Changsha Countryside

I have lost track of the dates. I only found out today that it is Saturday. Now whether it is the 14 or 15 of September I don't know for sure. I think it is the 14th. I would bring a calendar next time. I do know that tomorrow is the celebration of the Moon Festival. We will celebrate it as a group with Moon Cake and a party. The Chinese Moon Festival, sometimes called the Mid-Autumn Festival, happens on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The festival dates back to the Tang dynasty 618 A.D. and celebrates the biggest and brightest full moon of the year, the harvest moon. I will write more about the Moon Festival celebration after we celebrate it.

Today we went to the Changsha Countryside. It was very beautiful and reminded me of southeast Virginia and some parts of Tennessee. Our guide Daphne said that the people had never seen foreigners before. They would stop what they were doing and become fascinated by us. They were happy people. If you nod your head, grin, or say Ni Hao (did I spell that right?) to them they would light up and say hello back.

Such friendly people everywhere we go; not to knock us independent Americans, but we could learn a thing or two about loving our neighbor and having acceptance for one another from the Chinese people. We visited a family farm house. They live humbly, but with joy. The work is hard for them, but has its rewards. Their homes do not compare with the opulence of ours. We are sultans by comparison and yet at home we struggle to make ends just as they do. We are alike just on different scales of wealth. We struggle by choice, they don't have a choice.

We then went into a village which reminded me of a cross between a country fair and flea market. Skinned meat carcass hanging on standing racks everywhere. You could almost guess what the animal use to be, if you get my meaning. The butcher would razor off whatever piece the locals wanted to take with them. The shops are nothing like home, its an experience trust me.

Then next place we saw was a town, larger than the village but not like our towns back home. Here we saw skinned frogs and other animal carcass. They had more to offer the locals, even very beautiful wooden furniture. Some of the carved beds were gorgeous, if only we could get one sent back home. The prices are fantastic. Oh well look and dream, I guess. We were all fascinated.

And I'm sure you're wondering how our little miss is doing. Karen is doing well with us, especially during the daytime. The night is another topic. I dread 6:00pm because I know from experience that at that time she will begin screaming inconsolably. She will scream for 30 minutes to 1 hour for no reason we can discover. She's not hungry, wet, bored or sleepy. She sometimes cries until making herself sick. After the hour of what I'm calling the scream-fest, she stops as if it never happened. She can turn it off on a beat. I never saw anything like this with Bryan when he was little. He cried and sometimes screamed tantrums (when he was older than Karen is now) but never like clockwork and for no reason (I mean apparent reason, of course she has a reason we just don't know what it is at this time). She has the most beautiful little face I have ever seen; such an expressive face.


Also if you have been reading my posts you may want to go back and take a look at each one again. Sometimes I can get more pictures to go onto the log and will add them in later.

Enjoy the day
Jenny