Heading for Yangzhou

2009-04-10T21:10:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

2009-04-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

2009-04-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Great Wall

2009-04-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

smilebox

2009-04-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The final Chapter at least for now...

2009-03-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mt. Redoubt did erupt. No that didn't keep us from getting home. They closed down the Anchorage airport but we got up the coast and into Cordova on time. We have unpacked and have the second load of laundry in and some of the stuff we bought taken care of. A friend is cooking dinner for us so that will force us to stay up until 8:00. Tomorrow it's back to school so it will be a while before I get going on the scrapbook pages! It's good to be back home, but we will truly miss China.

Back in the USA

2009-03-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

We left Beijing at 8:55 am on Sunday and arrived in Seattle at 8:40 am on Sunday. We're at the hotel and the kids were surprised to see uncle Bud and Aunt Wanda waiting for us in the hotel lobby. Delleen and I have both had showers and the kids are catching a few zzzzzzzzs before we go out in search of pizza and Starbucks! Home tomorrow.

Pictures of our final day in Yangzhou

2009-03-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

A couple explanations. The picture of Cadi and Josi with the man in the suit is the Mayor of Yangzhou.
The one of Cadi and a woman in a red sweater is the director of Yangzhou Social Welfare Institute
The one of Cadi and Josi with the man is the plaid shirt is "tall Paul" as we got to call hime. He and his family were on of 3 families from the Netherlands. They were all great people!

Did I tell you I was famous?

2009-03-21T03:48:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed for China Daily while we were still in Beijing! We were told there was only one copy of the paper available at the Radisson SAS hotel and it was sent express mail to Yangzhou. When we saw whose picture was on it we gave it to one of them. Today when we checked into the hotel in Beijing the room wasn't clean yet. We went in to store our suitcases and guess what was lying on the desk! A copy of the paper so now we have it!

in Yangzhou I was interviewed by one of the t.v. stations. The woman who interviewed me found me as we were leaving the hotel this morning and said that she would email me a link. Hopefully it will arrive.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/18/content_7588666.htm

i am going to eat a cup of oatmeal for dinner and head to the gift shop for our last shopping experience. I'll try to post pictures from yesterday before I fall into bed...

March 20

2009-03-21T03:45:00.000-07:00

March 20, 2009
Our morning started at 9:00 with a boat ride to Slender Lake Park. Everything is so incredibly beautiful in the lake and in the gardens that are in the park. It reminded me of the Classical Chinese Garden in Portland only multiplied hundreds of times! The flowers and tree that were blooming, the architecture, even the sky which was blue after the strong winds of the afternoon before…everything was perfect. We spent most of the morning there and then headed to a building that had many displays about the new and modern development in Yangzhou. At first I thought it would be a questionable, but it was actually interesting and they had great toilets! It’s amazing how much the toilet situation has changed in 10 years! As we lef t each girl was given a stuffed toy. That makes 3 apiece so far to go into the suitcases!

For lunch we went to a famous dumpling restaurant. Oh my so many dumplings and so little space in my stomach! (yeah, I didn’t think you would believe that!) There were probably 10 different kinds of dumplings along with appetizers and soups and rice. After we had been eating for awhile the cooks came out with the ingredients and some of the younger girls made dumplings. They were pretty interesting to look and and not as uniform as the ones made by the cooks!

Then it was on to a different park where we were greeted by on official of “the Party”. He gave a short speech and then presented each of the Yangzhou girls with a beautiful lacquer ware fan shaped picture of a Chinese bridge. I am sure when we get home and count all the gifts the girls received we will be astonished! We spent the next hour and a half shopping in a very interesting section of the city. The four of us were accompanied by 3 people who were constantly there to assist us with translations and safety. In this area we probably gathered the most attention and stares, but for the most part if I smiled at somone or took their picture they would smile broadly. I think we were just such a rare sight that people sometimes just looked at us slacked jawed in amazement.

When we had finished shopping we returned to the hotel to tackle the job of packing. I managed to get everything back into the two suitcases we brought to Yangzhou after throwing away most of the remaining food I brought in case we had a problem finding safe food for Cadi to eat. I have to say that in that regard it has been miraculous. The one night Cadi was feeling ill and she and I didn’t go to dinner was the one night that Delleen found small peanuts in the food. The first day there were peanuts on the table which were removed as soon as I saw then and told the guide and one other time there was a dish that was removed from the table when I showed them my card which states she is allergic to peanuts. Not bad for an 8 day tour in a foreign country!

So with almost everything packed, we headed to the final farewell banquet. This was another emotional time for all of us as we were not only saying goodbye to Yangzhou, but also saying goodbye to friends we had made over the week. Again there were many speeches and some entertainment and so much food that there was no way even half could be consumed. The mayor was there again as well as all the orphanage officials.
As we entered there was a dvd playing which included picture of each day of the trip including today. How they did that I don’t know! Each family was presented with het another gift. This time it was two group pictures taken the day we were at the orphanage as well as the dvd and a scrapbook of some of the pictures that were taken while we were in Yangzhou.

At the end of the celebration one of the nannies who has worked at Yangzhou SWI for over 20 ears spoke about how she had delivered each of our children to us and how she had told the babies that she wished them happy lives and many good wishes and how she was so happy to see all of them again. She wept as she spoke and there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire room. As she left the stage many of us went to her and hugged her and thanked her.

Then it was time to say goodbye to our guide, Vivian, who has watched out for each of us in the green group. How do you thank someone who has totally changed your life? How do you express all the thoughts that are going through your head? So with a hug and many tears we told Vivian and all of our new friends goodbye. Tomorrow we head back to Beijing in little groups. We not all be together again, but we will forever hold so many in our hearts.

MArch 19

2009-03-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

March 19, 2009

Today was a much easier day. It was slower paced and it was just a day of fun and not a day of intense emotions. We started our morning at 9:00 and went to a park/zoo that is right behind the orphanage. There were a few of the older kids and nannies there. The zoo is in a beautiful park and the fact that many of the trees were starting to bloom made it seem very far away from Alaska. We walked to the panda exhibit. There is one giant panda and several red pandas. I was so happy there was a panda there for Josi to see since we opted not to go to the zoo in Beijing.

After a short time there we walked to a different park of the park and in a large open grassy area we were entertained by puppeteers, a lion dance and several other dances, and men demonstrating the Chinese yoyo. There was also an elderly man there who had made these remarkable blown sugar lollipops for all of the girls. After those presentations the girls got to go to different areas to try the various activities. Cadi also made a handprint that will be placed someplace in the orphanage along with the handprints of the other girls.

For lunch we were served Yangzhou fried rice and a delicious sweet and sour chicken along with bananas, lychee, and various sweet breads. Then after lunch there was time for the girls to try to fly the kites they received in Beijing as part of their welcome bag.

After this time we made our way to the Beijing Oriental Language school. This school is a boarding school with 3500 students from grades 1 through 12. There we were greated with another program of music, dancing, and an inspirational speech by the principal. He also was one of the torch bearers for the Beijing games and he had the torch he carried so all of the girls got to touch the torch! After the program we were paired up with a student who showed us through various parts of the school. We then met her mother and went home to have time with their family. Their apartment is located in a beautiful park-like setting and the walk through the grounds to get through their building was beautiful. Their apartment is on the 6th floor. I can’t imagine carrying all of my groceries up all those steps. I think Josi said there were 96 stairs! Their apartment is very modern and not at all what I was expecting. It was a very sharp contrast to the apartment Delleen and I visited in Beijing 10 years ago. A volunteer went with us which made the conversation go so much more smoothly. The grandmother was making dumplings for us and we were given a little lesson on how to make the dumplings. She was a very warm and welcoming person and even though we couldn’t speak each other’s language, we communicated fairly well. She was worried that I would be too cold in my short sleeve shirt. Anyway we had the best taking dumplings I have ever eaten and I learned how to fold a dumpling (kind of). We were also treated to some delicious goose and tofu that were prepared in a traditional Yangzhou style. Not sure how they were prepared, but they were delicious! They gave us gifts of a CD of yanzhou music, Chinese flags for the girls and some boxes of sweets. The girls exchanged addresses and I hope we can keep in touch with the family. It was such a nice break to be out of a hotel with a family doing regular family things. At the end of the evening we took pictures and then the dad drove us back to the hotel. It was a great day of fun after our rather draining day yesterday!

The beautiful little girl who stole my heart...

2009-03-21T03:34:00.002-07:00

This little girl is being adopted soon!

2009-03-21T03:34:00.001-07:00

The nurse (in blue) who brought Cadi to me

2009-03-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

Cadi with the staff member who helped me when I got Cadi

2009-03-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

aunt and niece completing the journey

2009-03-21T03:31:00.000-07:00

Exploring the gardens on the orphanage grounds

2009-03-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

A new baby picture!

2009-03-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

Finding her baby picture. We were given this picture which was a real gift as I only had a little tiny thumbnail version of it on the adoption paperwork.

Finally back to a computer

2009-03-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

We are in Beijing and finally back to internet access so I'm going to post what I wrote as a journal in Word. Thanks full I can just coy and paste because I'm too tired to think too hard!

March 18, 2009

It has been a day of great emotion. We visited the orphanage today. I didn’t have any idea what a huge deal it would be for the people of Yangzhou. As we got off the bus we were greeted by a huge group of people…officials as well as other people who work at the welfare institute. The sound of drums could be heard even before the door to the bus was opened. As we walked through the gates we could see the drummers lined up one side of the street. About 25 women were playing the huge drums. They were dressed in very modern costumes. There were decorations all down the road and in the distance we could hear the sounds of the lion dance. Cadi did a good job recording the sights and sounds with her the Flip recorder as she walked. We got to the central area in front of the new orphanage building and it was set up with a stage that was brightly decorated. The Director of the orphanage spoke followed by the Mayor and several other people expressing the joy of the girls coming to Yangzhou.

Next came the entertainment. Many of the older children, nannies, staff and directore sang Jasmine Flower. It was incredibly beautiful. Then our girls performed Jingle bells! It was amazing. They had decided on the bus ride to the orphange that a Christmas song was probably the only song they all knew. Less than 30 minutes later when they went up to sing there was an accompaniment track playing behind them! How they pulled that off I don’t know!

The next thing was the presentation of gifts. Cadi went up to present the scrapbook which the families with children Yangzhou had prepared as well as the financial donation we had brought for the orphanage. Then all of the girls went up on stage and were presented with a gift- a huge Teddy bear as well as a book on Yanzhou and a very cool picture frame. They had a picture all together with the staff. Later they also gave a teddy bear to the sibling so now I have 2 Giant teddy bears to get across the Pacific!

We then went and have a picture take of all the families with the staff. An amazing feat in itself to get that many girls and their parents standing still long enough for a photo!

The next event was to learn how to make dumplings. Just as we were going there the woman who was the MC for the banquet last night came towards me holding the scrapbook. I ended up being interviewed by her and I totally missed out on the dumpling making class, but I guess I was supposed to talk on Chinese tv! I didn’t catch the news though so I don’t know if I actually made it on tv or not. We did have a very good discussion and I got in my plug for singles being able to adopt.

We ate the dumplings for lunch along with two different soups and some fruit. Cadi was very impressed with the dumplings! Big surprise since she is my dumpling girl! Then we got to tour the new building that is still under construction. The picturse of the plans and the furnishing and equipment are quite impressive. We then saw a video about life at the orphanage. Then the hardest part of the day for me began. We went into the rooms where the children spend some of the day. There were little tiny chairs lining the walls. We went in and about 8 children sang and danced for us. They were very engaging and came up to us and clapped hands with us and such. There was one girl about 4 years old who was enjoying herself so much and such a natural performer. They were all delightful but there was something about this one child who just drew my attention. I later heard that she will be adopted soon! After they were done they gave some drawings they had done to the girls. Then I sat down and one small little girl just came up and leaned into me. She was so small and so in need of physical touch. I held her hand and then she let me hold her in my lap. She clung to the name tag hanging around my neck. I just talked and talked to her and told her how much God loved her and then I couldn’t stop crying as she clung to me. I don’t know who I was crying for most of all her or myself or for all of those people who will never be able to adopt. Our guide,Vivian, came up to me and asked if I was okay. What can you say? Yes I am okay but this child needs a family. Vivian told me that the little girl is about 4 years old and has some special needs. I know that I cannot adopt another child, but it was so very difficult to let go. One of the nannies finally came and took her from my arms which was probably the best because I don’t know if I would have been able to set her down on my own.

We went into another room filled with babies in walkers. What a lot of activity! They all had diapers on under their split pants. I think that was probably just for our benefit. There was one little guy who didn’t seems very happy with the diaper situation. There were several babies who had repaired cleft lips and one little girl who is going to have her surgery in a few weeks. She had the most delightful eyes and smile!

When it was time to leave the children’s rooms then we had a little time to walk through the lovely garden that is there on the grounds. The grounds have the orphanage as well as a home for the elderly. There were several of these residents who sat out in the sunshine watching us and occasionally smiling and waving back at us.
Before we left we were given the opportunity to view the files of our children. It was cool to see that they have placed the pictures and letters we have sent to them in Cadi’s file. There wasn’t any additional information in her file though that I didn’t already have. A bit of a dissapointment, but I wasn’t really holding out any hope.

There are several people who are still there from 1998. One of the directors and the nurse who came when they delivered Cadi to me are still there as well as several nannies.
After a very emotional 6 hours we returned to the hotel for a short break before we went to dinner at a most wonderful buffet! I have never in my life seems such a wide variety of food! Everything for peking duck to pizza and French fries! We went for a river cruise before returning to the hotel. The river has an amazing display of lights!

When I got back to the hotel I went to the business center to try to check email. Couldn’t get in so will have to try tomorrow, but I did find the article in the China Daily that I was interviewed for the day we left Beijing. We are in a Chinese newspaper! Complete with a picture and lots of quotes! So I got copies made. Paul and Erwin paid for the copies so we have a surprise for the bus tomorrow as many of the families are in the report!

I think it's March 20

2009-03-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to get to a computer because I can't get connected in our hotel room so this will be brief. We went to the Orphanage on Wednesday and have a very emotionally charged day. It was good, but parts were just very difficult. I have written a long version and saved it in word so I will try to post those from Beijing when we arrive tommorrow. The longer we are in Yangzhou the more I realize just how big and important this reunion trip is to so many in Yangzhou. There must be hundreds of people who are behind the scene making sure every last detail is taken care of.
Yesterday we spent our morning at the zoo and park and Josi got to see a panda and Cadi got to see a tiger so the day was complete. We were entertained with puppets and lion dancing and kite flying all morning long. Cadi also made a hand print along with the other Yangzhou girls and those will stay at the orphanage. During the afternoon we toured a school and then went home with a host family to have time at their house and dinner. I think this could be the highlight of the trip! It was great to see their apartment and learn how to make dumplings with the grandma! I will add the details later, but just wanted you to know we are fine and having great fun. Later...Marleen

A very emotional day...

2009-03-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

I can't get connected in my room so there will be no photos today. We went to the orpphanage today and it was a very emotional day. It started the moment we got off the bus and were greeted by the pounding of drums. There were people lined up to greet us as we walked off the bus and it almost felt like we were celebreties! I guess in fact we were. There was quite the celebration with dignitaries and speeches and fireworks and lion dances. Cadi got a lot of it on video. I was just taken over by the emotion of finally being able to bring her back to the place of her roots.

After the opening ceremony we split into groups. The girls made dumplings which we ate for lunch along with a few soups and fruit. After lunch we were able to tour the new building which will open in September. Then we went into the rooms where the children were. There were several that just tugged at my heart. There were very few dry eyes. I will try to write more about my feeling later, but I just wanted to post and let you know that we are fine, but we have very limited access to the internet. I guess it is only a problem for Mac users. I knew I hated Macs!

Later if I can get back on. Until then I will try to keep a journal and then transfer all to this blog. Tomorrow will be a less emotional day. Marleen

A little bit more before we go...

2009-03-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Didn't really get any time to blog last night so I have a few minutes now before we leave the hotel to say a little bit about yesterday. We went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in the morning. Seems like there were many more people there than 10 years ago. The weather was beautiful and warm enough we were without coats for most of the day. The girls seemed to be impressed with the splendor, but Josi got excited when we related it to the scene in Mulan.

After a lunch we were honored with the privileged to go to CCAA China Center for Adoption Affairs. We were able to see the document review rooms as well as the magical place called the matching room. They told us that they actually look at the applicant's picture and then the babies pictures and match them that way. That explains why I got such beautiful daughters!

After that the girls got to go to the BLAS office for a lesson in calligraphy and to learn a song. Then we went shopping in a 4 story lesson in bargaining At one point the girls were laughing so hard I thought we were going to have to find a Chinese toilet (which by the way they both experienced at the BLAS office!

Cadi and I skipped dinner and sat in the front of the restaurant while the others ate because she just wasn't feeling well. She's still a little punky today so hopefully we will make it to Yangzhou today!

The picture are all from our time at CCAA and BLAS including the toilet. We still need some education with this chinese culture...

Smilebox slideshow

2009-03-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4f4449784e4445334e6e77354d5445324e6a51350d0a&sb=1

I can't get this to post any other way. Delleen made a slideshow of our trip to the Forbidden City sow hopefully if you copy and paste you can see it. We didn't get home last night until 8:00 and I was too exhausted to update the blog. We have a ceremony this morning with the Minister of Civil Affairs and then we have a short break before we fly to Nanjing and bus to Yangzhou. I'll see if I get time to blog during that break. Later

More photos

2009-03-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

The answer to the question...

2009-03-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

is no. Adding Crystal Light immunity to Pocari Sweat really doesn't make it taste any better, but I figure it's got to be good for me. The alcohol on the table at lunch however probably is not. The glasses they provided were no bigger than a thimble and there is a reason for that. We poured some smelled it, touched it to our lips, and decided that was plenty!

We had a day of great contrast yesterday and by the end of the day I was so tired I couldn't possibly blog so I am instead writing this at 5:00 am. We left the hotel at 8:00 and drove for a little over an hour to get to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. I was so excited when I saw this was the location we would be visiting because this was the same section that Delleen and I visited in 1998. Such a different experience than Badaling in 2001. It was very quiet and uncrowded. Cadi at first was disappointed to hear that we would take the cable car up and thought that meant we would not be walking on the Great wall, but once she saw that we would still do a lot of hiking she was okay with it.

We spent almost a hour hiking around, exploring the watch towers and just soaking up China. It was incredible to finally be standing with my two daughters on the Great Wall of China! I was able to share about the first time I went to the Great Wall and how our guide told us to close our eyes and hear and smell and feel the Great Wall. Then he sang Silent Night to us. At the time I thought that was a bit strange, but every year at Christmas time, when I hear that song I am transported back to China and the Great Wall. I tearfully sang Silent Night to them and I pray that it does the same thing for them each year a Christmas.

Once we were finished and heading down to the bus the bartering began! I probably spent too much and bought too much, but it is so much fun to play the bartering game! The kids were amazed at the way things are done in China. At one point a tiny little woman had big old me trapped. I could not physically push my way past her. I finally had to duck under her arm to escape!

After we said goodbye to the Great Wall we headed back to Beijing. Most of the villages we passed by seemed very tired and sad. Deserted buildings, people standing by the side of the road, an occasional mule or person pulling a cart. I think this is the China Cadi had pictured in her mind so I was glad she got to see the contrast between the two Chinas. We stopped for a tour of a factory that makes that enameled filled brass that I can't spell! Cloisenne closinee, how do you spell that word! Anyway we had a huge lunch and then had time to spend more money in the friendship store. I got some pearls for the girls, those painted glass globes with their names painted inside, and a lot of other things to bring home. I'm afraid my suitcase is already too full!

After driving for about a hour more we were at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Venue. We saw the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest. We paid the extra money to go inside thinking the price of admission would be worth it if we could use a western toilet and it was! Once insdie and down on the floor of the Stadium, Cadi asked if she could run all around the Bird's nest. She and Josi took off and Cadi filmed a video on the Flip of them running then walking then running again around the stadium. Its pretty funny!

When we were finished we headed back to the hotel for a short break. We all got showers and I washed out the clothes we had on. Cadi definitely wins the prize for carrying home more of the Great Wall than anyone else! We walked to a nearby restaurant and had a interesting dinner. I loved the fact that Cadi loved the spinach soup and Josi didn't let the head on the fish slow her down one little bit! We should have taken our camera! So totally exhausted we came back to the hotel and collapsed. Today is another day. We will start out in just about an hour with a walk through the park to observe morning exercises, but that is another story...

Early Morning musings...

2009-03-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's 4:00 am and I can't sleep. I feel much more coherent than I did last night at 9:30! The girls are still asleep which is a good thing. They were both pretty exhausted last night. For the most part they are being really good explorer even though Josi thought her legs were going to fall off during the Temple of Heaven tour. Neither were terribly impressed with my attempt to order dinner last night. We found a KFC without biscuits which in Cadi's mind is no less than criminal! The other thing I realized is that hot milk and whole milk sound identical when spoken by a chinese woman and heard by an American woman! We did bring the hot milk home, poured hot chocolate mix into it and had very creamy cocoa.

It is so wonderful to see the bond that has formed between Cadi and Katie who were both adopted on the same day. They seemed to instantly like each other and they are truly delighting in each other's company. I dearly love Katie's mom, Jeri. She was the veteran back in 1998 who had already made the trip and took me under her wing and showed me the ropes back then. It was very sweet to see her again and give her a hug yesterday morning. We spent the entire day together renewing old friendships and for the girls forming new ones. Our group yesterday also included Susan and her daughter Avery who seem like old friend. Josi and Avery hit it off too so that was great that Josi has a friend close to her age. Unfortunately we are not in the same group as either of those families. We have been divided by the age of the "Yangster" so our three families are in three different groups. I'm sure this will help us branch out and meet new people. There are families here from 6 different countries. I think they are Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, England, the U.S. and I can't right now think of the final country. So far the oldest girl we have met is 17.

We are met by many bold stares as we walk through the streets of Beijing. We are definitely a rare sight. Starting in the airport in SeaTac both of my girls have commented on how they have never "seen this many Asian people" and yesterday while we were in the store one of the other girls said, "HereI look like all the people and you are the one who looks different." There is a lot to process here and I am so glad that we are starting on some of the processing.

P.S.-One thing I forgot to say was how beautiful the weather was here yesterday. Probably in the 50s and today it's supposed to be get up to 60 degrees! We are not going to freeze on the Great Wall!

2009-03-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

My butt is dragging and my dogs are barking and my kids are no longer whining because they are passed out in bed. Boy did we do Beijing today! We woke up about 6:30 after 6 hours of sleep and I didn't let them slow down one bit. After meeting up with our friends we had a great breakfast at the hotel. Then we decided to walk around the corner to the supermarket. It was a wonderful introduction to life in China. Kind of like a Chinese walmart that played advertisement with loud Can Can music! Add to that the shouting of the people selling different meats and produce, the loud chinese elevator music, and the general buzz of the people and it was an abrupt hello to life in China for the girls. We ended up buying more stuff than we probably needed to buy and I bought something called pocari sweat when I thought I was buying bottled water!

After a quick cup of noodles for lunch the girls went swimming at the hotel pool. A good way to have fun and burn off energy which we probably should have conserved. By the time we were done with the tour of the Temple Josi's bottom was dragging. The tour itself was one of those things that's hard to describe unless you've been there. All the information about life with the Emperor and the significance of 9 steps and 12 beams and curved verse straight angles was a bit overwhelming. The colors and the sounds and the slickness of the stones beneath your feet when you walk make all of your senses sit up and pay attention. When we were finished though our guide asked us if we would like to go to a teahouse . We decided to go and we we were given information about the different types of tea at a tea ceremony. it was nice to sit and relax in the quietness of the teahouse.

Then we drove back to our hotel. Cadi fell asleep in the van and serenaded us all with her snoring. We walked to KFC to get something to eat and with the handy point to menu I manage to order spicy hot chicken, hot milk and potatoes that tasted a lot like wall paper paste! Thankfully starting tomorrow all of our meals are included as part of the tour so we won't have to try that again!

By then the girls were all falling asleep, but we had an orientation meeting to attend at 7:30. We met our guides and we given a special gift bag for each family. Ours included a red pashmina scarf for each of us to wear to the Great wall tomorrow. A kite to fly in Yangzhou, name tags, and a special Bridge of Love Adoption Services pin and a detailed itinerary. So now it is 9:20 I am finished with this blog entry for the day and I am heading to bed. Tomorrow is another BIG day!

We made it!

2009-03-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

We left Seattle on March 12th at 3:00 pm. We arrived in Beijing on March 13 at 10:00 pm. The kids did a great job on both planes even though neither we really able to sleep. Having our own individual digital player complete with moves, t.t. shows, games and maps sure help the hours go by a little faster! Josi was able to finally catch a couple hours sleep on the flight between Tokyo and Beijing which helped with the stamina required to get through the last final push through the Beijing airport. We met another mom and her daughter on the plane out of Seattle so we know one other family now. We were picked up at the airport by a very friendly young man by the name of William. He will be taking us to the Temple of Heaven this afternoon at 3:00.

The Radisson SAS hotel is lovely. We have adjoining rooms with two king-sized bed so we're spreading out all over the place. We all managed to get in a good 6 hours of sleep last night and now it's 8:00 am. We'll be off to breakfast soon and then we're going to get out and explore a little bit before our tour this afternoon. It is sunny this morning in Beijing with just a little bit of the smog keeping the sky from being blue.

Here's Cadi...

So far, I'm really happy about the trip. The hotel is great and we have our own little view of part of Beijing . Our guide is named William and he's really nice. William says that there's a market place within walking distance so I hope that we visit that. Today, we will go see the Temple of Heaven with our new friends, Avery and Susan. Susan is from Seattle and Avery is her 9 year old daughter. There are lots of skyscrapers here. I really like Beijing so far.

Here's Josi...
The plane trip was exhausting. There is a do not disturb sign on the doorknob of the hotel. We got two rooms. The slippers have holes in the toes.

Here's Delleen...It was a nice trip....for some reason, this time it didn't seem quite so long. It was kind of surreal flying on a plane to China, and watching the movie Twilight at the same time. Even tho Gayle told me to take snacks, we had lots of really good food en route. Cadi was impressed with the midnight snack (it must have been midnight somewhere) of an ice cream bar somewhere over the Pacific. There was an American woman on the flight that teaches in China and was returning home with her brand new adopted son from Ethiopia. I kept hearing him on the plane, and he sounds a lot like baby Keegan. Off to adventures of the day.

2009-03-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here waiting for the last load of laundry to finish spinning so I can get it in the dryer. Still need to mop the floor and a few other things, but we are in good shape. The flight we are on has taken off from Seattle on time, the volcano status has been downgraded, and Josi's cough is sounding much better. We are so excited it has been hard to wait the last couple of days, but we did it and now the adventure is about to begin. Friends came over last night, had a cup of chinese tea, and then prayed with us. I know a lot of you have been praying and I want to thank you for your prayers as they continue to cover us throughout this entire journey. Please pray especially for Cadi's safety with her peanut allergy. We are carrying a lot of safe food with us, but I hope she doesn't have to survive on cup of noodles and mac and cheese for the entire trip!

I know there will be many exciting times and also times that will be difficult emotionally for my girls. I want them to understand more about their birth country. I want them to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch China like they never could through books and videos. I want them to grow in their understanding of the circumstances around their births and their adoption. I want their compasionate hearts to grow even bigger. I will try to post every day as we go through this magnificent opportunity. Later, Marleen

Well my bags are packed...

2009-03-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

I'm somewhat ready to go. Just have to get Josi healthy. She's been home sick for the last 3 days with a fever between 100-103 degrees. Please pray that it breaks tonight and that CAdi and I don't get the crud. The good news is that being home with a sick kid gave me time to clean the house and get almost everything packed. 5 more sleeps until we head south to meet Delleen in Seattle!

Our Itinerary came!

2009-02-27T07:07:00.000-08:00

March 11-Leave Cordova Arrive Seattle
March 12 and 13- Fly Seattle/Tokyo/Beijing
March 14-Tour the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon.
Evening-Orientation meeting at the hotel
March 15-Morning-Tour to the Great Wall and take photos of the Olympic venues
Afternoon-Back to the hotel and have dinner nearby

March 16-Morning-See local people doing morning excises in a park, back to the hotel for breakfast, then visit CCAA and calligraphy class at BLAS
Evemomg-Transfer to hotel after dinner.
March 17-Morning-Check out the hotel and transfer to the airport. Fly to Nanjing
Afternoon transfer to Yangzhou by bus.
Evening Have dinner and check into hotel.
March 18-Morning-Anniversary Ceremony at Yangzhou orphanage and make dumplings at
the orphanage for lunch.
Afternoon-Look around the orphanage and meet the caretakers.
Evening-Welcoming Banquet.
March 19-Morning-Have some cultural events in a local park, including the puppet
show, paper-cutting, fly kites...) and learn to make the famous
Yangzhou fried rice for lunch.
Afternoon-Visit Slender West Lake scenic area
Evening-Visit and have dinner at a local family
March 20-Morning-Visit a local middle school, and shop freely at Dongguan Shopping
street.
Afternoon-Packing time at the hotel after lunch.
Evening-Farewell dinner

March 21-Fly from Nanjing to Beijing
March 22-Fly Beijing,Tokyo,Seattle
March 23-Seattle-Cordova

Map of Jiangsu province

2009-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

Testing

2009-02-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

This is a test to see if my Mac from School will blog for me...

And by golly it looks like it does at least from Alaska. Next test from China!

Visas

2009-02-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

My sister emailed last night that the passports have been returned to her and the visa stamps are inside so we are good to go! Glad we started in Decemember as soon as I heard about the reunion. How comes the fun part. Report cards finished (actually started and then finished), lesson plans written, cell phone rented, packing lists made. Packing and repacking. Oh yeah I forgot I'm adjudicating the Alto 1 cds for the honor choir for the music festival. I got 12 done last night and have 24 more to go. Do Re Mi Fa... I love to sing...I went to bed singing that last night!

So we are going...

2009-02-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

on a reunion trip to China to visit the orphanage where Cadi spent her first 7 months of life. She got the official invitation with a Christmas card. This is the first correspondence we have had in 10 years, so it was very exciting to get the card and invitation. My sister decided that she could go with us and we started the preparations right before Christmas. The passports have arrived, we have signed up and paid the deposit, we have applied for the visas, but they haven't arrived yet. The flights are booked and paid for. I still need to send in the remainder of the money for the cost of the tour in China.I will attempted to update on the preparations during the last few weeks and to keep the blog up while we are in China. This all depends of course on what kind of internet connection I can get in China.