13, 13, 12 and 7! LOL It was WONDEFUL visiting with them, and they paid for lunch! ;o) With the money I saved, I bought some more souvenirs and gifts. ;o) Christmas shopping is almost done! LOL
This man paints landscapes using only his fingers and hands.
I bought this one.
Always making new friends.
At the famous sculpture apparently commemorating adoptive families.
There was a hopscotch area there and I taught the girls how to hopscotch! ;o)
The girls continue to get along great with each other and Yang's oubursts are SO much better! :oD BIG YAAAY!!!
Stupid taxi drivers!!!!
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