Excerpts From My Journal - Nov. 5, 2014 (Reese's 20th Birthday!)

What a big day!!  We packed up our bags and checked out of the hotel without issue.  We went back to the Civil Affairs Office and picked up some more paperwork (final adoption papers, I think).  That office is in LOVE with Yang!   She remembered everyone and everything from our visit 2 days ago and when it was time to leave, she cried and cried, SO upset to leave the C.A. official!!  This little girls gets SO attached to people!!  It was actually pretty hard to get her to leave the office and walk down the street!  (The official heard her bawling from inside and she came out with another bag of candy!  LOL)  We all felt SO bad for her!  After that, we... let's see.  What did we do?  Oh, yes, we went to the bank and deposited the orphanage donation money into the orphanage bank acct.  Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat from 7-11 and went to the notary office and got a bunch of documents copied and notarized.  Then we went to the police station and got her passport picture taken and applied for her passport, with the help of an orphanage official who had arrived.  (This is unusual - these people really care!)  She also had brought the medical supplies and instructions for me.  After that, we headed for the airport for our 7:45pm flight to Nanjing.  What a tiring day!  All in all, Yang is being really good.  She acts like a spoiled brat when the guides are around (or any Chinese people, really - strangers won't stop giving her food!!!!), but when she's just with me, she's quite good!  I've started using a little discipline with her (mainly telling her NO and not giving in to her constant demands) but I do understand that all of this is very overwhelming and no doubt she is homesick.  (She had another cry last night at bedtime.)  Poor little thing.  She is just SO extremely cute!  

With Angela Shen from Ladybugs N Love, and Emma, the WACAP guide, at the passport office.

Right now, we are sitting at the gate, waiting for our Nanjing flight.  I'm nervous about getting a taxi to the hotel, but it must be done somehow.  Tomorrow morning, I meet JiangMei!!

Finding ways to kill time at the airport.

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 4, 2014

Adoption Day was yesterday!  It was too big of a day and I was too tired to write last night.

Well, we arrived at the orphanage early (7:00) and were allowed in at 7:30.  There were 3 staff members, me, my private guide Angela, and Emma, the WACAP guide.  We started with the paperwork when entered Miss Hua, HuiYang!  She knew who I was instantly but was afraid to go to me.  She hung back a bit until I got her little backpack out and showed her some of the things inside.  That helped.  ;o)  The first thing I noticed was that they BUTCHERED her hair!!!  It looked like a 3 year old cut it!!  I was horrified.  The second thing I noticed about her was how FAT she was!  And sure enough, she had a big bag of candy with her (I'm assuming a goodbye gift) and boy, was she all about that candy!!  It was hard to do the paperwork with her in the room but we got it done.  I was concerned because there was no medical information given to me, no equipment, no info on how to do the "everyday procedure" needed after her September surgery.  Nothing.  :o(  She was obviously well loved and very well cared for there.  Except for the haircut.  lol

Arriving at the orphanage.

She was really nervous!

"Nice to meet you.  I'm your mother."

"Well, you don't look TOO evil..."

Signing papers.

Mother and daughter.  <3

With the orphanage staff.  They were protective of her and I could tell they really cared a lot about her.

Saying goodbye to the only home she has known.

The street sign.

We left to go get a photo for the paperwork(?), then to the Civil Affairs Office.  She was good in the car, but very hot (she was HEAVILY layered) and did go to sleep for a short time.  She woke WIDE up at the Civil Affairs Office, though!  My goodness, she talked to and charmed EVERYONE!  Everyone was indulging her so much and waiting on her hand and foot and she got a little spoiled and became quite the brat!

Helping herself to the office supplies on the officer's desk.  They loaded her up with candy (she helped herself to a large bag of chocolate on the desk and the officer let her have it!) to keep her happy.

Eventually, we made it back to the hotel room and Angela left,and she threw a fit!  She bawled and threw herself on the floor and even screamed!  I, at that point, told her NO and she did quit the tantrum, but would not let me near her.  That was fine.  I put some essential oils in the diffuser and left her alone.  I found some Chinese cartoons and it was quiet for awhile.  I can't remember what made her happy again, but she soon decided she liked me and was very sweet and loving.  :o)

She was in to EVERYTHING, and I mean everything!!  She wouldn't stop moving!!  Picking this up, picking that up, putting this here, putting that there, etc.  It drove me nuts!  What a BUNCH of nervous energy!  I had a hard time settling her down.  She simply would not listen!  I tried scowling at her, saying "NO" but she simply laughed at me and grabbed a pile of money to play with.  With that, I picked her up, and put her in a time out by the door of the hotel room, indicating a time out.  THAT got her attention!  She cried and cried and cried and REALLY was sad!  30 seconds later, I couldn't take any more and I called her to me.  She fell into my arms, crying "Mama!  Mama!" and I used the translator on my phone to reiterate what she'd done wrong and tell her I forgave her.  Thank you, SuperNanny, for the tips!  LOL  After that episode, it was night and day difference.  She was calm, she was happy, she was obedient, etc.  She just needed reassurance that I was in charge and that she understood that I was her mama, for real.  She did have another incident where she got very upset and emotional around bedtime and it was obvious she was quite homesick.  Fortunately, she came to me for comfort and she hugged me an stroked my arm and laid on the bed with me.  It was so sad, but also so sweet that she accepted my comforting, and even sought it out!  She slept soundly all night and woke up, rarin' to go again!

This morning, we took our time getting ready, and had her first shower.  She was afraid of the shower, and almost wouldn't get in, but she did.  She did most of the work herself, and I knew she felt better afterwards.  We facetimed with Mom, then Reese, and she ate some fruit that I'd bought the day before on the street and we headed out.

I wanted to go to JingShan Park, which is directly behind the Forbidden City, and Trip Advisor gave it #7 out of 1581 Things to do in Beijing!  I figured we'd better go, and it was only a couple of blocks away!  It was built in 1179 during the Jin Dynasty.  I found it easily and it was great!  Lots of people walking around, lots of groups dancing and doing tai chi, some elderly men played ancient instruments, little kids danced and played around the adults.  What a happy place!  No one was self-conscious, no one cared what anyone thought.  It was like the biggest Guilt-Free Zone on the planet!  I loved it!

This elderly woman was enjoying spinning this ribbon to music playing.  She was completely unashamed!  :o)

Entrance to the park.  Entrance fee was 2RMB, or about $0.30.  ;o)

We had such a good time!!

Yang and I climbed 500 or so steps (not kidding) up the top of the hill to Beijing's highest point.  At the very top was a temple with a huge statue of Buddha inside!  It was all covered in gold, and I must admit, quite beautiful.  People were kow-towing in front of it, and lots of people had left offerings of food and flowers.  There was music in the background - a sort of chant - and it was really very amazing.  Yang was quite taken with it and really liked looking in there.  Neither of us went into the temple itself, just stood in the doorway, looking in.  I did not want to enter it.  It was enough to observe from the window and the doorway.  Spiritually, I felt wrong about entering such a pagan place.  I offered up a prayer for all of the lost souls who prayed there, that they would find Jesus, and we left.  On a really cool note, as we left, Yang looked back at the Buddha, waved and said, "Bye bye!  Bye bye!" and I had to think, "Yep!  Say bye-bye!  You'll never have to live under this influence again!  Buddhism is not going to be one of the forces in your life, so yes!  Say bye-bye!"  It was so cool.  We walked around a bit more, enjoying such a wonderful, beautiful park, and went back to the hotel.

The view from the Temple on the top of the hill.  What you are seeing is the back end of the Forbidden City.  If you can see further, you would see Tienanmen Square.  It was very hazy, but I thought the haze made it look even more pretty.

The Buddhist Temple

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 2-3, 2014

Today I go to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall!  After my excapade yesterday, I slept, between noon and 5 am, probably 13 hours.  I must have been TIRED.  I'm hungry for food though.  I haven't eaten a bite, other than the snacks I brought from home, since the airplane.  My guide will take me out to eat today, though.  At least my stomach isn't hurting.

(Nov. 3)
Middle of the night-
today I pick up HuiYang!  I can't sleep, for obvious reasons.  LOL

I was too tried last night to write about my day, so I'll do it now.  In short, I had a great day!

Traveling in Beijing is a REAL PAIN.  I have traveled to many cities, foreign and domestic, and have never seen traffic like I have in Beijing, not even in Moscow or Rome (or Boston!).  It takes FOREVER to get anywhere!  That said, my guide, Angela, picked me up at 8:39 and we headed to the Forbidden City, which was only about 1 1/2 miles away, but took 15 min.  We went through security (which was pretty wild) and she showed me the basics of this incredible place: there actually was not much at all to see - very little furniture (other than official thrones and such in very dark rooms - but just the essensce of the place was amazing!  24 emporers over 400 years lived here - I need to watch "the Last Emperor" again - and while there really was very little to see other than the outside of buildings, it really was very cool.  The ornate mosaics, paintings, and carvings were truly breathtaking, and I'm glad I saw it.  We did not go to Tienanmen Square which is directly across the street, and houses Mao's Mausoleum, but I was able to see it from the entrance of the Forbidden City, so that's good.

The entrance to the Forbidden City.  It was a cool, beautiful day!!

Looking across the street to Tienanmen Square and Mao's Mausoleum.

The corner of most (all?) of the buildings inside the City.  I can't remember what the figures symbolize (sorry, Angela, I know you told me!) but I know that the more, the better.  ;o)

The largest carved marble in the City.  Only the Emperor could cross over it physically, but not even he could touch it as he crossed - he was carried.

The wedding quilt.  This is the sign of "Double Happiness", and was the symbol of marriage.

The back end of the Forbidden City.  This exit was only a block or two from my hotel!  (I didn't realize it at the time.  LOL)

After that, we got back in the car and drove and drove and drove, and sat in unreal traffic, until we reached the outskirts of Beijing.  My guide asked if I was okay eating at a Chinese restaurant, and I gulped and said, "Sure!".  We entered a nice restaurant and per custom, the leader (Angela) was the only one to order for the 3 of us (including the driver), as in China, restaurants serve everything "family style".  Fortunately, she asked what I liked to eat, and I gave a few suggestions.  She left to use the bathroom and I looked at the menubook:  I was astonished to see such items as "Stewed Longsnout Catfish Balls in Pea Sauce", "Sauteed Pig Kidney", and "Assorted Duck Blood Cured in Spicy".  Dear God, please, no...

The first dish out was something involving chicken and peanuts.  I'll admit, the flavor was quite good, but the "chicken"?  Not sure just what part of the chicken it was, but it wasn't no Chik Fil-A!!  LOL  It almost had the texture of pure chicken fat, but not QUITE.  Best not to think about it.

At this time, I also got my first try at chopsticks!  The waitress gave me a fork at Angela's request, but I was determined to try.  It was hard, but I could do it!  The driver was really impressed.  ;o)  LOL  I ate everything with them, including the rice!  Pretty fun.  :o)

The only meal in 3 weeks (besides Papa John's in Nanjing) that I truly enjoyed.

Next came a beef and mushroom dish that I ended up eating WAY too much of, because it was DELICIOUS!  The beef was so fresh and the seasoning sooooo perfect and the mushrooms were such that I couldn't really tell the difference between them and the meat!  I scarfed this dish down.  There was also a plate of green beans that were seasoned perfectly.  It was a wonderful lunch!!

On to the Great Wall!!

After driving a long time more, we finally arrived in a very mountainous and rugged area - very beautiful, too, as the leaves were shedding the last of their leaves for the winter.  We took a ski lift up to the top of a hill and the view was absolutely spectacular!!  Mountains all around us, the Wall snaking its way up and down the mountains here and there, the sheer rustic-ness of it all - WOW.  We hiked up and down the Wall a little ways and got some awesome pictures, then we rode a "toboggan" down the mountain to the bottom.  Absolutely fantastic.

Entrance to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China

Ski lift up.  Fun!  :o)  (This photo obviously does not show the beauty of the area - LOL)

No, this is not me tobogganing down the hill, but it could have been!  ;o)

The Great Wall of China

I doubt the soldiers guarding the wall during the "day" were as casual as I look in this picture.

Such a neat experience!

I could have stayed all day...

Then, it was back in the car for the long and frustrating drive back to the hotel.  Check another experience off my Bucket List!

To bed, then a BIG DAY tomorrow - Miss Hua, HuiYang becomes my daughter!!  :o)  Pray it goes well...!!!

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 1

In the past, I've published excerpts from other adoption journals and many people have come to me and told me how MUCH they enjoyed it and how it helped them prepare for their own adoption journeys or make the decision if they wanted to adopt, etc.  Many just simply enjoyed reading it.  Therefore, I have decided to do the same with this journal, as this is my first China adoption trip (and LAST).  I hope you enjoy it and I hope it's not too boring!

Nov. 1, 2014

I arrived in Beijing yesterday!  Three hours from Orlando to Newark (saw the Freedom Tower for the first time) then 13 hours Newark to Beijing, but I had the ENTIRE row of seats to myself!  I could stretch out, lie down (as much as a 5'10" person can lie down across 3 narrow airplane seats) and really was quite comfortable!!  I watched quite a few movies.  It really wasn't that bad, thanks to having the row of seats!

  

Ready to leave Orlando!!  Am I REALLY doing this?!?

The dawn of a new day.

The Sha Tan Hotel.  There is  a VERY busy one-lane street in front that I'm standing on the far side of to take this picture.

The front lobby.  It's kind of hard to tell, but those are fancy paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and poinsettia plants in a row on the floor under them.  The hotel was very inexpensive and perfectly acceptable.

Anyway, immigration and customs was a breeze  and I found my guide, Angela, without difficulty.  She and her husband drove me to my hotel, which took about an hour (at least ) due to the ridiculous Beijing traffic.  My hotel is a modest one in downtown, very near the Forbidden City, but clean enough.  The bed is VERY hard.  :o(  Lots of people on the single lane street out there, selling foods.  I found a dingy convenience store (nicest one around) and bought some water.  Also found a bank and exchanged $4,000 into 24,400 RMB.  The stack was so thick I could barely fit it in my hide-a-pouch!  I was nervous walking the 3 blocks back to my hotel with all of that money, but all was well, and I believe I was quite safe.

Beijing has the reputation of having terrible air quality, and I'll admit, the smells here are strange.  Even within the hotel, the air smells funny.  It's not necessarily a BAD smell, and it's lots of DIFFERENT smells.  Just something I notice a lot, and I thought I'd mention.

Also, the food being sold on the street is not something this spoiled American would be tempted to buy: not only is produce sold on the side of the street, with cars literally driving down the one lane road with 1-3 feet of space on either side (I don't know how the vendors keep their stuff from being driven on!) but meats and eggs and stuff are kept out in the open!  Slabs of bacon and chicken are sold in the open air where cars drive past, only a few feet away!  Ukraine was much like this, but not quite as bad, and not right by the road, as I remember.  Bacon, infused with exhaust flavor!  Yuck!

Today is a free day.  I was supposed to go sight-seeing today but because the weather is hazy and cloudy, we decided to go tomorrow.  Then the next day, I go pick up my little HuiYang!!