Not only was it sunny in Changsha today, but it was actually clear as well! Months before we'd ever left on our journey, we had looked Changsha up on Google Earth and seen that it was in a mountainous area. Well, there was no proof of that in our previous days here. Imagine our surprise when we looked out on the horizon and see real-life mountains... in all directions. It was shocking!
Today, Shinko took us (via taxi) to the Changsha Museum. While there is some interesting artwork there, the centerpiece of the museum is a 2,100-year-old mummy. We borrowed a stroller from the hotel and put it to good use. It didn't start out well since Cassidy was not having the separation, but Mama walked hunched over beside her just long enough to see her fall asleep. Of course, they didn't make it easy to get a stroller to the museum as no ramps were provided to circumvent the 50 or so steps. The art area was pretty intimidating because they had a staff member posted at every painting in addition to policemen. They made it abundantly clear that no pictures were to be taken in the art exhibition rooms. Before we could even enter the building, we had to dump out our water... even Cassidy's. The mummy was pretty cool in a gross sort of way... not like any mummy I'd ever seen before.
People were a lot nicer on this outing. We still had to endure some people openly and obviously talking about Cassidy (and us), but we also had one man gives us a thumbs-up sign and another couple of people actually acknowledge us and attempt to ask about her condition. If they would all do that - Americans included (once we get stateside) - it would be so much nicer. I can tell I'm going to have a problem not getting rubbed the wrong way back home... but admitting you have a problem (or they have a problem) is the first step to conquering it. Right?
Life with Cassidy has gotten incrementally better and worse. She's feeling more comfortable, so she's definitely showing us more of her personality. She likes to roughhouse, and she's prone to wanting to take it too far. It's hard to put the brakes on her since this is one of the few ways I have to bond with her. I have that, playing with toys, walking her in the hallway with Mama, and Cheerios. I'm officially numb to her wailing every time Shari leaves the room. I'm not insensitive to it, but it definitely doesn't strike me to the core of my being anymore. It's no longer heartbreaking. She cries up to the second Shari takes her, and then she is able to stop the waterworks almost immediately. Judging by the tears and snot, I know she's crying, but...
So we cruised the hallways multiple times, had KFC for lunch, ate ramen noodles for dinner, and we now look forward to traveling to Guangzhou tomorrow.
1 comment:
wow mountains and a view! You took a picture anyway?! Cool!! Is that the cool mummy? He looks like he has his mouth open. You think he met Jesus? No wrong time line. How did you do that with staff and policeman?
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