lundi 25 juin 2007

Nous célébrons 2 mois de vie commune!!! Two months together



Ma petite chérie, en cette journée de la St-Jean Baptiste, la Fête Nationale des Québécois, je souhaite t`offrir comme cadeau de nos deux mois passés ensemble ce texte (tellement touchant et profond qu`il me donne des frissons chaque fois que je le relis) que ton parrain Jean-Philippe a lu lors de ton Baptême…

Je pense souvent à ta maman qui a dû t`abandonner contre son gré; je suis certaine qu`elle pense à toi continuellement...

Il était une fois deux femmes
Qui ne s`étaient jamais rencontrées,
L`une dont tu ne te souviens plus
L`autre que tu appelles maman.

Deux vies différentes
Dans l`accomplissement d`une seule;
La tienne.

L`une fût ta bonne étoile,
L`autre est ton soleil.

La première te donna la vie,
La seconde t`appris comment la vivre.

La première créa la besoin d`amour,
La seconde était là pour le combler.

L`une te donna des racines,
L`autre t`offrit un nom.

L`une te procura la graine du talent,
L`autre te proposa un but.

L`une créa l`émotion,
L`autre calma tes angoisses.

L`une reçut le premier sourire,
L`autre sécha tes larmes.

L`une t`offrit en adoption
C`est tout ce qu`elle pouvait t`offrir.

L`autre pria pour avoir un enfant
Et Dieu la mena vers toi.

Et maintenant quand en pleurant
Tu me poses l`éternelle question :
« De qui suis-je le fruit, génération ou édcucation? »

Ni de l`une, ni de l`autre, mon enfant,
Tout simplement
De deux formes différentes de l`amour

lundi 18 juin 2007

Do I miss work? Vous pensez que le boulot me manque?


My answer is NO. Not to say that I do not love my job but, I am so so so very happy at home with my daughter, my parents and Xin Fa`s great grand-mother of 95 years old. I have chosen to adopt and to take care of my daughter and not to have other people raising her. I live each minute with a passion and zest for life. I spend a lot of time playing with her. I read in a parenting book that children`s way to communicate with us is through their plays.

The transition has not been easy, not that I had regrets but I had to adopt to a total new life.

(( I remember seeing a young business lady with her computer in the elevator in China a few days after I had received Charlotte. This used to be me for years, traveling world wide and always carrying this "machine" with me. I can tell you that I looked at her and told myself: this used to be me - now I have a little girl to take care of and I thank God I finally got her in my life... I`d rather hld Xin Fa than a computer!!!))

I am not in charge of my schedule anymore, Xin Fa "controls my life" and its OK!!! I now count my days not by the number of meetings I attend and/or memos I can draft but by the number of bottles she drinks, little naps and hours sleep she makes and... of course, lets not forget the smelly diapers I can change!!! See, it all comes into a package...

This is Marilou - my cousin. Je vous présente Marilou, ma cousine



My sister Sophie adopted a little Chinese 2 years ago. Marilou is now turning 4. Although we had prepared her to the arrival of Charlotte, her new little cousin and she seemed eager and excited to meet her, the "close encounter" was something else!!! Marilou shied away from Xin Fa - she seemed "stunned" but it was also easy to understand since we woke her up at 1h00 in the morning when we arrived from the airport!!!

Marilou did not seem to know what to do with her little cousin although she kept saying that she cared for Xin Fa!!! We did not push her and just waited for Marilou to go towards Xin Fa. On the 4th family gatherings we had, Marilou brought a toy to Xin Fa. We knew that the bound had been created.

Now, family visits are filled with beautiful moments as these now whereas Marilou takes care of Xin Fa. She is now feeding her and does it very well. As far as Xin Fa is concerned, she gets overjoyed when she sees Marilou entering the house. Today, she crawled towards the door and banged her feet on the floor while yelling her happiness!!!

The orphenage in Xiajiang - Son orphelinat à Xiajiang


Prior to going to China, I sent a disposal camera to the orphanage hoping to catch a glimpse of what Xin Fa`s life was like prior to be "reunited" with me. I obtained a few pictures but nothing much to give me a precise idea on her life in these walls. I am posting her little wooden bed. I also have a picture of her Nanny, most likely the young woman was the one who took care of her and other little girls during the day time. When I compare the before and the now, I realise how much she has blossomed in the past two months (almost) we have been together. Children thrive on love, attention, security and food. That`s the recipe. Simple no?

I LOVE YOU - JE T`AIME


As this famous 80s song is playing on the radio in the car, I catch a glimpse of my dancing daughter in her car seat. Xinfa enjoys the rhythm and swings her 19 pounds back and forth with a smile to melt any iceberg left in the Antartic. This is life, this is it!!! I am suddenly utterly happy. As if she understands... maybe she does after all?

lundi 11 juin 2007

The Forbidden city compares to Versailles and the White House




Nous avons eu la bonne idée de visiter la Cité Interdite la journée la plus "achalandée" de l`année. En effet, le 1er mai est le début d`une semaine de congé pour les 1 milliard 300 millions de Chinois, 300,000 d`entre eux se sont joint à nous pour la visite de ce majestueux Musée. Ampoules aux pieds assurées nous vous le garantissons!!!

A bit of history...

The Forbidden City, also named Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia.

The palace, the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Building in 1987. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the construction took 14 years from 1406 to 1420.

In the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was the imperial palace. 24 emperors ascended the throne and exercised their power to the nation.

The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. There are four gates in each side, with Meridian Gate (Wu Men) as the main entrance.

The palace has two primary parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. Some halls are converted into art galleries to exhibit paintings, clocks, bronze wares, pottery and other invaluable treasures.

It is said that there are over 1,000,000 articles in this museum that account for one-sixth of such national treasures.

dimanche 10 juin 2007

The Majestic Great Wall - Qu`elle est impressionnante la Grande Muraille



















An outing at the Great Wall of China

XinFa, grand-père Jacot et moi avons eu la chance de monter quelques marches de la Grande Muraille à la section nommée Badaling. La petite a dormie presque durant toute la visite, nous devrons donc y retourner un jour!!!

One of the greatest wonders of the world, it was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987.

Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 6,700 km (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China.


With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the section of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared.

History of the wall: The Great Wall was originally built as a defensive fortification by the three states: Yan, Zhao and Qin. The Great Wall went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties. In fact, it began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the "Great" wall until the Qin Dynasty.

Emperor Qin Shihuang succeeded in his effort to have the walls joined together to fend off the invasions from the Huns in the north after the unification of China. Since then, the Great Wall has served as a monument of the Chinese nation throughout history.

Construction of the wall: The construction drew heavily on the local resources for construction materials. A great army of man power, composed of soldiers, prisoners, and local people, built the wall.

Sections of the wall: It starts from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west traversing provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu.

Oh my DEER! Ciel, un chevreuil sur l`autoroute


This week end, returning from Xinfa`s first BBQ at Maryse and Alain in Ottoburn Park, I was driving on the busiest highway (autoroute 20 as it is known in Québec). Suddenly, a huge “papa deer” suddenly showed up on the front of my car.

I suppose he was crossing the lanes to meet his girl friend located on the other side. Due to his sudden appearance, I hit him with the front (he could have rang the bell no?) of the car.

For a few seconds/minutes, until I could pull over and check if Xinfa was OK, I almost died of fear… I have been through civil wars, bullets, mortars, bombs you name it, but this was the worst moment of my life thinking that my daughter may have been seriously injured or was killed.

Luckily Xin Fa did not feel anything and was not injured (she was sleeping in her baby seat). As far as the deer is concerned, looking at the serious damages in front of the car and the door, I assume that he died on the spot. Sorry papa deer…

Deers have become a real nuisance in the past years in Québec... hence, if you are in Québec, beware of the deers!!!!!!!!



2006 was the year of the DOG 狗

2006 was the year of the Dog

or more specifically, the year of the “Fire Dog” in Chinese Astrology

If you were born on the following years (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006 like my daughter XinFa) this may be of interest to you!!!

Fire dog – the meaning in the Chinese Tradition

§ Fire is one of the five elements. It is associated with the planet Mars, summer and the south, and the colour red. It is believed to govern the heart.

§ Fire is also associated with the qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence, and with restlessness and a sense of peacefulness.

§ In the conquest cycle, fire overcomes metal, and in turn is overcome by water. In the birth and nurturing cycle, fire burns to earth, and is sparked by wood.



Characteristics:



Fire Dogs are natural leaders. Fire Dogs are popular, charismatic people, always surrounded by a group of admirers. Not only admired for their vibrant personalities, these Dogs also possess a sexual attractiveness that makes them irresistible. These people are adventurous and vivacious, yet, honest and openhearted. However, because they are so active, they are generally not the settle down type.



DOG INFANT AND CHILD

§

Dog children are creative, able to entertain themselves for hours on end. They don’t mind playing by themselves, often inventing games and puzzles while doing so.

§ They are responsible children who love to take on and complete as many tasks as possible for it gives them a sense of accomplishment.



DOG PARENT/CHILD KINSHIPS

§ Some parents immediately click with their children while others find they will never have a close relationship no matter how hard they try to make it happen. Following are compatibility ratings between Dog parents and their children.

§ Being a Rabbit myself, the Chinese say that between us there should be “Contentment”… to watch and follow closely!!!



WHEN THE EAST MEETS THE WEST

Since she was born on 29th April this also makes her

Taurus in “Western astrology”

These Dogs are more conventional in how they view the world. They are heroic community leaders and concerned neighbours. They are stable and resilient in their search for truth and justice.