Tuesday in GZ

Today was a "do nothing" day. We have nothing on our schedule until tomorrow morning's appointment at the US Consulate, so we are just sitting around. The weather continues to be very overcast with occasional drizzle or rain. The sun did break through for a few minutes while we were out for a late morning walk, but it was a very short break from the grey skies. Here are a few scenes from walking the streets around our hotel.

It was pretty chilly, so we stopped at the Starbucks across the street from the hotel to see if Alice liked hot chocolate. A large coffee (nothing fancy) and large cocoa cost almost $10!!! and she said it was too hot. We brought it back to the room, but she never did finish it.

While we were waiting to feel hungry enough to go out for lunch, Alice started watching a children's channel on TV. Her absolute favorite show came on just as we decided it was lunch time. We left her in the room happily watching "Ba La La ..." and we went across the street for some take out.

As you can see from these pictures of the TV show, Alice likes things typical for girls much younger. The boy at the home we stayed at in Beijing commented about her choice of entertainment being for younger kids. He is a year younger than she is, but was more mature, acting more like the 12 year olds we know at home.

Our lunch -

Bad parenting already? Fast food in front of the TV.

See the rubik's cube? That was one of the 3 toys she bought for herself yesterday. We were amazed to watch her scramble it and just as quickly solve it. DH asked her to do a few math problems. She is very confident and quick at basic math, but doesn't know algebra. She said she has learned integers, fractions, decimals and whole numbers. In other words, she has learned arithmetic, but nothing more complex.

She has a very quick mind, but is a complex mix of bright and immature. I am beginning to think we may push the school to place her closer to her emotional/social age. I really think that she is more likely to be teased for her immaturity and naiveté than for her physical disability. I don't see any advantage to rushing her to "grow up". She will have so many other adjustments (language, family, culture, etc.) that asking her to act her age, basically jumping 3-5 years in maturity, will only make the other adjustments more difficult.

If she is allowed to start school one year ahead of where she was in Beijing (still 1-2 years behind her same age peers), she stands a better chance of being able to continue her academic success. She was at the top of her class in Beijing. School was a positive experience in her life. We want that to continue. Throwing her into middle school, going from (Chinese) 4th grade to (American) 6th or 7th, plus the shock of middle school/tween culture doesn't bode well for academic success.