Lions and tigers and… girls

Today was a field trip to the Harbin Tiger Zoo. This complex houses over 300 Siberian tigers, White tigers, and lions. We took a bus through the main complex and then walked around some of the other pens. As you can see from some of the pictures, it was pretty cool. I was sitting in the back corner and my window opened. The windows were a bit dirty and so a few times I opened the window go get a cleaner shot. However, I quickly was scolded by our guide, the driver, and my wife to keep the window shut. I mean, I could have reached out and scratched some of these tiger’s ears they came that close. On one of the stops a tiger jumped up and put his front paws right on my window, his face was literally 2 inches from mine. So, I guess I was glad I had the window shut at that point.

We had lunch at a “country” restaurant. In the middle of the table was a big pot. Sara and I went out to the lobby with a fish pond. One fish was belly up but still kicking. Anyway, we picked out a fish and went back to the table. About 2 minutes later the staff brought out a bowl filled with peppers, onions, and the fish hacked into about 8 pieces. They built a fire under the bowl and boiled the stuff for a while. We added carrots, cabbage, and some mushrooms and dug in! The fish was ok but the vegetables were great. As the stew boiled down it got spicier and spicier. Towards the end we started eating the broth, which was really tasty. Sara and Megan aren’t the most adventuresome when it comes to food, but they both tried just about everything and ate quite a bit of several of the items. I think 3 weeks ago Megan would have told you “no way” would she try something like this, but I think she really enjoyed the experience. It just reaffirms for me how important traveling and experiencing other people’s cultures and lifestyles is… even a simple thing like a meal at a country restaurant may be able to help us understand another viewpoint or perspective later in life.

Carli continues to do amazingly well… she is a very cheerful and well-adjusted girl. Of course, we kiss her a lot when we are holding her on the bus or wherever. Today, however, we all got a return kiss! I was holding her in the room checking email or something and gave her a few kisses. All of a sudden she leaned up and gave me a kiss! I was so overjoyed… she then got down, went over and gave mom a kiss, and then Jenna! Jenna wasn’t quite as impressed as Amanda and I, but it was pretty cool.

Speaking of Jenna, she is doing ok but definitely having to deal with some internal conflicts. She already was a bit of a jealous child and is having those same struggles with Carli, but more pronounced. She also is imitating Carli… for instance, Carli will ask for a drink or food sometimes by just opening her mouth. Of course, we give it to her and tell her the words for it (and sign, if we know it – she knows “more” already!). Well, Jenna sees that and does the same, which isn’t acceptable since we’ve been working with Jenna the last month or so on asking for things politely. However, it is a bit confusing for Jenna and a bit hard for Amanda and I to figure out the best way to handle these situations.

The funny thing is we brought Jenna on this trip for several reasons – so we could have a special time for us to bond with her; so she could form a bond with Carli early on, before coming home to the boys; and so Carli had someone to help her with the transition and make another bond with. However, I can add another one to that list. I think this is a really good time for us to start working out some of the issues Jenna will have with her new sister coming into the family and how that affects all our dynamics. It isn’t something I anticipated and it makes this trip a bit harder, but I know it will be worth it when we return home and I am very glad Jenna is here with us.

These tiger pictures are for Connor, Andrew, and Kiera. We miss you and love you!!!