Great first day in Beijing

February 25, 9:00 p.m.

We had a great first full day in Beijing. I wish I could capture all the funny and profound things that come out of Ana's mouth during the course of a day. Last night, when we first landed at the airport, Ana looked around and said "hey mom, everyone here has black hair, except me and daddy." This morning, after eating everything possible on the Chinese breakfast buffet, Ana said "China is really fun." We hadn't yet left the hotel restaurant. You have to appreciate her love of life.
It was a beautiful, sunny but cool day today, with the high around 40 degrees. We went to the zoo and saw the Giant Pandas, along with lots of elephants, tigers and lions. Th pandas were particularly special, although Ana loved climbing on the "baby elephants" and pretending she was one (see photo). Tonight, we went to Ash Wednesday service at the church where our friend is pastor. Our dear friends Dan and Gwen and their three girls are from Birmingham, and they've been living in Beijing for about three years. Ana had a ball with their daughters and can't wait to visit with them again tomorrow night. Ana keeps saying "China is so much fun," and it's only just begun.