First Stop: Ji'nan...
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| Vicki (now Libbi) and her Forever Family! |
A few weeks back one of our young girls,Vicki, got adopted and met her forever family here at SFCV. It was such a joyous occasion! You all know how much I love seeing families come together, I could not have been more happy for Vicki and her new family. As all adoptees and families must do, Vicki and her Fam were required to travel down to the capital of Vicki's home province which happened to be Ji'nan, Shandong province. Lily, my dear friend and our orphanage liaison, travels with the family/ child as the representative from SFCV. This trip, Lily asked if I'd like to accompany her to see the finalization of Vicki's adoption and the sights of Ji'nan. How could I say no? So off we went! To our surprise, our co-worker and friend Tim Candy or TC joined us the last minute. Nothing like witnessing an adoption and an impromptu adventure in a new city! I loved spending time with Vicki and her new forever family, they're so perfect for each other. It amazes me, because only God could have made and orchestrated such a perfect match. Our first day, we spent a great deal of time walking the city with the family and finding some good eats! The next day, Tim, Lily and I spent the day walking around the city and it's natural lake. It's SO beautiful! If you haven't been to Ji'nan - you should visit! So much beauty & culture. I'd say my favorite parts of the adventure were: witnessing Vicki's adoption, obviously, and then taking boat ride out on the lake. So relaxing, so fun, and good for the soul. We even had time to stop for a quick and impromptu Chinese massage on the way to the train station! I'd call that an overall success!Next Stop: Xi'an...
Located in central China (about a 5 hour bullet train ride away from Beijing), Xi'an is one of the more populated and well-known cities in China. It once served as the Capital of China in the Qing Dynasty in 200b.c. Again, so much history, culture, and natural beauty. Our adventure began when TC's parents came to visit SFCV and China for the very first time. While they were here they asked to see the well-known Terra-Cotta Army, that was discovered in Xi'an only 42 years ago. TC and Mr & Mrs. Candy were kind and invited Lily and I to join them - such a blessing- so off we went! On the way there I thought the train ride was kind of long, but after seeing the city and the Terra-Cotta Army, I know it was WELL worth it! You guys..... I was SPEECHLESS...and if you know me, that doesn't happen very often! haha! Really, there are no words to describe the beauty of the detailed artwork, each sculpture is different, each was hand-carved and painted.
So much work and passion was poured into these relics. It was truly amazing. I couldn't help but think was Emperor Qing was thinking as he had the Army constructed. If you don't know the history of the Terra-Cotta Army, the jist of it is: Emperor Qing had the army constructed to help protect him in the after-life. He went through so much effort to protect himself for the afterlife...I only wish he knew what really happens after we die... but anyway, back to the Army. It's estimated that there were over 7,000 workers who constructed white entire Army. Archeologists still aren't sure how many sculptures were constricted, but since it's discovery in 1974 they have found over 20,000 sculptures and the dig is still an active site! Which means...there are more! Again, I can't really describe how incredible it was. If you ever make it to China, I HIGHLY recommend a trip to Xi'an to see the Terra-Cotta Soldiers, it's a must see and should be a "check" off of everyone's bucket list. The scenery around the dig site is stunning as well, soaring mountains and lots of greenery all around. The City of Xi'an is pretty too. It's hustling and bustling city with much history. As I mentioned, it once served as the capital of China, so it has lots of old buildings and a vibrant culture. Definitely a highlight of this great China adventure!Last Stop: Tianjin...
Ok, I know what you're thinking, "Don't you live in Tianjin?!?". To answer that question, Yes, we do. However, our friend and co-worker TC, who is prepping to move back to the U.S. this week had yet to see our beautiful city. Being the good friends that we are (lol) we took it upon ourselves to share this adventure and cultural experience with TC. Although it was a quick 24 hour trip, we saw and did a lot: a walk through the Italian Style Town, a stop and view of the Tianjin Eye(not a ride this time), we took in the architectural significants of the bridges and city buildings, of course a brief stroll along the Hai river that runs through the heart of Tianjin city. Although a short time, we made the best and did the essentials, while fueled on the best eats in Tianjin: street food and hot pot! For those of you know me and this blog, you know how much I LOVE Tianjin city. It's definitely one of my top 3 favorite cities in the entire world. Every time I'm there, it makes me feel at home - I love it! Again, if you ever come to SFCV or China for a visit, I'd be sure to tell you to see Tianjin, it's a must!The only thing I ever got from the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was, "Adventure Waits for No One!" and it's so true! Every day in this crazy life is an adventure, I'm just so grateful that I now get to have these amazing ones here in China.Who knows what the future holds, but I'm so blessed to be on this crazy ride with such amazing friends, amazing family and the most precious kids in the world!
Ji'nan...
Xi'an...
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| The Xi'an Crew: Lily, Me, Tina Ballerina, TC, and Mrs and Mr. Candy |
Tianjin...
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| Our Celebratory pic after making it to the train station with only 11 minutes to spare in order to catch our train back to Langfang! We had to run, but we made it! Yay! |
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