Repost - Travel Ramblings No. 1, Part 2

The rest of that first day in Nanchang is a blur, memories fading into one another. It was decided we would walk to pick up our babies from the government office, a 15 or 20 minute stroll skirting grimy bike shops, choking traffic and clogged sidewalks. We were quite the sight during our Great Leap Forward, a dozen or so Canadian couples walking in a row, picking our way through the congestion. We got more than a few gawks, but the reception was more one of bemusement than hostility. Speaking for myself, by the time we arrived at our destination on the 26th floor of the office complex, I was numb. Soon it was our turn to receive our daughter. Joy, camera flashes and screams filled the room.



First photo we have of Rae and Bryn



Girard gets a turn, and Bryn doesn't scream



The walk that produced the gawks



Was this really happening to me, I thought? Is the old me having a nap on the couch, sun in my face and dog on my lap, dreaming about becoming a dad? Truth be told, that "is it really happening to me" feeling still lingers, four weeks after the fact. So do the bittersweet memories of Nanchang, a city that did not make a good first impression. But the longer we stayed, the more we got to like the people — the courteous servers at our hotel restaurant who had to pick up after us and our kids, the gracious and smiling staff at restaurants, the families we met strolling through an amusement park, the friendly workers at Wal-Mart trying to understand my pleas to find the beer aisle and the laughs each of us had when we couldn't communicate. These are people who seem to enjoy their work, cherish their families, love their kids. Funny, then, that as glad as we were to leave Nanchang on Feb. 9 and be closer to home, we were sad that no one was there to say goodbye to our little Bryn when she left her homeland on the laps of strangers.



Little Miss Bryn in our Nanchang hotel room