Nora Tai-Xiu Groves’ China Trip Diary

The following is an undated diary Nora Groves kept on her trip to China from June 23 to July 8. Bracketed editor’s notes are from her mom, Martha.

Dear Diary,
This trip is going to be so so so exciting. I’m expecting people to look at me or actually come up and talk to me. And I’m expecting to have the funnest time of my life!!!!!! I can’t wait to see my orphanage. I can’t believe I’m going to see it. I want to see if any of the helpers remember me or if they’re still there. I’m going with my cousin Sarah and my mom, Martha. We had to take the first plane from Los Angeles to San Francisco and from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Well, bye for now.

Dear Diary,
I am at the White Swan Hotel [in Guangzhou] and we just ate breakfast. The breakfast was so so so yummy. I’m expecting today to be tired and to take pictures of mostly everything. The White Swan Hotel is so beautiful!!! There are shops and places to eat and a nice pool and a lot more. Since I was too tired to write last night, I’m writing today. We rode the plane and got off and checked out, then we got a ride from our guides. They were so nice.

Dear Diary,
It’s kinda weird. We’re 15 hours from L.A. I do miss my house and cats and my friends, but it’s cool we’re meeting new people (that are nice). I got new luggage for this trip. They’re red. They have my NTG on them. We had to lock every single lock we have so no one can take it.

Dear Diary,
This sticker is from the teahouse. It was so beautiful. We got to look at a lot of plants. There is a café in the garden. My cousin bought a tea set. It felt weird going to a teahouse. We got to try, like, seven different kinds of teas. My favorite was the jasmine tea. The ceremony was really fun. She [the young female server] did it so quickly. She was really good at it.

Dear Diary,
It’s around 5 [a.m.]. I couldn’t go to sleep so I decided to write in you. I’m sorry I wasn’t really putting my feelings in you, so now I’m starting. It gets me so annoyed because people just keep on staring at me and talking.

Dear Diary,
Yesterday I made a new friend named Elli. She is so nice and funny. We went swimming with another girl named Kate.

Dear Diary,I’m not sure why I keep on waking up around 4 or 5. It’s so hard to get me back to sleep after that. We are staying at a [hotel in North Beijing]. It’s really really neat, clean, nice and big, like a mansion. Last night we had a big get-to-know-you-and-here’s-all-the-info-you’ll-need meeting and dinner. All the kids got a T-shirt with a panda, a qipao [Chinese dress] and a box to keep stuff in. I would actually maybe want to live in China for a year when I get older, maybe 30 or so. We’re in group C1 for touring. Well, bye-bye just for now.

Dear Diary,
We just got back from our tour [of Beijing]. It was very nice. We went to a market and the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. They were all very nice. It was so hot and sticky, humid. I was so miserable. We didn’t go to the duck place [Peking duck restaurant].

Dear Diary,
I made some friends. Their names are Lucy, Elli and Kate. They are so much fun. They make me laugh so hard, or just smile.

Dear Diary,We’re in our cabin [on the overnight train to Xian]. It’s pretty small. There are two [sets of] bunk beds, and they’re mostly right next to each other. I’m sharing a room with Kate, her aunt and her mom. They are so nice. Our whole group takes up four [train] cars. We’re in the third car. … I liked the school for disabled [young adults]. I liked learning [how to knot] bracelets and how to do calligraphy. I liked all the songs they performed. I hate beggars because you don’t really know if they’re real or not.

Dear Diary,
We got off the train then came to an OK hotel. We went to Wild Goose Pagoda, the ancient wall and the Muslim market. For lunch we ate lots and lots of dumplings.We ran into a little boy that was begging for food or money. He was probably 5 or 6. He was pretty good at begging, but it’s kind of weird that you don’t know if he is [really in need] or not. Jenny [our Chinese guide] says not to give money to people that are young or with a kid because they might be using the kid to get food or money. Only give money to people that are really old and can’t work or to crippled people.

Dear Diary,
Today we went to the place where they make the farmer paintings.

Dear Diary,Today we had to wake up at 5 to catch the plane. We had to leave the hotel at 6. I didn’t wake up at 5 because I was way too tired to get up. We went on a flight [to Chengdu]. Since the hotel wasn’t ready for all of us, we went to the park. We got candy; I got a bird shape. We had tea, but I didn’t drink it. Then Elli, Kate and me Nora got a boat and rode it. Kate was the best at driving. I got a Popsicle.

Dear Diary,
For the rest of the day, we went to [an embroidery] place where they draw, then sew. They made stuff that was really cool. Then we went to a place where you can get a foot massage. I didn’t get one, but my mom, Elli and Sarah did. We ate dinner where the massages were. We had really yummy food.

Dear Diary,
Today we saw very, very cute pandas!! All of the kids got to take a picture with them. We all saw a movie about how they breed pandas. It was really interesting. After that we went to a lunch near a museum, which we visited. After lunch, we saw lots of boys swimming naked in the river.

I have seen a whole family on a motorcycle.

Dear Diary,
Yesterday we went to a performance. It was called Sichuan Opera. It was really good. My favorite acts were all of the face-changing masks and puppets. Once in the act the guy’s mask didn’t come off, only halfway.

I HATE THE PIT TOILETS!!!

Dear Diary,
Yesterday we went to my orphanage. It was so cool that some caregivers remembered me. They are so so nice. We got to play with the babies. They were all so much fun. My favorite was a baby that was in the corner of the left side. That baby played with me for a long time. There were twins.

Dear Diary,
We’re on the plane flying to San Francisco to get back home. Those two weeks went so fast. I’m going to miss all of the friends I made.

Dear Diary,
I loved China. I wish I was there right now but I love being at home!!!!!!!! I liked touring. It was OK. I just struggled on the pit toilet.