Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Going Shopping

I know I promised Jacquie could have the next crack at updating the blog, but I had to add this little bit. We went to Ever Green Park yesterday afternoon after lunch for a walk. Our little girl was tired of being cooped up and we don't blame her; she had a meltdown during lunch when I said it was time to stop playing with her coconut milk (very fresh, right off the tree) and start eating. (She did eventually forgive me for committing the cardinal sin of parenting - saying "no" - but it took a while.) She never did quite get to her lunch, but we took it back to our room and she devoured it for dinner.

After the park, we went to a department store a few doors down from our hotel to get Xiao-Ling some shoes. She actually does have shoes that she got from the foster care center, but we got her a pair of pink Disney sneakers and a pair of slightly more formal shoes for wearing around town.

The store was quite different from one in America - for starters, I have never been in a Sears where the kids' section overlaps with the lingerie section. We first saw the Barbie shelf amid racks of dainties, so our first reaction was to wonder just what kind of Barbie accessories they were selling here. After that got straightened out, it ended up being pretty amusing but still odd to see children's clothes and toys only a few feet away from a big poster of a woman modeling a bra and panties.

Another big difference is that when you buy something, you don't take items off the shelf and take them to a register to pay for them. Rather, after you pick the items you want, you get a slip which you take to a cashier. After you pay, the cashier stamps the slip, which you then take back to the department and retrieve your items.

The store also has a grocery section on the ground floor, so we picked up a few easy-make noodle soups for Xiao-Ling and a packet of powdered hot coconut drink for me. It's pretty good - we all had some and I definitely have to look for it when we get back to the States.

Today, we're going back to the Ministry to finalize the adoption. More to come!

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