From Both Sides of the Globe

The technological challenges we've had here in China have been nothing but that - challenging. I do believe it's all working out for the best (especially the fact that I don't have a Blackberry with access to the "outside" world), but when you're trying to make blog posts, and more importantly talk to your family back home, it can be rather exasperating. However, after several frustrating attempts to talk to Barret, Austin and Meagan by voice-over-internet, we finally got through with a one-way "conversation" from Barret to us who let us know that Willow got really sick last night and spiked a fever of 103 degrees. Meagan took her to the pediatrician and it turns out she has ear infections and one drum may have burst. Poor little thing. I guess the prescribed medications are doing their magic and she's feeling much better now, but I remember those nasty earaches (I used to get them frequently), and they're (as we like to say between us older ones in the Kruggel household), "H - E - Double toothpicks".

I guess Austin, Meagan, Barret, Poppy and Willow all headed down to San Luis Obispo for the weekend, so we're delighted they could get away. Annie's hosting (or hosted) a birthday party for her boyfriend, Brian, and she'll see her other siblings over the weekend. We're also very delighted about this.

We were told by Annie (via phonecard today) the little girls gave Meagan quite a fright last night because she got up from bed and went to go check on them in their room only to realize they were not there. Her mind started to race and all sorts of terrible things began to run through it (as you might imagine), but she finally found them lying in bed with their brother, Barret, sleeping in his room. Our hearts broke for Meagan, but it turned out with a good ending, especially the visual we have in our mind of those sweet little things snuggled up to (who they affectionately refer to as) "Brother".

Well, that's the latest back home, and for us on the other side of the world? Why we just had a fantastic day. The trip down the Li River out of Guilin was spectacular. It was a little overcast at times, with drizzle coming and going (the guides said the gods were weeping), but that didn't dampen our spirits. In fact, we're told it's preferred in these parts to have this kind of weather over what we Americans typically like, sunny with clear, blue skies. That's one of many paradigm shifts we experience when we travel to China - beauty is everywhere, it's just a matter of what lens you view it through in order to see it vividly. We're certain Xiao Qian (pronounced, "Zschow Chee-in", as a friend from church was recently asking through facebook) had never seen anything like it before (nor had we for that matter) and she really seemed to enjoy herself. She kept saying, "Beautiful, beautiful" in Mandarin (won't try to spell it out in Pinyin here), and she took a gazillion pictures after I just handed my camera over to her (after a brief one minute instruction lesson - she learns very quickly).

We then ventured through some very non-traditional areas not typically traveled by westerners, and then went to some other areas frequently traveled by westerners. We had a ball, and Xiao Qian connected with everyone so well, especially our native speaking friends from Guilin and Beijing. One tender moment came today when she ran off with one of them to an outdoor shopping area and picked out a silver bracelet for her MaMa that she wanted to buy with her own money (Victoria had been talking about wanting to purchase one for the last couple of  days. We understand the orphanages give them a few Yuan - Chinese currency - every month to spend as they please. It's not much.) She wasn't sure if we, as her parents, would permit her to spend any money, but our friend told her it would probably be "O. K." (which it was). After some successful interchange with the street vendor, she meekly, but proudly gave it to Victoria. That was a cherished moment in the day, and yet another milestone I'm sure we'll remember for a long time to come.

Here's another interesting moment to share with all of you.  As you can imagine, Xiao Qian's getting an awful lot of attention around here, not just by us, but especially by our friends who speak her language. She's so gregarious and at ease with people, even adults, that you almost forget sometimes that you're hanging around with a thirteen year old. Well I guess at some point in the evening tonight, after dinner and while we were walking around the lake, she made some kind of jesting, but disrespectful-to-adults comment (perhaps the third time today), that caused my friends to warn her that if she said it again they would take one of her trinkets away that she also purchased with her own money. (This might be one of the first boundaries put on her in a long while, and we appreciated them doing this for us because how in the world are we to know what she's saying?) Well, sure enough she slipped again and let out that word, and our friends told her to had over the trinket. I don't think she really thought they'd do it, but they did (we asked them to follow through), and it sort of humbled her there for awhile. This was a good thing, and we're grateful that our friends love us enough as family to do what those in family communities ought to do - look out for one another.  Xiao Qian is fine, and better for it we're sure.

Xiao Qian did mention to our friends today that she's a little frightened to move to the United States, fearful that she'll be all alone and behind in school. They explained to her that it's natural to feel this way, and that knowing us as they do (we, the parents and the Kruggel family), all will be fine. We know all will be fine, indeed, but not because of us, but rather because of God. As such, she'll need tons of care, affection, love, prayer, and understanding. We cannot let what looks strong on the outside mask what's needed on the inside.

Tomorrow we spend another day in Guilin, and we are hoping and praying for more intimate conversations that will draw all of us closer to one another and also break down walls of fear that might not have many more chances for demolition after we leave the country.

Wan an (Good-Night),