Kathi's Shopping List

One of the things that was very important to me this trip was picking up a few items that I thought would be important to Brooklyn in the future. We knew that when we adopted a child of a different ethnicity that we would need to find intentional ways to tie her culture into our daily lives and big events. Here is what I picked up:

Marriage Jewelry Box

We actually found this beauty in Pekanbaru at a little Chinese store under a set of escalators in a mall. John, with his eagle eyes, spotted it in the middle of a bunch of random knickknacks.

Ancient Chinese Coin

("Something Old" for her wedding one day)

Our Chinese friend Ann helped us find an authentic coin from the Qing dynasty which began in 1636 and ended in 1912. I think that would qualify it as something old.

Silk

Every Chinese girl needs first quality silk. We actually purchased two kinds of silk: the traditional red and gold silk, and a beautiful white. On the white pattern, if you look closely, has a dragon in it. Since we have always called Brooklyn our "Chinese Dragon" it seemed quite appropriate.

It is not pictured here because I couldn't get it to show up on camera.

Porcelain Bride and Groom made in Foshan

This was the tough one. I almost purchased one on our first trip but didn't and ever since I have kicked myself for not picking one up. During the first trip the porcelain was pretty easy to find. Well, due to the difficulty of shipping them they have become quite rare. We searched high and low for one. I must have been in at least forty different shops looking for one.

Our last day in China I had pretty much given up finding one. It wasn't until we arrived at the airport and were checking in our luggage that I spotted a little gift shop. I told John that I just had to check one last time. To my utter disbelief what did I see sitting on the shelves but Foshan Porcelain.

It was not exactly the one that I saw in 2007 but it was close. I made a quick purchase and carefully carried it back to check in. You should have seen John's face when he spotted me carrying it back. Absolutely Priceless! His first question of course was how much it cost? My reply, “don’t ask, something’s are better left unsaid. " It wasn't really that bad but we definitely had the airport mark up. However, in my book it is well worth every penny of it. I love checking off things on my list.

Chinese Art

One of the things John and I have really enjoyed while being in Asia is collecting art that reminds us of the places we have been. We have never been into collecting original pieces but being in Asia has allowed us to acquire a few pieces and stay within our budget. We found four pieces that we just loved. Two oil paintings we purchased from a vendor at the antique market, one watercolor and a photograph were purchased in a shop next to the White Swan on Shamin Island.

Chinese Dress

I am not exactly sure what I was thinking when I gave Brooklyn the go ahead to pick out her own dress. I am considering it a momentary lapse in fashion judgement. It was no surprise when she picked out the pinkest dress I have ever seen. It's not only bright pink but also accented with light pink. Sydney tried gallantly to try and talk her into some of the beautiful slightly less gaudy ones but to no avail.

We came home with the PINK one.

North Face Coats

This wasn't actually on my list but we got a smoking good deal on them. You never know when you might be caught in a snowstorm in Sumatra. No, I bought bigger ones for when we return to Washington, or if they have another summer like the last one maybe we can use them in May.

Jade Dragon

In 2007 we purchased a Jade Dragon for Kade. Our cat knocked it off his dresser trying to get herself a Beta fish dinner. We found a nice replacement at the antique market.

Disneyland Hong Kong Christmas Ornament

We had a heck of a time finding these. In fact, we actually never did find real ornaments but settled on some key chains and cell phone decorations. Evidently HK Disneyland doesn't put out ornaments till after Halloween.

Well, that pretty much sums up my shopping list. We did come home with a few unexpected items: A Starbucks mug for John, two wood swords for our young Samaria, a book of coin replicas for Kade, and a key chain for Sydney, as well as a few other things for family and friends.

Official Disclaimer: Many of the items I purchased are for Brooklyn's wedding. We have a few boys picked out for her. Remember in our current location arranged marriages are quite common. However, if the she chooses not marry than she will receive her items when she is older.