Day 9-10 Tianjin: Lantern Festival and Sick Day

We got on on Thursday morning and had our usual breakfast. The breakfast buffet in Tianjin is an interesting mix of Chinese and Western food. Micah's favorite seems to be rice cereal into which he puts bits of meat, dumplings, noodles, eggs, a packet of sugar (yes, really) and whatever he likes off of mama and baba's plate.



We then all piled into taxis and took a ride to Tianjin's Culture Street to see the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival marks the end of the two week New Year celebration. The entire street was packed with people. The two little blonde boys in our group attracted much attention, having a band of people with cameras following them down the street. Many wanted to take pictures of Micah with his American parents. We wandered down the street, stopping in various shops. We got Micah a multi-colored pinwheel and a punching ball from the street vendors. Of course every price is negotiable and we bargained in one shop by punching numbers into a calculator.

We went to a landmark Tianjin restaraunt for lunch. We ate their speciality -Gou-buli Baozi (steemed buns) along with many other dishes. Unfortunately lunch coincided with Micah's nap time and he slept through most of it.

After lunch Bruce, Micah and I went with Wendy to Food Street - large food court kinda thing with mostly food and candy places, but also various vendors in stalls. We found one stall offering shoes and Micah chose his very own shoes. He's shown some real attachment to the shoes he was wearing in foster care. He refused to take them off, sleeping in them at night. We were hoping that new showes would help, but he still sleeps in his new shoes.

We also found out that Micah loves Mahua another Tianjin specialty that I can best decscribe as a kind of fried dough twist. He ate one whole piece. They're not bad. I don't know if I can get them at home, so I bought ten to take with us.

Every day now ends the same way. Micah gets his bath, followed by watching Elmo on the computer and then fighting sleep until he can't keep his eyes open and then finally going to sleep by 9:00 or 10:00.

On Friday, I woke with a blinding migraine. Two rounds of migraine medicine later I was still in terrible pain. A visit from Wendy brought a phone number for the local Western hospital. The thought of having to go to the hospital in Tianjin was enough to tear me out of bed.