Ok, so let’s see, the driver and guide arrived at about 8-8:30 am to take us to the government office to officially adopt Oslo. We had a 9:30am appointment, so we had to stop by the photo stop to pick up the family picture and we would be on our way. Just after we stopped to get our family photo our guide started to explain about the region and its tea. She got as far as the elevation and earth make for the best tea in all of China when I interrupted to ask about our appointment.
We were told there was some delay with the notary or some paperwork or something but all-in-all there was nothing of value being explained except that we were going to the tea farmer’s house first then the Silk museum and then maybe later we can do the notary paperwork.
Well that is not how our day went at all.
Last night just after I went to bed it began to rain and was still raining on and off so we took a nice quiet ride up into what I would describe as the foothills of Hangzhou, passing many walking bridges (each with a very interesting story as told by our guide - NOT!).
“Ok soes you know da story of da love of da budderflies? No? of course you do, so diz bridge is da broken budderflies love bridge so many of da luveers cumz ta walket dis bridge for da love”
Broken Love Bridge?
“Ok soes dis bridge is da bridge about suh women who was princess uh and shees looves da man who not prince so dey could no be married so he kilt himself yeah zen she says ok to marry prince but she no happy so she kilz her da self on wedding day. So yeah, people whose wantz suh love they walk this bridge yeah? But you knows this already yeah.”
Sign in the Tea Field
So 30 bridge stories later and a 20 minute explanation about when to pick tea in the hills, we were at a tea farmer’s house to sample real tea grown feet from where we sat.
After walking up into the fields
Turns out we were not at the farmer’s house. We were two doors down at her friend’s house because her house was being renovated. Her house was a palatial 3 story version with carpenters discussing the best way to get the marble slabs up the third floor. None-the-less it was very charming and she concluded also that I was “Zhong Gou Tong” so she was very adamant that I take her address down so when I came back I knew which house was hers.
Inspecting the tea grades
After having paid ENTIRELY too much for tea (regardless of how elite the grade and that it had been saved back for the families personal stash) I told her (in Chinese) that I could not come back and see her in the new house because then the price of the tea I just bought would be double the price then, to pay for her nice house! She laughed and said that she would see me later. Little did she know!
Tea so good you can eat it.
About half-way through the whole tea inspection, slash sales-pitch Oslo really became fussy and Christe initiated the “ok tea’s cool - let’s go” face so I pulled out the money and bought some tea. I made sure to explain that I wanted the good stuff from the family stash. We got two full packages for ourselves. It costs roughly $75 USD for each box. Don’t worry I was made to feel better by our driver when he told me that this grade of tea could be purchased at many of the tea-only shops in town for 5 times the cost and you don’t get to inspect the tea because it’s already sealed up.
It was also at this time that our guide and driver explained that this tea from the farmer’s house would be an excellent gift for the orphanage director and vice-director so I told them I needed 3 more packages, of the lower grade stuff, that is!
Packing up the buy!
When I told the tea-farmer lady I wanted the lower grade because they were not for me. All the Chinese people in the room laughed and the tea farmer said to our guide in Chinese “Oh you were right, he is Chinese.” When she left to get 3 new tea pouches I asked our guide why she said I was Chinese. My guide said that is what the locals do; they buy lots and keep the best for themselves. I explained to her that’s not Chinese, that’s just cheap, and I’m cheap.
So we piled back into the van for a picturesque drive back out of the hills back past the 130 bridges of “duh brokens loves” and back to the hotel because our guide wanted to go back to government offices to see what was going on with the adoption proceedings and then she would call us back.
Back at the hotel, Christe was now changing runny-poopy diapers again and again so we determined that not only was little man a shitting-machine but that we clearly needed to get some laundry done. We took a small nap proceeded by feeding him some more formula that had been carefully picked out previously by our guide as “dis is the good one, this is the ones I used for my son yeah, it’s good yeah, it’s da perfect one yeah”.
With another runny diaper to be changed looming, Christe suggested I call our guide and see if she would take me to a pharmacy to get some anti-diarrhea medicine and a new package of diapers.
A quick call to our guide and she was quickly downstairs in the hotel lobby (she is staying at another hotel across the street because it’s less expensive). She came upstairs to double-check my wife’s request and make sure we weren’t just crazy American parents who didn’t understand this is “a Chinese baby”.
Having confirmed the smell in the room was in fact poo and not just fine Chinese take-away and yes in fact, we did know we had a Chinese baby, the guide and I were off to get some poo-poo stop medicine and some diapers.
During the walk which took us in several directions as our guide is not from Hangzhou, — she had to ask several “officials” on the street for a “pharmacy” – our guide explained that the government offices are closed right now. This is because of the “big meeting” that all of the officials at these kinds of offices (like we were at yesterday) were attending at some other office, and they were NOT planning on coming back to work today.
So basically she had just returned to her hotel room when I called her because while we were napping she had been at the government office pleading with people to give her phone numbers of officials so she could beg them to come back to work after the meeting so we could officially adopt Oslo and then go to another office (also closed now) where we could process all the paperwork with the famed notary (pronounced “lottery” by our guide) which costs a cool 4,000 RMB.
She said that she kept being told that the officials did not care about our need to do this today, because we had to go to Wenzhou tomorrow, because Wenzhou was getting a typhoon today so they surely would not have government offices open tomorrow.
I asked, “What do you mean a TYPHOON?”
She said, “You know the typhoon, a typhoon. Why you think it’s a raining now? It’s the typhoon you know?”
“Oh that explains it, thanks.”
We found a pharmacy where she explained that our baby had diarrhea and sticky eyes and we got drops for his eyes and some poo-stopper stuff.
We got back to the room gathered up all the laundry we had since landing in Shanghai and the guide and I were on another expedition.
So I’m carrying 20lbs of clothes in a brown sack as we walked another mile in numerous directions looking for a laundry place someone at her hotel had told her about. It turns out that this laundry was nothing more than a guy with a stall on one of the local side roads with a washing machine. It was nestled in-between the fruit stand and smoke stand but had no sign so we had passed it twice already.
He quoted the price a bit high to which our guide said, “It’s because it is summer you know, in winter not so much business so it’s cheaper then.”
“Oh yeah, that explains it”, I said.
Just as we finished the uncomfortable task of having each garment dumped out of the bag on the street in front of his shop and inspected and counted in front of me, (I can’t explain what a great experience it is to have you underwear held up in front of your face by some strange man looking at you with a weird look) our guide got a call on her cell phone and she wandered a few paces away to take it. The laundry man said in Chinese “Come back tomorrow to get your laundry. It takes me another day to do this big laundry”.
It turns out the call was from an official who had agreed to come back to work to do the adoption and we must go now!
We hustled back to the hotel where an unaware wife and baby had to get ready very quickly to meet the driver who had just been called, downstairs immediately.
We drove 20 minutes back to the office from yesterday where we rushed into the same room and waited for what turned out to be a little girl (or at least she looked like it) who asked us for the family picture that she glued on to a sheet of paper I was to inspect all the names and passport numbers on. I did that then our guide to check the same numbers and then told Christe to inspect all the same information and then she squeezed an official seal on part of the photo and paper and we were done.
Officially part of the family!
I had noticed the t-shirt the “official” was wearing and asked if I could take a picture of it and our guide said yes of course you can take a picture of her with you and the baby, once the paper work was put in the “red book”.
Happy Virus To You Too!
As soon as we snapped a couple quick photos (including a close up of the official to key in on the t-shirt) we were off and in a rush to get to the notary office (at another location) where we could get all of the other paper work notarized.
So a quick half-hour later through rush-hour traffic we were at the notary office where I had to proof 9 documents that I had no idea what I was proofing for because at this late hour, who would make any changes if anything was wrong. 4000 RMB lighter, we left.
With our guide very tired, a driver over his scheduled time, a baby still suffering from water poo and no lunch in Christe, little man or I, we opted not to press for the silk museum but were assured that we could do it on our last day in Hangzhou if we wanted.
So back at the hotel we now had all the paperwork we needed to go to our baby’s hometown tomorrow. We did however still have the small problem that our guide was telling us we would have to pack our room up tonight and we would leave all of our bags at this hotel because we would be checking out tomorrow.
Christe and I were flabbergasted because we were told by CHI that in all the money we paid them for this leg of the trip, which was nearly half of all that we had to pay, we would be paying for a hotel room both in Hangzhou and Wenzhou one night. Our guide was sure that we were not, so she and I went to the front desk and Christe and Oslo headed back to the room.
I then had to pay for another night and I asked our guide to find out how much a bigger room would be.
We ended up being told there weren’t any bigger rooms but that there was a nicer room on another floor and that the bell boy would show us the room and if we liked it we could discuss the price then.
We all went up to get Christe and the baby went down to the 7th floor and saw a much nicer room with a better view and arguably bigger so when we asked how much the difference was the bellboy had no idea so the guide and I were back down stairs.
We got the “upgrade” for free which I later found out was because our guide had called her agency and her manager had called the hotel and told them if we got the better room she would surely book many other people in that hotel. It turns out that our guide used to do the entire hotel and travel booking for her agency before choosing to work in the field.
So what followed the room upgrade was truly a cluster-bleep but it basically amounted to our guide and I going up to our current room and telling Christe everything had to go to the new room NOW!
Four large suitcases and 2 ½ days worth of daily life had to be shoved in suitcases and sacks from the hotel and moved immediately. There is something strictly un-Chinese about having other people outside of your family stuffing and going through your personal belongings that is very unsettling but the job got done.
Exhausted and now severely hungry we suggested that our guide go with us to get some food and buy some long pants and a jacket for the long ride to Wenzhou tomorrow. Our driver was adamant that we get some pants and a jacket for little man because 6 hours in the van’s air conditioning in shorts would not be acceptable on his watch. He had also recommended an inexpensive clothing shop within walking distance of the hotel. We made a quick stop in the lobby to turn in our old room keys and we were off.
Mommy and Oslo waiting in the lobby.
The clothing shop turned out the be the secret hidden store that all Chinese parents must know as it seems this is where you find those clothes that have sayings in english that make no sense, and all the clothes were used! Christe just did not want to spend hours rummaging through the piles of boxes for the right size so we went to a proper department store where we purchased some fine ‘BOBDOG’ brand pants, shirt and a jacket.
We walked back to a restaurant where we finally could relax a bit with some food and a beer. It was at this point I truly wish I had brought the camera or video because little man is clearly an eating machine!
We ordered about 5 different dishes, mostly of local specialties and some white rice. We could not shovel it in his face fast enough for him. Both Christe and I were taking turns, back-and-forth, shoving food in his face.
This was a “nicer” restaurant and we were clearly being stared at by all the patrons and the help. His high chair was wooden and looked like something straight out of London’s orphanage. Much like all restaurant high chairs it had no eating surface which made it easy for little man to swiftly grab a saucer and throw it to the ground and break it. It also allowed him to be close enough to try and grab his own food.
After both Christe and I tired of trying to fill his face with food from our plates we started putting his food on a small plate in front of him so we could just shovel it in him while the other broke more food up.
Now while we were doing this and trying to talk to our guide, little man decided that the small breaks between bites was just not acceptable so he began lunging face first towards his plate.
At one point he was successful and with a 1.9 degree of difficulty he scored a perfect 10 in the face-plant-to-the-plate-with-mouth-wide-open-dive. He got some food in his mouth and came back up to show off rice also stuck to his face. The three of us lost it. We were laughing so hard and he was just looking at us like “WHAT? WHAT?”
The rest of the restaurant was looking at us as well. Shortly there after we paid the bill and were off to get back to the hotel to pack for tomorrow and off to bed.
Now sitting here, I should mention that Christe and Oslo are asleep in the bed (he basically will sleep in the crib for a couple of hours only) so one of the questions we have for the orphanage besides what kind of formula was he on, is, what’s with the sudden waking and screaming/crying he does every couple of hours?
He seems to wake up but not be fully awake and he just goes into this angry cry / gagging thing and we can’t seem to soothe him out of it. We told the guide and she just seems to think it’s us but the pattern is too regular for it to be new. We’ve thought it was gas pains or his cleft pallete or many other things but it seems to be less frequent when he’s sleeping on our bed between us.
I am currently sitting here documenting the intervals to have when we speak to the nannies.
Enough for now, I will hopefully post more from Wenzhou tomorrow.
August 4th, 2008
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WARNING! If you are faint of heart or stomach or are easily offended by talk of poop or pee please, please, please, DO NOT READ OR VIEW THIS POST!
Ok so for any parents who have ever adopted a baby in China you remember the poo-poo speech. For those that don’t it goes something like, “ok; zuh babeez yeah? Zuh babeez iz very tired yeah and zuh babeez iz very scaret, and zuh babeez iz all different yeah? Ok! So zuh babies no want to poop, zay no go poop. You know? Ok, so you make zuh babeez go zuh poop yeah? Alwayz to watch for zuh poop yeah? Ok? Ok yeah! So you watch the poop yeah?”
As some of you may also know that our last experience in China (London) left us on poo-poo patrol for nearly a week and we were the bad parents…….but not this time! Oh no, not this time!
Mom & Oslo Ready to Explore
As I mentioned before, little man (Oslo) needed a pair of shoes that fit, so after a quick nap it was time to try out the new baby carrier strap-on thingy and we off on our first expedition as a family and without a guide to tell us what he should wear, how to carry him etc etc.
We took a nice leisurely walk to the West Lake (really what Hangzhou is known for - well that and green tea) looking in store fronts as we went, hoping to find a nice inexpensive baby shoe store. We got all the way to the lake and didn’t find one. The lake really is quite picturesque and the breeze was really nice!
The West Lake - Hangzhou
In case I hadn’t mentioned it, China is hot right now, really, really hot and it seems that each city we go to is hotter than the last.
Anyway, I started to take pictures etc, and little man (xiao nan ren) became fussy, really fussy. Now under normal circumstances a fussy kid in public would be no match for my wife, but in China we a serious oddity. We are stared at literally by everyone when we are holding (or attached one to us) a baby that clearly looks Chinese. I just assume since adoption is not publicized at all here, most people think we stole him. So we walked away from the crowds and shortly found refuge in a Starbucks (not because we love the place). The place was all but empty. So a few iced joka-mottay-super-carmel-broka-tatays or whatever they were and we’re ready to move on.
Oslo at the dreaded Starbucks
Maybe 40 paces outside, we heard the first “click-click” sound. That is the “Hey Chinese baby, do you need be to save you from the foreigners?” sound that astonishingly every Chinese female over 25 can make. It’s made by pushing your tongue to the roof of your mouth and pulling it back down quickly to release the air. The really good ladies can be heard from blocks away. When I was a young kid I used to make a similar noise, the same way, to represent the sound of horse-shoes on pavement (”clip-clop” “clip-clop”).
So determined not to be frustrated by it this time, I just turned to see where it came from and gave a wave and a big “Ni Hao”. We moved a little closer to the offending women on their park bench, had a short conversation, which amounted to “we’re Americans, he’s from Wenzhou, he’s broken and he will get surgeries in America.” I say quickly but I really don’t mean it as we really just looked for a stopping point in the polite conversation by saying we had to go shopping for the little man, for some shoes and bolted into a shopping “mall” to avoid continuing the conversation.
Once inside we realized things were very much out of our price range. This is after all a resort town for China’s ultra-rich. I did however spot a sign that said ‘toys r us’ one floor above. When we got their though, another sign said one floor up. See in China you can pretty much say anything you want on a sign or bottle or advertisement or what have you. For example the pure chemical chocolate malted ice cream says it will make you 10 times stronger if you eat one everyday or the white grape juice that says you will always have strong eyes if you drink it everyday.
Once up on the toys r us floor we found a pair of shoes for little man and then moved to the toys r us section to avoid being stared at by the many sales attendants that have no one in their sections.
Once there I smelled an unfamiliar stench. I thought to myself, wow this store stinks and that’s odd because it’s such a nice shopping plaza. We were annoyed by a 12 year old want to practice his English. “HI” “HOW ARE YOU” “DO YOU LIKE THIS ONE” “I LIKE THIS ONE” “YOUR CHILD WILL LIKE THIS ONE TOO I THINK”. I put that in all caps because he was quite loud. I think mostly because, like me I think that speaking louder will make people understand my language if I say it LOUDER!
The stench did subside only to return when Christe caught up with me and said, “I think he’s tooting”. I told her I thought I smelled something. Before I could even get out “Ni Fung Pi La Ma” (Did you just fart in Chinese), Christe looked at me in shock and said, “WE HAVE TO GO, NOW”.
Little man not only took a royal dump but he had a nice runny diarrhea one and it had leaked out of the diaper and Christe was now holding his hat underneath him to keep it from running down her entire front-side.
Now let’s make no bones about it. My wife is a saint when it comes to this sort of thing. She did not just hand him off to me or anything of the sort. She knew we were at least 15-20 minutes walking distance from the hotel. Not once did she say, ‘let’s move his juicy behind to a taxi’.
Once back at the hotel we realized that everything had been pooed on, her shirt, her tank, her arm his legs, his shorts, the baby-bjorn or what ever it’s called ( I now call it ‘THE POOH SLING”).
Christe got Oslo taken care of through a thorough strip down and every wipe in the travel plastic wipe holder. She gave me a simple command, “Watch him, while I go wash myself”.
So moments into her hand-washing, my simple task suddenly became what I can only judge as a complete daddy FAILURE!
Oslo is 17 months old and we had heard the rumors before that these orphanage babies are potty trained by 1 year old. When we got London my wife tried a quick hang over the potty that went less than swimmingly so we vowed to go with diapers until ready. So with Os we are holding to the same principal. Add to that, the potty chairs here are vastly different both in look and shape.
So back to my failure, my wife had stepped away for mere moments and I must of blinked or something but there it was, my first high-pitched girly, “UH NO! NO! NO! - UH CHRISTE!”
That’s right the empty travel wipes container was left in the lid open position! So DUH, it was obviously ready for one little man to unload the bladder, big man style!
His aim wasn’t nearly as good as some, so I had two choices, adjust him or adjust his toilet. I opted for toilet.
You can see by the picture, daddy tells no lies!
Oslo's Potty Trained?
Now for tomorrows agenda we’re going to empty the larger version and see if thinks it’s the shitter!
You think he'll try to poop?
Also on tomorrow agenda, the real deal adoption and maybe some tea farmers house and silk museum.
August 3rd, 2008
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Well it’s official. Well not official, official, because that won’t be until tomorrow but it is official, we are no longer waiting! We now have our little baby boy in our arms.
I’ve tried desperately not to continuously describe things on this trip by drawing comparisons to the happenings of our trip to get London but it’s extremely difficult to do. So hopefully you can bear with me.
Christe woke up earlier than the alarm was set for to get ready and get things ready. As I’ve noted throughout this trip my wife has definitely taken more of China and the China trip this time, but I think this morning she finally got the butterflies.
She packed up cheerios, apple-banana puffies, haw flakes and the previously mentioned apple juice in a bottle, photo album, wa-wa (baby doll), various other toys, diapers, wipes, bibs, a small tent, camping gear, nuclear fall-out-two-week survival kit, a small bed, television from the hotel and a couple q-tips into our small back-pack. Then she set out to try on two or three outfits trying to determine if the prints on her skirts would be “too busy” for his little eyes.
Then she told her husband to get going or we would be late. I on the other hand tried desperately to conceal more American cash than anyone should ever be required to have on them unless they were showing off for the camera on MTV cribs.
Once that had been adjusted into the least uncomfortable position to allow for me to carry the camera, video camera, extra photo cards, tapes and carrying case, we were off to the lobby.
Christe asked me if it felt “real” yet. She then answered her own question by recalling my nonchalant exterior during London’s Gotcha-Day.
I told her, it’s not that it’s not real; it’s just that there is nothing to prepare for. There is nothing I can do to change my fate, our fate, his fate. It will be what it is, nothing more nothing less.
Our guide was waiting along with our driver so there was no anxious waiting, nor were there 10 other families that had beaten us to the lobby to talk about it with. We hoped in the van and we were off.
It was a short drive of maybe 15 minutes with most of that time being made up of listening to our driver and our guide talk about the traffic and us, well of course, looking at the traffic.
Once to the government building, the parking lot guards told our guide it (the room we were looking for) was on the second floor. 25 paces later we were inside and our guide asked again to be told it was on the third floor. Up a few flights of stairs to knock on a door and wouldn’t you know it, it’s on the second floor. Down to the second floor, we knocked on the door and, nope not that room. Back to the first floor, wait a minute, I think I hear a lot of talking in a room we just passed, so back to the second floor (Yes I will be editing all that video out). So we take a quick right (all the other times we went left) and in through the door we went.
The Front Door To The Government Building
Contrary to any history that will state otherwise in the future, there is no actual picture of the exact moment Christe was handed LeFeng. I got it within the first 30 seconds or so.
There were two other families in the room already playing with their children and filling out paperwork. Our son was being held by what I came to know was the vice-director of his orphanage.
We were following the guide into the room to look at a long table and quite a few “official” personnel. I think she presumed that we would fill out some paperwork be introduced to our son and then an official hand-over would take place. NOPE!
Christe went two paces and said, “Ah! LeFeng!” and the orphanage director will a little less than a turn-around in her chair (her back was to the door) lifted him up and he was in Christe’s hands.
The First Photo Together
I did my best to take pictures and capture video as my wife narrated for me, our son’s current status.
“He’s smaller than I expected”
“He doesn’t smell”
“He doesn’t seem dirty”
“His hair is course”
“His thighs are so thick”
Etc
Mommy And Oslo
She did this while being talked to by others, directing me and making sure she was getting a bottle in his mouth.
Gone were the days of Peggy (the guide from our former trip) meticulously planning out every moment, every piece of paperwork, every piece of schedule, every-everything.
I was having to put the camera down to do paperwork only to believe I was done to be back at the table to do more. Our little boys famous footprint in red-ink was literally done while I was at the table with my back to him.
Daddy And Oslo
Anyway, shortly after I “offered” the orphanage donation and paid for what I’m sure was red-ink and the gas for all the people in the room we were done and we were off.
Inside The Government Office
Next was a short jaunt to a quickie-photo or some sort of the like, to get our family photo for the official adoption tomorrow. Which as it turns out, will not be available until tomorrow morning. Then we went to a bank so that I could exchange USD to RMB for the fees for tomorrow. Now back at the hotel, we’ve been through a few rounds of testing out different options of food, bottles, toys etc.
Unlike London, Oslo believes, Cheerios and Apple Jacks are NOT snacks, they are instead toys and haw flakes are ok if nothing else is around.
We have changed his clothes are not able to keep his entire Gotcha Day outfit as he made use of diaper. We will also be on the famed poo-poo patrol for the next (hopefully only) couple days until he goes and we can move to be considered good parents.
Also none of his shoes fit that we have purchased for him seem too big. He has the wildest chunky little feet with super short toes. So we will have to try to get him some shoes here, that fit. That however will have to wait as all of us are tired and need a nap.
Hopefully more later, enjoy!
July 29th, 2008
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I’m still a bit unclear as how to count the days, so bare with me. I lost one over the international dateline so I’m not sure I know where I’ll pick one up or steal one back or what have you, so if I suddenly skip a day, I ‘m not sure I really skipped it, I was just a little lost in the time-continuum string theory as mapped by my current time-piece logic issue.Ok, even I didn’t get that.
Christe took a nap and Ellen and I took a walk down Huai Hai Lou. It was mainly skyscrapers, high-end shopping (that we obviously can’t afford) and locals commuting or shopping or whatever it is they are doing to be in motion.
A guy I work with who lives in New York has been to Shanghai before and he said that this is the 5th Ave of Shanghai. As a matter of fact he said that Shanghai is a LOT like New York City. Thus far I completely agree.
With the exception of the entire population being Chinese and all of the store fronts and billboards being in Chinese, this could be New York.
I must admit, that the feeling of other-worldliness, exoticness, etc just doesn’t seem apparent yet. The time change excluded, I still have work-work to do and have yet to fully engage myself in this trip.
After Ellen and I returned to the hotel, Christe, Ellen and I headed out of the hotel to walk a bit and catch a taxi to Ellen’s house to eat an actual home cooked meal by her parents.
It was an absolute treat. It was incredible to see, even if just a small glimpse, how an average family in Pudong lives. They were so kind. They offered up too many dishes (food) to count, a nice bottle of Chinese wine, and the finest Disney Character plates I had ever seen.
I think the menu was planned largely by Ellen to showcase all of the things she had told us about over the course of her 10 months with us in the US.
I also snapped a photo of another families’ doorway because Ellen said that it had been decorated for Chinese New Year and It will be left up until they do it again next year.
I’m heading to bed as I still have a lot of “work-work” to do.
I almost forgot! Ellen’s Mom called us a taxi and well, needless to say, when we walked down stairs, I don’t think he was expecting to big foreigners two be climbing into his car. Ellen told Christe just before we pulled away. This cab-driver’s weird! Good Luck!
July 20th, 2008
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Ok so we are here! China now has two more bodies to add to its 1.5 Billion! Two funky smelling, sweaters on teeth, sleepy bodies; yay for them!So I must admit that last time we flew to China we were very fortunate to have upgraded to First class — with all of my accumulated frequent flyer points from many years of work travel — which ended up being mostly business class as we went from KC to Chicago, to Tokyo, to Beijing.
At that time we applauded ourselves for how we got to pretend we were rich and famous and were doted on because (as we naively thought) the stewardess perceived massive amounts of wealth must be had by us to be able to afford such expensive seats. We took it all in! We ate what ever they offered, drank whatever they had on the cart because, after all, it was FREE! We selected movies from a cart, had smoked salmon, drank champagne, yes…we were rich! Ok not really but let me dream, ok?
This time however, we were to be relegated to lowly coach with all the “common folk”, whom for some reason just needed to get to China.
So what’s the point? Adoptive parents and other non-regular international travelers, GO WITH COACH!
Here’s why. I slept at least 9 hours of the 15 ½. Yes I was sleepy, but I knew I wasn’t going to miss anything if I was asleep and, I didn’t! Small cramped seats, a guy in front of me adjusting his reclined seat into my knees at least 75 times, sub-par food even for an airplane and cranky stewardesses were all the order of the day (or night or whatever it was is). As I see it, the flight is a time to crash (not literally!), I mean go to sleep.
First Class makes you think you have to “take it all in” and if you sleep you’re missing something. Well I didn’t miss a thing because there was nothing to miss!
The Airport and To Hotel:
So after 10 months of an exchange student from China in my house in Kansas telling me there was nothing beautiful in America, it was always boring, the food was intolerable, and well frankly, “your dogs are sooooo ugly ……… and they stink!”, I was wondering if I was really up for a nice meet and greet at the airport from a someone I had seen is just over a month.
Ellen In The Bread Taxi
Lixinyin (Ellen as we know her) was visible as we rode down the escalator just off the plne. This is somewhat surprising as people in China know how gather en mass at the site of any sore of a device that looks like’s the thing that keeps us in line at a movie. And when I say “en mass”, I mean, historic Beatles at JFK landing mass!
Ellen and her mother had found a way to be right up front and center. They patiently waited as we gathered up our 4 large suitcases (1 for Christe, 1 for Oslo, 1 for ‘gifts’ for the adoption process and her make-up, body lotion, hair goo, eye-lash mutilator-ripper-outer-thingy, snacks she’ll never eat, crossword puzzle books, scope whitening mouthwash, etc) and ½ of one for me) and made our way through customs.
Customs amounted to us picking an aisle for “something to declare” or “nothing to declare”. My wife suggested that my desire to go with the “something to declare” line because I felt I was finally ready to offer up my never-to-be-known before secret love of Celine Dion, was not only not funny but that I was not allowed to speak …….ever again.
I think she was cranky a little. She claimed to have only slept 2 hours on the flight. WHATEVER! The ambien kicked her butt for at least 6!
Ellen and her Mom were so lovely (I mean that really, I’m not worried about them reading this). I think they made fun of us a bit for the amount of luggage we had but quickly got us to the taxi stand where I explained we wanted, “Mien boa che chu” or Loaf of Bread Taxi. I think she was initially shocked that I knew that but quickly we were moved to the waiting spot for a mini-van.
On the way to the hotel I snapped a quick photo of a car we passed. It seems to be very popular to put large stickers (decals) on the side of the smallest car you can find, which I guess makes it sporty-er. I hope this one isn’t foreshadowing the weather we’re in for!
Weather Forecast?!
Ellen’s Mom did not stay with us but Ellen accompanied us on the 1+ hour ride to the hotel, check-in, and inspection of room and now decision by Christe to take a nap before we head out to the suburbs to eat dinner with Ellens mom and Dad.
July 20th, 2008
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Ok, so as most of you know, this will be our second adoption and our second trip to China to do the same. The similarities are starting to mount.
Unlike my wife who will readily point out that our adoption itinerary and important dates are all nearly the same, (i.e. “London’s gotcha day is July 25th, and Oslo’s is July 28th !” “We are traveling in July and August, just like we did with London!” etc, etc, etc) I am committed to the belief that our children are separate and unique and so will be our experiences, travel, packing etc.
This however has not started yet. Thus far everything is nearly the same to exacting specifications.
We were off to the airport at 4:50 am (which to my wife’s dismay was scheduled for 4:00 am) to make our flight to Chicago. I had been up for over 24 hours doing work up to the very last minute before finally being told that if I did not complete my packing duties that I would surely forget something like last time (see deodorant story on London’s blog).
The check-in experience was fine but did take us about 15 minutes longer than it should have as there are no more “we’ll check you in” lines. Everyone must use the automated check-in kiosks and then wait to have your name called to bring your bags up.
The flight from KC to Chicago was uneventful and I believe I slept through the whole whopping hour and a half (supported by wife’s comment, “You know you slept the whole way?”.
Anyway, as I sit her in Chicago, as we are told that our flight to Shanghai is set to take off about a half hour late. Let’s hope this is not the beginning of further delays.
I will write more when we get to Shanghai.
July 19th, 2008
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