Today (after sleeping 12-1/2 hours last night; poor kid- those shots really took a toll on her), Caitlin attended her very first church service! It was interesting; it was a non-denominational, Christian, bi-lingual service. It was pretty cool, although there was definitely more Chinese spoken than English. There was only one English song, but it was one of my favorites so I was pretty excited! It was just very long- almost 2 hours! Caitlin really did great, but I spent the entire 2 hours holding, shushing, bouncing, entertaining, and just generally trying to keep her from annoying those around us. I was exhausted by the time it was over!
Caitlin really loves music, though! I would sway or bounce to the songs, and she would just laugh! She really enjoyed that part! And she has made friends with another baby in our group, Samantha, who is 13 months old. She and Caitlin have very similar personalities. Our families sat together in church and the 2 kids had a great time annoying each other. Really, it was very cute!
After church we went to lunch at a Thai restaurant with Susan and our group. It was fantastic! We all ordered a dish, then when it came they put it on a big lazy susan in the middle of the table so everyone could taste everything. Susan says the Chinese tradition is that each person gets to finish the dish that he or she ordered, but by the end my dish was gone so there was nothing left for me to finish. Susan also said that whoever's dish is finished first, ordered best, so I guess I won! It was really fun and the food was excellent!
On the way back to the vans after lunch we passed by several brides getting their bridal portraits taken. They were all exquisite, but my favorite was the couple dressed in traditional clothing. They were even holding a "red thread" for the picture (I have the legend of the red thread posted on the right side of my blog). Susan said that the brides here usually have 3 dresses: one traditional dress, one "Western" white dress, and one suit.
After church we went to lunch at a Thai restaurant with Susan and our group. It was fantastic! We all ordered a dish, then when it came they put it on a big lazy susan in the middle of the table so everyone could taste everything. Susan says the Chinese tradition is that each person gets to finish the dish that he or she ordered, but by the end my dish was gone so there was nothing left for me to finish. Susan also said that whoever's dish is finished first, ordered best, so I guess I won! It was really fun and the food was excellent!
On the way back to the vans after lunch we passed by several brides getting their bridal portraits taken. They were all exquisite, but my favorite was the couple dressed in traditional clothing. They were even holding a "red thread" for the picture (I have the legend of the red thread posted on the right side of my blog). Susan said that the brides here usually have 3 dresses: one traditional dress, one "Western" white dress, and one suit.
In the van on the way back to the hotel I tried with all my might to keep Caitlin from falling asleep so as not to mess up her nap, but she just could not keep her eyes open. Paul took this picture before I finally gave in and let her sleep.
After naps, we caught a cab with Samantha's family back to the island to do some shopping. We bought a bunch of stuff for Caitlin, including a traditional silk dress (pink, of course!), which she will wear tomorrow for the Red Couch photos. Then we ate dinner at the White Swan Hotel (where Caitlin and Samantha again enjoyed antagonizing each other, stealing each other's Puffs, throwing napkins on the floor, etc. They had a blast!) before heading back to our hotel. It was a late evening and Caitlin was wide awake and acting silly as can be! It was cute, but I didn't get her to sleep until almost 10 PM. I really hope she sleeps late or she's going to be one tired and cranky little girl tomorrow!
Tomorrow we have our Consulate Appointment when Caitlin will be sworn in as an American citizen. I've heard it's pretty anticlimactic, but I still think it's cool!
2 comments:
Don't forget the squeaky shoes and tea sets! Blessings.
Sounds like Caitlin is really starting to adjust! I am so glad that you connected with another family and that you are venturing all over the place! Enjoy these last few days as they are priceless!
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