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Thank You!
Now that our trip is over and we are settling back in at home, I want to
thank everyone who has followed and supported our adoption. Your
e-mails, notes on the guestbook, and the warm welcome home have helped
us feel connected and cared for all the way through the experience.
We feel so fortunate to have a caring family and so many kind and caring
friends. We look forward to introducing you all to Tai!
I would particularly like to thank Mike and Fonnetta Sweeney for helping
us when we had problems accessing our web site in China. Mike
posted our updates to the web page when the "Great Firewall" looked like
it was going to cut our communication with everyone at home. I
also want to thank Vince Songaylo and Jeani Struss who took over all of
my responsibilities at Sunset while I was away. Thanks to everyone
who contributed to our adoption fund to help us reach our son.
Thank you to Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries, Ibsen Adoption Network,
and Little Flowers Foundation for grants that helped us handle the
financial burden of the adoption. Of course, we thank our parents
and family for always supporting us and sharing in our adventures.
This has been an indescribable experience (though I've given it my best
attempt in pictures and words). We are so happy, and so fortunate,
to have the chance to bring Tai into our family. He is a wonderful
boy, and we are thrilled that we will get the chance to be part of his
life. We'll continue to post family updates periodically now that
we are home, and we look forward to our adventures as a family of six!
May 13th: Home Sweet Home
Everyone woke up excited to get on our way home, packed our bags, and
caught a 6 a.m. shuttle to the airport. We waited for our turn to
check in for our flight, and then the fun began. The ticket agent
took our passports and began checking us in. After a few moments
of checking the computer, she said that our son's ticket had been
cancelled! We told her that at each airport on the way to China,
we told the ticket agents that Long Long was not on the trip to China,
but he would be on the plane back (we had purchased him a round trip
ticket because the price was no different than a one way ticket.)
At each stop, the ticket agents had said "no problem." Despite
that, they had cancelled his return ticket. After some go-around,
the agent said she would re-book the ticket, but we would have to pay
for a higher class ticket. We told her that was not acceptable
since it was Delta's mistake, not ours, and we sent the agent back to
her supervisor.
Finally, after about 30 minutes at the
counter making it clear that we would
settle for no less than them fixing the
problem at no charge to us, they issued
a ticket and found a way to place us
back together for the flight. We
raced to get to the plane, and sank
exhausted (and relieved) into our seats
for the ride home. Tai handled the
flight back quite well, spending his
time sleeping, playing, and occasionally
watching a few minutes of a movie.
When we got off the plane in Tokyo, Tai
asked me (in Chinese, of course) if we
were in America yet. I had to tell
him that we had one more plane ride
before we would reach America. In
Portland, we were very pleasantly
surprised by how efficient and friendly
the immigration agents took care of our
paperwork. We've done this twice
now, and we highly recommend that if you
are ever immigrating to the US, book
your ticket into Portland if possible.
We felt welcomed by the agents who were
very caring and professional in their
work.
After clearing immigration, we took a
moment to celebrate. When Tai
arrived, he was a Chinese citizen coming
to the US on an immigrant visa.
After clearing immigration, Tai became a
US citizen. We took pictures while
he danced around the hallway of the
airport excitedly waving an American
flag--he even shouted "American" in
clear English! It was a fun
moment. Unfortunately, we had to
put him back on one more plane before we
were home. Luckily, it was just
for a one hour hop across the state.
Mom picked us up from the airport, and
we headed home. Tai was quite
amazed when I got behind the wheel and
started driving, and he was very excited
that we had a car! When we got
home, he explored the house and was
particularly excited that he had his own
bed. He also enjoyed playing in
the back yard on the play set. We
did our best to stay awake most of the
day, and then happily fell into our OWN
BEDS and enjoyed the softness of
American mattresses for the first time
in three weeks! |
The kids wait for
our plane at Narita Airport in Tokyo
(click to enlarge) |
Meilyn & Tai
excitedly celebrate his American
citizenship!
(click to
enlarge) |
May 12th: Disney, Hong Kong Style!
Hong Kong Disneyland is a smaller park than those in the US. The
only thrill ride is Space Mountain, but it has many of the smaller rides
of the other parks. We caught the morning shuttle to be at the
park when it opened at 10:30, and we planned to take the evening shuttle
back at 8:30. In between, we were going to fit in as much of the
park as possible.
As we entered the park, we found the typical cleanliness and polish of a
Disney park. There were impressive fountains and families from all
over Asia prepared to spend a sunny day in the park. The entrance
and main street looked almost identical to the California Disneyland.
Where we noticed a distinct difference, though, was in Adventureland.
Disney took advantage of the tropical climate and jungle-like plants and
trees on the island. There weren't as many attractions, but the
atmosphere was impressive! The trees and plants made it feel like
you were on a jungle safari! We started the day with the Jungle
Cruise, and Tai had quite an experience.
We should have realized that he had never seen animatronics, and we had
no way to explain that what he was seeing was a not real! He was
alternately excited and frightened by the different animals and
attractions. This jungle cruise ended with explosions in the water
and fire shooting from a volcano and fire spreading across the water
around the boat! We loved it, but I think Tai thought we were
truly in danger. I held him and just kept saying "You are safe"
(one of the most useful phrases we learned!) When he realized all
was well, he had a smile on his face and thought it was cool, but I
think he was wondering what we were going to put him through next! |
Click photo for more Disneyland
pictures. |
Click photo for more
Disneyland pictures. |
We continued on to the Fantasyland rides, and Tai started to understand
that everything was just for fun. By the time we reached the
Teacups, he was smiling ear to ear. On our way, the kids stopped
to try to pull the sword from the stone. Our timing was good,
because Merlin came running from the castle and the sword ceremony
began. Abby was, as usual, chosen to pull the sword from the stone
(she seems to be chosen for everything when we are at Disneyland, and
Hong Kong was no exception). She successfully pulled the sword
from the stone, so she was queen of Hong Kong Disneyland--for about 3
minutes, at least!
Hong Kong Disney had some great shows that we've never seen, and we had
a truly great day exploring the park. All of the kids had a great
time, and by the time the fireworks show began, we had experienced all
of the shows and nearly every attraction in the park. We ended the
day exhausted and ready to spend a day sitting and lounging on the
airplane home.
May 11th: Goodbye China, Hello Hong Kong
On Tuesday morning, we caught the train to Hong Kong after an
entertaining routine getting our bags checked. The train from
Guangzhou to Hong Kong took about two hours. It was fun seeing the
countryside of China from the train, and we enjoyed a snack of teriyaki
chicken legs on the way. As we reached the coast of China, we went
into a tunnel. Less than five minutes later, we came out in Hong
Kong, specifically the island of Kowloon.
It was amazing the dramatic differences from one end of that tunnel to
the other! We walked out of the train station into a very modern,
very western style city. Getting to the hotel was a bit of a
challenge. The taxis only seat five people, so we had to split
into two groups. After the cheap taxi fares in China, we were
surprised to find our trip to the hotel in two taxis cost about $75!
I situated Cortney, Tai, and Colton into one cab, while Abby, Meilyn,
and I took another. We gave both drivers a piece of paper with the
Chinese characters for our hotel, and we hoped that we would end up in
the same place!
Differences from China were very distinct. In China, wearing
seatbelts is almost non-existent. In fact, many taxi drivers see
it as an insult because you don't trust they'll get you safely to your
destination. In Hong Kong, a posted sign notes that you must wear
a seatbelt and can be kicked out of the taxi (and charged) if you don't
wear it! We also noticed that the Hong Kong drivers actually obey
the traffic laws, and the lane markers actually MEAN something. As
a former British territory, the cars all have the right hand steering
wheel and they drive on the left. This was a surprise to the kids.
The strong Hong Kong economy was obvious from the modern buildings,
excellent roads, and the harbors full of cargo container ships.
The city on the central island is quite a sight--it has a huge downtown
area with countless modern high rise buildings. We crossed three
islands to get to our hotel near the airport. After checking in,
we caught a shuttle to a mall near the Tung Chung subway station for
dinner and groceries. That night, we settled in and prepared for a
big day at Disneyland.
May 10th: On to Hong Kong
We have Tai's visa to enter the US ahead
of schedule, so we will take a train to
Hong Kong tomorrow morning.
Changing our plane tickets turned out to
be quite expensive (especially since
there are six of us), so we will spend
an extra day in Hong Kong before we fly
home. We spent most of today
packing and doing some final shopping.
It was pouring rain and hailing for much
of the day, so it was a good day to be
inside.
After dinner, I settled a deal I had
made with Abby by taking her and Colton
for a foot massage. Actually, it
was a 70 minute massage that included
soaking our feet in hot water and oils
with a back, neck, and arm massage.
That was followed by an excellent foot
and leg massage. We enjoyed lemon
tea and oranges during the massage.
Needless to say, the kids really enjoyed
the experience, My feet and legs
feel great, and best of all, the entire
experience cost about $35! |
Abby and
Colton look pretty relaxed!
Click image to enlarge |
Cortney decided against getting a massage, so she spent the time we were
gone managing our two feisty four-year-olds on her own. This is no
easy task as Tai deals with the frustrations of joining a family and a
nearly complete language barrier, while Meilyn deals with sharing
attention with a new brother. The result is that we have two
children competing for attention staying in a nice hotel with halls full
of things they shouldn't touch. I am thankful to have a an
amazing wife up to this challenge and
willing to go it alone so I could join Colton and Abby for a massage.
I'm not sure what our Internet situation will be in Hong Kong, so I'll
post if possible. If not, my next post may be from home. If
the weather cooperates, we plan to spend our bonus day at Hong Kong
Disneyland. It should be a great way to conclude a long and
incredible experience!
May 9th: Mother's Day!
For Mother's Day, we planned something extra special for Cortney.
We took her out for an outstanding breakfast buffet at a beautiful
resort on the shore of the Pearl River in Southern China (how many
families can say they did that for their moms?) So maybe it was
the same buffet we've had for the past week, but it sounds special when
I write it!
We found a Thank You card (the closest we could come to a Mother's Day
card), and we spent today on the island. It was a slow day of
shopping for the kids and for family, swimming in the pool, and relaxing
in the hotel. After a very busy schedule of tours and
appointments, it was a nice day of rest.
May 8th: White Cloud Mountain
Today we got the chance to go to White
Cloud Mountain (Baiyun Shan) for the
day. This mountain is right next
to Guangzhou and is home to many parks
and the Nengren Temple, constructed
during the Ming Dynasty (about 200-300
years ago.) White Cloud Mountain
has a steep, winding road-about 3 miles
long-to the top. Many people were
walking up and down the mountain in the
hot, humid weather. It was truly
impressive to see hundreds of people,
old and young, walking the entire
distance. We were not those
people!
Instead, we hired a tram to take us up
the mountain with a stop in the middle
to explore the Nengren Temple. At
the top, we enjoyed an excellent view of
Guangzhou that did not show well in our
photos due to the fog. From the
top, we took a cable car back down the
mountain.
In the evening, we decided to go off the
island again for dinner. This time
our goal was to walk to a noodle
restaurant supposedly right off the
island. We didn't find it, so we
ended up walking back to Shang Xia Jiu
again, about a 1.5 mile walk.
|
Click photo to see
more White Cloud Mountain pictures |
This time we decided on fast food, so it was McDonalds for dinner.
At dinner, a boy walked up to me with his English textbook in hand and
started asking me questions. We visited for about ten minutes with
him attempting to ask questions and me attempting to respond in Chinese.
He and I were on about equal footing, both beginners in each other's
languages. His mother said she really wants him to learn English,
and they gave me their e-mail address asking if he could write to me.
It was one of the highlights of my day visiting with him.
We found a place to buy milk teas for dessert and went to catch a cab
back to the hotel. The shopping plaza was even more packed than
the night before, however, and we could not get a taxi. We simply
weren't fast enough with Meilyn and Tai to beat the droves of locals who
were competing for the same taxis. In the end, we gave up and
walked back to the hotel (actually, it was a combination of walking,
carrying children, keeping everyone from falling apart, and trying not
to let heat stroke or exhaustion stop us!) After cold showers and
a long fight to get Meilyn and Tai to sleep, we all crashed for the
night.
May 7th: Shang Xia Jiu
Click picture for
more photos of
Shang Xia Jiu |
Today many of the families we traveled
with were leaving for home. Those
with children under two years old do not
have to go through a TB test. This
allows them to leave several days
earlier than us. We spent part of
the day letting the kids play together
in the Swan Room and saying goodbyes.
We decided that we were tired of the
same restaurants on the island every
day, so we took the hotel shuttle to a
street called "Shang Xia Jiu" (literally
translated - Up Down Nine - I'm sure it
has more meaning than my rough
translation). This is a very busy
shopping area of Guangzhou with many
chain restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, Pizza
Hut, Papa Johns, and many Chinese
restaurants.) We decided to try an
Italian restaurant our guide recommended
called Saizariya. It was on the
third floor of a shopping center above a
two story McDonalds.
|
We got to the entrance and there was a long line, so we took a number
and waited. Every few minutes the greeter would come out the door
and call a number through a megaphone that was as clear as a bad drive
through speaker. It often took her three times before the locals
understood her, so we didn't stand a chance. Luckily, we do stand
out in a crowd here, so the greeter came and got us when it was our turn
to seat for dinner. We had a good Italian meal for six for about
$14, then found an Italian gelato stand for desert. It is amazing
the mass of people on a Friday night walking this shopping street,
hanging out with friends, and generally enjoying the somewhat cooler
evening temperatures. After taking time to walk the street a bit,
we caught taxis back to our hotel and called it a day.
May 6th: Consulate Day
Today we had our visit to the American
Consulate to finalize paperwork and go
through the ceremonial "swearing in."
Thirty one families gathered at the
consulate with their adopted children
and completed the process to bring their
children home to the US. This was
a familiar place and a familiar process
for us, but it was new for Colton and
Abby. We brought an American and
Chinese flag for Tai, and he had a great
time waving them on the bus. I
would have pictures of this ceremony,
but cameras are not allowed in the
consulate. Afterward, we went out to
dinner with Barbara and Paul. They
were done with everything and scheduled
to head for Hong Kong tomorrow, so it
was our last chance to visit before they
headed out.
|
Click photo
to see Consulate Day pictures &
Red Couch Photos |
May 5th: On Safari at the Circus!
We've been lucky enough to have the chance to enjoy several great zoos,
including the San Diego Zoo and the Beijing Zoo, but today I think we had
our
best zoo experience yet. Our guide had to be at the
American Consulate to complete paperwork on our behalf, so she arranged
a bus for a small group of us to visit a safari park in Guangzhou.
We set off in the morning not really sure about what we were going to
see.
When we arrived at the park, we found that it looked like a large
amusement park rather than a safari park. The entry to the park
was much like the entry to a Six Flags or Disney Park, and the signs
said "Chimelong Paradise." Our driver didn't speak any English,
but he pointed to where he would be parked and left us to enjoy the
park. We bought tickets, entered the front gate, and began looking
for where to find the safari. Loud music was playing, there were
huge thrill rides in front of us, and the loudspeaker was announcing
shows taking place throughout the day. About the time that a
Cirque du Soleil type clown on tall stilts came walking toward us, we
began to suspect that we MIGHT NOT be in the safari park. |
 |
We returned to the gate and tried to explain that we must have bought
the wrong tickets to staff members who gave us the "I have no idea what
you are saying" look. The staff soon called a customer service
person who spoke some English to help us, and she was kind enough to
refund our tickets and issue us tickets to the safari park. As she
gave us directions to the stop for the free shuttle to the safari park,
I realized our driver was not just showing me where he was parking--he
was giving me directions for how to get to the free shuttle! (This
is one of those moments when I wish my Chinese was a bit more advanced.)
We finally found the safari park and entered to begin our adventure.
Click
photo to see more Safari Park pics |
After entering the park, we wandered through a nice exhibit of flamingos
and tropical birds and found the enclosures were very big and very nice.
We were told to find the "driving safari," so we started following signs
to find it. Not long into our walk, we came upon a couple of staff
members who had a tiger cub and were offering people the chance to take
pictures holding the tiger cub for 30 yuan (about $4.50)! Abby and
Meilyn jumped at the chance to hold the cub, and we got some great
pictures of them carefully holding a kitten that will soon grow into one
of the worlds greatest predators!
We continued on in search of the "driving safari," and we passed several
other great exhibits, including an Asian Elephant exhibit where you
could throw bananas to the elephants. We took time to feed the
elephants and enjoy their impressive exhibit and then headed on toward
the driving safari, continuing to wind our way through the "safari on
foot." |
Not far from the elephants, we came to their giant panda center.
This park had the best exhibit of giant pandas I've ever seen!
Some of the pandas displaced during the Sichuan earthquake had been
relocated here, and they had several huge enclosures, both indoor and
outdoor, to house the pandas. We took a while touring the
enclosures and the facilities where they care for the pandas. The
exhibit then exited to a store and then a stage area that reminded me a
lot of Sea World. We stopped briefly to watch a stage show with a
"trainer" in a comedy routing with an orangutan, then we moved on when
his show was replaced by 6 people dancing to Kung Fu Panda music dressed
as pandas!
The next highlight of the day was the giraffe exhibit. As we
approached an enclosure with about 8 giraffes, we saw that visitors
could buy a branch of their favorite leaves for 10 yuan (about $1.50) to
feed the giraffes. We bought a couple of branches and had a great
time hand feeding the giraffes. They would stick their heads right
up near you and use their long tongues to grab the leaves. The
kids and the adults had a great time, and I took many, many pictures!
This was a hard exhibit to leave.
We continued following signs to the "driving safari" and enjoyed one
great exhibit after another. It was hot, so we made a stop for ice
cream (where Abby and I unwisely chose ice cream bars that turned out to
be basically frozen beans in a popsicle). By the time we finally
reached the driving safari, it was after 1:00 in the afternoon, and we
had already had quite a safari! The driving safari was fun, and
they had a great facility. Lions, tigers, bears, elephants, white
tigers, deer, camels, and about every exotic animal you can imagine were
part of the tour. Tai began asking in Chinese for the English
names of the animals, so I started telling him the English names, and he
was repeating them! We were really impressed that he was saying
the names, and then we heard the family in the row behind us also
repeating some of the names when I said them! |
Click
photo to see more Safari Park Pics |
By the end of the driving tour, the kids were tired, Tai was asleep in
my arms, and we were worried our driver might leave without us, so we
headed back to the bus. We had probably only walked about half of
the park, but we had quite an experience that we will never forget!
May 3rd & 4th: Guangzhou Temples
Now that we are settled into Guangzhou,
we have started going out to see some of
the sights in the area. On May
3rd, we spent the morning at the Chen
Family Temple. This temple is
really the home and school for a
prestigious family in Guangzhou during
the Qing dynasty. The building was
built fairly recently by Chinese
standards (1889), but it is a beautiful
example of Cantonese architecture.
We visited this temple on our last
visit, and it was a great place to spend
a morning once again.
|
Click photo for more pictures |
Click
photo for more pictures |
On Tuesday, we
went to visit the Six Banyan Temple.
Unlike the Chen Family Temple, this one
is actually a Buddhist temple. It
was fascinating walking around the
temple grounds, watching Buddhist monks
perform ceremonies, and taking pictures
of the temple grounds. Afterward,
we went to a pearl market where we
bought strings of pearls for Abby and
Meilyn. The quality of pearls here
that can be bought very inexpensively
here is amazing!
In the afternoon, we went to the pool
for the second time to enjoy a swim.
The White Swan has an impressive pool
that looks out over the Pearl River.
The kids enjoy spending time exploring
the pool and swimming under the
waterfall. Cortney let the little
ones nap while Colton, Abby, and I swam.
After about two hours, Cortney decided
we weren't going to leave the pool, so
she brought Meilyn and Tai down for a
swim. Tai was pretty nervous about going
into the pool at first, but once he
realized it was safe in the kid's pool,
he started laughing, splashing, and
playing.
|
It wasn't long before he was fearless--a little too fearless, in fact.
I had to keep a good grip on him to keep him from going into the deep
pool. It looks like he will enjoy the pool and the lake this
summer; we'll just have to make sure he has a life jacket and close
supervision!
May 1st & 2nd: Into the Tropics
I've fallen a couple of days behind
in my posting! We left Jinan on Saturday, and Tai enjoyed his
first flight. You'll notice I'm using Long Long and Tai
interchangeably right now. We had our guide explain to him that
his American name is Tai and asked him if he liked the name. He
said that he did, and he seems comfortable with it. He isn't,
however, used to responding to that name yet, so we generally call him
Long Long if we want his attention. For example, "Long Long, don't
run in front of that car!" or "Long Long, don't jump down that marble
staircase!" We do realize that what he hears is "Long Long, blah
blah blah blah!" so we are learning to tell him to stop, be careful, and
come back in Mandarin.
When we got on the plane in Jinan, our guide had explained to him that
he was going on an airplane. As we walked down the jet-way and he
saw the plane, he really started to understand. When we were seated and
the plane was approaching the runway and preparing for take-off, he
hunched down in the seat, tightened all of his muscles, and clenched his
eyes closed to prepare for whatever was about to happen. It was very cute, but once we
were off the ground he had a smile on his face and was enjoying looking
out the window.
As we got off the plane in Guangzhou, we could immediately feel the
heat. It was nearly 90 degrees and humid, and the kids were hot
almost instantly. They were excited, though, to get to the White
Swan Hotel and to see Guangzhou. For those who know little about
China adoption, the White Swan is a very
nice resort hotel where most adoptive
families stay as they complete
processing through the American
Consulate. |
Click the
picture to see our Guangzhou Photo Album |
When we got to the hotel, the
kids were in awe of the waterfall in the lobby and the luxurious
surroundings. They were also quite impressed by our suite. Note:
We are not normally suite people. In fact, we are huge bargain
hunters who generally find the least expensive decent room available
online. This trip, though, we decided we need room to spread out
with six people and one new young man. As a result, we're getting
spoiled in a suite at a five star resort, and I have to say, it's not a
bad way to go!
 |
Cortney and I
enjoyed some of the familiarity of
Shamian Island, and after a walking tour
of the island and a drink at Starbucks,
we went out to dinner with friends at
the Cow and Bridge restaurant. If
you followed our adoption blog for
Meilyn or have adopted from China, you
know that the Cow and Bridge is an
excellent Thai restaurant on the island
near our hotel. We had a great
time, though Tai had a rough dinner.
He was tired and simply isn't used to
eating out at nice restaurants. He
spilled his drink, got angry with his
chopsticks, and ended up outside with
Mom for a decent part of the dinner.
He is learning quickly that we expect
good behavior, and we will follow
through if he doesn't meet our
expectations.
After a good night's sleep on Saturday,
we enjoyed our first breakfast buffet at
the White Swan. This is one of the
great benefits of reaching Guangzhou.
After a week of eating very Chinese
breakfasts (rice, dumplings, vegetables,
hard boiled eggs, and instant coffee),
we were ready for bacon, eggs, French
toast, rolls, omelets, and fresh brewed
coffee. We also enjoyed seeing and |
visiting with all of the families we met in Beijing. Every family
now had a new little one and was adjusting to their new family.
Another background note: the International adoption community is
relatively small. Cortney has been in touch with many of the
families in our group since well before our trip. Many of the
families communicate online, and we all come together in Guangzhou, so
by this point in the trip many of us know each other.
After
breakfast, we went for the medical
examination. This examination is a
jarring experience for the little ones.
We take them to a clinic where about
20-30 children at a time are undergoing
a variety of examinations. It is a
chaotic experience with families lined
up to see the ENT, get a physical
examination, take measurements, and get
immunizations. Children are
crying, nurses are going every
direction, and anxious parents and
guides are everywhere. Long Long
did not like this place AT ALL. He
was crying and fighting things from the
first nurse who approached him.
Cortney and I held him and comforted him
enough to get him calmly through the ENT
and the physical examination, but we
knew the worst was yet to come.
We learned early in the examination that
he needed six vaccinations to meet US
standards for entry. After all
other steps were finished, we got in the
vaccination line. When it was his
turn, we entered the room to find a
large tray of needles and bottles lined
up and two nurses ready to tackle the
job. |
 |
I sat on a stool and they instructed me to hold his legs and his free
arm while they gave the first shots. We quickly learned that the
there is not as much emphasis here on minimizing the trauma caused by
immunizations. The nurses filled each needle right in front of us
and held the needles up in front of Tai before administering them to
him. Tai screamed and cried while they poked needles into each arm
and each leg alternately. Cortney and I had the wonderful job of
holding him still and at the same time trying to comfort him. By
the time we reached the last one, we were spent from holding him.
As a consolation, he got a piece of candy and a pat on the head from the
nurses. We decided that wasn't nearly enough, so we took the kids
to the playground and then for ice cream to try to minimize the damage
to his trust in us as his protectors.
That evening, Kelly (our Guangzhou guide) took us out to a great local
restaurant. Shamian Island is built to cater to tourists,
particularly adoptive families from America and Europe. It is a
beautiful island with very western style historical buildings. It
was occupied by the British and French in the late 1800's, and that is
when many of the buildings were built, so everything is quite Victorian
in style. There are some excellent restaurants, but by Chinese
standards they are very expensive. Kelly told us about a
restaurant she enjoys that is not easy to find and is frequented by
locals, so we were excited to go. The restaurant was on the fifth
floor of a building with no elevator, so there was some work to get
there. The food, though, was outstanding! Some of the best
Chinese food we've eaten. We stuffed ourselves on sweet and sour
chicken, green beans, pork, and cabbage. At the end of the meal,
we were expecting a rather large bill. When we got it, we
found that the bill for nine of us to stuff ourselves with great Chinese
food was 133 Yuan (about $20!) We took note of the location and
had Kelly write down the Chinese characters for the dishes we liked so
that we could come back again later!
April 30th: A Free Day to Pack and Prepare
to Leave
| Today we had no
planned tours. It was just a day
to relax and get ready to fly to
Guangzhou early in the morning. We
met Paul and Barbara at breakfast and
decided to go for a walk in a new
direction, so we packed up and headed
out. Our walk took us to the
provincial government buildings, the
train station, and into the downtown
area of Jinan. We then grabbed
taxis back to Wal-Mart for one more
supply run. To get the taxi
drivers to take us to Wal-Mart, I had
cut the characters out of a shopping bag
to show them. As we drove, my
driver taught me to say Hua-hu Mar with
the proper inflection so that I wouldn't
have to show drivers part of a plastic
bag to get to my destination.
|
Click picture to
see more school photos |
After a second lunch at Pizza Hut
(which, by the way, is a rather fancy restaurant in China for some
reason), we spent the afternoon packing. In the evening, we
decided to go for one last walk through the market. This time, we
happened to see that they were just letting school out at an elementary
school (xiao xue) near the market. The kids started saying "hello"
and laughed and chattered excitedly when we responded with "hello" and "nihao"
(Chinese for hello.)
We then saw some older students in school uniforms, so we knew there had
to be a middle school (zhong xue) nearby. We followed the flow of
students, and we found the school. It was a fairly large school
building with a very large play yard with many basketball hoops
surrounding it. The yard was fenced in and a security guard manned
the gate. Kids came out in groups and headed home, visiting and
gossiping the same as students anywhere. The biggest difference
was that school was just getting out at 6:00! Their school days
are quite long, and I really wished I could have the chance to explore
inside.
Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou early, so I'd better get some sleep.
I'm not sure what our Internet situation will be there, but I'll post
again as soon as I have the opportunity.
April 29th: Daming Lake & Testing Limits
This morning
Jane took us to explore Daming Lake.
We've driven by the lake before, and the
parks looked quite beautiful. We
could also see the lake from our room
window, so we've been looking forward to
a visit. It was a very nice
morning for a walk, and we spent time
walking down one side of the lake.
All around the lake are well manicured
parks and a number of traditional
Chinese buildings. You could rent
boats to travel around the lake, but we
stuck to walking.
Since I forgot to put the batteries in
my camera, Colton was our photographer.
He took some nice pictures of the lake
and park while we walked. Tai seemed to
enjoy the walk and continues to enjoy
looking for fish. At Baotu Springs
yesterday, he was enthralled by the seal
pond.
|
Click the picture
to see more photos of our trip to Daming
Lake |
In that park, they had a pond that contained a couple of seals that were
swimming laps around the pools. Long Long kept excitedly saying "Da
Yu" which means "Big fish!" We had a hard time getting him to
leave the seal pool. Today, as we came to ponds or places to look
out at the lake, he kept looking for the "Da yu" again. I showed
him some Koi, and he found them interesting, but not quite up to the
standard of the seals.
While at the lake, we bought some souvenirs to bring back with us and
stopped at a childrens' clothing market to pick up some pants that will
fit Tai and aren't "split pants."
Tai has started really pushing limits to figure out our boundaries.
He likes to run from us when he gets the chance--not to run away, but to
go to whatever he decides he wants at the time. When we get to a
store, he starts grabbing things and insists that we buy them for him,
and he's had some minor tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants.
He also will try to take things from his brother and sisters forcefully
when he decides he wants them. He is learning that all of these
things come with consequences and that being part of a family doesn't
mean getting everything you want all the time.
At the same time, we are seeing a helpful child who loves to share and
have fun. When he gets a treat, he always makes sure to share it
with his brother and sisters. When I'm working on a project, he
comes and tries to find a way to help. He likes to play jokes on
his siblings, and he really likes playing games with them. He's
going through so much change, and I'm sure it must be frustrating
learning a whole new set of rules in a completely unfamiliar place with
people who don't speak his language. He's also seeing so many
things he has never seen before other than on TV. Today after
lunch, he insisted on telling every Chinese person he saw that he had
gone out to lunch. He was so excited that he had gone out to a
restaurant.
In the evening we walked our favorite market again and spent time
visiting with a girl who said her name was "Rachel." She had
recently graduated from a local university with a degree in English, and
she was very excited to practice her speaking skills with Americans.
She walked with us for about 45 minutes, talking and getting to know us.
It was another example of how open and friendly the Chinese people can
be.
April 28th: Baotu Springs
With our guide and our travelling
companions back in town, we took the
morning to visit Baotu Springs.
Jinan is known in China as the "Spring
City," not for the season, but for the
natural springs that flow from
underground around the city. The
Baotu Springs are housed in a very nice
park near the center of Jinan. We
spent the morning exploring the park and
taking many pictures. Jinan does
not appear to be a common place for
foreigners to visit--we have not seen
another American or European since we
left the airport on Sunday. We
also continue to be a spectacle as we
visit parks and local tourist spots.
It's hard to be inconspicuous with four children in a country where more
than one child is a rarity. Add in the fact that we are Americans,
and considering Meilyn and Long Long are both big personalities, and we
might as well be dressed in neon costumes and yelling, "Look over Here!"
through a megaphone. We stop now and then to take pictures with
people who want photos of us with them or their children, and we spend
quite a bit of time explaining why we are here either with our guide's
help or with my limited Chinese.
After a morning walking the park, we went to lunch at a small noodle
restaurant that had some of the best noodle bowls we've ever had.
We followed that with a second trip to Wal-Mart for Paul and Barbara to
pick up a few things and headed back to the hotel.
Behind our hotel is a really fascinating market in what is best
described as an alleyway, or what in China is known as a "Hutong."
The market is something like a farmer's market, with stands lining the
alley for about six blocks. In this market, you can buy fresh
vegetables, eggs, meat, groceries, shoes, clothes, and a variety of
everyday necessities. The fish and birds (chickens and pigeons)
are alive for you to choose fresh. Most of the other meat is
already butchered. We have been fascinated by this market and have
gone for a walk there every day. It is also lively at night, so we
have gone for evening walks there, as well. Every walk is an
adventure. It's amazing to watch people, bicycles, mopeds, carts,
and sometimes cars navigate this small alley, and the activity and bustle
of people visiting, doing business, walking dogs, and playing games is
an amazing experience. We'll post pictures, but they simply will
not do it justice.
|
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Click photo to see
"Hutong Market" pics |
Click photo
to see Baotu Springs Pictures |
April 27th: Qian Fo Shan (Thousand Buddha
Mountain)
Today our guide and
the other family travelling with us had
to travel to Qingdao to complete
paperwork for their adoption. This
left us with a free day to explore
Jinan. We decided to go to
Thousand Buddha Mountain, a well known
park in Jinan that features 1000 stone
carved Buddha statues up the side of a
mountain (so it isn't just a clever
name!) Our driver met us and drove
us to the mountain, which is right in
the city of Jinan. We paid our
fees and entered the park, and Long Long
had to use the restroom.
Teacher Note:
preview this post before reading to the
class.
I normally wouldn't devote space to this
topic, but toileting is a topic that
deserves some mention. Long Long
came to us in what are called "split
pants." Chinese children potty
train differently from American
children. Rather than wearing
diapers until they have perfected the
routine of using the bathroom, they wear
pants that are cut open from the front to the back.
When they need to go to the restroom,
they simply find a spot out of the flow
of traffic and do their business.
The toilets in most public places are
also different. They are
officially known as "Turkish Toilets,"
but we informally call them the "squatty
potty." Basically, they are a
trough at ground level that one stands
over to use the restroom. I won't
go into more detail about this, but I
will say that they are complicated to
use when you have not grown up with
them. Our children have so far
worked hard to avoid having to use the
squatty potty any more than absolutely
necessary! Meilyn particularly has
ranted about these facilities and asks
us if there is a "Western toilet" any
time she has to go.
Now back to Thousand Buddha Mountain.
As I was buying tickets to enter the
park, Long Long decided that he had to
go. He started frantically saying
"Niao Niao" (you can guess the meaning.)
We are not well versed in the
intricacies of split pants, so we have
opted for the traditional American
approach, and Long Long is now wearing
underwear and regular pants. He
hasn't adjusted to this yet, and frankly
he finds it quite confusing.
He started pulling Cortney off the path
to find a place to squat. Cortney
quickly pulled his pants to his ankles
and attempted to set him up to do his
business since there was no restroom
nearby and he had decided he was going
to go. Long Long, however, did not
feel properly prepared to go with his
pants around his ankles and Cortney
balancing him in a semi-squatting
position,
so we ended up putting him back
together and hurrying into the park to
find a restroom.
Once there, I took him in and found only
squatty potties. Long Long was
quite happy with this, so I
stripped off his pants and underwear
(not an easy task in a rather unsanitary
public restroom), and sent him into the
stall. As an attentive parent, I
went in with him to make sure he had all
the help he needed. Instead, I
found myself watching and learning as
Long Long expertly navigated the squatty
potty. Few things can make a 37
year old adult feel as incompetent as
having to watch a four year old to
understand something as basic as how to
use the restroom, but I gladly laid my
pride aside and let Long Long show me
how it's done!
Afterward, I held him in the air with one arm
while trying to put on his underwear and
pants with the other arm as men passed
in and out of the restroom shaking their
heads and smiling as they watched the
spectacle. It was then that I realized the value of split
pants. It was almost enough to
convert me (at least for the rest of our
time in China.) For now, we
continue to forge on with pants and
underwear, but the simplicity of split
pants does have an appeal!
I suppose I should share something about
our trip other than the toileting
experience. Thousand Buddha
Mountain was a beautiful park. We
had the option of taking chairlift to
the top, but it looked a bit dangerous
for moving four children, so we decided
to walk as far as we could. At
each Buddha was a spot to pray, and some
of them were housed in small temples.
In front of the temples, you could buy
incense to light and place in stands to
honor the Buddha. We wandered on
and found people playing instruments and
singing for a small crowd, and a bit
further up we came to some carnival-type
rides.
The kids were interested in the carnival
rides, and there were no other children
in the area to ride, so the workers were
inviting us to ride. The rides
were quite old and looked a bit suspect,
so we chose the merry-go-round figuring
it was the safest bet. We put
everyone on horses and waited for the
ride to begin. The man turned on
the merry-go-round, and it made a sound,
but there was no movement. He
tried a second and third time with no
more luck. Finally, he turned it
and came over to try to push-start it.
I got off and tried to help him start
it, but it was not going to go.
Other workers came and worked hard to
fix it, but it looked like a bigger job
than we could wait for, so we got off
and moved on.
|
Click photo for
more 1000 Buddha Mountain pics
Click photo for
more 1000 Buddha Mountain pics
 |
The kids really wanted a ride, so we
decided on a boat ride. You've
seen this ride at carnivals in the
US--it is a boat with seats facing the
center, and it hangs like a pendulum.
The ride swings the boat from side to
side like a pendulum, giving riders a
mild ride or more exciting ride
depending on how high it goes.
This was a fairly small one, so we
figured it would be a safe bet. We
loaded the boat, and the workers started
it up. Abby, Meilyn, and Colton
really liked the ride, and Long Long
liked it at first. As it got
higher, though, Long Long was
frightened. The workers saw this
and stopped making it go higher, and it
began to slow down. As we thought
the ride was coming to an end, they
turned it on again and it started going
higher. Once again we comforted
Tai, and they stopped adding power to
the ride. After nearly 10 minutes
of swinging, I looked up how to ask them
to stop the ride in my phrasebook, and
we moved on.
After climbing stairs up the side of the
mountain for a while, we decided to stop
for ice cream. As we ate, a crowd
began to form. Soon, there were
about 12-15 people surrounding us and
watching us eat. They tried asking
us questions in Chinese, and I responded
the best I could. They wanted to
know where Tai and Meilyn were from,
where we were from, and they asked
questions about Tai's hand.
Finally, one person came up who spoke
English, so we explained to them while
she translated. The people were
very kind and genuinely curious about
our family.
The kids decided they were done
climbing, so we headed back down the
mountain. We only saw a fraction
of the Buddhas, but we decided that we
had seen enough to satisfy our interest.
On the way down, Tai decided it was fun
to jump down each set of stairs, so I
kept busy holding his arm and making
sure each jump was successful.
After a visit to the souvenir shop, we
loaded the van to head to Wal-Mart.
We enjoyed a great lunch at Pizza Hut,
and we headed into Wal-Mart to pick up a
few things. Wal-Mart in China is
quite similar to the US, except it is packed into a smaller building and
four floors high. We picked up some groceries and headed back to
the hotel.
It had been a nice day, but in the afternoon a strong wind storm blew in
that was quite a site. Our hotel room is on the 16th floor of the
hotel, and paper was blowing clear up to our level outside. There
is a large outdoor market in a Hutong (or alley) behind our hotel, and
people scrambled to secure everything to weather the storm. We
decided it was too ugly to go out, so we ate dinner in the hotel and
settled down for the evening.
April 26th:
Adoption Day!
This being our second adoption, Cortney
and I went into it thinking we were
prepared and knew how things would go.
We could not have been more wrong!
We began our day with Tai happy and
playful with the children, but we knew
he would have an emotional day ahead.
After breakfast, Jane, Paul, and I
headed to the China Construction Bank
branch next to our hotel to change our
money for the orphanage donation.
This alone was an adventure! Paul
went first, and the bank was concerned
about having enough Yuan to change the
$6,000 we each needed to pay all of our
fees. |
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After a long inspection of Paul's money to make sure
it was not counterfeit, they gave him a large pile of Chinese cash and a
large envelope (more like a bag) to keep it in. I then stepped up
to the counter, and they told our guide that they simply could not
change my money. Our guide had to call the Civil Affairs Bureau to
let them know we would be late and made a plan to visit another bank.
We found a much larger bank branch and changed my
money, leaving me with another large envelope of money for donations and
fees. We went to the Civil Affairs Bureau, where we met Director
Wu and the orphanage workers who were with him. Immediately, Long
Long threw off his coat and ran to them. He sat with the director,
who obviously explained to him what was happening, and Long Long got
very sad. He seemed to think he had enjoyed a fun sleep over with
us, but he was going back home with them. Once he realized that he
would not be going back with his caretakers, he was upset and cried.
We let him stay with the director while we did paperwork to give them
some time together.
It took a while to change money and complete the
adoption paperwork, and we then loaded the van to go to the Notary
office. Once there, we had the chance to sit and visit with
Director Wu. First, he was interested to find that he and I share
the same birthday. He explained through our interpreter that the
Zaozhuang orphanage was opened in 1927 by an American woman. She
took the Chinese surname "Wan," which is why all of the children at the
orphanage, including Long Long, have the surname Wan. He talked at
length about the kindness of the founder of the orphanage, and he told
us that he was happy that the first child they are adopting to a
foreigner is going to America.
He continued to hold Long Long any chance he could,
but he also made him go to us and talked to him to prepare him to go
with us. It was very clear how much he cared for Long Long, and
how much Long Long cared for him. After the paperwork was done, he
told us that he knew that Long Long was in good hands, and we thanked
him and his staff for the loving care they had clearly given Long Long.
Director Wu assured us that our orphanage donation would be entirely
used for the good of the children and wanted us to know that they work
very hard for the children in their care. Mr. Wu and I exchanged
phone numbers and e-mail addresses. He told us he would e-mail us
pictures and video he has of Long Long from when he was younger.
We gave them gifts, took pictures with them, and prepared to
leave.
As we prepared to leave, Director Wu told us through
our interpreter that he really wanted to say goodbye, but he thought it
would be easier for Long Long if he didn't. He went outside to our
car to watch him go, and we loaded the van. When I went to shake
his hand, I could see that he was choked up and working hard to hold
back tears. It was really moving to see how much he cared for this
boy, and I realized that the director saw Long Long as much more than a
child in his orphanage.
When we got back to our room, Long Long fell asleep,
emotionally exhausted from his day. When he woke up, he was back
to his mischievous, playful self.
It is really difficult to express how this day made
us feel. We are so thankful to know Long Long was in the care of
people who truly cared for him. We are very happy to have him, but
it's hard knowing that we are taking him from people who love him,
particularly Director Wu. We know they chose him for adoption
because they wanted him to have the best home and the best care.
We hope we've assured them that he is going to a place where he will
have every possible opportunity and that we'll try to give him the home
they wanted for him.
April 25th: We Have Tai!
|
Yesterday was quite a day! We started our
morning with a flight to Jinan through Beijing's massive new terminal.
Our guide, Jane, met us as we waited for the flight and flew to Jinan
with us. The flight from Beijing to Jinan is only an hour long,
and the kids thought it went very quickly after the long flights they've
been on! We got to our hotel, checked in, and waited anxiously for
the call to let us know that Long Long was here.
Shortly after 3:00
p.m., Jane called to let us know that
Long Long and Director Wu from the
orphanage were here. A few minute
later, they were at our door and brought
him into the room! Long Long
looked very nervous and had a somber
look on his face. They introduced
us to Director Wu and two orphanage
staff members who accompanied him on the
trip. The kids were all excited to
meet him--they had learned to say "I am
your sister" and "I am your brother" in
Chinese. After introductions and
some coaxing, Long Long told the
director that he had been a good boy,
and he went to a box that they had
brought with him and grabbed a bag of
candy. Clearly they had cut a deal
to get him to come along politely!
After signing some
paperwork and asking questions, we asked
if we could visit the orphanage.
The director arranged to have us come to
Zaozhuang on Friday to visit, so it
looks like we will be able to see his
orphanage! We said our goodbyes to the
orphanage staff for the day, and they
left us to get acquainted. We will see
them again tomorrow at the Civil Affairs
Bureau when we complete adoption
paperwork.
It was now nearly 4 in
the afternoon and we had eaten little
since breakfast other than granola bars
we brought with us. We are with
one other family from Wisconsin who are
adopting a 17 month old child. We
all met in the lobby to walk to a nearby
convenience store for supplies. On
the way, people on the elevator were
very interested to talk with us. I
used my limited Chinese to try to
explain, and they would give me their
business card and ask for our name and
phone number. We now have a number
of contacts in Jinan who all appear to
be connected with Herbalife (we think
there is a convention in our hotel!)
The people were very kind and all wanted
to know about our family.
We stocked up on
supplies at the store, dropped them off
at the room, and went to dinner at the
restaurant connected to our hotel.
I selected a variety of dishes from the
pictures in the restaurant, with Jane's
help. As it turns out, I liked the
pictures of some spicy food! The
kids and Cortney ended up mostly filling
up on green beans, shrimp, and rice,
while I enjoyed some excellent spicy
pork dishes.
We finally settled
down in the room for the evening, and I
set to trying to get the Internet to
work. Unfortunately, I've had some
problems getting connected here, so our
Internet is only working part-time.
It didn't take long for everyone to fall
off to sleep. After two very busy
days, everyone was ready for a long
night of sleep. Long Long looked
exhausted, too, so we all were out
before 8 p.m.
This morning, we have
been playing, blowing bubbles, and
getting to know each other since 5 a.m.
He seems to be settling in well,
laughing and playing with the kids.
We also learned that he is a fan of the
Teletubbies. We were surprised to
find it on Chinese TV, and even more
surprised when he started singing along!
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See
our "First Days with Long Long" Photo Album
April 24th, Part 2: A Very Busy Day!
If it is possible to fit thousands of years of history
and a city of 15 million people into a one day tour, it probably isn't
practical the morning after a 20 hour flight and with three children
along for the tour. Despite that, we did it anyway! We began
our morning with a walking tour of Tiananmen Square (the biggest city
square in the world) and the Forbidden City. We walked for about
three hours and stood for a couple more.
The sites were as impressive as the last time we
visited. Massive numbers of people everywhere, long lines of
people waiting to see Mao's tomb, and the history and magnitude of the
Forbidden City. This time, however, we had two things we didn't
have before. First, we had sunshine! Second, we had three
"celebrity" children. The kids spent quite a bit of time posing
for pictures--especially Abby. People would come up one after
another asking to have pictures with the children and saying the Chinese
word for "pretty" and "American." They were very kind, and the
kids were good sports about it. Meilyn soon had perfected her
glamour pose, and Abby seemed to be soaking in the attention.
We then boarded the bus for the Great Wall. On
the way, we had lunch planned at a Cloisonne Factory, store, and
restaurant. There was a car accident backing up traffic at the
exit to the restaurant, so our driver found an alternate route. He
drove to the next exit about a mile past the restaurant and came back to
it. That was a great plan except for one detail--it was a one way
street in the other direction! That would stop most drivers, but
not ours. We plunged onward, shifting to miss the oncoming traffic
and exchanging horn greetings with the neighborly drivers who seemed to
truly appreciate the bus coming at them on the one way road.
After lunch, we had time to climb the Great Wall.
Colton and Abby climbed with me, while Meilyn and Cortney remained
closer to the bottom. Meilyn wanted to go up further, but some of
the stairs are over half her height!
By the time we got back to our hotel, it was after 7
p.m. We had planned to go out for a nice dinner, but everyone was
so tired that we settled for dinner at a nearby McDonalds and snacks
from "Wu-Mart." When we got back to the room, it didn't take long
for the kids to find their beds and fall asleep.
Now I am ready to do the same--we have another big day
tomorrow! I'll post more once we are in Jinan and hopefully have
Tai with us and getting settled as part of our family!
See our
Beijing Photo Album
April 24th: Ready for a Sunny Day in Beijing
We made it to Beijing! It was a
long and tiring trip, and the kids were exhausted by the time re reached
our hotel. Everyone got a good night's sleep, though, and we are
ready for a tour of Beijing. The sun is out this morning, and it
is the clearest day I've had in Beijing. We're really looking
forward to seeing the Great Wall on a sunny, clear day! We are
about to go to breakfast, but I wanted to leave a quick note to let
everyone know we made it.
April 20th: Packed and Ready
The time has come to write our last
post before we leave Thursday morning. We have luggage spread
everywhere, and we are down to our final "to do" checklists. We
fly out Thursday morning at 10:30, and we'll arrive in Beijing at 10:15
on Friday Night. We'll write our next post from China.
Our Itinerary
| 4/22 |
Leave Spokane, 9:30 a.m. |
| 4/23 |
Arrive in Beijing, 10:15 p.m. |
| 4/24 |
Tour Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, &
the Great Wall |
| 4/25 |
Fly to Jinan,
Shandong Province, 7:30 a.m.
-
Meet Long Long - 3:00 p.m.
(12:00 a.m. at home) |
| 4/26 |
Complete adoption paperwork at Civil
Affairs Bureau |
| 4/27 |
Free day to tour Shandong Province |
| 4/28 |
Sightseeing to Baotuquan |
| 4/29 |
Sightseeing to Daming Lake Park |
| 4/30 |
Pick up Tai's Passport, 4:00 p.m. |
| 5/1 |
Fly to Guangzhou, 8:10 a.m. |
| 5/2 |
Sightseeing tour to Yuntai Park |
| 5/3 |
Sightseeing tour to Chen Family Temple |
| 5/4 |
Take family Visa photo and complete
medical examination and TB testing for
Tai |
5/5-
5/7 |
Sightseeing while waiting for TB test
results |
| 5/8 |
Sightseeing to Six Banyan Tree Temple |
| 5/9 |
Shopping day |
| 5/10-5/11 |
Waiting for Tai's Visa to be ready |
| 5/12 |
Receive Tai's Visa and take the train to
Hong Kong, 4:00 p.m. |
| 5/13 |
Fly Home! We'll arrive in Spokane
on Horizon Flight 7583 at 12:00 p.m. |
Introducing Tai Long Michael Dotson
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