Heritage Tour
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Thursday, July 2, 2015 CALLIGRAPHY AND THE CHINESE CULTURE Hi Friends and Family, After walking over six miles for the past two days, the tour guides gave us a relaxing day of education. Really we did walk over six miles a day for the past two days. Someone in the group has the fit bit data to prove it! Today the first stop was a local Beijing School where the group learned calligraphy, mask making, Tai Chi, and traditional Chinese basketball (the girls beat the boys). One of the teachers took a liking to Annabel right away and spent a lot of time working with her. Here you can see Annabel doing a bit of writing, and the results of Mia's mask making class. After lunch, we stopped at a truly magical place. The very office where all the girls on the trip (and all international adoptees from China) were matched with their adoptive parents. In this office ten years ago, one of the piles of papers contained a file for Annabel, and a file for Steve and Andrea Horvath. Someone there put us together. We had visions of this office several times during our waiting period, and the Chinese mystical incantations they might have used to ensure the appropriate family was matched with the right girl. Whatever it was, it worked. Tomorrow we walk the Great Wall and visit the Olympic Village. See ya tomorrow!