Differences

The first time we were here, it was freezing. Temperatures got down to minus 10 and 11 Fahrenheit. Both of us have always lived on the Gulf Coast, so this was a shock to us! It rarely snows where we live, much less gets under freezing.

This visit is very different. There are actually green plants everywhere. We saw gardens in almost every open space near homes along the train tracks. People are planting flowers everywhere. There were a couple of hot, humid days here, but since the rain a couple of days ago, it has been cool. One night it was even cool enough for a jacket. That never happens at home during the summer!

T looks forward to visiting with us every day. There were a couple of days she didn't want to hug Papa, but we found out that the kids tease her. Today, though, as we were all getting into the taxi, she asked Papa for a hug. We also found out that one of the teachers was giving her a hard time for staying with us instead of eating.

There is another girl here getting adopted by a couple who live in our state. We will probably keep in touch with them. She and T are singing buddies.

Another thing I've noticed that is different from what many adoptive parents have said is that the women here wear every color imaginable. I like wearing capris in the summer and I have seen many wear them here. Though, they are much tighter than I would wear mine! Shoes are bright colors as well and they don't necessarily match the clothes, but they do have to match the purse. lol I've also seen striped shirts with print pants. Combinations I wouldn't put together. Also, the brighter the colors, the better. Summer dress is the opposite of winter dress.