Hamer is on her flight homecoming by herself. She looked like a big girl as she walked through the gate. I asked if she was nervous, and she said she was excited and not nervous at all.

My visual journal of August 12th, 2024.

We had a long walk along the river after dinner. It was pleasant with the breeze.

Hamer had two great days with her brother. They enjoyed playing with each other from the moment they first met.

On the second day of our Beijing tour, it was a day of intense walking. By the end of the day, mom’s legs had already started to ache, and even the nephew, who had been walking quickly all along, didn’t want to continue. We traveled from the Temple of Heaven to Beihai Park, then along the Forbidden City’s corner tower to Jingshan Park, and finally to Chang’an Avenue. We wanted to see Tiananmen Square, but it required a prior appointment now. At the end, we enjoyed the KFC that the nephew had been eagerly looking forward to.

On the first day of our Beijing tour, we saw a lot and also walked a lot. We visited the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College, the Earth Temple, Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop, the Drum and Bell Tower, the Yandaixie Street, Shichahai, Nanluoguxiang, and Beixinqiao Luzhu.

My mom and nephews went to Beijing yesterday, and Beijing welcomed them with heavy rain.

It’s pouring in Beijing again.

I’ve been working on a performance issue all day. It’s always challenging to identify the problem, speculate on the potential buggy code, make updates, switch between versions for comparison, and test. Then, the process repeats over and over again.

Hamer called me this morning and told us she had decided to go home on Monday. In the evening, she confirmed that with us again with patience and logic. However, because the ticket for an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) is expensive, we may postpone and discuss the plan later.

Today, I set up the phone holder and rearview mirror on my bike and started recording my rides. It’s good to see the route in the recordings.

My visual journal of August 8th, 2024.

Xiaoyan had a good day today. She gave an excellent presentation in English, and after that, she discussed and resolved a potential trust issue with foreign customers. Happy for her.

These nights have been so good. Jialing made dinner for us, and we had dinner together, then talked about our days or watched the Olympic Games together.

Jialing gave Xiaoyan a ride to work on Tuesday morning.

Yesterday and today, Xiaoyan discussed with Hamer the idea of buying a kid’s flying-alone ticket for her because she wants to come back earlier. Tonight, Hamer thought about it and told us she wants to do that, even though it means she won’t be able to buy more toys.

My visual journal of August 7th, 2024.

My visual journal of August 6th, 2024.

My visual journal of August 5th, 2024.

I felt good after the frisbee match. Before that, I had dinner cooked by my sister again.

Hamer called me before dinner, and I saw tears in her eyes. Grandma told me that she cried while singing an interesting song she created about missing and loving me. After checking the recordings she sent me, I was amazed at how she could sing so many words.

Hamer called this morning, excited to tell me that one of her teeth was loose and was going to fall out.

On Saturday, Xiaoyan and I watched a movie, had dinner outside, hung out at the mall, and enjoyed a drink at the bar while watching the women’s gold medal table tennis match. Hamer was having dinner with her grandfather; it had been four years since her last visit to his place.

A delicious dinner made by the sister.

Last Sunday was great, even though we stayed at home almost all day. We got up near noon and cleaned the house in the afternoon. Then, Xiaoyan’s little sister came over and cooked dinner for us. At night, we watched a thrilling and fabulous men’s gold medal table tennis match.