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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Home v1.1
We had breakfast at the hotel buffet one last time, got one last Starbucks, and headed to the airport at 11:30. The closer we got to the airport the darker the sky got, and as we arrived we were in the hardest rain I'd ever been in, with thunder and lighting as well.
We stood in the first of many lines we would be in during that day and night, and we made it through everything with no problem. We had a couple of hours before the airplane was scheduled to leave, and then we were told that it was delayed by half an hour. After we boarded, we sat without moving for an hour and 45 minutes. As near as we could tell, we were waiting for clearance to taxi which was delayed due to the backup caused by the weather earlier.
Fortunately, we had four hours scheduled between flights in Hong Kong, which was a good thing since by the time we made it to our gate there we really didn't have long to wait. The next flight was uneventful, but we were tired of traveling already by the time we got to Taipei.
Unfortuately, the flight from Taipei to Seattle was full, so there was no stretching out. The boys fell asleep pretty quickly, but Leah couldn't get comfortable until I made a nest for her on the floor; then she was fine.
Molly and I didn't sleep hardly at all, and the flight seemed to take forever. Finally, though, we descended toward Seattle, and Leah got her first glimpse of the USA. It was a beautiful evening in Seattle, and we could see all the mountains.
First stop was Immigration. It was a little strange standing in the "non-resident" line with all of the other, well, non-residents. Soon we were talking to an Immigration officer, who got Molly, the boys, and I checked through, and then we were sent down to a second officer to process Leah's paperwork. It took all of about 10 minutes, and Leah was a US citizen! We walked through the gate and high-fived each other.
Then we retrieved our luggage, made it through Customs, and scurried upstairs to the Alaska Airlines desk, where a very nice ticket agent was able to get us an earlier flight to Portland.
We finally collapsed into bed about 2 am, after 28 hours of traveling.
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One last time at Starbucks:
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With Leila, our coordinator in Guangzhou:
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A quick stop at Burger King on the way home:
We stood in the first of many lines we would be in during that day and night, and we made it through everything with no problem. We had a couple of hours before the airplane was scheduled to leave, and then we were told that it was delayed by half an hour. After we boarded, we sat without moving for an hour and 45 minutes. As near as we could tell, we were waiting for clearance to taxi which was delayed due to the backup caused by the weather earlier.
Fortunately, we had four hours scheduled between flights in Hong Kong, which was a good thing since by the time we made it to our gate there we really didn't have long to wait. The next flight was uneventful, but we were tired of traveling already by the time we got to Taipei.
Unfortuately, the flight from Taipei to Seattle was full, so there was no stretching out. The boys fell asleep pretty quickly, but Leah couldn't get comfortable until I made a nest for her on the floor; then she was fine.
Molly and I didn't sleep hardly at all, and the flight seemed to take forever. Finally, though, we descended toward Seattle, and Leah got her first glimpse of the USA. It was a beautiful evening in Seattle, and we could see all the mountains.
First stop was Immigration. It was a little strange standing in the "non-resident" line with all of the other, well, non-residents. Soon we were talking to an Immigration officer, who got Molly, the boys, and I checked through, and then we were sent down to a second officer to process Leah's paperwork. It took all of about 10 minutes, and Leah was a US citizen! We walked through the gate and high-fived each other.
Then we retrieved our luggage, made it through Customs, and scurried upstairs to the Alaska Airlines desk, where a very nice ticket agent was able to get us an earlier flight to Portland.
We finally collapsed into bed about 2 am, after 28 hours of traveling.
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One last time at Starbucks:
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With Leila, our coordinator in Guangzhou:
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A quick stop at Burger King on the way home:
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Home
We made it.
One definition of true love: traveling for 28 hours halfway around the world with a child you've only met in person two weeks ago.
We are tired of strange food, tired of airports, tired of crowds, tired of lines, tired of being tired, and amazingly, not so tired of each other. Our three kids were phenomenal travelers.
More later, after I sleep...
One definition of true love: traveling for 28 hours halfway around the world with a child you've only met in person two weeks ago.
We are tired of strange food, tired of airports, tired of crowds, tired of lines, tired of being tired, and amazingly, not so tired of each other. Our three kids were phenomenal travelers.
More later, after I sleep...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Last post from China
Other than Leah falling out of bed last night, we had a relatively restful night. Luke finally decided he'd had enough of being crowded in bed and moved to some blankets on the floor. The blankets were really pretty thick and he said he slept much better.
Molly said she woke up in the middle of the night to find no Leah in her bed. She was happily sleeping on the floor - we assume she fell out. She was none the worse for wear. I'm actually surprised it hadn't happened before now, the way she thrashes.
Our bags are packed, the Nintendo DS-es are charged, and the boys are giving the room one more once-over for Transformer pieces.
We head for the airport in an hour for our L-O-N-G trip home. We have a four-hour wait in Hong Kong and a two-hour wait in Taipei before our flight to Seattle. Fortunately, we get on the 747 for Seattle late tonight, so maybe we'll all be able to sleep a little.
Everyone is a little bit out of whack this morning. Molly and I feel like we're getting a sore throat, and the boys are just out of sorts. Leah seems ok so far - she's a good sport.
Leah is still doing great, although we're still ready for anything in terms of her behavior. She still tests us occasionally, but so far no big problems. She's understanding a lot of what we say, and she is repeating English words occasionally. This morning Molly got her to say "I love you, Mommy."
We're off to our final trip to the Shamian Island Starbucks - which, I noticed yesterday, was opened a year ago as the 500th Starbucks in China. That's our bit of trivia for today.
Please pray that we stay healthy and that we have patience with our tired, out-of-sorts children as we travel for the next day.
Leah becomes a U.S. citizen in 24 hours!
Molly said she woke up in the middle of the night to find no Leah in her bed. She was happily sleeping on the floor - we assume she fell out. She was none the worse for wear. I'm actually surprised it hadn't happened before now, the way she thrashes.
Our bags are packed, the Nintendo DS-es are charged, and the boys are giving the room one more once-over for Transformer pieces.
We head for the airport in an hour for our L-O-N-G trip home. We have a four-hour wait in Hong Kong and a two-hour wait in Taipei before our flight to Seattle. Fortunately, we get on the 747 for Seattle late tonight, so maybe we'll all be able to sleep a little.
Everyone is a little bit out of whack this morning. Molly and I feel like we're getting a sore throat, and the boys are just out of sorts. Leah seems ok so far - she's a good sport.
Leah is still doing great, although we're still ready for anything in terms of her behavior. She still tests us occasionally, but so far no big problems. She's understanding a lot of what we say, and she is repeating English words occasionally. This morning Molly got her to say "I love you, Mommy."
We're off to our final trip to the Shamian Island Starbucks - which, I noticed yesterday, was opened a year ago as the 500th Starbucks in China. That's our bit of trivia for today.
Please pray that we stay healthy and that we have patience with our tired, out-of-sorts children as we travel for the next day.
Leah becomes a U.S. citizen in 24 hours!
Oath Ceremony
We didn't have anything scheduled this morning, so we did a little bit of shopping and packing, and, of course, hit Starbucks.
At 3:00, we met all of the other families and our coordinator in the lobby and took a bus to the U.S. Consulate. No cameras were allowed, so we don't have any pictures, unfortunately.
The Consulate used to be located on Shamian Island, right near the White Swan Hotel, but it moved not too long ago to a different part of Guangzhou, so the drive was about 45 minutes. We didn't realize it would take so long, and we hadn't given Leah any Drammamine, but she was fine. Molly and I were the ones feeling a big queasy by the time we had made it through all of the stop-and-go traffic.
When we got inside, the room was full of adoptive families. I don't how many, but there had to be about 100 adults, and the corresponding number of adoptive children and siblings. There was an Oregon poster on one of the pillars in the room - Mt. Hood never looked so good.
We got checked in, and in a few minutes an officer from the Consulate spoke to all of us. He first had us stand up and swear that everything we had put in the documents was true, and that was that.
The officer was very personable, and he said that he had adopted from China twice himself. He was now stationed at the Consulate for a two-year tour, and his boys were going to the American school in Guangzhou.
The Consulate in Guangzhou is the only place that issues American immigrant visas in China. There are about 100 staff members at the Consulate, only about 25 of which are American.
After the ceremony, we got a sealed brown envelope to carry to Immigration in the U.S. Leah received her Immigrant Visa, and she will become a U.S. Citizen upon our arrival in Seattle.
After we got back to the hotel, we went to dinner with the Wallings around the corner at the Cow and Bridge restaurant, and then walked down to the White Swan for ice cream.
We did a little last-minute shopping on the way back, and the boys played DS with Zane Walling while the parents packed and Leah helped.
Soon-to-be U.S. citizen:
The boys and Zane Walling:
Dinner:
Ice cream at the White Swan:
We'll be home in less than 48 hours!!!
At 3:00, we met all of the other families and our coordinator in the lobby and took a bus to the U.S. Consulate. No cameras were allowed, so we don't have any pictures, unfortunately.The Consulate used to be located on Shamian Island, right near the White Swan Hotel, but it moved not too long ago to a different part of Guangzhou, so the drive was about 45 minutes. We didn't realize it would take so long, and we hadn't given Leah any Drammamine, but she was fine. Molly and I were the ones feeling a big queasy by the time we had made it through all of the stop-and-go traffic.
When we got inside, the room was full of adoptive families. I don't how many, but there had to be about 100 adults, and the corresponding number of adoptive children and siblings. There was an Oregon poster on one of the pillars in the room - Mt. Hood never looked so good.
We got checked in, and in a few minutes an officer from the Consulate spoke to all of us. He first had us stand up and swear that everything we had put in the documents was true, and that was that.
The officer was very personable, and he said that he had adopted from China twice himself. He was now stationed at the Consulate for a two-year tour, and his boys were going to the American school in Guangzhou.
The Consulate in Guangzhou is the only place that issues American immigrant visas in China. There are about 100 staff members at the Consulate, only about 25 of which are American.
After the ceremony, we got a sealed brown envelope to carry to Immigration in the U.S. Leah received her Immigrant Visa, and she will become a U.S. Citizen upon our arrival in Seattle.
After we got back to the hotel, we went to dinner with the Wallings around the corner at the Cow and Bridge restaurant, and then walked down to the White Swan for ice cream.
We did a little last-minute shopping on the way back, and the boys played DS with Zane Walling while the parents packed and Leah helped.
Soon-to-be U.S. citizen:
The boys and Zane Walling:
Dinner:
Ice cream at the White Swan:
We'll be home in less than 48 hours!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Consulate appointment
Our appointment at the U.S. Consulate wasn't nearly as exciting as it might sound.
Leila, our coordinator, took all four families' documents to the Consulate at 9 a.m. while we all waited in our hotel rooms in case she had to call us about a problem. Fortunately, we got the all clear call shortly after 11. All that's left is the oath ceremony tomorrow afternoon.
Other than an unfortunate incident involving a Starbucks Dark Mocha and some hotel bedding, we spent the time in the room playing, trying on Leah's new clothes, and starting to pack for our trip home.
Leah made herself a little nest inside the TV cabinet:
Fashion model:
Photo by Leah:
Trying on girly hair clips:
After we got the call that everything was in order, we had some lunch and a nap, and then this afternoon we headed with the Walling family to a multi-story wholesale shopping mall. We didn't find too much that we absolutely had to have, but it was fun to look.
It started raining this morning and POURED all day. I thought we had rain in Oregon, but this was big fat tropical rain. We walked to dinner tonight, which resulted in all of us getting soaked. We had one umbrella, which Molly and Leah shared, but even they were pretty wet. It was warm, though - nearly 80 degrees.
A dash to Starbucks:
Walking to dinner:
Dinner at Lucy's:
On the web cam with Wen Ling:
Leila, our coordinator, took all four families' documents to the Consulate at 9 a.m. while we all waited in our hotel rooms in case she had to call us about a problem. Fortunately, we got the all clear call shortly after 11. All that's left is the oath ceremony tomorrow afternoon.
Other than an unfortunate incident involving a Starbucks Dark Mocha and some hotel bedding, we spent the time in the room playing, trying on Leah's new clothes, and starting to pack for our trip home.
Leah made herself a little nest inside the TV cabinet:
Fashion model:
Photo by Leah:
Trying on girly hair clips:
After we got the call that everything was in order, we had some lunch and a nap, and then this afternoon we headed with the Walling family to a multi-story wholesale shopping mall. We didn't find too much that we absolutely had to have, but it was fun to look.
It started raining this morning and POURED all day. I thought we had rain in Oregon, but this was big fat tropical rain. We walked to dinner tonight, which resulted in all of us getting soaked. We had one umbrella, which Molly and Leah shared, but even they were pretty wet. It was warm, though - nearly 80 degrees.
A dash to Starbucks:
Walking to dinner:
Dinner at Lucy's:
On the web cam with Wen Ling:
Safari
Today was another free day, and this morning we ventured out with the Walling family in a taxi to a "Carrefour" store, which was a multi-level variety store. It had everything from TVs to groceries. We didn't really need anything, but it was fun to look. A lot of stuff we recognized - it was funny to see it with Chinese characters instead of English labels. We ate lunch at Papa John's pizza before we headed back.
We are becoming veterans of Chinese cabs:
It was Logan's turn to ride in front:
Leah got her first pair of sunglasses. She loved them:
After a cab ride back to the motel, we took a van with the Wallings to the Xiangjiang Safari Park. It was amazing, and the best zoo we'd ever been to. There was hardly anyone there, maybe because it was a Tuesday; maybe because it was 98 degrees. It was HOT, but we drank lots of water and rented a stroller for Leah. We took a "train" ride through part of the park - Leah's word of the day was "camel." Then we walked for another couple of hours, and saw some hilarious squirrel monkeys wrestling (they reminded me of two boys I know), and we got to feed bananas to the elephants. It was a great day.
Throwing bananas:
The boys got to feed a baby tiger:
We cooled off in the rooftop pool after we got back and had something to eat. It was beautiful up there at night with all of the city lights.
I saw on the news tonight that Tropical Storm Fengshen is expected to make landfall in southern China tomorrow. The storm is supposed to be 70 miles away from here - the forecast for Guangzhou is for 40 mph winds but no problems. As long as it's over by the time our flight leaves on Friday....
We are becoming veterans of Chinese cabs:
It was Logan's turn to ride in front:
Leah got her first pair of sunglasses. She loved them:
After a cab ride back to the motel, we took a van with the Wallings to the Xiangjiang Safari Park. It was amazing, and the best zoo we'd ever been to. There was hardly anyone there, maybe because it was a Tuesday; maybe because it was 98 degrees. It was HOT, but we drank lots of water and rented a stroller for Leah. We took a "train" ride through part of the park - Leah's word of the day was "camel." Then we walked for another couple of hours, and saw some hilarious squirrel monkeys wrestling (they reminded me of two boys I know), and we got to feed bananas to the elephants. It was a great day.
Throwing bananas:
The boys got to feed a baby tiger:
We cooled off in the rooftop pool after we got back and had something to eat. It was beautiful up there at night with all of the city lights.
I saw on the news tonight that Tropical Storm Fengshen is expected to make landfall in southern China tomorrow. The storm is supposed to be 70 miles away from here - the forecast for Guangzhou is for 40 mph winds but no problems. As long as it's over by the time our flight leaves on Friday....
Random thoughts
1. Calling your kids "buddy" is a hard habit to break after having only boys and now suddenly having a girl.
2. Warm Coke is definitely not as good as cold Coke.
3. Warm Coke is better than nothing.
4. Job I wouldn't want: bathroom attendant.
5. Cargo pockets are wonderful.
6. Hugs are a universal language of their own.
7. There is apparently no such thing as "right-of-way" in China.
8. "The Sound of Silence," performed on flute, gets old quickly when played over and over again, very loudly, at a McDonald's.
9. More amusing road signs: "Driying Lane"; "Riverdabridge".
10. There is no OSHA in China. Lots of construction; a few hard hats; no ear protection, eye protection or safety harnesses.
11. Although the concept of waiting in line is unheard of here, the Chinese are a polite people. We have yet to run into one rude or angry person since we left the U.S.
12. Living out of suitcases gets very old after about two weeks.
13. Five people + one hotel room = ready to be home (see #12).
2. Warm Coke is definitely not as good as cold Coke.
3. Warm Coke is better than nothing.
4. Job I wouldn't want: bathroom attendant.
5. Cargo pockets are wonderful.
6. Hugs are a universal language of their own.
7. There is apparently no such thing as "right-of-way" in China.
8. "The Sound of Silence," performed on flute, gets old quickly when played over and over again, very loudly, at a McDonald's.
9. More amusing road signs: "Driying Lane"; "Riverdabridge".
10. There is no OSHA in China. Lots of construction; a few hard hats; no ear protection, eye protection or safety harnesses.
11. Although the concept of waiting in line is unheard of here, the Chinese are a polite people. We have yet to run into one rude or angry person since we left the U.S.
12. Living out of suitcases gets very old after about two weeks.
13. Five people + one hotel room = ready to be home (see #12).
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Medical exam and more documents
All three kids actually slept in the same bed last night, so Molly and I had a bed to ourselves and actually got some sleep without someone kicking or elbowing us.
This morning we met Leila and the other three families in the lobby and walked down to get Leah's visa photo taken, and then on to get her medical exam. It was a pretty cursory exam, but she did great.
This afternoon I met Leila and the other parents to work on documents for U.S. immigration. It was about an hour and a half worth of paperwork - could we finally now be done?
We are all about tired of living out of suitcases and are ready to be home. Later this afternoon we went swimming, which did everyone good, and then we went to Lucy's for some American food.
Leah actually took a nap again today. She's always very busy when we're in the room. We realized yesterday that the caps were missing off of most of the water bottles we have sitting around the room, and we couldn't find them anywhere. This afternoon Leah suddenly produced a plastic bag full of water bottle caps - she'd had them safely put away somewhere. She's also definitely a girl - she had tied ribbons around her sandals earlier today.
Our group getting our kids' visa photos taken:
Leah's physical exam:
It was full of adoptive families, but all of the kids were great and the staff was very friendly. We were done in about an hour:
This morning we met Leila and the other three families in the lobby and walked down to get Leah's visa photo taken, and then on to get her medical exam. It was a pretty cursory exam, but she did great.
This afternoon I met Leila and the other parents to work on documents for U.S. immigration. It was about an hour and a half worth of paperwork - could we finally now be done?
We are all about tired of living out of suitcases and are ready to be home. Later this afternoon we went swimming, which did everyone good, and then we went to Lucy's for some American food.
Leah actually took a nap again today. She's always very busy when we're in the room. We realized yesterday that the caps were missing off of most of the water bottles we have sitting around the room, and we couldn't find them anywhere. This afternoon Leah suddenly produced a plastic bag full of water bottle caps - she'd had them safely put away somewhere. She's also definitely a girl - she had tied ribbons around her sandals earlier today.
Our group getting our kids' visa photos taken:
Leah's physical exam:
It was full of adoptive families, but all of the kids were great and the staff was very friendly. We were done in about an hour:
Pearl River cruise
After church this morning, Leah, Luke and Molly had a nap while Logan and I went for a walk and did some shopping. Logan had gotten some tooth fairy money, and he used it to buy a gift for Leah - some Chinese balls with pandas on them. We also got Molly a t-shirt and some jewelry.
Tonight we met two of the other AGCI families for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The Chinese food for dinner was all right (Leah liked it), but the view from the top of the boat was beautiful. A lot of the buildings along the river have light displays at night - it was beautiful.
Tonight we met two of the other AGCI families for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The Chinese food for dinner was all right (Leah liked it), but the view from the top of the boat was beautiful. A lot of the buildings along the river have light displays at night - it was beautiful.
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