One Year Anniversary

Well, we don't post to this blog anymore as we moved it here: http://jnj-familyadventures.blogspot.com/

I still wanted to make a post on this one to mark the event. Today is our 1 year anniversary! This is the day we met our little Ying and brought her into our family. I'm going to hop over to the other blog now and make a big long post, :)

Moving!

Well, its funny how the last few days of our China expedition killed our blog. Apparently several people follow it, and we wanted to be able to keep a good running history of events for the family, so we are moving. We will not be updating this blog any longer, unless we start another adoption, lol. Our new family blog will be HERE! I'm hoping we will get the flickr page setup, and have a good repository of pictures and info between the blog and flickr. We're also on facebook, so look us up there for even more random updates!

Days 12 - 16

Day 16 = GO HOME!  YAY! 

 

 

Day 15 – Thursday, Decemeber 3, 2009

 

Ray and Nancy got to head out today- lucky!  We didn't do anything but finish shopping, pack, and that's about it.  We're worn out and so ready to head home… so I will leave you with a few random thoughts instead.  Ha ha.  Oh, and please wish us a safe, uneventful journey home.  =)  We all feel as if we are stuck in the sequel to Groundhog Day. 

 

Observations about China:

 

- The beds are hard. 

- The cartoons and commercials are hilarious.  Especially for things you know and love- like the McRib.  C'mon, would you really eat a McRib in China?

- The heat either works too well, or doesn't work.  And it's either heat or air for the entire building.

- Spitting in public is normal (though extremely gross!).  People spit everywhere- even the floors of 5 star hotels. 

- Driving is a free-for-all.  If the light is red, but you see a spot- go for it.   If there is room to go around on the sidewalk, go for it.  If you want people to move- honk at them.  Driving here would be insanely scary.

- The pollution really, truly is terrible and has to be seen for yourself to be understood.

- Did I mention the beds are hard?

- Food is never, ever served hot.  Consider yourself lucky if it is warm. Also, they don't care if you order a drink, and won't ask about it if you forget.

- Breakfast Buffets have a weird mix of food on them, like baked beans and dim sum.

- The water is terrible in appearance.  I wouldn't even consider drinking it, it is yellow.  Not even after boiling it.  Nope, no sir.  And some people here swim naked in it! 

- People are always extremely surprised to discover that either of us speak Mandarin.  They also think we are VERY young to be parents. 

- Be careful what you order... a drink with frog guts in it is exactly what it says it is.

- There is no such thing as personal space in China.  It is crowded and people go where they can fit whenever they want.  Politeness is also an oddity.

- Order also does not pertain.  You don't really stand in line for a buffet- you shove in where you can to get what you want, and who cares if you are messing up the 20 people who were going the other way...

- There is no such thing as non-smoking-- either rooms or seats in restaurants.  Many people perform their job functions while puffing away (including food service). 

- There are lots of bows on cars- we haven't figured this one out- and the car brands and names are all odd. 

- As the water is undrinkable, water fountains are unheard of. 

- The Chinese have odd Chinese-distinct fashion sense.

 

 

 

Things I miss about America:

- People (my kid, family, friends, and dogs)

- My house & bed

- Car & clean clothes!

- cheese

- Drinkable tap water

- Clean air

- Usable electrical outlets

- TV, strangely enough

- Ability to go to whatever internet site I want!

- Hot food

- Ice, and cold drinks

- Comfortable furniture

- People who talk slow

 

 

Day 14 – Wednesday, December 2, 2009

 

We opted for leisurely shopping today instead of the trip to the zoo.  We heard the zoo is sad by our standards and has stuff like armadillos and turkeys- so we don't really need to see that.  In the afternoon, we headed to the US Consulate to take the oath.  They had three windows opened and it moved quickly (especially for a govt office).  It was not as long as I expected and we had to listen to the lady tell us to sign up for travel on the government website and she was really upset that there were babies crying.  HAHA!  We were used to that.  And then we promised, with lots of pretty words, that we didn't lie to the US government to get the baby and that was it.  Then we went back.  Then we went shopping and ate at Lucy's!  YAY!  Ying is rough at sleepy-time, and is pitching many fits.  I think this is a good sign, but can't wait to get home to deal with her the way I think is best.  At home, I won't be worried if I keep the entire 10^th floor of the hotel awake with a screaming kid.  ;) 

 

 

Day 13 – Tuesday, December 1, 2009

 

Today is our consulate appointment.  Turns out- we don't even go to it.  Grace and Maggie go for us and take our packet.  They called and said everything was fine and that the consulate didn't even ask about shots- YAY!  So, we're good to go- all we have left is the oath.  We did group pictures at the red couches today- that was interesting, but very cute.  Ying was very pleased to be wearing her squeaky shoes.  We promptly took the squeaker out as soon as someone told us you could remove it.  HA HA!  That was a terrible squeak, not sure I would let her walk much if she was wearing them.  Maybe it promotes kids being carried rather than walking.  Heh.  We opted to go on the Pearl River cruise.  I thought 200 yuan a piece wasn't bad for dinner and a cruise.  Well, dinner was a buffet and so very Chinese, I couldn't eat anything except a piece of watermelon.  Jason didn't even eat anything.  The view from the top deck with all the lights was neat though, but I certainly wouldn't go on it again.  We ended up ordering room service when we got back, even though it was very pricey! 

 

 

Day 12 – Monday, November 30, 2009

 

Actually, the Pearl market trip was kinda fascinating.  It wasn't really just a pearl market.  It was an ENTIRE 5 story mall full of jewelry outlet stores.  Sorry, but Aunt Mandy is the only one who scored a present from here.  =)  It was entirely overwhelming!!!  We did buy some DVDs of the Chinese cartoon Ying loves.  We had to walk through a regular mall to get to the 'jewelry mall'.  We got finished really quickly and actually decided to walk back to the hotel rather than taking a cab.  Grace said many families have done so, and gave really easy directions.  After that walk, we felt like we saw real China.  We walked several blocks, it was probably a 20 minute walk, and we left the touristy shopping area to the real Chinese shops where all the Chinese people were.  It was very interesting to walk through, and Jason felt very conspicuous I think because he was toting a cranky Chinese baby around.  We did take a nice nap after that walk though.  We went to the TB clinic to check results and Ying was fine, also were told that they were going to forego doing the shots and write a letter for the consulate visit.  We played some in the playroom and then headed to the Italian restaurant for dinner.  It was pretty good, the chef was actually an Italian guy!  Have I mentioned the beds here are like rocks?  Each time I think- maybe they will be softer in the next city--  NO SUCH LUCK!  HA HA.  I'm ready to get home to my soft bed and lots of pillows, though Jason likes the beds. 

--
--"We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace"

Pics too

We are updating the Flickr page about everyday as well, if anyone needs visuals!



Click HERE for pics

Day 11 – Touring and Shopping

 

Today was pretty much a free day. We had a tour lined up to go see an old Buddhist temple, and an old family house, and then off to a small shop to do some shopping. Breakfast was pretty good, we tested Ying Ying with some eggs to see if she would break out. She seemed fine, and liked the eggs, so I feel a little better about her having to get her immunizations if they make us get them. We finished breakfast and wandered over to the group to get ready to head out to the temple.

 

The temple was actually really amazing. 1500 years old I believe is what they dated it, and it was fairly large considering they called it a "small temple". It had a very large pagoda inside which was much taller that I had anticipated. It has started to lean though and they wouldn't let us climb it, L  They did offer a Buddhist blessing, which a lot of the families participated in. We had to go in and take our shoes off, and kneel in front of 3 huge statues while the monk chanted and hit a little drum and bell. He splashed a little holy water or oil on us and we bowed 3 times and that was it. It was very nice and peaceful, most of the kids even sat the whole time, Ying Ying included. Afterwards we headed to the Chen House, which is an old family house. Its not really so much a house is it is temple for the Chen family. It was collaboratively built and funded by many of the Chen families from the province. They gather in it a couple of times a year to honor and worship their ancestors. They had several examples inside of the ivory/jade carving and embroidery crafts that the region and family are known for creating. We only stayed for about 40 minutes, so I was kind of rushing around to keep the kid entertained, and so I could see the layout and architecture of the house, while Robyn was taking lots of pictures of the exhibits and the house itself.

 

Our next stop was to a small shop, so we could do some shopping. Our guides said that the prices were good, and that there was no haggling here. We didn't buy much, just a couple of shirts and trinkets for gifts. Most of the merchandise seemed like things we could get back home, and other than the jewelry(which I have no idea about pricing or availability) it all seemed to be the same price range. I didn't really want to buy something here just for the sake of buying something, so we pretty much wandered around until the group was ready. Ying Ying was happy to sit in her stroller so we just rode up and down the aisles the majority of the time. We headed back to the hotel after this, and decided to order some pizza from Papa Johns. Finally, REAL American food! It took about an hour to get here, which was almost twice the quoted time, and then we had to search for the delivery guy, because security won't let them come inside. We finally found him standing outside the hotel by his bicycle. The prices were pretty American, no cheap stuff here. It tasted great, and Ying Ying loved it too. We had a group diner planned for 5 that afternoon, but we figured we'd eat until we were stuffed. The dinner was at a Thai place, so if we didn't like the food, it would be ok since we probably wouldn't be too hungry anyways. We took a little nap before dinner, which Ying needed. She actually cried a bit to get into the bed with me, and promptly leaned back on the pillows and fell asleep. When we woke up we headed downstairs for dinner with the rest of the group. The first thing the brought us was shrimp chips, which Robyn was going to eat until I let her know what they were, J Robyn ended up getting ice cream, and feeding Ying Ying some vegetables.  I got a prawn soup that was the hottest thing they had listed on the menu, along with a bottle of water, a beer, and a Pineapple and Chinese forest frog drink. Initially I thought that 'Chinese forest frog' was some kind of bad translation for a type pf fruit or something along those lines. Turns out it was dead on, its actually the internal organs of a forest fogs, ground up, and dumped in the drink. Since I wasn't really hungry, I got it anyways. The soup was ok, I mainly got it to see how hot it was. I ate the prawn out of it, and tried one of the little peppers in it. It was very hot, but I was done with it after a few bites and moved on to the frog drink. I didn't take any time to initially examine it, that would have detoured me from trying it. It really just tasted like a pineapple punch with lots of pulp in it. The organs are apparently pretty clear, and you could see them at the top. They didn't seem to have any real taste to them, and pineapple is kind of overpowering.

 

We walked back to the hotel after surviving dinner and finally stopped in one of the local shops to look around. Its kind of like Gatlinburg or some little tourist town where all the shops have basically the same t-shirts, toys and knick-knacks. We bought a few t-shirts, and some shoes and outfits for Ying Ying. The shop people were very nice, they loved that babies, and thought it was funny that we could speak a little Mandarin. Of course every 3 or 4 sentences would be followed with a "We have very pretty (insert product here)! I will sell to you cheap!" Robyn gathered her things, and even haggled a bit with the lady and bought our loot. The shop owners even gave the kids a little stuffed toy of some sort for free, which was nice, but Ying could have cared less about it. We made it back to the hotel and performed our nightly attempt at a ritual of bathing and then going to bed. Ying Ying went for it this time, and didn't fuss or anything after bath-time and actually went to sleep. Tomorrow we have a trip to the pearl market off the island. Neither of us is interested in it, but we have 4 days left to burn, and I'm sure the local shops will not provide us with much entertainment after a day or two.

-jason

Day 10

Day 10 – Saturday, November 28, 2009

 

We found the buffet here to be much more palatable.  There were a lot more choices and lots more white folks wandering around.  Jason found some of the rumor queen people he knows, and we also ran into the people we saw in Chicago.  We eat and headed for yet another photo taking (this one for Ying's visa) and to the medical clinic.  It was about a 10 minute walk.  Walking around the island is quite nice, though there is a lot of construction, and it was raining on us.  The rain cleared the air of some of the pollution.  The clinic seemed to be a complete, chaotic madhouse.  If that is how socialized medicine operates, you can stuff it.  HA!  It was crowded and confusing, but the staff was nice and everyone was nice to the kids.  There was a special section of the clinic for adoption kids.  We did an ear, nose, throat check which was fine.  Then the height/weight (she's 22 lbs) and on to the check by the doctor.  The doctor was nice, and he looked over her paperwork from the packet that talks about her condition.  He checked her heart and also had someone else check her heart, but they said everything was ok.  We were supposed to do immunizations and TB test also, she is over 2 and we are a Hague family.  However, they are not sure what she is allergic too, so they are trying to get info from the orphanage to decide if they will immunize her or not.  We have not gotten word yet.  I am hoping this does not cause us any delays!!!!   She is allergic to a lot of medications, so I would like to get her home and tested for allergies before we shoot her up.  Grace (our CCAI guide here) said we have to come back Monday to read the TB test results anyway, so we can do whatever then. 

 

We came back for nappy time, and Ying pitched a terrible fit until daddy held her to go to sleep.  She slept with me because daddy put her in the bed after she was knocked out, but I could not sleep- it was very loud in the hotel!!  At 3, I headed to Grace's room to do yet more paperwork.  Only problem was – I didn't know where Grace's room was!  I headed back to the room and called her cell phone to find out.  So, I strolled in 10 minutes late… then I couldn't find the paper I needed because everything was out of order from the mad dash to find something outlining what she was allergic to at the clinic.  I felt like an idiot.  Oh well.  After everyone else finished and the next wave of people were in there, Ray helped me sort papers and I finally found it and was able to finish. 

 

I went down to the play room and chatted with folks for a while.  The playroom, sponsored by Mattel is REALLY nice!!!!!   Ying loves all the little kids, and the bigger kids too.  There was one little boy who was really picking on her and upsetting her, but he left after a while.  It started getting crowded and we were hungry, so we left too.  We wanted to go to 7/11, so we decided to go with Nancy & Ray to Lucy's – everyone raves about the food at Lucy's.  It was quite good.  Ying devoured her vegetable plate, and Kai was pretty good too!  We went through 7/11 and found some more of Ying's custard cakes (one of which Jason has already eaten!  HA) and headed back for bathtime.  I'm currently trying to decide if Ying will be awake long enough to call Grammy & Poppy since we have a tour at 9 am tomorrow.  She may not make it!  =)  We can always call tomorrow night though. 

 

--
--"We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace"

Day 9

Day 9 – Friday, November 27, 2009

 

 Oh yeah, I forgot about the pollution.  I've heard it is terrible, but you really have to see it to understand.  It really is bad!  You can tell from some of the pictures- it has not been cloudy the entire time we've been here- the pollution is so bad that it constantly looks hazy and foggy- all day.  I hope they can do something to fix that soon.  There's so much to mention—the spitting, the split pants, the bikes, the traffic, the cigarette smoke- China is definitely an experience!  I kinda wonder if the Chinese people from home are able to use the 'scary floor potty' when they come back for visits.  I will be asking Lao Shi about that.  =)  It is very odd to be 14 hours ahead of home!  'I'm in the FUTURE!'  HAHA! 

 

So, they took my hairspray at security, even though it's been in my carryon all along.  I will have to go on a crusade to find hair spray.  The plane was a bit delayed taking off and there was lots of confusion getting the Americans on board (so many strollers!)- so they just let all the Chinese people go in front of us, and then made us check bags when they ran out of carryon space.  Go figure.  Oh well.  Ying was pretty good on the flight, we kept her entertained with food and toys and she got to sit with daddy most of the flight. The seats are pretty small on these planes.  I found the flight excruciating.  I slipped in the shower and felt pretty useless the whole day.  I had to pick Ying up and hold her while she bawled when Jason left to check the luggage.  She cried the entire half hour too, and afterward my back was KILLING me.  Sitting on the plane was not fun either. Or the bus.  LOL.  I had high hopes for the White Swan, that the beds would be soft and perfect… no such luck!  The beds have been progressively harder.  Jason loves them, and I'm in agony after hurting my back.  If I hadn't hurt it, I'd be fine.  But, it is just like sleeping on the floor.  Even the pillows are hard- how they manage that I don't know.  Ying is a complete Daddy's girl.  We will have to break her of that when we get home.  We came in very late to the hotel, so didn't get to go to sleep until after midnight.  Ying, for some reason, was fighting going to sleep too.  She cried for several minutes before settling down finally (I think daddy picked her up).  And of course, they start us right off with an early morning.  =)

--
--"We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace"