"Changsha" Spelled Backwards is "B-R-U-T-A-L"

Well today is the first rainy day we've had on the entire trip. Believe it or not, the rainy conditions decrease the visibility even more than normal. Not that rain has anything to do with the title of this post. To catch you up to the minute (roughly noon), everyone woke up at roughly 3:00 a.m., but Cassidy went back to sleep for maybe an hour. Cassidy actually slept on my chest for about 20 minutes this morning... because she was already unconscious when Mama covertly handed her over to me. Of course, once she realized whose chest she was laying on (which she did without actually looking at my face), she freaked out. On the good news side of things, you can forget what I wrote about her not being able to walk. Give the girl two fingers to hold on to - as long as one belongs to Mama - and she is off to the races. She actually will hold on to my finger and walk without shrieking. I enjoy those moments.



While I could be talking about how much Cassidy would still love for me to be back in the U.S., I'm actually talking more about the city in general. Perhaps it's the undeniable fact that our little girl gives people a little something extra to look at, but people here (outside of the hotel staff) have not been warm, hospitable, or kind in the least... unless kindness is the measure between what we've received and, say, a mugging. I don't know why people think that just because they speak another language that they should feel free to talk about you. It's been so obvious when people have stared at her and said whatever they've had to say. We were told to expect people to approach us - even "swarms" of people - interested in our young one. Well, we've had two people smile at us as they continued on their merry way, and one of those was a middle-aged man who seemed amused that I greeted him with "ni hao" as he stared at us. Everyone else has either acted like we don't exist, or they stare and make it clear they're talking about us. That's one aspect of the trip that has been really disappointing. I was really looking forward to getting back to the hospitality, friendliness, and courtesy, but it seems it's everywhere we aren't. Once again, the family from two mornings ago commented on how friendly and welcoming the people have been towards them. Maybe their comparison is a mugging... a North Dakota mugging.



We did get out this morning and went to an embroidery museum, and it was cool. Cassidy has decided that she hates the side sling we brought to lug her around, so she had to be walked around. Then she got sick of walking, so Mama had to carry her.



Echo, the social worker's trainer, told me that picture taking was prohibited, but I took some anyway. The first picture was taken before she told us that, and she acknowledged that no one else was there to stop us or say anything... so I took the rest. We also got to see embroidery works in process, and we found out that some of them can take as long as a full year to make. They actually use a computer to print the image on the parchment medium, and then they embroider over the top of it. Sometimes they do it from a blank slate. Like I said, it was cool... but not in an air-conditioned kind of way.

Today I'll be going back out to Wal-Mart or some other store to get more wipes, baby food, and a bib... and maybe some other things. I bought a strange-looking fruit yesterday that I have yet to cut into. It's a "dragon" something or other. All I know is it has "dragon" in the name, looks weird, and is supposed to be sweet and sour. We shall see how my $0.60 investment goes.

So what's brutal? The pollution, the lack of warmth and hospitality on the streets, the obvious and unfriendly stares... and the pollution. I've enjoyed the food, though... and the girl is definitely worth it. She has one of the best smiles ever!