Leaving Changchun, Jilin

The day came to leave Changchun. I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the people there. Everyone was very kind (you know, except for the staring thing…) and I have never seen such hard workers in my life. The hotel bellboy would literally run out when he saw our cab or van pull up, sweetly put his hand on the top inside of the car so I would not hit my head getting out, and would not let us carry anything in. He would jet ahead and open the door, and always get to the elevator before us to push the button and hold the door open. “Please” he would say, holding his arm straight out, meaning, ‘after you please’.(May would do the same thing…every time.) And they always have such a pleasant look on their face. It is very evident that all the employees Kevin and I encountered took their jobs very seriously. It didn’t seem to matter what their job was.

Meeting people on the street near the barber shop/salon was a memory I will hold dear, and of course, it’s where our little Kate spent her first year and a half.

As we drive out of town and to the airport, I feel as if I’m leaving something behind. I guess it’s the secrets to my little girl’s beginning that I will never know. It takes about 45 minutes. We drive past houses in the country with huge piles of corn husks outside the house. (You can see it in the photo) Pretty sure they use them to burn, to heat their homes. We pulled into the smallest airport I think I’ve ever been to…(drop off is a breeze!) The runway is lined with tall grass and other than the small airport itself, all you can see from the plane, are stick trees with no leaves…but there are so many of them, it looks really neat. Holding Kate on the plane, it feels bittersweet. I look out the window and say a silent prayer for her parents, wishing them well.

P.S. A friend “in the know” told me that the 100 Yuan($13.00) left with baby Kate was a lot of money, if you consider that the average person lives on 250 dollars a year. She had also been wrapped in red, a color symbolizing good luck.