We are home... Yeah...
I didn't get to post last night because we were in Hong Kong for just the evening and it was rather stressful. On Wednesday we had our swearing in appointment at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. It is pretty much a formality. There were around 20 families there with adopted children of all ages. Everyone stands up and raises their right hand and states that all the information in the paperwork provided is to our best knowledge. Of course we then get all of our paperwork and are ready to go. The whole process took about half an hour. The train station is only a block away from the consulate so we went straight there after our swearing in.
We had to lug all of our luggage through the train station, change our tickets from the 7pm train to the 5pm train. This entailed going up several escalators and several checkpoints with 4 bags of luggage, 2 kids and 4 backpacks. Luckily, Elsie our guide and one of the teenage boys from the travel group went with us. We made it to the train which takes 2 hours from Guangzhou to Hong Kong.
Our hotel was right across the street from the train station. We thought great... Except you have to go across the street via an overpass, into a mall and down at leas a 100 yard corridor to get to the hotel lobby. We didn't know where we were going and no porter or cart to get our luggage around. The girls were being fright full too. We were all tired and hungry by then.
We finally made it to the hotel and checked in. I took Mina out to get some McDonald's back at the train station and went back for dinner. We pretty much went to bed after that. Our hotel was very nice with a great view of the HongKong harbor, a kitchenette and a lounge room. Too bad we were only there for one night.
We had to be up by 6am, down to the lobby by 7am, to the airport by 8am and on our plane home at 10am. It was a 15 hour flight. The girls did pretty well. We watched everything we could watch on DVD before all the batteries ran out. I had my computer, that got us 4 hours, a portable DVD player, that's got us about 5 hours. My mp3 player ran out of batteries so I couldn't even listen to music very long. Its a long flight but all in all not too bad.
We landed in Newark NJ about 2pm eastern time. We had a 2 hour layover but most of that was taken up by customs, immigration and baggage check in. we had to recheck all of our baggage for our connection flight. Don't ask me why.
Our return flight was 2 hours and we all slept most of it. Thanks to Joyce, Joe and Mom (JoAnn) for meeting us at the airport. They followed us home for some more introduction time with Rissa and some pizza. Rissa got to meet the cats which she seems to like. She was amazed at all the toys to play with and things to do. She just soaked it all in...
It is good to be home. I'm sure it will take us all a while to get use to the time change. I know I have major jet lag. We will see if I am recuperated enough to get back to work on Monday but that is the plan.
We are going to have to do some retraining here at home too. Our old bedtime routine is not going to work. Susan would always go to bed with Mina at around 8:30 or 9:00pm. Rissa thinks I need to go to bed with the rest of the family like we did in China. We were told that Rissa could put her self to sleep at her foster home. She is petty wound up here. Retraining... If any of you more experienced parents out there want to give some advice we would be more than happy to hear your suggestions. ..
Well that's all for now. Tomorrow will be more unpacking, laundry and some grocery shopping. Saturday we have a party to go to.
I will keep everyone up to date on our progress as we adjust to being at home...
Michael
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Last day in Guangzhou
Well we are in our last day in Guangzhou. We went to a small amuzment park this morning. The girls liked it but it started to rain after an hour. Even though its overcast and raining its still hot and humid. You sweat up a storm just walking around.
This afternoon we head to the Imagration Department to make Rissa a US citizen. After that we get on our train to HongKong to spend the night and take our plane back to the states in the morning. We are suppose to get back into St. Louis sometime around 6pm. If anyone wants to catch us at the airport, give mom a call and she will give you the details.
Yesterday I had to go downtown to get one of our documents certified. We forgot to get it done back home. It was not too hard but it took a few hours to take care of.
The group was suppose to go on a park/museum excursion but we were the only ones to show up for the trip. So our guide took us to a local walking park to let the girls run. They got to play on a playground and we got to feed the carp. Rissa really likes ice cream and it tasted great on such a hot day. Its only June here and its already unbearably hot. Last time we were her in August and it gets even hotter.
We had our group dinner last night. It was a more traditional Cantanies style dinner. Very good but the girls can only behave for a short time before its time to move on.
We are looking forward to getting home. We need to get the girls on a schedule and get some discipline instilled.
Talk to everyone soon...
Michael
This afternoon we head to the Imagration Department to make Rissa a US citizen. After that we get on our train to HongKong to spend the night and take our plane back to the states in the morning. We are suppose to get back into St. Louis sometime around 6pm. If anyone wants to catch us at the airport, give mom a call and she will give you the details.
Yesterday I had to go downtown to get one of our documents certified. We forgot to get it done back home. It was not too hard but it took a few hours to take care of.
The group was suppose to go on a park/museum excursion but we were the only ones to show up for the trip. So our guide took us to a local walking park to let the girls run. They got to play on a playground and we got to feed the carp. Rissa really likes ice cream and it tasted great on such a hot day. Its only June here and its already unbearably hot. Last time we were her in August and it gets even hotter.
We had our group dinner last night. It was a more traditional Cantanies style dinner. Very good but the girls can only behave for a short time before its time to move on.
We are looking forward to getting home. We need to get the girls on a schedule and get some discipline instilled.
Talk to everyone soon...
Michael
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday in Guangzhou
Well, today was the official doctor visit. As per last visit, it was just about as thorough. Actually, maybe less thorough. But the doctor did ask about the scar on Rissa's ankle, which she said was caused when she was burned by some hot water. And they did ask about her "developmental delay," which we said we hadn't noticed. The doctors didn't notice anything either and several of them looked at her. We will have her evaluated back in St. Louis, but if she had delays, they seem to be caught up. She seems right on track with Mina and will start school as soon as she knows enough English and there is a spot for her.
After the doctor visit. We went to the pearl market and large shopping center. We bought Rissa a pearl pendant to be given to her at a much later date. We had bought Mina one when we visited with her. I also bought a few bracelets. Then we went to McDonalds for lunch. mmmm.
We've been taking the girls swimming every day since we've been here. Mina loves to swim and does a good job in the water. The pool has styrofoam float rings for the kids and she get hers on and just paddles around. She can swim without, but wants to swim with daddy and he's occupied. So, Rissa THINKS she can swim. The first day she does a face plant. She hates getting her face wet. So every five minutes she wants the towel. The second day is better and we pull her around in the ring. Today she thinks she's an olympic swimmer and doesn't need the ring. We'll have her swimming by the end of summer, but we're really going to have to watch her. She'll be jumping in by herself.
Yesterday, we walked to the supermarket. And we use that term loosely. It was a small grocery. The marketplace we walked through was very cool. Lots of spices, mushrooms, roots, snakes, bugs, etc. to buy. Very interesting. Need some turtles for your soup. They've got them....Frogs....they've got them....very fresh,kill them yourself. But boy was it hot and it was a long walk for the girls. I would have just gotten what I needed from 7-11 across the street, but we would have missed the fun.
Tommorrow is the group picture on the red couches. I think this one should go better. Rissa likes me and has adjusted well. Last time, Mina only liked daddy. Plus there were a lot of crying babies. This time there are only 5 kids and they are mostly older. The youngest is 2 1/2. I can't believe we are leaving in a few days. It's going really fast here in Guangzhou. Maybe because we like it here and probably because we are so busy.
Oh, and the girls are getting along better. They are behaving better and playing better together. They are still fighting some, but the days are getting smoother. I'm sure it will get better once we are home. Or not, there are more toys to fight over....
After the doctor visit. We went to the pearl market and large shopping center. We bought Rissa a pearl pendant to be given to her at a much later date. We had bought Mina one when we visited with her. I also bought a few bracelets. Then we went to McDonalds for lunch. mmmm.
We've been taking the girls swimming every day since we've been here. Mina loves to swim and does a good job in the water. The pool has styrofoam float rings for the kids and she get hers on and just paddles around. She can swim without, but wants to swim with daddy and he's occupied. So, Rissa THINKS she can swim. The first day she does a face plant. She hates getting her face wet. So every five minutes she wants the towel. The second day is better and we pull her around in the ring. Today she thinks she's an olympic swimmer and doesn't need the ring. We'll have her swimming by the end of summer, but we're really going to have to watch her. She'll be jumping in by herself.
Yesterday, we walked to the supermarket. And we use that term loosely. It was a small grocery. The marketplace we walked through was very cool. Lots of spices, mushrooms, roots, snakes, bugs, etc. to buy. Very interesting. Need some turtles for your soup. They've got them....Frogs....they've got them....very fresh,kill them yourself. But boy was it hot and it was a long walk for the girls. I would have just gotten what I needed from 7-11 across the street, but we would have missed the fun.
Tommorrow is the group picture on the red couches. I think this one should go better. Rissa likes me and has adjusted well. Last time, Mina only liked daddy. Plus there were a lot of crying babies. This time there are only 5 kids and they are mostly older. The youngest is 2 1/2. I can't believe we are leaving in a few days. It's going really fast here in Guangzhou. Maybe because we like it here and probably because we are so busy.
Oh, and the girls are getting along better. They are behaving better and playing better together. They are still fighting some, but the days are getting smoother. I'm sure it will get better once we are home. Or not, there are more toys to fight over....
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturdays Post...
We are now in Guangzhou. Hurray... This morning we got up, went down for breakfast at the hotel. None of us ate very much. I think we were getting tired of the same choices. Most Chinese people do not eat "breakfast food". They eat just like any other meal. The buffet does accommodate western style breakfast but the choices are limited. I think we were all anxious to get out of town. After breakfast we went back to our room and packed. We were done by 10am and we were not suppose to leave for the airport till noon so we went out for a walk to kill some time.
We got to the airport about 2 hours early. The Guiyang airport is pretty small so we whized through securety and had a bunch of time to kill. The flight was uneventful and it was good to get into Guangzhou. This is a much more developed town and much more western. It was good to get to the White Swan Hotel. This is the same hotel we stayed in when we got Mina. The room is cool and dry and the hotel is very nice. We met our guide who works for our agency as appose to the one in Guiyang who is just a local guide for Guiyang. Elsie is very nice. We got to meet the other 4 families and headed out to a Thai restaurant for dinner. I was surprised to find that Rissa doesn't like Thai food. I will have to try to take her to Thai Kitchen back home. This is the first food she said she didn't like. After dinner we took the girls for a quick swim. It was a little cool but not too bad. The temp here is in the 90's during the day with high humidity. I don't think Rissa had ever been in a pool before. She seemed to like it but doesn't like to get her head under the water. I will have to teach her. She is brave and I figure by the end of summer I will have her swimming like Mina. One funny thing. She is a spitter. People in China spit. Both the men and women. We say it all over in Guiyang. I'm sure in the richer area's people are more refined. This will be a hard habit for her to break. I know, I am a spitter too, but what can I say, I learned from the best (the right people will get this joke...).
We have seen a lot of Americans with babies here. It is kind of nice not to be stared at all the time. Most of the hotel employees and shop owners know English so its easy to get around. The Shaman Island is also a very well kept part of town. Its very nice here...
That's all for today. I will post more tomorrow...
Michael
p.s. We can now see the blog. I have fixed some of the earlier problems. If you still see issues, make sure you refresh your link. It looks like a circle with an arrow on it for Firefox or a double arrow for Internet Explorer.
Friday in Guiyang
Sorry I didnt post yesterday but it was a crazy day. It was suppose to go smooth but as with most things in China it didnt. We are not really sure what the real problem was but here is the story.
We had to get to Guiyang early because we were told it takes 7 buisness days to get a passport done. When we arrived in Guiyang we had to do all of our adoption paperwork in one afternoon because of the Olympic torch going through the town on Tuesday. So the lady that does the passports in the police station had 7 whole days to do the passport paperwork. We were suppose to recieve the passport at 12:00 noon. Our guide was going to take us to have pizza to celebrate and then to the local park for the afternoon. Well we got a call from our guide that there was some sort of problem with the paperwork. Im not sure what the problem was but thats what we were told. She said that they would be done by 4:00pm. So we ventured out on our own, again. We hit the government craft store again and walked up to the park. They have a bunch of rides and the girls had fun riding the marrygoround and a few other rides. We had lunch at the park and headed back to the hotel for a nap. Well, 4:00 came and went. At 5:00 I tried calling our guide and on one answered. Finally at 5:30 she called and said they were just finishing up and would have the passport to us by 6:15 and that her phone was dead so she coundnt recieve any calls. She didnt call us back until 7:00 and sent the passport up to the room via the bellboy. We were kind of pissed by this point. We were all hungry and annoyed at having to wait for so long without any real explination. I somehow find it hard to believe that the lady doing the passport would stay 2 hours late on a friday night to get a passport done. I dont know but the whole day seemed fishy to me. In the end we did get the passport and were able to leave on Saturday.
Suz headed down to the hotel restaurant and I took the girls to a street vendor for some dumplings. Rissa eat a whole bowl by her self. She can put some food away...
After that it was the usual routine of bath and a movie before the girls go to sleep. It looks like our idea of the girls going to bed together isnt going to work out all that well. They get so wound up that I just cant see them going to sleep real fast. We will have to see how things work out when we get home. I will be hitting the shop to finish those bunk beds. I have the headboard and footboards built but they need sanding and finishing. Then its doing the railings and steps. Not too much more but still some work to do.
I will post again for Saturdays events...
Michael
We had to get to Guiyang early because we were told it takes 7 buisness days to get a passport done. When we arrived in Guiyang we had to do all of our adoption paperwork in one afternoon because of the Olympic torch going through the town on Tuesday. So the lady that does the passports in the police station had 7 whole days to do the passport paperwork. We were suppose to recieve the passport at 12:00 noon. Our guide was going to take us to have pizza to celebrate and then to the local park for the afternoon. Well we got a call from our guide that there was some sort of problem with the paperwork. Im not sure what the problem was but thats what we were told. She said that they would be done by 4:00pm. So we ventured out on our own, again. We hit the government craft store again and walked up to the park. They have a bunch of rides and the girls had fun riding the marrygoround and a few other rides. We had lunch at the park and headed back to the hotel for a nap. Well, 4:00 came and went. At 5:00 I tried calling our guide and on one answered. Finally at 5:30 she called and said they were just finishing up and would have the passport to us by 6:15 and that her phone was dead so she coundnt recieve any calls. She didnt call us back until 7:00 and sent the passport up to the room via the bellboy. We were kind of pissed by this point. We were all hungry and annoyed at having to wait for so long without any real explination. I somehow find it hard to believe that the lady doing the passport would stay 2 hours late on a friday night to get a passport done. I dont know but the whole day seemed fishy to me. In the end we did get the passport and were able to leave on Saturday.
Suz headed down to the hotel restaurant and I took the girls to a street vendor for some dumplings. Rissa eat a whole bowl by her self. She can put some food away...
After that it was the usual routine of bath and a movie before the girls go to sleep. It looks like our idea of the girls going to bed together isnt going to work out all that well. They get so wound up that I just cant see them going to sleep real fast. We will have to see how things work out when we get home. I will be hitting the shop to finish those bunk beds. I have the headboard and footboards built but they need sanding and finishing. Then its doing the railings and steps. Not too much more but still some work to do.
I will post again for Saturdays events...
Michael
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday in Guiyang
Its Thursday evening in Guiyang. Everyone else is asleep and I'm doing my usual blog before bed. Today was a pretty good day. We started out heading to the Guiyang Wildlife area which is about an hour and a half's drive from the hotel. We hired the hotel to drive us there and wait while we visited. At first we were a little freaked because after we arrived, the place was empty. No cars at all in the parking lot and we didn't see anyone inside the entrance. After pocking around a little we did see that they were open but there were no animal shows until 11:30. It was 9:30 at this time. We just decided to walk around on our own. It was weird being the only ones there. I'm sure in its hey day it was a very nice place. Now it is a little run down but nice none the less. The animals all looked well taken care of and they all had a lot of space to move around. Much more room then in any zoo we have visited. As you can see in the post, Suz got her picture taken with a tiger. I got one too but he kind of scared me. The trainers came out and fed the bears for us. Toward the end it started to rain so we hitched a ride on a tram (by now there were a few more people there) and trekked back to the hotel. We got back about 2pm. The girls were asleep and we got everyone back up to the room and crashed for a few hours.
The girls were pretty well behaved today. They are at least starting to figure out a pecking order. Karen, thanks for the encouraging post. We both had to laugh at the long road ahead dealing with these two.
We headed downtown for some KFC for dinner. I was able to get my order to them with my limited Chinese and sign language. For as big a city as this is, there is no McDonald's. Suz is going crazy only eating pizza all the time. Guangzhou will offer us a few more choices for food. The girls and I are happy just to find a street vendor for dinner, but then we reek of garlic and Suz goes hungry. We haven't found too many things that Rissa will not eat. She likes pizza, chicken, fruit especially watermelon and honeydew. Her favorite is fried noodles. I will have to break out the wak when we get home.
After dinner we went across the street to a park. So many people go out at night to walk or play with the kids. This park didn't have any playground equipment but there was tons of room for the kids to run around and be silly. There were several people with Chinese tops. They take a cylinder piece of wood, turn it down to a cone with a metal point. To get the top to spin, you have a stick in your hand with a piece of rope on the end. You whip the top with the rope to make it spin. When it starts to slow down, you just whip it again. They had a variety of sizes and even some with lights.
Tomorrow we get Rissa's passport. We are then free to got Guangzhou. We are going to celebrate with lunch and another trip to the local park with the monkeys. Mina loves the monkeys... (NOT)
We are starting to count down the days till we leave now. As with our last trip, its a bitter sweet feeling. We love China for many reasons but home is still home. Your own bed, your own food, your own home. Rissa has been a real trooper with all the changes too. She hasn't shown any more signs of homesickness. In many ways she is very independent. She brushes her own teeth, washes her own hair, and goes to bed on her own. She is picking up a few more English words and Suz even got a
"Wo Ai Ni (I love you)". She is still a little standoffish with me. Sometimes she likes me and sometimes she doesn't. I still don't get kisses but she likes to wrestle and tickle.
OK that's all for now. I'm getting tired and I still have to spell check this mess...
Michael
The girls were pretty well behaved today. They are at least starting to figure out a pecking order. Karen, thanks for the encouraging post. We both had to laugh at the long road ahead dealing with these two.
We headed downtown for some KFC for dinner. I was able to get my order to them with my limited Chinese and sign language. For as big a city as this is, there is no McDonald's. Suz is going crazy only eating pizza all the time. Guangzhou will offer us a few more choices for food. The girls and I are happy just to find a street vendor for dinner, but then we reek of garlic and Suz goes hungry. We haven't found too many things that Rissa will not eat. She likes pizza, chicken, fruit especially watermelon and honeydew. Her favorite is fried noodles. I will have to break out the wak when we get home.
After dinner we went across the street to a park. So many people go out at night to walk or play with the kids. This park didn't have any playground equipment but there was tons of room for the kids to run around and be silly. There were several people with Chinese tops. They take a cylinder piece of wood, turn it down to a cone with a metal point. To get the top to spin, you have a stick in your hand with a piece of rope on the end. You whip the top with the rope to make it spin. When it starts to slow down, you just whip it again. They had a variety of sizes and even some with lights.
Tomorrow we get Rissa's passport. We are then free to got Guangzhou. We are going to celebrate with lunch and another trip to the local park with the monkeys. Mina loves the monkeys... (NOT)
We are starting to count down the days till we leave now. As with our last trip, its a bitter sweet feeling. We love China for many reasons but home is still home. Your own bed, your own food, your own home. Rissa has been a real trooper with all the changes too. She hasn't shown any more signs of homesickness. In many ways she is very independent. She brushes her own teeth, washes her own hair, and goes to bed on her own. She is picking up a few more English words and Suz even got a
"Wo Ai Ni (I love you)". She is still a little standoffish with me. Sometimes she likes me and sometimes she doesn't. I still don't get kisses but she likes to wrestle and tickle.
OK that's all for now. I'm getting tired and I still have to spell check this mess...
Michael
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
More Guiyang
Hey all,
We are still here in Guiyang waiting for Rissa's passport. They say it will be ready on Friday. Its been a really long week and a half but we are coming near the end of this leg of the trip. We have seen most of what there is to see here with our limited knowledge of Chinese. We are ready to go on to Guangzhou. A few more days yet.
Yesterday we went to visit a 600 year old town about an hours drive away. It was very interesting. All the streets were paved with stone with multiple alley ways. We visited a Taoist temple though it is now a musiem. The are not many Taoist in China anymore. There was also a christian church but it is only open on Saturdays. The town was pretty neat but definetly a tourest trap. Alot of shops selling a variety of goods. alot of food stalls but of course nothing Susan would eat. All in all not a bad trip.
The girls have given up naps now. This does tend to make the afternoons more challenging. They get wound up much easier and feed off of each others temperments. We are struglling with who's is who's and she did it first. I can only laugh. I know it will get better as time goes on but its still a challenge.
Today we went downtown to an old school. This was built between the Qing and Ming dynisty and was where students would learn and test for their exams. Most of there study was in the confusious studies and a good student would go on into a government posistion. Neat architecture as the photos show. We then headed to the official government shop. A lot of local foods, cloths and gifts. We spent a good hour in there picking souveniers.
This afternoon we took a strole on what was suppose to be around the block. We the blocks are kind of big here are we kind of got lost. Fortunatly we found a taxi that took us back to the hotel. We were never in any danger but we were defiently not on a major street. We just attract a bunch of looks thats all.
In the evening ,we headed downtown to what is on big outdoor food mart. They shut the street down and vendors open up with all kinds of wild and crazy dishes. Unfortunatly we were told it started at 7pm. We got down there around 6:30. It actually starts around 7:30 so by the time we waited and walked around, we were tired and hungry. So we left just as it was starting. We did get to see the basic gist of it. They do this every night. Its open till like 5am too... Maybe if I cant sleep tonight Ill head down myself...(NOT) We are definetly a spectical. Everyone turns and stares at us. Most people are polite and we get some Hello's now and then. I just laugh it off.
Tomorrow we are headed to a outdoor wild animal park. It should be interesting. Its about a hour and a half drive away but we have nothing else to do here. We are hiring a hotel driver to take us. This is a much safer bet then hiring a cab. More expensive but safer. We feel better about it than getting stuck out in the middle of now where.
We are still here in Guiyang waiting for Rissa's passport. They say it will be ready on Friday. Its been a really long week and a half but we are coming near the end of this leg of the trip. We have seen most of what there is to see here with our limited knowledge of Chinese. We are ready to go on to Guangzhou. A few more days yet.
Yesterday we went to visit a 600 year old town about an hours drive away. It was very interesting. All the streets were paved with stone with multiple alley ways. We visited a Taoist temple though it is now a musiem. The are not many Taoist in China anymore. There was also a christian church but it is only open on Saturdays. The town was pretty neat but definetly a tourest trap. Alot of shops selling a variety of goods. alot of food stalls but of course nothing Susan would eat. All in all not a bad trip.
The girls have given up naps now. This does tend to make the afternoons more challenging. They get wound up much easier and feed off of each others temperments. We are struglling with who's is who's and she did it first. I can only laugh. I know it will get better as time goes on but its still a challenge.
Today we went downtown to an old school. This was built between the Qing and Ming dynisty and was where students would learn and test for their exams. Most of there study was in the confusious studies and a good student would go on into a government posistion. Neat architecture as the photos show. We then headed to the official government shop. A lot of local foods, cloths and gifts. We spent a good hour in there picking souveniers.
This afternoon we took a strole on what was suppose to be around the block. We the blocks are kind of big here are we kind of got lost. Fortunatly we found a taxi that took us back to the hotel. We were never in any danger but we were defiently not on a major street. We just attract a bunch of looks thats all.
In the evening ,we headed downtown to what is on big outdoor food mart. They shut the street down and vendors open up with all kinds of wild and crazy dishes. Unfortunatly we were told it started at 7pm. We got down there around 6:30. It actually starts around 7:30 so by the time we waited and walked around, we were tired and hungry. So we left just as it was starting. We did get to see the basic gist of it. They do this every night. Its open till like 5am too... Maybe if I cant sleep tonight Ill head down myself...(NOT) We are definetly a spectical. Everyone turns and stares at us. Most people are polite and we get some Hello's now and then. I just laugh it off.
Tomorrow we are headed to a outdoor wild animal park. It should be interesting. Its about a hour and a half drive away but we have nothing else to do here. We are hiring a hotel driver to take us. This is a much safer bet then hiring a cab. More expensive but safer. We feel better about it than getting stuck out in the middle of now where.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday in Guiyang
We had an interesting day today. The girls were feisty. Rissa is strong and can have quite a temper. After breakfast I took them to the play room at the hotel. Its not much of a play room but it does allow the girls to run around. They were climbing all over me and when things got out of hand I had to shut the fun down. Well Rissa wasn't ready for that. I had to take her up to the room kicking and screaming. Dad has now turned into an strict dad. We feel we have to set the record straight as to who is in control or we could be in big trouble. We know Rissa's foster parents had to be strict with her. I think we have been a little to lax and she is starting to take advantage of it. Poor Mina is getting an ear full too. Its sometimes easier to correct her behavior. Plus she knows better when it come to things like jumping on the bed, etc. Oh the challenges of parenthood. I know, everyone says wait till they get older, it only gets harder.
We headed back to the big park again today with our guide. This time we went in the back way and let me tell you it was the back way. We went through a pretty rough part of town. A lot of run down building or little shops doing the most mundane tasks. I saw the greasiest old machine shop making who knows what. We did see a string of shops making wood carvings out of a wild burl type wood. I'm not sure of what kind of wood it was... A lot of fresh fruit stands and small cooking stands. All around was crumbling buildings and a lot of mud. Anyway we did make it to the park and got to see tons of wild monkey's. After Mina's run in with the last ones she was petrified. We walked up to the top of the mountain where there is the largest Buddhist Temple in Guizhou. It was incredible. There we several gardens with ponds and a variety of statures of different Buddhas. Our guide was well versed in all the dogma and customs. It was very informative and beautifully. Susan and I both got our life directions from one of the Buddhist monks. He said we were well on our way to a good life because of adoption the girls was a noble way to give back to the earth and we should keep up this path. He emphasized education for the girls as our future goal. Call it spiritual guidance or fortune telling, either way it is good advice.
After that we headed back down the mountain and back to the hotel. The girls were just wild. No one took naps and there was much frustration on our part.
We headed out to dinner where I had eaten a few days ago with Aunt Kati. I had a little trouble ordering dinner but I did get 2 out of the tree dishes we wanted. We had plenty of food and Rissa enjoyed it as well as Mina. All in all it cost us 65 yuan. That's about 10 bucks. Not bad for enough food to feed 4.
Back to the hotel for baths, movie and bed. This is our usual night time ritual. Then I get a little time to blog and relax.
Other than that all is well. We found out that we will get Rissa's passport on Friday and then head off to Guangzhou on Saturday. We are looking forward to getting to the White Swan hotel. It is a little nicer and we know the area around the hotel so we can go out and explore easier.
That's all for now. Will post more tomorrow. I will put some pictures up from today also...
Michael
We headed back to the big park again today with our guide. This time we went in the back way and let me tell you it was the back way. We went through a pretty rough part of town. A lot of run down building or little shops doing the most mundane tasks. I saw the greasiest old machine shop making who knows what. We did see a string of shops making wood carvings out of a wild burl type wood. I'm not sure of what kind of wood it was... A lot of fresh fruit stands and small cooking stands. All around was crumbling buildings and a lot of mud. Anyway we did make it to the park and got to see tons of wild monkey's. After Mina's run in with the last ones she was petrified. We walked up to the top of the mountain where there is the largest Buddhist Temple in Guizhou. It was incredible. There we several gardens with ponds and a variety of statures of different Buddhas. Our guide was well versed in all the dogma and customs. It was very informative and beautifully. Susan and I both got our life directions from one of the Buddhist monks. He said we were well on our way to a good life because of adoption the girls was a noble way to give back to the earth and we should keep up this path. He emphasized education for the girls as our future goal. Call it spiritual guidance or fortune telling, either way it is good advice.
After that we headed back down the mountain and back to the hotel. The girls were just wild. No one took naps and there was much frustration on our part.
We headed out to dinner where I had eaten a few days ago with Aunt Kati. I had a little trouble ordering dinner but I did get 2 out of the tree dishes we wanted. We had plenty of food and Rissa enjoyed it as well as Mina. All in all it cost us 65 yuan. That's about 10 bucks. Not bad for enough food to feed 4.
Back to the hotel for baths, movie and bed. This is our usual night time ritual. Then I get a little time to blog and relax.
Other than that all is well. We found out that we will get Rissa's passport on Friday and then head off to Guangzhou on Saturday. We are looking forward to getting to the White Swan hotel. It is a little nicer and we know the area around the hotel so we can go out and explore easier.
That's all for now. Will post more tomorrow. I will put some pictures up from today also...
Michael
Saturday, June 14, 2008
New blog settings
I changed the settings on comments. We can now see them but we must approve them. So if you post you may not see them until we approve them. At least that way we can see them...
Flower & Pet Market
Well another day is done in Guiyang. We only have one whole week left here... Its kind of tough being stuck in one town for so long and we have only just begun.
We headed down to the Flower and Pet market this morning and it was very cool. Tons of stalls set up selling all kinds of flowers, pets and a lot of spices and herbs. They had a huge selection of dogs you could buy. They were at least 100 dogs of a variety of breeds. You can also get your dog groomed there, see the vet of have your own teeth worked on. We went into one of the best tropical fish stores I have ever seen. Nothing like we have in St. Louis.
The market was pretty crowded but everyone had a good time. We didn't buy much but we enjoyed taking in the sights.
We then headed back to our hotel. By the time we got back, Rissa was asleep. Suz took her up and Aunt Kati, Mina, Eileen and myself went to a traditional Chinese restaurant for lunch. The food was great and we had plenty of it. Probably the best meal I have had since we got here.
We all had a nice nap then and headed for the big park here in town. Its a interesting collection of lakes and pavilions but it also had an amusement park inside. There are wild monkeys there too and Mina almost got attacked by one. She was chasing it and it swiped her on the leg. Luckily it just got her dirty but she did learn her lesson. Sometimes that the best way to lean them. We didn't stay too long as it was getting close to dinner time. Rissa started not feeling good. Thanks to Eileen for all the help with her. She can actually talk with her and get some answers out. By the time dinner was done Susan had taken the girls up to the room and Rissa lost all her cookies. She felt much better then. Then it was bath time and once again time to watch Monsters Inc. I think that movie will be my Link to remembering this trip. Marissa loves watching it, even though she cant understand a word of it. Funny.
Tomorrow we are just hanging out with Kati and Eileen before they head back to Chongqing. Kati only has one week of classes left and then she heads back to the states for good. She is going to miss China so much. We really feel for her.
We headed down to the Flower and Pet market this morning and it was very cool. Tons of stalls set up selling all kinds of flowers, pets and a lot of spices and herbs. They had a huge selection of dogs you could buy. They were at least 100 dogs of a variety of breeds. You can also get your dog groomed there, see the vet of have your own teeth worked on. We went into one of the best tropical fish stores I have ever seen. Nothing like we have in St. Louis.
The market was pretty crowded but everyone had a good time. We didn't buy much but we enjoyed taking in the sights.
We then headed back to our hotel. By the time we got back, Rissa was asleep. Suz took her up and Aunt Kati, Mina, Eileen and myself went to a traditional Chinese restaurant for lunch. The food was great and we had plenty of it. Probably the best meal I have had since we got here.
We all had a nice nap then and headed for the big park here in town. Its a interesting collection of lakes and pavilions but it also had an amusement park inside. There are wild monkeys there too and Mina almost got attacked by one. She was chasing it and it swiped her on the leg. Luckily it just got her dirty but she did learn her lesson. Sometimes that the best way to lean them. We didn't stay too long as it was getting close to dinner time. Rissa started not feeling good. Thanks to Eileen for all the help with her. She can actually talk with her and get some answers out. By the time dinner was done Susan had taken the girls up to the room and Rissa lost all her cookies. She felt much better then. Then it was bath time and once again time to watch Monsters Inc. I think that movie will be my Link to remembering this trip. Marissa loves watching it, even though she cant understand a word of it. Funny.
Tomorrow we are just hanging out with Kati and Eileen before they head back to Chongqing. Kati only has one week of classes left and then she heads back to the states for good. She is going to miss China so much. We really feel for her.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Guiyang & Grief
It's Saturday here in Guiyang. The girls are downstairs with daddy in the play area. I am waiting in the room for the laundry man. I'm not sure how he is going to get up here to the room, but he is to be at the door at 8:30, so I wait.
Katie and her friend, Eileen made it in last night and we put on quite a show for them. Rissa freaked out and gave her spaced out look and then fell limp and went to sleep. We tried to wake her, but to no avail. It broke poor daddy's heart. We think Eileen looked a little like foster mommy and we had dressed her up in her new shoes and think she got scared and confused. So daddy left dinner and took her up to our room to sleep. She woke up her happy self today. Mina then proceeded to tear up about wanting to go with daddy, so I spent dinner consoling her. I told her I wanted her all to myself for dinner. She perked up when our pizza came. After she ate, I took her up to daddy, and finished dinner with Katie and Eileen. Those two girls of mine are a pair, I tell you.
Hopefully, today will be better. We are all going to the Bird and Flower Market. It is an open air market. Our guide thinks the girls will like it.
Yesterday, we took the girls to Walmart and the Parksons Dept. Store. We got them Princess nightgowns and Rissa a DVD in Chinese because all of our DVD's are in english. We thought Rissa would like to hear something in her native language. She does like Monsters Inc. though. Then we went to Parksons and bought the girls shoes. Mina got a light up pair of Miffy tennis shoes (they are a little big, but she loves them) and Rissa got a pair of silver sparkly Miffy mary janes. (She is a girly girl!!) Rissa also picked out a dress at Walmart and I got her a pair of capri pants at Parksons. Things are pretty inexpensive here. The shoes were around $15. Don't worry Grandma, Rissa will still let you buy her a pair of tennis shoes when we get home, but be afraid. She will probably want the very expensive beaded ones.
Oh, I almost forgot. The other scene we caused... We stopped at this park yesterday where all of the older people gather to dance in the morning and exercise. We just wanted to take a walk with the girls. We were mobbed (in a good way}. All of the elderly ladies wanted to look at the girls and ask questions. I had to dance with an elderly man. They were just so curious about us, the girls and adoption. Finally we just had to keep moving and leave. It was quite funny.
Well, that's all I have to report for the day. I'll get daddy to post more pictures. I hear the girls coming all the way down the hall.
Katie and her friend, Eileen made it in last night and we put on quite a show for them. Rissa freaked out and gave her spaced out look and then fell limp and went to sleep. We tried to wake her, but to no avail. It broke poor daddy's heart. We think Eileen looked a little like foster mommy and we had dressed her up in her new shoes and think she got scared and confused. So daddy left dinner and took her up to our room to sleep. She woke up her happy self today. Mina then proceeded to tear up about wanting to go with daddy, so I spent dinner consoling her. I told her I wanted her all to myself for dinner. She perked up when our pizza came. After she ate, I took her up to daddy, and finished dinner with Katie and Eileen. Those two girls of mine are a pair, I tell you.
Hopefully, today will be better. We are all going to the Bird and Flower Market. It is an open air market. Our guide thinks the girls will like it.
Yesterday, we took the girls to Walmart and the Parksons Dept. Store. We got them Princess nightgowns and Rissa a DVD in Chinese because all of our DVD's are in english. We thought Rissa would like to hear something in her native language. She does like Monsters Inc. though. Then we went to Parksons and bought the girls shoes. Mina got a light up pair of Miffy tennis shoes (they are a little big, but she loves them) and Rissa got a pair of silver sparkly Miffy mary janes. (She is a girly girl!!) Rissa also picked out a dress at Walmart and I got her a pair of capri pants at Parksons. Things are pretty inexpensive here. The shoes were around $15. Don't worry Grandma, Rissa will still let you buy her a pair of tennis shoes when we get home, but be afraid. She will probably want the very expensive beaded ones.
Oh, I almost forgot. The other scene we caused... We stopped at this park yesterday where all of the older people gather to dance in the morning and exercise. We just wanted to take a walk with the girls. We were mobbed (in a good way}. All of the elderly ladies wanted to look at the girls and ask questions. I had to dance with an elderly man. They were just so curious about us, the girls and adoption. Finally we just had to keep moving and leave. It was quite funny.
Well, that's all I have to report for the day. I'll get daddy to post more pictures. I hear the girls coming all the way down the hall.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Greetings from Guiyang City
As I write this, the girls are having a "camp out" under the covers of their bed. They are eating fruit snacks and playing with their stuffed kittens.
Wednesday was crazy. We left Beijing around 8am and arrived in Guiyang around 12. We met our guide, who explained that the plan had changed and we would meet Rissa and adopt her all in one day. Usually you meet your child and then officially adopt them the next day. But the Olympic torch would be coming through (those darn Olympics again) and all public offices would be shut down. So, with no time for lunch, we dropped our stuff off in the room and got our gifts ready for the foster parents, gathered up the cameras and went downstairs. We waited a few minutes and in walked Rissa with her foster family.
We got to spend about 30 minutes with the foster family. They were just lovely. The mother packed up a bag of Rissa's favorite toys, snacks, and a few clothes. Rissa was all dressed up. You could just tell how much they loved her. The older brother and sister loved her too. Apparently, there was a baby at home too. We asked a bunch of questions and they told us about Rissa. She is an easy child, doesn't have too many preferences. We are finding that out, as we ask her to pick things while we are shopping. They had also packed a backpack for her with a lot of pictures and special keepsakes for her. I made sure the coordinator told the foster mother that I would be forwarding pictures to them.
Then we ran (literally) across the street to get our family picture taken. Then off to the police station for the passport and visa. Then off to the official office for the rest of the adoption paperwork. It took a few hours for all of this and it was hot and we were hungry. So Mina was not on her best behavior, but by the end of all of this both girls fell asleep.
During all of the running around, Mina kept trying to hold Rissa's hand. She was so excited. She just really wanted to get her back to the hotel room and play with her. So after we got back, they got to open up their tiny toys and really play. They had lots of fun. Then they started tickling each other. Then it got crazy. They are going to keep me on my toes all day!
Yesterday, Thursday, we were advised to stay close to the hotel because of the torch relay. But the girls were getting cabin fever. So, we asked for the name of the department store. They misunderstood and sent us to the posh department store, not the regular one. I wasn't going to buy Rissa's tennis shoes there! So we just started to walk the girls around downtown. We are quite a sight. It's one thing to be American, then to have one chinese daughter, then to have two around the same age. But everyone is friendly. So we found some Olympic t-shirts for the girls. Then we found a shoe store and bought Rissa a pair of pink shoes that light up for $5. We also found the Pizza Hut, where we went back for dinner. Rissa likes Pizza.
Today, Friday, We are headed off to the Walmart. Mina would like her own pair of light up shoes and we need some bottled water and batteries. I'll see if the guide can get us to the department store too. Just to look around. Mina would also like some jellies. It's like candy. We tried to buy it at the Carrefour, but we didn't buy enough or something and they wouldn't sell it to us. So we'll try again.
Fighting did break out yesterday. It seems to happen when the girls are tired. Rissa is the instigator. She takes Mina's big blanket or her kitty. It seems she knows what she is doing. We were warned about that by her big brother. But then we just separate them. That 4 way timer I got for Christmas could get quite a workout!
Sorry this post is long. I thought I would get you all caught up. We do feel quite lucky. I'm afraid that when Rissa gets in school with Mina, Miss Chrissy won't know what hit her! They are quite a pair together. It's pretty funny. So far this morning, I've heard from Mina, "Having a sister is fun" "She's pushing me" and "Mommy, we're not doing anything." So does that give all of you any ideas?
Wednesday was crazy. We left Beijing around 8am and arrived in Guiyang around 12. We met our guide, who explained that the plan had changed and we would meet Rissa and adopt her all in one day. Usually you meet your child and then officially adopt them the next day. But the Olympic torch would be coming through (those darn Olympics again) and all public offices would be shut down. So, with no time for lunch, we dropped our stuff off in the room and got our gifts ready for the foster parents, gathered up the cameras and went downstairs. We waited a few minutes and in walked Rissa with her foster family.
We got to spend about 30 minutes with the foster family. They were just lovely. The mother packed up a bag of Rissa's favorite toys, snacks, and a few clothes. Rissa was all dressed up. You could just tell how much they loved her. The older brother and sister loved her too. Apparently, there was a baby at home too. We asked a bunch of questions and they told us about Rissa. She is an easy child, doesn't have too many preferences. We are finding that out, as we ask her to pick things while we are shopping. They had also packed a backpack for her with a lot of pictures and special keepsakes for her. I made sure the coordinator told the foster mother that I would be forwarding pictures to them.
Then we ran (literally) across the street to get our family picture taken. Then off to the police station for the passport and visa. Then off to the official office for the rest of the adoption paperwork. It took a few hours for all of this and it was hot and we were hungry. So Mina was not on her best behavior, but by the end of all of this both girls fell asleep.
During all of the running around, Mina kept trying to hold Rissa's hand. She was so excited. She just really wanted to get her back to the hotel room and play with her. So after we got back, they got to open up their tiny toys and really play. They had lots of fun. Then they started tickling each other. Then it got crazy. They are going to keep me on my toes all day!
Yesterday, Thursday, we were advised to stay close to the hotel because of the torch relay. But the girls were getting cabin fever. So, we asked for the name of the department store. They misunderstood and sent us to the posh department store, not the regular one. I wasn't going to buy Rissa's tennis shoes there! So we just started to walk the girls around downtown. We are quite a sight. It's one thing to be American, then to have one chinese daughter, then to have two around the same age. But everyone is friendly. So we found some Olympic t-shirts for the girls. Then we found a shoe store and bought Rissa a pair of pink shoes that light up for $5. We also found the Pizza Hut, where we went back for dinner. Rissa likes Pizza.
Today, Friday, We are headed off to the Walmart. Mina would like her own pair of light up shoes and we need some bottled water and batteries. I'll see if the guide can get us to the department store too. Just to look around. Mina would also like some jellies. It's like candy. We tried to buy it at the Carrefour, but we didn't buy enough or something and they wouldn't sell it to us. So we'll try again.
Fighting did break out yesterday. It seems to happen when the girls are tired. Rissa is the instigator. She takes Mina's big blanket or her kitty. It seems she knows what she is doing. We were warned about that by her big brother. But then we just separate them. That 4 way timer I got for Christmas could get quite a workout!
Sorry this post is long. I thought I would get you all caught up. We do feel quite lucky. I'm afraid that when Rissa gets in school with Mina, Miss Chrissy won't know what hit her! They are quite a pair together. It's pretty funny. So far this morning, I've heard from Mina, "Having a sister is fun" "She's pushing me" and "Mommy, we're not doing anything." So does that give all of you any ideas?
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Just a Note...
It seems that once again we are not able to view the blogs here in inner China. We were able to see it in Beijing but local laws may be different as to the access to blogspot.com
As you can see we can post to the blog. Pictures and text but we cannot view any comments. Don't let that stop you though. This is our historical record of the trip and we will enjoy reading the comments for years to come. Please leave comments.
Thanks
Michael
As you can see we can post to the blog. Pictures and text but we cannot view any comments. Don't let that stop you though. This is our historical record of the trip and we will enjoy reading the comments for years to come. Please leave comments.
Thanks
Michael
Guiyang day one blog
Well it's been quite a day...
We started in Beijing at 5am. We got up and got packed and showered before breakfast and a bus ride to the airport before our 8:50 flight. The flight went well. It was only around 2 hours and Mina didn't complain too much. After arriving in Guiyang, we met our guide Aggie. She is very nice, young and speaks good english. We were whisked off to the hotel to check in and do some unpacking. They changed some of our plans at the last minuet. The Olympic torch is coming through Guiyang tomorrow and most of the streets will be closed down in the city. So we had to do all of our paper work today. It will still take around 5 days to get MengMeng's passport but the start day will be today.
So it was then down to the lobby where we met Mengmeng and her foster family. They were super nice. Mother, Father and 3 kids. They were all there except the baby who I believe is around 2 years old. We spent around a half an hour asking any questions we could think about Mengmeng. She let us pick her up right away and she loves Susan. Mina is jealous if I hold her. Imagine that. We got pictures with the foster family and exchanged gifts. There we no tears shed at all, except for Mina who was being a bit of a pain. I know, its not all about Mina anymore. Boohoo. She is young, she will adjust.
We were then swept off to the police station to apply for the Passport. That didnt take very long. Off to get a family photo, and then to the Civil Office building to do the adoption paperwork. This took about and hour and was quite hot and humid in the room. Mina had a meltdown but it all ended with both girls asleep in our laps.
We then got to go back to the hotel and everyone check each other out. We open presents and started to get a few small smiles from her. We headed down for dinner at the hotel resteraunt. Pretty nice and not too expensive. Mengmeng wolfed down a plate of fried noodles. She is pretty good with the chopsticks.
We then got to go back up to the room and they all hell broke loose. We really got her to smile then. The two of them were jumping on the beds, tickling each other and giggling up a storm. It was just too funny. We had to settle them down several times so things didnt get too out of hand. Boy are we in trouble...
She loves baths and again it was a riot watching the two of them in the bath tub.
Then it was in bed for the two of them. They had about 6 dolls lined up between them. I believe this will be the end of mom sleeping with Mina. We let them watch a few short movies and they both zonked out (oh Mom too.) That just leaves me awake posting to the blog.
Mengmeng seem to be a very health and bright little girl. She is a little taller than Mina, maybe and inch if that. She is much thinner than Mina but feels like she weighs more. We did notice a few scares on her bottom and ankle. We will ask the our guide to try to find out more info about that. She is fine but it would be good to have any backround info on the injury. She is very giggly. She loves to play with toys and as we were told by the foster family, she can have a bit of a temper. she seem very independent. More so than Mina.
Well that about it for now. We have an off day tomorrow. We will probably just hang out at the hotel. Play games and try to teach her more english. We think she learned her fist word today. Cheese... (for photo's)
Aunt Kati is coming on Friday evening and staying till Sunday. That should be a lot of fun. We are schedule to go to a flower and bird market on saturday.
I will post more about the town of Guiyang in the following days. It seems to be a poorer town the Beijing but that isnt really suprizing.
Ok thats all for now...
Michael
We started in Beijing at 5am. We got up and got packed and showered before breakfast and a bus ride to the airport before our 8:50 flight. The flight went well. It was only around 2 hours and Mina didn't complain too much. After arriving in Guiyang, we met our guide Aggie. She is very nice, young and speaks good english. We were whisked off to the hotel to check in and do some unpacking. They changed some of our plans at the last minuet. The Olympic torch is coming through Guiyang tomorrow and most of the streets will be closed down in the city. So we had to do all of our paper work today. It will still take around 5 days to get MengMeng's passport but the start day will be today.
So it was then down to the lobby where we met Mengmeng and her foster family. They were super nice. Mother, Father and 3 kids. They were all there except the baby who I believe is around 2 years old. We spent around a half an hour asking any questions we could think about Mengmeng. She let us pick her up right away and she loves Susan. Mina is jealous if I hold her. Imagine that. We got pictures with the foster family and exchanged gifts. There we no tears shed at all, except for Mina who was being a bit of a pain. I know, its not all about Mina anymore. Boohoo. She is young, she will adjust.
We were then swept off to the police station to apply for the Passport. That didnt take very long. Off to get a family photo, and then to the Civil Office building to do the adoption paperwork. This took about and hour and was quite hot and humid in the room. Mina had a meltdown but it all ended with both girls asleep in our laps.
We then got to go back to the hotel and everyone check each other out. We open presents and started to get a few small smiles from her. We headed down for dinner at the hotel resteraunt. Pretty nice and not too expensive. Mengmeng wolfed down a plate of fried noodles. She is pretty good with the chopsticks.
We then got to go back up to the room and they all hell broke loose. We really got her to smile then. The two of them were jumping on the beds, tickling each other and giggling up a storm. It was just too funny. We had to settle them down several times so things didnt get too out of hand. Boy are we in trouble...
She loves baths and again it was a riot watching the two of them in the bath tub.
Then it was in bed for the two of them. They had about 6 dolls lined up between them. I believe this will be the end of mom sleeping with Mina. We let them watch a few short movies and they both zonked out (oh Mom too.) That just leaves me awake posting to the blog.
Mengmeng seem to be a very health and bright little girl. She is a little taller than Mina, maybe and inch if that. She is much thinner than Mina but feels like she weighs more. We did notice a few scares on her bottom and ankle. We will ask the our guide to try to find out more info about that. She is fine but it would be good to have any backround info on the injury. She is very giggly. She loves to play with toys and as we were told by the foster family, she can have a bit of a temper. she seem very independent. More so than Mina.
Well that about it for now. We have an off day tomorrow. We will probably just hang out at the hotel. Play games and try to teach her more english. We think she learned her fist word today. Cheese... (for photo's)
Aunt Kati is coming on Friday evening and staying till Sunday. That should be a lot of fun. We are schedule to go to a flower and bird market on saturday.
I will post more about the town of Guiyang in the following days. It seems to be a poorer town the Beijing but that isnt really suprizing.
Ok thats all for now...
Michael
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Beijing Day Three
Well here is the close of another interesting day in China. We are still adjusting to China time. Mina got us up at 4am this morning. After struggling to get her to go back to sleep we finally got up and started the day. We didnt have too much scheduled today. We took a trip to Carrefour again to pick up a few more supplies. I have found I can get buy with my limited chinese language abilities. We then headed over to the Beijing CHI office to meet Sabrina, our guide when we got Mina. It was great to see her. She is about 7 months pregnant but still making the 1 hour trip to work each day. We talked a lot about our last trip and the present state of adoption in China. It was good to see her again.
I am on a wild goose chase trying to find an adapter for our portable dvd player. I have one at home and didnt bring it with me. No stores seem to care it. I know I could find it at a dozen stores at home. Trying to explain it to anyone her is a challenge. I did have one sales man say he would sell us one from a new dvd unit but I decided to wait until i can find exacly what I need. If we dont find one it no big deal ether, it wouldnt work at home because of the voltage differences. Anyway, we found it interesting that they would take one from a new unit and sell it to us. You would never get that kind of service in the US.
After that we headed back to the hotel and had a short nap. We then went to the Flying Acrobat show. It was very entertaining but Mina was scared by the whole event. It was rather loud with alot of flashing lights and strange music. The costumes were pretty cool and seeing just how flexible the body can really be...
We head to Guiyang tomorrow on an early flight. We found out our plans are somewhat changing. (this seems to be an everyday event in China) We will arrive in Guiyang around 12pm and head for the hotel. They will bring MengMeng to the Hotel at 1pm. We then have to go to the local goverment office to do all the paperwork at 3:30pm. The olympic torch will be in guiyang on Thursday and the whole town is just about shut down so we have to do all our paper work on Wednesday. It will be a hectic day for sure.
Well I am off to bed now. Tomorrow will be a big day and we have to be up early.
Till tomorrow...
Michael
I am on a wild goose chase trying to find an adapter for our portable dvd player. I have one at home and didnt bring it with me. No stores seem to care it. I know I could find it at a dozen stores at home. Trying to explain it to anyone her is a challenge. I did have one sales man say he would sell us one from a new dvd unit but I decided to wait until i can find exacly what I need. If we dont find one it no big deal ether, it wouldnt work at home because of the voltage differences. Anyway, we found it interesting that they would take one from a new unit and sell it to us. You would never get that kind of service in the US.
After that we headed back to the hotel and had a short nap. We then went to the Flying Acrobat show. It was very entertaining but Mina was scared by the whole event. It was rather loud with alot of flashing lights and strange music. The costumes were pretty cool and seeing just how flexible the body can really be...
We head to Guiyang tomorrow on an early flight. We found out our plans are somewhat changing. (this seems to be an everyday event in China) We will arrive in Guiyang around 12pm and head for the hotel. They will bring MengMeng to the Hotel at 1pm. We then have to go to the local goverment office to do all the paperwork at 3:30pm. The olympic torch will be in guiyang on Thursday and the whole town is just about shut down so we have to do all our paper work on Wednesday. It will be a hectic day for sure.
Well I am off to bed now. Tomorrow will be a big day and we have to be up early.
Till tomorrow...
Michael
Monday, June 9, 2008
Beijing DayTwo
Greetings from Mommy
We had a great time at the Beijing Zoo yesterday. Mina liked the Elephants. Mommy & Daddy liked all of the Great Pandas and the White Tigers. They had a bunch of Pandas. And a mob of people around them. It's like these people have never seen a panda before! I wanted to get the girls t-shirts, but I figured they'd be expensive and I couldn't get near the stand. Mina was holding her fingers over her ears and she just wanted to get out of the building, so we left. I think we can find t-shirts later.
Then we went to the aquarium. It was huge! We saw the sea lion/dolphin show. It was very good. The sea lions were very good and put on a great show. Then the dolphins put on their tricks. We thought they would do more. But they were pretty good. They sure can jump high.
We thought the zoo was pretty nice. It's not the St. Louis Zoo, but it was big and seemed like the animals were taken care of. Funny story from the zoo. We kept track of Mina really well and we had a stroller, but she got ahead of us at one point and I saw this whole thing unfold and I was calling to her as she walked up to this man who was built like daddy and was dressed sort of like daddy and she took his hand, then looked at him and he looked at her and they realized they totally did not belong together. By that time we had caught up to her. Everyone around them had a laugh. It was funny. I was yelling "Mina, that's not daddy." Poor girl.
Mina is being really good. She's had a few minor melt downs, but nothing serious. It's just when she's tired. She's just anxious to meet her sister and misses home and her grandmas. Oh, and puppy. But apparently, Aki is taking care of puppy and taking him to school and things. So that is working out well. It's not like you could trust Milo to take care of puppy.
Well, that's all for now. It's only 5:40am, after all. Mina got us all up. She was done sleeping. Poor kid.
We had a great time at the Beijing Zoo yesterday. Mina liked the Elephants. Mommy & Daddy liked all of the Great Pandas and the White Tigers. They had a bunch of Pandas. And a mob of people around them. It's like these people have never seen a panda before! I wanted to get the girls t-shirts, but I figured they'd be expensive and I couldn't get near the stand. Mina was holding her fingers over her ears and she just wanted to get out of the building, so we left. I think we can find t-shirts later.
Then we went to the aquarium. It was huge! We saw the sea lion/dolphin show. It was very good. The sea lions were very good and put on a great show. Then the dolphins put on their tricks. We thought they would do more. But they were pretty good. They sure can jump high.
We thought the zoo was pretty nice. It's not the St. Louis Zoo, but it was big and seemed like the animals were taken care of. Funny story from the zoo. We kept track of Mina really well and we had a stroller, but she got ahead of us at one point and I saw this whole thing unfold and I was calling to her as she walked up to this man who was built like daddy and was dressed sort of like daddy and she took his hand, then looked at him and he looked at her and they realized they totally did not belong together. By that time we had caught up to her. Everyone around them had a laugh. It was funny. I was yelling "Mina, that's not daddy." Poor girl.
Mina is being really good. She's had a few minor melt downs, but nothing serious. It's just when she's tired. She's just anxious to meet her sister and misses home and her grandmas. Oh, and puppy. But apparently, Aki is taking care of puppy and taking him to school and things. So that is working out well. It's not like you could trust Milo to take care of puppy.
Well, that's all for now. It's only 5:40am, after all. Mina got us all up. She was done sleeping. Poor kid.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Day one...
Well we made it. I wont post too much today. We all fell asleep watching a movie and I just woke up (10pm Beijing) to turn out the lights. Its Dragon Boat Festival this weekend and Monday but there is not much celebration in Beijing. Apparently you need a river or something.
Anyway, the flight went Ok. It was 2 hours from St. Louis to Newerk NJ and then 12 1/2 hours from Newark to Beijing. Mina did really well until we got about half way into the second flight. She was so tired and just wouldnt go to sleep. I finally got her down with around 4 hours left but it was a struggle. The flight was smooth and its a nice plane but 12 hours is just about enough to be in a plane.
Denis our guide (he was one of our guides from the last time) met us at the airport and got us to the hotel. Its freezing in the rooms. I think I finally got it regulated enough to be somewhat comfortable. We gave Dennis the rest of the day off being it was Sunday. We went to the Care4 store down the street to pick up a few things. Care4 is the French version of walmart. Its a trip let me tell you. You can buy anything from wide screen TVs to fresh fish (live) to cloths. We got next to a fight where some woman hit another shopper with a mop. All we could do was laugh. We had no idea what it was all about. I was able to use my Chinese to buy us a stroller.
We are going to the Beijing Zoo tomorrow. They just shipped in 8 Panda's from the earthquake zone a few days ago. I believe it was more for the Olympic crowds than anything else. Im not sure what we will do on tuesday yet. We will leave on Wednesday to get Marissa. We will have a local guide there for that leg of the journey.
That's all for now. I will post more tomorrow. (and some Pictures...)
Anyway, the flight went Ok. It was 2 hours from St. Louis to Newerk NJ and then 12 1/2 hours from Newark to Beijing. Mina did really well until we got about half way into the second flight. She was so tired and just wouldnt go to sleep. I finally got her down with around 4 hours left but it was a struggle. The flight was smooth and its a nice plane but 12 hours is just about enough to be in a plane.
Denis our guide (he was one of our guides from the last time) met us at the airport and got us to the hotel. Its freezing in the rooms. I think I finally got it regulated enough to be somewhat comfortable. We gave Dennis the rest of the day off being it was Sunday. We went to the Care4 store down the street to pick up a few things. Care4 is the French version of walmart. Its a trip let me tell you. You can buy anything from wide screen TVs to fresh fish (live) to cloths. We got next to a fight where some woman hit another shopper with a mop. All we could do was laugh. We had no idea what it was all about. I was able to use my Chinese to buy us a stroller.
We are going to the Beijing Zoo tomorrow. They just shipped in 8 Panda's from the earthquake zone a few days ago. I believe it was more for the Olympic crowds than anything else. Im not sure what we will do on tuesday yet. We will leave on Wednesday to get Marissa. We will have a local guide there for that leg of the journey.
That's all for now. I will post more tomorrow. (and some Pictures...)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Its travel time...
Well we just got our complete itinerary. We leave Saturday morning at 6:30am. We fly to Newark NJ and then directly onto Beijing. We will arrive in Beijing on Sunday afternoon. Its just a 14 hr flight from Newark to Beijing (only). We will be in Beijing till Wednesday the 11th when we fly to Guiyang and receive Marissa that afternoon. We will be in Guiyang till the 21st. We are told that it takes 7 business days to get Marissa's passport so we have to stay a little long in Guiyang. Susan's Aunt is coming down from Chongqing to visit us on the weekend of the 14-15th. We are looking forward to that. This is the last summer Aunt Kati will be in China and I will be good to see her in her "native" environment.
From there we travel to Guangzhou to finish out all the adoption paperwork and we leave on the 25th and will be home on the 26th.
We are franticly packing and getting ready. We only found out last thursday (May 29th) that we had to be in China by the 10th, but all is good. We have all our travel arrangments, visa's and are packing up.
Mina is excited but somewhat impatient. (when are we going to leave?)
We were hoping to get to go to Wuzhou, Mina's home town but we were not given permission to visit the orphanage or foster family. I guess we will have to wait till next trip...
Well thats it for now. I will post more as we start to travel.
Michael
From there we travel to Guangzhou to finish out all the adoption paperwork and we leave on the 25th and will be home on the 26th.
We are franticly packing and getting ready. We only found out last thursday (May 29th) that we had to be in China by the 10th, but all is good. We have all our travel arrangments, visa's and are packing up.
Mina is excited but somewhat impatient. (when are we going to leave?)
We were hoping to get to go to Wuzhou, Mina's home town but we were not given permission to visit the orphanage or foster family. I guess we will have to wait till next trip...
Well thats it for now. I will post more as we start to travel.
Michael
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Ok, Im finally getting around to posting more on Marissa MengMeng. We got our official referral from the Chinese Government last Friday the 2nd of May. This means we are approved to adopt Shi MengMeng (MengMeng means Sprout in Chinese). We now wait for our travel arrangements which we hope to have in a 3 or 4 weeks. This is somewhat of a speculative event as the Beijing Olympics start in the beginning of August and all travel and hotels in China will be hard to get and expensive. We are hoping that we get to travel toward the end of June but we will just have to see. Worst case is we would not travel till September.
We will probably be traveling by ourselves also. Now I dont mean without any guide. We would still have a representative from our adoption agency with us. But we would not travel with another group or family. No other families are adopting from the same orphanage. When we traveled to get Mina, we were with a group of 14 families. We had almost 50 people in all in the group counting kids and parents and grandparents. At times it was quite a fiasco but we also got to meet some great people who we still keep in contact with.
We will be traveling to the Guizhou Provence of China to Guiyang city. The Forest City.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Guiyang
We will probably be there for 5 days and then travel to Guangzhou for the remainder of the trip.
Check back soon as I will be updating the blog to give any additional details and of course to blog while we are in China...
Zaijian...
We will probably be traveling by ourselves also. Now I dont mean without any guide. We would still have a representative from our adoption agency with us. But we would not travel with another group or family. No other families are adopting from the same orphanage. When we traveled to get Mina, we were with a group of 14 families. We had almost 50 people in all in the group counting kids and parents and grandparents. At times it was quite a fiasco but we also got to meet some great people who we still keep in contact with.
We will be traveling to the Guizhou Provence of China to Guiyang city. The Forest City.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Guiyang
We will probably be there for 5 days and then travel to Guangzhou for the remainder of the trip.
Check back soon as I will be updating the blog to give any additional details and of course to blog while we are in China...
Zaijian...
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