Happy Easter Sunday in China

Happy Easter!!!!!!  We are thankful that we have a promise and hope due to Jesus' resurrection.  We are sad we are not at home to partake in our Easter church service, but we are thinking and celebrating in our hearts.  We both love Easter Sunday - the songs, the excitement.......it feels very different to not be a part of that.  However, we are still excited and celebrating in our own way.

Today we had our first breakfast at the hotel - it was AWESOME!  Waffles, bacon, eggs, tons of pastries/breads, etc., etc......it was delicious and very "American."  We had so much food to choose from - we haven't really needed lunch!

While at breakfast, we saw a lady from our agency with her daughter that we were introduced to the night before.  She was so friendly and offered to take us to the Chinese "Wal-Mart" down the street.  We met up with her and she showed us how to get there and gave us some tips on crossing the street (not an east task), how to negotiate at some of the shops, etc.  She also told me how her daughter's adoption day went, and it really calmed my nerves.  Her daughter is four and appears to have adjusted so well.  They are leaving this week.  The Wal-Mart experience was very interesting, to say the least.  It wasn't called Wal-Mart, but had the same Wal-Mart brands and some of the same advertising signs I have seen at home.  It was VERY crowded - packed with people and stuff.  Prices were very, very cheap (in American dollars).  Many of the brands we have at home are here - Frosted Flakes, Gatorade, etc.  It's odd to see them written in Chinese.  Many things do taste very different.  Jason was so excited to find his favorite, Mountain Dew, but it did not taste like Mountain Dew back at home.  The grocery section was, um, interesting.  I watched a person thumb through raw meat like you would flip through books in a bin.  The meat was not covered by anything.  We did not see any live animals (although I have heard others say that there are markets like that in smaller provinces), but we did see bins of fish, a pile of dead turtles, dried fish, dried chicken breasts (just out in the open), people netting through buckets of fish, etc.  I was shocked by the handling of the meat and the many, many parts of meat just out in the open without covering.  We tried taking pictures, but Hayley was stopped by a worker and told, "No, no." Hmmm.....

We bought some small balls for Jaxson to play with and some snacks that had been suggested.  We got large containers of bottled water, some juice boxes for Alexis/Jaxson and a few containers that we can save food in.  We bought tissues (mainly for if we are in public restrooms) and a rabbit plate/bowl set.  Alexis got a paint set, too.   Our total - not quite $15 (US money).  Things are very cheap here.

We took some more pictures of our awesome hotel.  The garden is part of the hotel.  It is breathtaking!

Off to take a nap - it's around 1:00 in the afternoon.  We all slept better last night, but we are a little tired.

Enjoy the pictures!  I would try to explain each picture, but it takes so long to upload them.  By the time they load, I'm just ready to add them! :-)