Donut time

Every morning I wake up and chat with Lisa online, who is just finishing her day. Then at night as I'm relaxing at home, we chat as she's getting up and getting started. It's a weird situation that makes me feel like the guy in the old Dunkin' Donuts commercial who meets himself coming in to make the donuts just as he's leaving.

We're working on getting photos from Lisa's computer to here, but it's proving to be difficult. The Chinese Internet seems to allow data to come in but not go out. I've used instant messenger to send her dozens of high-res pics of me sitting around the kitchen, but she can't send one tiny photo or Word document back.

We're also trying to strike a balance between sharing information and protecting privacy at Hope Foster Home. With that in mind, here's the latest report:

I am now in Jiaozuo and getting settled. I am shadowing the Swedish intern and learning what to do. There's not really a routine, we just do what's needed when it's needed. We picked up another baby from the orphanage last night. The doctors either call or come to us to tell us that there is a dying baby for us to go get. Many times the baby is very sick but not really dying. The baby last night was having seizures. We've given her valium to relax her and put her on a medication to help control seizures. She is beautiful.

Peter is asleep beside me now. I strolled him in here to sit with me in the coolest room. He is bout 2-3 yrs old with cerebral palsy. Great personality -- funny guy.

Speaking of funny, out here in Jiaozuo we don't put toilet paper in the toilet -- it goes in the trashbin which is emptied regularly by the housekeeper. Which really makes it somthing other than toilet paper. We have magic laundry baskets. You put your clothes in them in the evening or morning and every afternoon they return to your bed clean and neatly folded. I'm hoping to purchase one to bring to the U.S.

The intern and I rode back from the market in a pedicab yesterday. I guess it's more of a mopedcab. First we rode from one place in the market to an indoor shopping center and it was a canopied one. The one we rode home in was uncovered and we got a little bit of a tan. Super way to see the town! I wear the same clothes a lot these days. I wore my skirt one time when I went to church with the Hills but other than that it has been too hot. A lot of people at the church had on shorts or khakis. Very casual.

Peter's crying now. Gotta run!