The most spoiled little girl I know

I know a little girl.  She is an only daughter (with 4 brothers).  She has a ludicrous amount of clothes, toys, and hair nonsense.  She can convince her brothers to paint her nails for her and actually enjoy it.  She reads and understands people, and she sees how to best interact with them and often to give them what they want and get what she wants.  Because of this talent is that she is a very agreeable person to be around and take places. 

Well, all of her hard-earned people skills are about to pay off.  That spoiled little girl is going to see the Statue of Liberty and the Great Wall of China within 6 months of each other.

Antigone (of course, who else would it be) came with me in June to my sister's High School graduation in Allentown, PA, followed by a trip to New York City to see the major tourist sites.  Why her?  Because she is the only one of the kids who wanted to make a nearly week-long trip in the car with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kiera (the graduate), Uncle Jay (who is a disabled adult) and Mom.  She survived 32-hour drives each way, through the night and all, and was in terrific spirits.  She even developed a few new music favorites from Grandpa's collection (the Beach Boys' "Surfin USA" is at the top of her list, and she doesn't like the BeeGees). 

THEN... Lashi and I decided she is going to come with us in a few weeks when we go to China to pick up her sister.  We will likely be visiting Beijing, Zhengzhou, Nanyang, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and their surrounding areas.  She will get to see things most American kids never get to.  Again, she's the only one who is coming.  Why her?  Because we need to bring someone who will

1. appreciate the trip - Antigone won't think it's boring like Liam or Brian or certainly Dmitri might.  She will want to know about the places she sees and people she meets.  She will want to learn about the differences and similarities between our cultures.  Erik, on the other hand, doesn't know the difference between the local playground and Siberia.
2. remember it - Erik and Dmitri are too young to remember much of a trip 6 months after it happens.  Dmitri is likely to remember getting chased by dinosaurs somewhere along the way.  
3. not have a total meltdown somewhere along the way - Liam with his bipolar, Dmitri with his SPD, Erik with his... toddlerhood, NONE of them can be trusted to go 12 hours without some kind of tantrum.  NO way am I going to deal with that on another continent and while trying to soothe and bond to a traumatized child.  I may be crazy, but even I have my limits.
4. not try to wander off with some random Chinese family - Brian and Dmitri on the other hand, they probably would.  
5. be helpful - again, Antigone is a wonderful people-reader.  She is very intuitive.  She can observe a situation and figure out the best thing to do in that situation, then actually act on it!!!  She is very good with babies and small children already.  Poor Liam loved baby Erik, but looked so terrified and awkward trying to hold him.  

 We have been told by other parents of kids adopted from China that the little ones are much more likely to judge an adult "safe" if another child treats them as safe.  Same goes for strange surroundings and behaviors.  Little Fiona will never have seen a western toilet, and we are told that the little ones are often very afraid of the strange, noisy thing for months after they first encounter them.  Not the best thing for a potty-training, nearly-2-year old.  If Antigone uses it, though, then it can't be THAT scary.  If we say "Time to get changed for bed!", Fiona won't know what we're talking about - she doesn't understand English.  Changing her clothes could be frightening for her.  If Antigone is changing into her pajamas, then it might go over better.  Basically, she'll be there to help set an example and reassure Fiona. 

Antigone is thrilled out of her little gourd to have this opportunity.  We're counting the days as best we can since we don't know when we will be traveling.  We only know it is soon, too soon, and not soon enough.