June 2004

My Real Cool Ear-Poping Trip to China

In June 2004, Jessica (9 ) of Kitchener travelled with her sister, Rebecca (7) and her parents, Colin Ellard & Karen Cameron to Nanchang. There she met her new sister Mei Ling.  We asked Jessica tell us about her trip.

On the long airplane ride to China  I met Holly, who was 4 years old, and we really liked each other. Holly was also going  to  get  a  new sister  in  China.  When  we arrived in Shanghai we went to a really loud Chinese restaurant. The next morning, we went to the street market and I saw a cricket in a cage for good luck. When we got back to the hotel we packed, went to the airport and flew to Nanchang. After we dropped off our stuff at the hotel we got on the bus and went to get my new sister Mei Ling. At the adoption centre we got Mei and she screamed so much.

I  thought  my  ear-drums would pop. The next day, we woke up at 5 A.M. Mei was confused and she cried. It was my first birthday in China and I got a red jewellery box from Yulin and a wooden decoration from a storekeeper. Our friends, Peter and Anita bought me a fan and I bought myself a wallet. The next day at 8 am I went across the street and bought a red dress with gold flowers. After that, we went to the Tengwang Pavilion where you have to climb 89 steps just to get to the front door. The next day, we got on the bus and drove for 2 hours to get to the orphanage in Fuzhou. We saw all the kids living at the orphanage and it made me feel sad that they didn’t have families. Then we went to a hotel for lunch. The next day, we went to a Buddhist temple and saw the monks. When we got back we got on a plane and went to Beijing. The next day we went to the zoo and saw pandas and monkeys. After that we went to the Summer Palace. There was a huge lake that they dug. The next day we went to a clinic for Mei’s first checkup. After that was done we went to Silk Alley and I bought my best friend a purse. The next day we went to the Silk Market. They showed us how to spin silk. After, we went to the Pearl Market and I saw lots of pearls. The next day we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They were both really big. The next day was the boring trip home. China was fun but it was nice to be home.

Jessica Ellard

CANADIAN MAN SEEKING CHINESE GIRLS!

There has been a noticeable space on the back of my shoulder for many years just waiting for inspiration. Waiting for something really special and meaningful. Many ideas have come and gone, but they never seemed quite right. One day on a back street in Nanchang, holding my new daughter Grace, surrounded by throngs of people and the aroma of freshly steamed buns, the inspiration came. Chinese characters, Courage and Love, etched into that space beside the red-tailed hawk and the Celtic cloud.

I had always liked the look of Chinese writing, so mysterious and exotic. Yet, a Chinese tattoo done in Canada on an Irish-man, never seemed authentic, a bit too trendy. But here, in the middle of Jiangzi province, what could be more appropriate?

Our guide Sally asked around and located a place that did tattoos and she took me there. It wasn’t really a tattoo parlour. It was a plastic surgery clinic that did a little tattoo moonlighting on the side. Sally insisted on haggling even though I assured her I didn’t necessarily want the cheapest deal. Just as a price was agreed to and an appointment set, a reporter from the Chinese Evening News approached us. She was writing an article on foreign adoptions and wondered if she could interview me. Sally acted as the go-between. I’ve always wondered if translations are accurate and now I know they sometimes are not. The headline the next day was a real attention grabber, “CANADIAN MAN SEEKING CHINESE GIRLS”, but  the rest of the story was quite close to what I told her.

As it turned out, I never got the tattoo in Nanchang. The nurses, all five of them, couldn’t get the tattoo design stencil to stick on my back. They called in other nurses, all rubbing my back and staring at my “muscular” torso. I think they dragged people in off the street to gawk. Sally had told me that in China only gangsters get tattoos. I left before Jackie Chan showed up.

One week later, in Beijing, my guide Daisy agreed to help me try one more time. She knew a place on the “bar street” and off we went by taxi. Once again, a little haggling took place, and Daisy made sure the characters really did say “Courage” and “Love” and not “KICK ME”. How would I know?

But the job was done in a most professional way, relatively  pain free, and he even touched up the hawk and the cloud. Thanks for your help Daisy, it looks great!

The pearls are nice, the silk scarves are smooth to the touch and the photos are neatly placed in the albums. These are beautiful souvenirs of a wonderful experience, but all Lucy and I need is Grace, our courage and love.

Brian Cumming

June 2004

 The Newspaper Article in the Chinese Evening News

The Newspaper Article Translated