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Our day in Fuzhou
November 27, 2005
We left this morning on the two hour bus trip to Fuzhou, the city where Lyndsay came from. It was a very rural area with lots rice paddies, farms and water buffalo.  We didn't get to see any rice crops this time of year, as they have already been harvested, some fields still contained pyramid shaped bales of straw, from the harvests. These are dried and used for burning, like wood.  They don't waste anything from the looks of it. Along the sides of the road you could see people raking rice that was laid out to dry on mats.  It's a very quaint area, with many concrete type buildings that look as though they've been through a war, but are still inhabited by families.   As we neared the city we hit a major traffic jam, and were delayed a good while, we didn't mind the wait as this trip was one of the most important to us for the rest of our time in China.  We were looking for the place where Lyndsay was left and then found by a caring shop owner.  We felt that this information was vital to her history and will be treasured by her later in life as she understands more about her past.  We had hopes to meet the person who was so kind to take Lyndsay, then one day old, to the orphanage for care.   That same day she was taken to the foster mother, where she remained until we came to get her.
We learned as we traveled to Fuzhou that the shop where she was left, was a print and copy shop in a downtown area of Fuzhou.   Fuzhou being a very rural area has a great deal of pressure with the one child policy, since Chinese parents benefit greatly from the additon of a son to their homes.  Their son will grow to help man the farm and later care for his parents in their old age.  A daughter will later marry and move away to support and care for her husband's family. For this reason a large number of girls are abandoned in this region.  I know that I am biased, but for some time as I followed others journeys to their daughters, I was always drawn to the beauty of the children from the Fuzhou and Jiangxi area.   I have since learned that these women are noted for their elegance and are often where the Chinese model/actresses come from.  I knew Lyndsay would be beautiful, since we had been believing that from day one, but looking at our whole group from this region confirms that they truly  do have an unusually attractive quality to them that sets them apart from others.
We hired a "cabdriver" a man on a motorcylce, who was our navigator, he helped us find the different locations where the children had been found.  The first place we visited was the place were Lyndsay and one other baby, Darrah, had been found.  We were able to take photos and James asked if the owner who found them was in at the time, she was not, so we were unable to speak with her to thank her.  We had wanted to ask her to write something down for Lyndsay to keep for her lifebook that would be something she could treasure forever and remember this lady's kindness, but finding the location was a real blessing and we are grateful we could go.  We did photos the remainder of the day of the various countryside, so quaint, definately not prosperous....but the people seemed happy. They obviously make the most of what they have, a lesson we could benefit from in the US. .  James said an average farmer is allowed a two acre lot in which to plant, what a difference from back home. Really makes you appreciate what we as Americans have, and many of us take it for granted.  Bogen (our spoiled rotten Golden Retriever for those who don't know) would be in for a rude awakening if he saw how the dogs live in this area.  We saw so many strays, most were skin and bone running the streets trying to find the next meal, many obviously had pups somewhere to feed as well...and he thinks he's got it hard if his dinner is an hour late!

Pizza Hut was the meal of choice for tonight, as predicted by Bane, Lyndsay loves pizza!
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