Goodbye Beautiful

I am sorry for all you who were following us and wondering how come suddenly we stopped blogging to no apparent reason.  Well, there was a good reason, and it just took me this long before I could come back here and post about it.
     On September 20, 2010 our daughter seemed to have gotten sick.  We stayed up with her all night, giving Tylenol and water in small doses.  By morning, she wasn't getting better so we took her to the emergency room.  On the morning of September 21, 2010, the first day of the mid-autumn festival  our daughter passed away 20 minutes after entering the ER.  The task of getting your child back to the United States after they have passed away while being in China is not something I'm yet ready to write about.
     After arriving back in the U.S. an autopsy revealed our sweet little Echo has died of a large "spontaneous acute diaphragmatic hernia".  We consulted lots of doctors and specialists about this here in the U.S. bringing translated medical records, x-rays, and autopsy reports.  The all said it was "odd" or "weird", that they had never seen something like it before (acute diaphragmatic hernias are usually caused by traumatic injury (like a car crash) or a undiagnosed congenital condition) none of which happened to her.  They also said that, had we stayed in the U.S.  the outcome would have most likely been the same.  It's not something you can really "catch" and there is not much you can do for them because it happens so fast.  From her first symptoms to the time she died was only 10 hours for us.  Anyway, we miss our little girl.  The Chinese people were incredibly supportive of us and very kind, but we needed to go home.  To heal.  To lay our little Echo to rest.  We love you Echo.

Happy Family

Tourism and Water Buffalo

I'm finally updating. Sorry for the long wait, things have been a bit hectic here, what with classes, illness, and the Chinese government's propensity to rearrange the weekends however they please. I will try to be more consistent in my posting from now on.
 Yesterday , on our way to the Sanxingdui museum, we discovered that the city here does not transition slowly from skyscrapers to countryside. There is no suburban buffer to separate the city folk from country life. So, as we came around a bend, past a line of gigantic skyrises, we found ourselves suddenly in the midst of rice paddies and melon farms. We could see families working the land by hand, their small homes just off the side of the freeway. Some live in dilapidated old houses whose enclosed courtyards and tile roofs evoked in my mind all of the stereotypes about classical Chinese architecture, though more often then not the tile roofs have been replaced with sheets of corrugated metal.  Other families live in ramshackle huts made primarily of trash and discarded construction materials. The visibility out there is much better than it is in the city, where the smog (or is it fog?) cuts your view off at about four blocks, and in the clear air skyrise apartments were still visible in the distance. What truly surprised me about these farms was how small they were. The land is divided into tiny wedges, few of which are any bigger than the hobby garden that Vanessa's father kept back in Kansas.  I was told that these farms used to be bigger, but that the expanding city was squeezing the nearby farmers together into smaller and smaller plots of land.  Just as suddenly as we had left the city, we were back in it again. Buildings rose in the distance and it became apparent that what we had experienced was a small bubble of countryside surrounded by urban sprawl. I desperately wanted to get a video of it, but the camera refused to turn on.

The museum itself was fantastic, though my class set a pace through it that barely allowed for enough time to take a look at everything, and I also feel that the 200 times life size reproductions of certain artifacts are a bit misleading. The museum is a showcase for the archaeological discovery of an ancient city in the Sichuan basin. The collection consists mostly of a large number of bronze pieces and jade ceremonial objects.   I think that I can best share the museum through photographs, so, here you go.

also, on the way home, we saw several water buffalo, strolling about casually or standing in the muck by the river.

Walls

Hey everyone, sorry I've been out of touch.  I haven't been online much because this site has "poor connectivity" in China (meaning that it's blocked by the Chinese government). Anyway, I'm currently sick as a dog, so I'm not up to posting anything substantial right now, but I promise that I will soon fill everyone in on whats been happening here. Here are some pictures of Echo to hold you guys over. -Dad

The First Day

Echo on the Air-plane

Today is our first day in China. It's somewhat strange, and I still don't really believe that we're here. Some initial impressions: the people are very friendly, the streets are stunningly filthy, and everyone loves Echo. In the Shanghai airport alone she had her picture taken at least sixteen times, was held by two total strangers, and was surrounded by a throng of admirers...she loves the attention. In |Shanghai we also met a very helpful young lady who had travelled with us from L.A. and was heading with us to Chengdu. She helped us to find our terminal, and then find it again when it was changed, and even went so far as to call the driver who would pick us up from the airport to tell them that our flight had been delayed. I was actually somewhat stunned by how far she went out of her way, without any prompting, to help us. I couldn't help but wonder if the Americans she met in L.A. would have treated her so kindly.

Shanghai Airport - Our first landing in China

We stayed in a hostel last night, and met Guo Wei this afternoon so that she could show us around town and move us into our apartment. The apartment is bigger than I had expected, but it's filthy. We can't even put echo on the floor for fear that she would gain a permanent patina from the thick film of er... scuzz coating the living room floor.  So, tomorrow, we buy a mop! -Dad

Goodbye Kansas

We leave for China in about three hours.  I'm going to miss our Kansas hills, and even our Kansas weather.  I didn't realize it until a few days ago, but these hills have become my home. Wherever I go, I feel that the flint hills will always be home to me.  I'm also going to miss most of you people.  If anyone would like to visit, we might be willing to put you up in our apartment for a few weeks.  You'll have to get your own Airline tickets though.  See you guys in a year.

Authentication, it's not as hard as you think!

Bringing your family to China on a student visa is not that hard as long as you
     1)Know what your doing
     2)Are willing to do a little leg work

We found out (at the last minute, after searching EVERYWHERE) that in order to have your family stay with you, on a student Visa, you need to get a residency permit.  Residency permits are received in China and in order to get them you have to have authenticated copies of the birth certificate/marriage license for each family member you are bringing with.  Authentication requires a little money, a little more legwork, and TIME.  In order to get something authenticated you first need to have the certified copy of the certificate from the vital statistics office (~$15).  Next you need to bring that copy to the secretary of states office (most likely located in your state capital) where two very nice women will notarize it, get the signature, the official seal, and staple it in the correct order, while warning you not to undue or mess with the finished product (~$7).

Example of Chinese Authentication Seal

After that you can take the non-tampered packet and mail it into the embassy along with the application, correct payment, and other documents. After the said time, it will be mailed back to you with an official seal from the Chinese embassy.  Remember, this all takes lots of time, so make sure to begin with time to spare.

Being a Parent

     As the time for us to leave gets closer I feel myself becoming increasingly more excited, but also more nervous as the prospect of raising Echo in China, even if it is for only nine months.  I've found that information is not necessarily scarce but buried among lots of articles. Specific questions are hard to find answers to.  I have found that although articles are great, the best way to get information is through blogs and networking with individuals that already live over there.  Program advisers can often get you in contact with people like that.  Some people also leave emails on their blogs so that you may contact them.  One of the most helpful people I've come into contact with was a lady who is in the same program as us, but has also lived in China the past year.  She is very helpful and we email back and forth.  The other person I got into contact with by commenting on their blog.  Both have been very helpful in answering questions about child-rearing in China. (Split-pants anyone?)

Edit: Yes, we did see these in Chengdu!  I think they are awesome!

      So, I'll continue to browse, and probably still get a heavy dose of culture shock.  But, I think I'm ready for it (Yikes!). -Mom