Thursday, Friday, December 18-19
Our local internet service does not appear to be working this morning. We were warned of this, so I am keeping a journal or log on Microsoft Works so that later we can transfer to our blog.
We arose early Thursday to get ready for our long plane ride to China. Dan and Alicia drove us to the airport where we checked in and awaited our flight. Some us woke up at 4 AM while others waited till 5:30 to rise. Nevertheless it makes for a very long and tiring day. We all feel slightly “off” and sleep deprived. However we’re very thankful that we made all of our connections without any problems. In fact, there was a wheelchair awaiting us at each gate connection for Amy since she has a sprained ankle. You should see the colorful bruises.
Our world is so diverse! On the flight to Tokyo from Detroit, I had opportunity to converse with a man from Singapore who attends the University of Michigan. He is a senior, taking both economics and psychology. He hopes to return to school for his graduate degree before settling down in his home country. He took great interest in our adoption story. His words were, “amazing!”
Across the aisle from me was a woman and her four year old son returning home to Tokyo area. Her husband is in finance (domestic banking). She says the economic situation has hit everywhere. In further conversation, she told me both she and her sister were adopted and has adoption applications filed with an orphanage in Japan. She had worked at one time in connection with an orphanage in Hong King. She’s British and her husband is Moroccan, Maldives, and other nationalities all wrapped in one. One reason for her trip was to seek other ways to have children. I didn’t pry.
In answer to prayer, Samuel was a very good traveler. He fussed very little, but also didn’t eat a lot. (The food was pretty good even though the portions were small.) The long flight did not have any good movies to watch but the boy across the aisle and his mother proved to be a good distraction. They shared their sticker book with him. The brief flight to Beijing from Tokyo had in seat screens that allowed Samuel to choose his own movie --- Toy Story.
This morning we plan to do some sightseeing with our adoption group. After a delicious buffet hotel breakfast we plan to visit Tiananman Square, Forbidden City, a fresh water pearl factory, enjoy traditional Chinese lunch [with a floor show?], Summer Palace, silk factory, and a buffet dinner - probably Beijing Duck. Tomorrow we will visit an international church, head to the Great Wall, (which will be very cold and breezy), and do some other things if there is time. We don’t know when we fly out for Hangzhou Sunday evening so we may miss the Chinese acrobat show - drat! Missed it again! I would rather see them than some of the other sites.
We met two of our adoption families last night at the airport. Sherri met us there. She seems to be very nice.
Our hotel room is small. It only has one bed so Holly, Amy and I shared the bed while we made a little place for Samuel on the floor. The room is really set up for a businessman. One whole area is filled with a desk and phone. It’s very nice but not exactly for a family of four. Since it was so late when we pulled in, we weren’t about to complain. The bed was so soft and inviting.
Saturday, December 20
It’s the end of a very long day and we are exhausted. Samuel was the first to meltdown and crash - More on that later. Today we:
1. Enjoyed a wonderful breakfast buffet at the hotel restaurant (included)
2. Traveled with our other adoption families to Tiananman Square. It was quite cold, in
the 20’s with some wind. We were so glad to have worn our lined trousers, heavy
winter coat, hat and gloves.
3. Visited the Forbidden City. Amy and Samuel walked the entire 720,000 square meters
of land though none of us went into all of the 8,700 rooms. It’s an impressive complex.
One does not wonder why UNESCO voted to have the site protected as an
international historic site.
4. We enjoyed some traditional fare at a local restaurant and then went out to see the
Emperor’s Summer Palace. Again, it was pretty cold and the water was frozen to ice
but we managed.
5. We visited a fresh water pearl factory and a silk factory. I missed the latter site because
Samuel fell asleep on the bus and I didn’t have the heart to awaken him. When he did
awaken, it was not a pretty sound as he wailed for about 20 minutes.
6. Our last stop this evening was at a restaurant that served a very eclectic meal,
including a Chinese version of pizza (with no sauce)
We are beginning to hear other family’s adoption stories. What a blessing to see God at work in their lives. The hotel Internet is still not functioning so we are unable to post a report. Please be patient with us.
Tomorrow we attend the International Christian Fellowship Church and then go to the Great Wall. We will have lunch and dinner togethehr before we take off for Hangzhou.