Signs of Change and No Barbie

The infamous Barbie that is auctioned by some on eBay. She's tall, blonde, young, dressed nicely, oh, and did I mention young? She holds a tiny Asian baby girl. She doesn't look like anyone of us who go in and out of this hotel with our new children. She is a gift from Mattel. But there's no Barbie this time. Her absence is just one sign of change.

The Mattel factory that used to employ a lot of people in this province is now closed so the Barbie deliveries to the White Swan are not as frequent. We're told we can put in a request and have it shipped to us. 

There are other signs of change. Like the number of Americans here is only a fraction what it was this time two years ago. This is not related to economic changes but for those of us who follow the stats is a result of China pulling back from NSN (another online acronym meaning non-special needs) adoption. Theories abound as to why the wait time for a NSN child has gone from 6 months to what is now almost 3 years. Some say it's because abandonment rates are down as China became more wealthy families can afford the two child fine. And in Wuxi the orphanage assistant did say abandonments have declined. But I believe this may be the case in the large cities. I believe what a few women who have observed China adoption for many years think - that China does not want to be viewed globally as being unable to care for its own children. 

Instead the focus has switched. Two years ago the back corner of the restaurant was full of families with NSN baby girls. This week we have seen only one travel group for NSN, the rest are SN and these children include many boys - maybe as many boys than girls.

The ripple effect on Shamian Island is obvious. Two years ago I couldn't leave the hotel without feeling accosted by the merchants shouting towards us, asking questions, bargaining like crazy. Now there is almost none of that. They still invite us into their booth or store but there is a sense of a pulling back. The aggression is gone. As are the number of merchants. 

A quick eyeball of the surrounding streets I'd say almost 1/3 of the merchants are gone and those who are left do not have the variety of merchandise they had before. According to Jordon (remember him my fellow China adopters?) business is way down. And, unlike last time where he bargained like crazy, he wouldn't budge on prices this time. 

And so as China's adoption policy changes so will Shamian Island. The small economy that grew around Americans coming to stay here with their new children while they wait for their consulate to give them a visa is crumbling. And in the meanwhile I doubt the number of children is actually that much smaller. China is, according to sources who observe orphanages, putting a lot of the children in foster care. I believe the male to female ratio has gotten so out of hand they may have seen a need to keep the girls in country. By recent estimates the male-female ration is 117 to 100. That's a lot when calculated by 1.4 BILLION people. Today in the park I counted of the 7 Chinese children 6 were definitely boys, 1 was possibly a girl but I'd bet a boy (when a baby here they often dress them the same). What are the chances of a random visit to the park and seeing only boys?

There is too much messing with Mother Earth, Mother Nature here. There is too much shame. It permeates everything and is everywhere. It floats as unseen particles in the murky polluted Pearl River outside our window. A river our guide tells us was clear when she was a child. It seeps down from the sky and is breathed in causing who knows what kinds of cancer. It echoes in the cold rooms of orphanages where children sleep who will never have a home. And it drifts our way as we purchase its goods and breath the effects of the air as it makes its way across the earth.

When we left Jordon's store today I told T that I will think of Jordon a year from now as we celebrate our one year anniversary of Lila's Forever Family Day. I will think of him sitting in that store trying to get by, families returning to him to do dot etches of their children's faces in stone, for the free caligraphy of their child's name. I will think of it all, every part of this journey and be so glad its over but know it is part of our daughter's history.