Guangzhou Day 2

Today was a full day. Got up early and went to breakfast. MMMM. So good. There is so much to choose from and it's all delicious.

We met in the lobby at 9 AM for tours. First we went to a famous Buddhist temple. People were there praying and would leave little treat such as grapes, peanuts, and a mystery fruit.

Next we went to the Chen Family Pottery House. Apparently Chen is the most common surname in China. It's pronounced 'chan.' I had a scroll made for my parents here.

Next we went to a ceramic market. I got several gifts here. I regret not getting a tea set. There were some beautiful teapots there.

For dinner we walked to a restaurant called Macau Street. I wore a little sign aorund my neck that said "I am alergic to seafood." I am not actually allergic to seafood but I only eat fish, no other seafood and I was not planning on eating any seafood in China. One of the dishes has seafood in it even though they swore there was none in there. A woman at my table actually was allergic to seafood and she had to take some medicine so she wouldn't get sick. After much gesturing and ill communication they brought out a noodle dish to replace it and it was delicious! After dinner we walked back to the hotel. I watched my Chinese soap opera while taking a bath (hey I could see the tv from the bath tub!) and fell right to sleep. I have heard people complain about the beds in China being hard and uncomfortable but each hotel I have stayed in had super comfortable beds with nice linens. Perhaps it helps that someone comes every morning to make that bed for me.

Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Today we flew from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou. This was a tough flight. I was sitting next to the dad in our group that came alone. His wife is 8 months pregnant so she stayed home. I didn't get sick on this flight and the food they gave us was delicious (China Southern Airlines) but Sawyer (son of dad on his own) was not feeling it. I am sure this was his first time on an airplane and he screamed for most of the flight. I kept handing him things in my carry on bag- fruit leather, crackers, calculator, neck pillow, book mark, post card, paper, mirror, hair brush. These items would hold his attention for about two minutes before he threw them on the floor and screamed. I wished I had a sucker to give him. We arrived and were intercepted by Jocelyn and Maggie (not their Chinese names). We were all a little delirious when we got off the plane and unfortunately we had a long ways to walk to get to our luggage and bus. A. long. way. When we walked outside the heat and humidity was almost unbearable. I felt like I couldn't breathe. We all peeled off our sweaters and jackets and hoofed it to the bus. We arrived at the Marriott (The China Hotel)  and it was beautiful. It was fancy and very busy. Jocelyn had given us coupons for Papa John's and told us that they deliver by bicycle to the hotel if we wanted to order for dinner come to her room and she would place the order. I got settled in my room, which was beautiful and overlooking the pool. I was on the 7th floor and the pool was on the 4th floor. I did order Papa John's pizza for dinner and it was pretty close to back home, complete with the peppers and garlic butter. There were some crazy flavors available like "Mexican Ole" and "Seafood" but I stuck to pepperoni. I ate with with another family and hung out in their room for a while. We walked to a 7 Eleven near the hotel as they wanted coca cola and I got some water. I noticed some Lays chips flavors not available in USA- Italian meat flavor, cucumber, and chicken. Good thing I brought my own snacks because none of those flavors sounded like a good idea. Can't wait to tour Guangzhou tomorrow! It's the city of flowers!


Airport in Zhengzhou



Maggie

The China Hotel bathroom looking into bedroom

Zhengzhou Day 6

Today was a big day as we went to visit an orphanage. In China orphanages are called Social Welfare Institutes (SWI). Sometimes they house children as well as the elderly. I went to the Zhengzhou SWI where three of the ten children in my group lived. The other seven babies lived in different orphanages in different cities. Some families visited their children's orphanages when they had to travel to their child's city to apply for their passports.  Because we were staying in the city Zhengzhou, it was easiest for me to visit the orphanage there.

I don't know if anything can prepare you to go to an orphanage. I've heard so many things from different families about their experiences- some say the orphanages were nice and the workers were lovely, some say they were run down and the conditions were terrible. Even the nicest orphanage is no substitute for a family but I realize that some are much better than others. The drive to the orphanage seemed to take an eternity and there was a nervous energy on the bus. I was with four families plus a travel companion of another family. They were told it would be best to leave their children at the hotel if possible as it can be confusing and upsetting to bring their chldren back to the orphanage. I am not sure why the parents did not listen to this advice but of the four families three of them brought their children.  I can't really express how I felt when we pulled up to the Zhengzhou SWI. I had a tighness in my chest. No one spoke.

A little tiny man came out and greeted us as we got off the bus. Our guide Vivian was with us and she told us that he welcomed us and we could stay as long as we wanted. There were three separate building and in the middle was a playground. We didn't see any children anywhere. I remember thinking that it was very quiet.We walked into a building that housed older boys.  There were no children anywhere. We walked up a flight of stairs to the Lily Orphan Care Center. Lily  is the owner of my agency and we have several rooms in orphanages all over China. These rooms are funded by donations made to our charity fund. We have a specific model of how these rooms are run. They are typically for infants with medical needs and the nanny to child ratio is about even. Most of the children that are cared for in the LOCC rooms will be adopted by families working with our agency. We strongly advocate for these children and petition to get their files released so they can be adopted. Orphanages do not want all the children that live there to be adopted, otherwise they wouldn't receive any money from the Chinese government to keep the orphanage running. We walked into the LOCC room and I noticed right away that it was full of babies but they were completely silent. There were pink cribs lining the room, music played softly, there were lots of nannies milling around, colorful toys, murals on the walls, and two incubators. Me and the families stood awkwardly in the doorway. I don't think we knew what to expect or what to do now that we finally made it there. I asked Vivian if I could pick up a baby and she said yes. I picked up this sweet baby and fell in love. She never made a sound, just looked at me and looked around.


Yeah that is drool.



She felt like she had on a brace under her outfit so I was careful with her. She was so little but the brace was hard, heavy, and constricting. She couldn't really move her legs. My curiosity got the best of me and I took her over to a corner and sat down on the floor. I unsnapped her outfit and saw that she was not wearing a brace but a huge piece of cloth that was fashioned as a diaper. Typically children in China do not wear disposable diapers and when they are about 12 months old they will be trained to potty on command. They wear split pants, which are just what they sound like- pants that are split (i.e crotchless). I was warned before I came to China it would be typical to see a child squat on the street and potty but I actually didn't see that. I did see lots of split pants on children everywhere. Also when a Chinese person picks up a baby they hold them with their legs together. In USA typically we pick up a baby and put them on our hip. It was interesting to me to see that even the way we hold our babies is different.

Back to my baby. As I held her I walked around the two rooms, looking in each crib. Most of  the babies were awake, just lying on their backs. It was emotional and overwhelming being there. I felt sad, protective, and humbled. Some of the families spoke with the nannies, asking questions about their children. The nannies showed them which cribs their children slept in and their pictures were on the wall.  The children in our group were fussing and I do believe they were confused and unsure as to why we were there. They had been bonding with their families for three days and they took them  back to the orphanage. I am sure it was traumatizing for them. None of the families I was with picked up any babies in the LOCC, maybe because they brought their children but many families had more than one adult (mom and dad, mom and grandma, dad and mother in law, mom and her brother, etc) so one person could have held their child and the other could have picked up a baby there. I took it upon myself to start picking up babies and handing them to people.  Who  knows the next time I will be in an orphanage in China. I felt like we needed to make the most of our time there and love on as many little ones as possible. These babies have flat heads from laying on their backs in a crib. They don't cry. I could not be there and not have a little one in my arms. Perhaps some of the families just did not feel comfortable picking up a baby in the orphanage unless encouraged to do so.

Because the children in my group were fussing the parents wanted to move our tour along. This disappointed me as I wanted to stay with the babies longer. This is definitely one drawback of being in a group! We left the LOCC room and started walking down the hall. We walked by a craft room, a toddler room, and a playroom. We were told the kids were in school and thats why all the rooms were empty. Then we walked by a room full of wooded cribs which appeared still and empty. But as we walked by I checked the door.

It was unlocked so I slipped in. The room was full of infants lying in cribs. Some were two to a crib. They were just lying there. No one was crying.

There weren't any nannies in there. They had heavy blankets over them. On the floor were three babies in little bouncy seats. I picked up the baby on the left and walked around the room looking in all the cribs. I was in there about 10 minutes when Vivian came in and told me I needed to stay with the group. Busted.  We finished walking around that building (never did see any other children) and walked over to the administrative office. Here the orphanage director gave each of the families a piece of clothing that their baby was wearing when they were found. The families were ready to leave. I could have stayed there all day.

The bus was quiet on the drive back to the hotel. The orphanage seemed to be in the middle of no where, down a dirt road. I did see the one and only gas station in China near the orphanage. It really was puzzling for so many people and cars there were no gas stations. There were lots of 7 Elevens but they were just little stores, not gas stations.  By the way, gasoline is about $10 a liter there.




Behold! The only gas station is all of Zhengzhou



When we got back to the hotel I walked to McDonald's with another family. That afternoon I made my way around the hotel visitng with different families. It was amazing how well the kids were doing. That evening I went to dinner with Yisha. She took me to a nice restaturant. They actually put these huge covers on our chairs. It looked like when you buy a suit from Dillard's and they put it in a nice zip up bag. They changed these seat covers each time a table sat down. Very interesting. I had high hopes for this dinner and Yisha was very accomodating and asked me lots of questions about what I like and dislike. Well the short story is that I did not like any of the food. It absolutely was not like any Chinese food I have got in USA. There was no General Tsu's Chicken. There was tofu with peppers ( I feel like tofu is not food; I think it's material used to build houses), lotus root with honey and chicken (it was soooo sweet), and some vegetables with chicken that did not taste like chicken- I could have eaten it even if I did not have any teeth. It slipped right down and I didn't have to chew it. I choose to believe it was chicken maybe it wasn't. In the nicer restaurants in China they brought us hot water to drink, instead of cold water. I asked Yisha about the hot water and she said Chinese people think it's good for your body to drink hot water. When in China do as the Chinese do. We had a nice time and had lots to talk about. I fell into bed and went right to sleep when I got back to the hotel.

Zhengzhou Day 5

Today I was feeling very adventurous and asked our guides where I could go shopping. I wanted to negotiate prices and shop somewhere non-touristy (i.e. not Wal-Mart). Vivian wrote down the name of an outdoor market called Are Chee Guong Chong. Something in there means the number seven  I think. I was able to talk another family into going with me so we walked out of the hotel and got a taxi. I showed the driver the piece of paper with the market name in Chinese and he asked me something to which I told him "I have no idea what you are saying to me." He gave me the thumbs up and ten minutes and two dollars later we were dropped off at the market. 

It was cramped, crowded, and dirty in there but there were all kinds of goodies. I was armed with my calculator and ready to shop.  Everyone was eating street food and it smelled really good but I was told DO NOT eat anything from street vendors so I didn't. I bought a few things and thoroughly enjoyed going back and forth with the vendors on the prices. They showed me a price on their calculator then I would show them a lower price on my calculator and we would go back and forth until they gave in.  I don't know why I love that so much but it was really fun. Two women with two children were very interested in us. They were pointing at us and talking about us then came up and started touching us and talking some more. They did not speak English but somehow I had a conversation with them. They wanted to know about the family I was with  and kept pointing at me and the family's new daughter and then touching our hair and pointing some more. I think they were asking if the baby was with me because we both have black hair.

Somehow we managed to get a taxi back to the hotel. That night I went to dinner with several families to a place called New Island Coffee, which sounds like it was just a coffee shop but really they had all types of food. I took a chance on something called hot pot chicken and it came to me on fire. The flames weren't visible in pictures but this contraption was on fire.

Unfortunately my food came long after everyone else was done eating so I felt bad that they were done and were waiting on me to finish. Regardless this meal was really good! Another great day in Zhengzhou.  

Zhengzhou Day 3 & 4

Today the families (and me!) went to registration and the notary office to finalize adoption paperwork. Then we went to apply for the children's passports so they can fly to Guangzhou then USA.

Registration

Notary Office



Applied for the children's passports here

 I ate dinner with three families and Xia at the Holiday Inn Express which was next door to our hotel. I had steamed dumplings and the beef noodle bowl (really good!). After dinner Xia and I walked to a mall to look around. Even on a Tuesday night at 8 PM there were people and cars everywhere. Crossing the street is an event. Stoplights and crosswalks mean nothing! We made it there and back unharmed. It is such a production walking around here. The next day was a free day. I went to Wal-Mart and a park with some families. The park was beautiful and the kids enjoyed running around. 

Walkingto Wal-Mart

Watch out!

Beautiful park

We got pizza for dinner and although it didn't taste exactly like home it was pretty close!

Gotcha!

Today all ten families in our group received their babies. They age from fifteen months to thirty months. One baby was sleeping and two others did not cry but were stoic. The rest screamed and cried which is usually what happens. They are scared and confused.  I was on camera duty for two families and of course their babies arrived at the same time! I don't know how I managed but I got hundreds of pictures of both. It was truly magical and emotional, overwhelming and joyous.  It was really special to be part of the day. Of course i was crying; you'd think I was getting a baby too! There is something intimate and indescribable about witnessing families forming and bonding. Food is typically the first thing that comforts the children and most of them eat three times as much as adult. They are confused and scared but Cheerios are the universal language of love and trust.



Here we go!



It was an exhausting day for everyone, most everyone took a nap and fell into bed early. I went to dinner with Xia, she is the director of our Charity Department and works in Denver. She travels to Henan Province every other month. It was fun to see her in China!

She took me to a Sichuan restaurant that was so good. I told her I wanted something spicy and she did not disappoint! There were little green peppers in the dish and they made my lips numb. Mmmmm my mouth is watering just thing about it. It the best thing I've eaten in China. After dinner we rode a public bus to a mall. It cost about  $0.12.  Most public buses I saw were at maximum capacity but the bus we took wasn't too crowded. Before our stop Xia told me we had to stand right next to the door to jump off at the next stop. Xia wanted to buy some boots at the mall. We went in countless stores, shopping and laughing. Every time Xia tried on a pair of boots the sales person would tell her they are on sale. They are 20% off, they are 50% off. I don't think any prices in China are set in stone. We also went to a nail shop to get manicures but they would only do gel nails for me which I did not want. I felt like maybe they were trying to get me to spend more money in there and that's why they kept telling me only gel nails. Who knows. We decided to forgo manicures and left the mall. Outside there were hundreds of women doing a synchronized dance routine. Xia said they were exercising. How did the know the moves? It reminded me of the Chinese Electric Slide. I guess everyone knows the steps to that! (well, except me). It was so nice and cool outside we decided to walk back to the hotel. It was still early so we went to the White Horse Sports Bar in the hotel. It was a wonderful day. Of course I thought about what it would be like if I had adopted a child and I was wistful.

Zhengzhou is a bustling city. It's a little cleaner than Beijing but the driving is still crazy. There are electrical bikes and Vespa type mopeds everywhere and you better watch out because you will be run over. Most men smoke. Men do not doors for women or let you off the elevator first. If you catch someone's eye and smile they never smile back. They just stare at you. Pretty much everyone stares at our group though. Even after thousands of children have been adopted internationally from China people still stare and and cannot understand why on Earth people from other countries would come to China to adopt a child, especially one with a medical need. All the children in my group have a medical need such as left lip, cleft palate, heart disease, developmentally delayed, club foot, malformed fingers, and extra digits (six fingers). Each and every one is precious and perfect.

Zhengzhou

We left early for Beijing and it was snowing! It may snow once a year in ATL so it was really exciting to see snow in China. Traveling through the airport with nine families is quite a production! Luckily George Michael helped us all get checked in and through security. Security in China is very different than in USA it seems. For one, you do not have to take off your shoes in China (or S.Korea). Also they really get their hands in your pants and everwhere else on the pat down.  I prefer the scanner any day. The Beijing airport also did not allow any liquids in carry on luggage and when we checked our luggage they had lots of questions about shampoo, applesauce, and a fan. I am pretty sure those are not odd things to find in luggage. Ok maybe the desk fan was a little odd.

My first thought about Zhengzhou was that is was less polluted and less crowded compared to Beijing. The flight was like a roller coaster and I was concentrating on not throwing up. The bathrooms only had the squatty potty unless you used the handicapped bathroom. Let's just say there was a line for that stall. Also, just in case you are planning to traveling to China soon, please note that most public bathrooms do not have any toilet paper. Or soap. You learn quickly to bring tissue and hand sanitizer with you whenever you leave the hotel.

 Our guides Yi Sha (her Chinese name) and Vivian (not her Chinese name) greeted us at the airport led us to our bus. We drove about 30 minutes to the hotel and they went over the schedule for the day. Going to the bank to exchange money and going to Wal-mart to get formula or any last minute supplies for the babies. On the ride to the hotel I was still feeling sick from the plane ride and I knew what was going to happen, I just didn't know when.  That old familiar feeling. Motion sickness. Despite my Motion Eaze, ginger, and dramamine concoction. As soon as we got the hotel I threw my passport to someone to check me in and ran for the bathroom. It was being cleaned and thus I couldn't go in. A lady told me to go up to the third floor. I ran up the stairs and barely made it. Not only did I get sick but got a bloody nose, too. I got my room key and laid down for a couple hours. I gave some money to another family to exchange it for me. By the time everyone was back and it was time to go to Wal-Mart I felt fine. It was about a 15 minute walk but it you also have to dodge people on electric bikes. They will mow you down.

 chicken feet



crock pots full of food at Wal-Mart



 

dried fish, chicken, and I don't know what else

The families got formula and snacks for their children. I was overwhelmed. I didn't have a grasp on the money yet. There were whole fish on ice every where. You have to bring your own bags in Wal-Mart and grocery stores in China so we were all loaded down carrying stuff on the walk back to the hotel.

Everything is an adventure. It's all new and exciting, foreign and a little intimidating. The entire trip thus far is really about tomorrow when the families will meet their children. They have loved them from afar, spent countless hours staring at their photos. They are more than ready. I can't wait.