Things I hope I will ALWAYS REMEMBER about our China trip

the wet market, the pet market, the dry good market, the Chinese Medicine markets – what we saw and the smells 11.    the people in the shops who were so friendly towards us, especially when they realized we had adopted Aaron (keep in mind at first glance, people saw a Chinese man with an American wife and assumed this was our biological child…it was only in shops that cater to adoptive families that when we would share with shopkeepers that we had just adopted our son – then especially they were so happy for us and for Aaron and really got to know us)   10. riding in a taxi here in Guangzhou, and seeing how drivers continuously cut each other off, but it's never taken personally and you rarely hear horns honking   9.  squatty potties (I was always scouting out the handicapped bathrooms if available, as they usually had a Western toilet, but even so, I found myself using several squatty potties, which I will never forget!) and the shortage/expense of paperproducts (no napkins in restaurants, no toilet paper in public restrooms) - I will never again complain about public restrooms in America!    Asian women all dressed up in high heel shoes, HIKING (not average Chinese women – mainly Asian tourists visiting places like White Cloud Mountain, Xiangjiang Safari, and Lianhua Mountain)  I was wearing SNEAKERS of course! the spectacular sites we saw (Lotus/Lianhua Mountain, White Cloud Mountain, Xiangjiang Safari Park, Dr. Sun Lee Sat Memorial, LiuRong Temple) 6. the polite and helpful bellboys at Holiday Inn Shifu – I never carried the stroller down the stairs myself – they went out of their way to help us.  Whenever I said, "Thank you," they said, "It is my pleasure."   5. seeing bamboo scaffolding on skyscrapers – amazing   4.  what it feels like to walk down a street in this part of Guangzhou – the people around us, the bicycles, the traffic, the smells, the sights – all of it, and what life is like for the average person here   3. Our incredible driver, Dave, and the story of his life, and all he shared with us, and the picnic lunch he provided us with, at Aaron's Finding Spot (after he visited the orphanage with us, and learned more about Aaron)   2.  What it has felt like as a Caucasian, American, fluent English speaker amongst Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese speakers – having seen VERY, VERY few (like less than 10) people who look like me in two weeks – for I know this is about to be my son's experience in America, surrounded by people who do not look, smell, sound like he is used to.  It was a VERY important experience for me, a very necessary one – and I'm so glad we chose a hotel situated within the average Chinese community   1.  The beautiful children in Aaron's orphanage, children who all deserve families of their own…and my strong desire and determination to return one day for at least one more child born in China….   And then, above all else, I know I will always remember what it felt like to see my son for the first time, and to hold him…