Some local Sightseeing in Changsha

Today we stayed in Changsha to see some local sights. Hunan province is known for their beautiful embroidery. Amy says they know it dates back to the Han Dynasty over 2000 yrs ago because of embroidery pieces found in some of the tombs. Changsha has an embroidery museum funded by the government to keep this skill alive.

The government provides jobs to these people working here...

It was amazing to see this talent. So many beautiful pieces!

They also take special orders. Amy said one time she was there and saw 2 women embroidering a picture of a little Chinese girl. She asked who this was. They told her it was a special order from Steven Curtis Chapman!  It was one of his daughters who was also adopted from an orphanage in Hunan Province!  It was going to take 2 women a full year to complete!  Amazing the detail in these!

They also had a store where they sold the finished pieces. These were beautiful & very expensive!

Then we drove to a big local park in the middle of the city.  Lots of beautiful trees, families walking around, groups of people doing tai chi together, and adults exercising on the equipment (in China it's common for parks to have equipment for the adults too, not just kids.  What a good idea!). There was also a beautiful lake with a walking bridge & a McDonald's on the water!.  It was beautiful weather in the 50's.

We continued to get lots of stares from people. Then we noticed them always looking at Audrey's legs & pointing (she was wearing a dress with a pair of leggings under). One lady stopped and asked Amy, "why does that baby only have 1 pair of pants on?"  Amy told us that that the Chinese believe your heat escapes from your legs and that's why they always layer up the baby's legs too! Funny the cultural differences! Amy thought it was best to keep her legs covered up with a blanket to avoid the comments! Luckily we are moving to a warmer climate tomorrow.

We were on the go all morning & Audrey was very still & quiet as usual. She starts to cry a little every time we get in the van.  She doesn't like change!  I'm sure she's scared of where she might be going next.  We came back to the room & fed her & put her down for her nap. She definitely feels more secure in the hotel room, and especially in her crib. We stood out of her sight and she was making all kinds of babbling sounds in the crib!  This is the ONLY place she does this, otherwise she is completely quiet. She was also playing with her little stuffed panda she brought with her from the orphanage and taking her socks on and off. So cute! She is definitely most relaxed in her crib. Too bad we have to change locations tomorrow! It has been fun to slowly see some little changes in her personality.

Our time in Changsha has been fun, but tomorrow it is time to move on. Audrey's passport will be ready in the morning. Then in the afternoon we will go back to the train station to take the bullet train South to Guangzhou. That is where the U.S. Consulate is located & where she will have her medical exam, we'll have our Consulate Appointment, and then wait for her Visa to be issued to leave the country.

We are looking forward to Guangzhou. Every family that adopts from China has to spend their second week there, no matter what province they are from. So, we will see many other adoptive families. The town is apparently a lot more westernized, warmer temps (don't have to worry about those layered pants!), and we will do a lot of neat sightseeing. Pray that Audrey doesn't get too ruffled by yet another change!