Recreation Here on Shamian Island

Dong En seems to be feeling much better. Yesterday was nonetheless an emotional day for us, and Benjamin was, at times, frustrated and needy. I think it was hard for him to internalize what was going on, all while coping with the intense attention we sometimes need to give Dong En, the big change in the family, and the rigors of traveling and living in a small room. His reactions, however, are really nothing in the scope of things. He has been handling this whole experience amazingly well!!! We are truly blessed to have him as our son. Now, with Dong En, we are twice blessed.

In response to the emotional rigor of the day, we took an afternoon walk to the park with the play and exercise equipment. The broader park is in the median of a boulevard and goes on for several blocks (one of which contains the "playground"). When we got the park, Benjamin asked why there were so many people. Indeed, while not packed, there were people all over, walking, sitting, talking, and many playing badminton (or some version thereof) without nets. The "playground," too, was far more crowded than the previous day we had come. Yesterday was a Sunday. We also explained to Benjamin that there are just far more people in China than in the U.S., so there are lots more people to use the park. We ought to have added that in the large cities, apparently only a minuscule percentage of people have a yard. Most people live in large or huge apartment complexes. In Guangzhou, most have rooftop gardens; but there are hundreds or thousands in each building. So the parks are really the only places to do outdoor activities.

Our hotel, the park, etc. are on a small islet — Shamian Island — bordered by the Pearl River on one side and man-made canals on the other three sides. (It was sectioned off for or by colonial foreigners — mainly if not all English — over one hundred some years ago. Most buildings are, thus, English colonial style.) Relatively speaking, the island is much less densely-populated than the surrounding city. I can only imagine other parks are even more lively and crowded!

We had fun playing at the park, especially with Benjamin and Dong En's new bubble blowers we picked up for them at a nearby gift shop. They were extremely popular at the park. Benjamin and Dong En blew lots of bubbles and kids gathered round four to six at a time to try to catch pop or stomp on the bubbles. Almost all of their parents hovered and were very attentive, making sure the kids didn't get too wild, etc.

Both Benjamin and Dong En played on the slides (etc.) and had to try out a lot of the exercise equipment. They had a lot of fun and, just like at home, didn't really want to leave.