We've posted our photos here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/brooksmato/2011NovemberBeijing
https://picasaweb.google.com/brooksmato/2011NovemberChinaMeetingKai
https://picasaweb.google.com/brooksmato/2011NovemberUrumqiGuangzhou
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Guangzhou
Hello everyone, Sorry that we haven't posted anything for a few days. We've received some concerned emails from some of our friends and family, so thank you for your support. Overall, things have been going really well. Kai is feeling more and more comfortable with us each day. In fact it's been a few days since he exhibited any sadness for his foster family. We're really surprised that after living with 1 family for 5 years, he seems to be just fine being away from them. His behavior has improved dramatically since the first day. That first night, I googled 'adopting older children international' and I got some good hits. His initial behavior, which I thought may be some serious ADHD/mental issues was a mixture of stress and his way of coping with this new situation. I needed to be reminded that everything is new to him. The people, the places, the food, the language. Everything in his world has changed, literally overnight. When we're in the room he really is a good boy, but when we get around the other families with their kids, he gets over stimulated and will tend to use poor judgement. Kai is very social and doesn't have much regard for the personal space of others. I don't know if that is a cultural thing with the Uighar kids, but his hitting and spitting has been reduced. He knows that both are wrong and now, the spitting is mostly just the sound of spitting when he gets frustrated (Although he is looking directly at us when he makes this sound). This usually happens because of the language barrier. I've picked up a few key mandarin phrases that has really helped a lot:
Dong ee sha - One moment/hold on... This comes in handy when he wants something and just can't seem to wait. At first he would go crazy with all the food at the breakfast buffet and would try to put the food in his mouth using the tongs. When we pulled the tongs away and told him 'No' or 'hold on', he would think that we were saying 'no, you can't have this'. He would go into a mini tantrum. He understands 'Dong ee sha' and it's definitely comes in handy while in public places.
Zo la - Let's go.
Bu Shi - No.
Hau La - Ok.
Noon yo - Pee
Wu Lasa - Poop
Ee ga - 1.
The above make up about 90% of the words I use to communicate with Kai.
Kai really is a ham too. He has a lot of facial expressions and really is cute. When he sticks out is lower lip and whines he looks like a little monkey. Another phrase I use a lot with him is 'da bau bau'. Da (big). Bau bau (baby). He always wants to be carried everywhere and I'm not sure if that is because his foster mom carried him or if he's just trying to push his limits with us. When he doesn't get carried, yes, he whines and makes spitting sounds/gestures. At that point, we just walk away, and now, rather than run away from us, he always follows. When I turn a corner and hide, he comes running and will be looking for me. When I reappear from behind a potted plant, ooooh he gets pissed off. So, he definitely is bonding with us. In Uighar, Mom is mama, Dad is dada. But Kai calls me (Brooks) mama. And he calls Cindy mama too. Then he will call me baba. But all the time he refers to me as mama. Cindy and I are trying to figure out why this is and the theory we came up with is that because he seems to have bonded more quickly with me, I may appear to be the primary caregiver so thus he calls me 'mama'. This is just a theory though.
We left Urumqi on Friday 11/11 and our original flight was cancelled, so the flight we ended up with had a connection in Chengdu. We had to recheck our baggage, but it went very smoothly. Kai was a real trooper and he loved being on an airplane, I believe this was his second time. The first was when he flew to us in Urumqi. On the flight, he did spit in Cindy's face, but was reminded very quickly (and physically) that it is not OK to do that. Since then the intervals between each spitting incident seems to lengthen.
We ate a lot of Muslim food while in Urumqi, which was mostly rice or wheat noodles. Kai grew up on these noodles with meat and spices and to this day does not like to eat rice. His favorite 'go to' food is instant noodles. First it was with hot water, but now he just likes to eat them dry or with a little cold water. Just enough to dilute the delicious sodium enhanced flavor packet. He will consume 2 instant noodle bowls a day- For lunch and dinner. Breakfast for Kai is usually about 8 breakfast links/sausages and some orange juice.
We've been in Guangzhou for several days now and the weather has been perfect. High 70's, low 80's. Very much like Hawaii. When we're not doing paperwork, we spend our free time at the outdoor pool. Kai loves the water and fortunately, we found some water wings for him so now I don't need to pack him around in the pool. Although we are not staying at the famed White Swan hotel, the China Hotel is still very nice. Decent location and nice amenities.
Kai is very affectionate. He loves to lie on us when we watch TV. He also gives us kisses pretty regulary,
We took Kai to a mini amusement park near the hotel. He loves the rides. It was great fun with no lines and about .50 cents per ride. We just kept thinking how much fun the girls would be having if they were here. We have been able to Skype with them several times and they look happy. Mom and Alicia are doing a great job with them. I am sure they are ready to go home and relax. Alicia's baby is due in February and she has to get her house ready for the baby. Lyrah Sue looks like she loves the attention that Zozo is giving her. Alicia keeps reminding Zoe to be careful with the poor girl. Zoe loves the babies. She has asked Alicia to give her Hayden after she is born. LOL.
Tomorrow is our last full day in China. We hope to just hang out and pack everything up. On Friday we have approximately a four hour layover in Beijing then on to Seattle. We are ready to head back to the states and start the next part of our journey. The girls are in for a big adjustment with Kai and he is going to have to figure out our routine and language. We still have no idea if we will put him in Kindergarten this year or just put him in preschool. We will have to see how things go once we arrive home.
We will try and post some photos .
Dong ee sha - One moment/hold on... This comes in handy when he wants something and just can't seem to wait. At first he would go crazy with all the food at the breakfast buffet and would try to put the food in his mouth using the tongs. When we pulled the tongs away and told him 'No' or 'hold on', he would think that we were saying 'no, you can't have this'. He would go into a mini tantrum. He understands 'Dong ee sha' and it's definitely comes in handy while in public places.
Zo la - Let's go.
Bu Shi - No.
Hau La - Ok.
Noon yo - Pee
Wu Lasa - Poop
Ee ga - 1.
The above make up about 90% of the words I use to communicate with Kai.
Kai really is a ham too. He has a lot of facial expressions and really is cute. When he sticks out is lower lip and whines he looks like a little monkey. Another phrase I use a lot with him is 'da bau bau'. Da (big). Bau bau (baby). He always wants to be carried everywhere and I'm not sure if that is because his foster mom carried him or if he's just trying to push his limits with us. When he doesn't get carried, yes, he whines and makes spitting sounds/gestures. At that point, we just walk away, and now, rather than run away from us, he always follows. When I turn a corner and hide, he comes running and will be looking for me. When I reappear from behind a potted plant, ooooh he gets pissed off. So, he definitely is bonding with us. In Uighar, Mom is mama, Dad is dada. But Kai calls me (Brooks) mama. And he calls Cindy mama too. Then he will call me baba. But all the time he refers to me as mama. Cindy and I are trying to figure out why this is and the theory we came up with is that because he seems to have bonded more quickly with me, I may appear to be the primary caregiver so thus he calls me 'mama'. This is just a theory though.
We left Urumqi on Friday 11/11 and our original flight was cancelled, so the flight we ended up with had a connection in Chengdu. We had to recheck our baggage, but it went very smoothly. Kai was a real trooper and he loved being on an airplane, I believe this was his second time. The first was when he flew to us in Urumqi. On the flight, he did spit in Cindy's face, but was reminded very quickly (and physically) that it is not OK to do that. Since then the intervals between each spitting incident seems to lengthen.
We ate a lot of Muslim food while in Urumqi, which was mostly rice or wheat noodles. Kai grew up on these noodles with meat and spices and to this day does not like to eat rice. His favorite 'go to' food is instant noodles. First it was with hot water, but now he just likes to eat them dry or with a little cold water. Just enough to dilute the delicious sodium enhanced flavor packet. He will consume 2 instant noodle bowls a day- For lunch and dinner. Breakfast for Kai is usually about 8 breakfast links/sausages and some orange juice.
We've been in Guangzhou for several days now and the weather has been perfect. High 70's, low 80's. Very much like Hawaii. When we're not doing paperwork, we spend our free time at the outdoor pool. Kai loves the water and fortunately, we found some water wings for him so now I don't need to pack him around in the pool. Although we are not staying at the famed White Swan hotel, the China Hotel is still very nice. Decent location and nice amenities.
Kai is very affectionate. He loves to lie on us when we watch TV. He also gives us kisses pretty regulary,
We took Kai to a mini amusement park near the hotel. He loves the rides. It was great fun with no lines and about .50 cents per ride. We just kept thinking how much fun the girls would be having if they were here. We have been able to Skype with them several times and they look happy. Mom and Alicia are doing a great job with them. I am sure they are ready to go home and relax. Alicia's baby is due in February and she has to get her house ready for the baby. Lyrah Sue looks like she loves the attention that Zozo is giving her. Alicia keeps reminding Zoe to be careful with the poor girl. Zoe loves the babies. She has asked Alicia to give her Hayden after she is born. LOL.
Tomorrow is our last full day in China. We hope to just hang out and pack everything up. On Friday we have approximately a four hour layover in Beijing then on to Seattle. We are ready to head back to the states and start the next part of our journey. The girls are in for a big adjustment with Kai and he is going to have to figure out our routine and language. We still have no idea if we will put him in Kindergarten this year or just put him in preschool. We will have to see how things go once we arrive home.
We will try and post some photos .
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Posting photos
I will post a bunch of photos. I seem to have a rocking fast connection this morning for the first time. The pictures may be in no particular order. I just want to share while the connection is good. Enjoy!
First day as Kai Morio (Mo-Dee-oh) Mato
Kai's first night with us
He loves noodles with Chili pepper sauce
Enjoying time in our room as a family
He loves noodles with Chili pepper sauce
Enjoying time in our room as a family
First pictures of Kai
The ride to the Photo Mart
Kai was bundled up with seveal layers of clothesPark and dinner
On Wednesday we left our hotel and ventured out to a park with Kai. As soon as the camera was pulled out the fun began. We ended up just booking it through the park just to get out of there. We have some very interesting video that we will share with Kai when he is older. Spitting at us and screaming in public. Nothing seems to faze the Chinese people. Brooks and I are beyond caring anyway. We are just going with it. Aside from our fun at the park we had another positive day. Kai is really bonding with Brooks and he likes to watch videos of his Mei Mei and Jie Jie. At times he seems to understand us and he gets a little grin on his face and refuses to listen. Right now we are trying several different techniques to calm him. The latest, holding him tight and not letting him go. Brooks read about this technique on the internet. It is to reinforce that we are not going to leave him even when he acts out. Brooks even went to the extreme of wrapping him in a blanket, now termed “the burrito”. Kai understands the terms “burrito” and shakes his head no when Brooks asks him if he wants “the burrito”. LOL!!!!!
It is now Thursday moringing and the boys are still sleeping. I am trying to post as quickly as possible before Kai wakes and sees that the computer is out. Last night we ate dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. It was our first positive dining out experience. We were able to sit and eat. Kai was patient when waiting for the food and he only got up a few times to show me that he wanted something to drink. First it was Red Bull (even the Chinese need their caffeine). Of course I said “no”, and then it was a coke he wanted. Again, “no”. He settled for orange juice. He only drank about 1/4th of the bottle. The first day he was drinking a whole bottle of tea or an entire can of coke with his meal.
Today we are going to the museum. Our plan is if Kai starts acting up we will leave. No big deal. Our guide is on board with the plan. I keep wondering what she thinks of our situation. Of course, she will not just come out and say what she thinks. She did tell us most of the children from Xinjiang are younger than Kai so maybe she does not have that much experience with the older kids.
Today I am heading to the bazaar for the second time. Yesterday Lily took me there to find gifts. Unfortunately it was closed due to a Uyghur holiday. I managed to look in a few stores that were open. There are some really unique items that I would like to bring home.
Today is our last full day in Urumqi then we head off to Guangzhou tomorrow. We are praying for an uneventful flight, transfer and a second flight to get there. Hopefully Kai will be agreeable and we make our short connection in Chengdu.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
We have Kai!!!
Yesterday was our "Gotcha Day". I am not going to sugar coat this post as I want it to be realistic for anyone reading that might be considering adopting an older child.
We were to meet our guide in the lobby at 10am to drive to the Photo Mart. Around 945 our room phone rang and it was our guide Lilly who said "we are in the lobby. I picked up the directer and we are here now". Brooks and I booked it down to the lobby and were able to video our fist sighting of Kai. He was shy and was scared to meet us. Finally at last he came up and shook my hand and he gave Brooks a hug and kiss!!!!!! I hope we have it all on video. I will explain later to why we are not sure.
After the initial meeting we went to the Photo Mart and had our pictures taken. All was good. Then off to the Provincial office. When we entered the office there was another family there that we met at New Day. They are a truly amazing family. The have 4 bio kids, 4 Chinese kids and they are here to adopt 2 additional kids. You read that right! Number 5 and 6 from China :). They are such a nice family. They gave us some advise and told us it will get better and easier.
One thing I forgot to say is on our ride over to the office Brooks was snapping photos of Kai. Kai took the camera from Brooks so he allowed him to take pictures. All was fine if we let him have the camera. The minute we tried to take it away the crying, screaming, kicking and throwing himself down on the floor started. OK, I guess the honey moon phase was over. Wow, that was quick. The orphanage directer and the caretaker tried to calm him down. You could tell that they were stressed. I could see that Brooks was really stressed as well. All that I could think about was that return policy that we signed. I was afraid Kai was going to break Brooks within a couple of hours and it would be over... We would come home without him.
We finished our appointment and off to the notary office. There again Kai was acting up. Running off and kicking. Yikes!! All the while packing the video camera or the camera around to keep him calm. We knew we were in for it. We were trying desperately to ask as many questions to figure out what was going on with him. Is this how he is all the time or is it the stress or what? We noticed that the caretaker kept giving him gum and he would be good. He seemed to listen when she spoke to him and he would do what she told him to do. That was a good sign. Brooks and I were looking for our life line to keep our hopes up that this is a good kid.
We ended up leaving the notary which was walking distance to our hotel. Kai kept looking back for the directer and the caretaker. I ended up caring all 18 kg of him back to a Uyghar restaurant near the hotel. Our guide ordered us food and he ate noodles with lots of chili peppers. Apparently he really likes spicy food.
After that we took him back to the hotel and took him swimming. He loves to swim. After about two hours we told him that it was time to go and the naughty little boy emerged again. Brooks and I were exhausted by this time. We were both thinking , what are we doing? I am feeling guilty for dragging Brooks to China, again.... After returning to our room. Kai was bouncing off the walls. With all the gum, coke and snacks he was really acting out. He kept leaving the room and running down the hall way. It was too many times to count. We decided to take him out for a walk at the square across the street. There he wanted a kite. When we told him no, he threw a fit. Then off to see the pigeons. People were feeding the pigeons and we thought he would like to join in. He kept grabbing the pigeons and when Brooks would take it away he would resist and pull a bunch of feathers out...
We ended up back at the hotel and I asked the front desk if anyone spoke Uyghar. We found a worker who translated for us. We told him that he must not run away from us. He must stay in the room. Etc... When the man was telling Kai all this he was really listening and he was better. The rest of the night was similar to our earlier experience but things got slightly better during the evening.
Tuesday we got up and went to the police station. Our guide was able to reinforce to Kai "the Rules". He seemed to understand. Today has gone much better. Only a few tantrums. We are hanging out at the hotel, limiting stimulation and trying to reassure him. Brooks has been a trooper. Just like Zoe, Kai has bonded with Brooks.
Here are a few things about Kai that we were told or from observation.
He loves noodles
He is a messy eater
Very independent
He bathes at night and washes every square inch twice except his feet, which he washes about 8 times.
He was raised by a Muslim family
His primary language is Uyghar, Mandarin is his second language
He loves the TV to be blaring loud
He is rough
He weighs 40 lbs
He is Uygar and not Han Chinese
He can say "good boy" in English
He was called Yakupa by his foster family
We have pictures of him and his foster family :)
He was spoiled
He has started calling us Mama and Baba
He has been living in the orphanage for the last 2 weeks
We are unable to take photos or bring out the video camera as it unleashes the "monster child" within Kai. Hopefully we will be able to take photos at some point so we can document our first days.
Tomorrow we are going to take him to a park with rides if the weather is tolerable. So far, only our fist day in Urumqi has been cold and the rest of the days have been mild.
We are thinking so much of this behavior is due to stress and his inability to communicate. We see some promising improvement today and hope it will get better each day.
We will try to post some pictures after Kai is asleep as it will require the camera to come out of hiding :)
We were to meet our guide in the lobby at 10am to drive to the Photo Mart. Around 945 our room phone rang and it was our guide Lilly who said "we are in the lobby. I picked up the directer and we are here now". Brooks and I booked it down to the lobby and were able to video our fist sighting of Kai. He was shy and was scared to meet us. Finally at last he came up and shook my hand and he gave Brooks a hug and kiss!!!!!! I hope we have it all on video. I will explain later to why we are not sure.
After the initial meeting we went to the Photo Mart and had our pictures taken. All was good. Then off to the Provincial office. When we entered the office there was another family there that we met at New Day. They are a truly amazing family. The have 4 bio kids, 4 Chinese kids and they are here to adopt 2 additional kids. You read that right! Number 5 and 6 from China :). They are such a nice family. They gave us some advise and told us it will get better and easier.
One thing I forgot to say is on our ride over to the office Brooks was snapping photos of Kai. Kai took the camera from Brooks so he allowed him to take pictures. All was fine if we let him have the camera. The minute we tried to take it away the crying, screaming, kicking and throwing himself down on the floor started. OK, I guess the honey moon phase was over. Wow, that was quick. The orphanage directer and the caretaker tried to calm him down. You could tell that they were stressed. I could see that Brooks was really stressed as well. All that I could think about was that return policy that we signed. I was afraid Kai was going to break Brooks within a couple of hours and it would be over... We would come home without him.
We finished our appointment and off to the notary office. There again Kai was acting up. Running off and kicking. Yikes!! All the while packing the video camera or the camera around to keep him calm. We knew we were in for it. We were trying desperately to ask as many questions to figure out what was going on with him. Is this how he is all the time or is it the stress or what? We noticed that the caretaker kept giving him gum and he would be good. He seemed to listen when she spoke to him and he would do what she told him to do. That was a good sign. Brooks and I were looking for our life line to keep our hopes up that this is a good kid.
We ended up leaving the notary which was walking distance to our hotel. Kai kept looking back for the directer and the caretaker. I ended up caring all 18 kg of him back to a Uyghar restaurant near the hotel. Our guide ordered us food and he ate noodles with lots of chili peppers. Apparently he really likes spicy food.
After that we took him back to the hotel and took him swimming. He loves to swim. After about two hours we told him that it was time to go and the naughty little boy emerged again. Brooks and I were exhausted by this time. We were both thinking , what are we doing? I am feeling guilty for dragging Brooks to China, again.... After returning to our room. Kai was bouncing off the walls. With all the gum, coke and snacks he was really acting out. He kept leaving the room and running down the hall way. It was too many times to count. We decided to take him out for a walk at the square across the street. There he wanted a kite. When we told him no, he threw a fit. Then off to see the pigeons. People were feeding the pigeons and we thought he would like to join in. He kept grabbing the pigeons and when Brooks would take it away he would resist and pull a bunch of feathers out...
We ended up back at the hotel and I asked the front desk if anyone spoke Uyghar. We found a worker who translated for us. We told him that he must not run away from us. He must stay in the room. Etc... When the man was telling Kai all this he was really listening and he was better. The rest of the night was similar to our earlier experience but things got slightly better during the evening.
Tuesday we got up and went to the police station. Our guide was able to reinforce to Kai "the Rules". He seemed to understand. Today has gone much better. Only a few tantrums. We are hanging out at the hotel, limiting stimulation and trying to reassure him. Brooks has been a trooper. Just like Zoe, Kai has bonded with Brooks.
Here are a few things about Kai that we were told or from observation.
He loves noodles
He is a messy eater
Very independent
He bathes at night and washes every square inch twice except his feet, which he washes about 8 times.
He was raised by a Muslim family
His primary language is Uyghar, Mandarin is his second language
He loves the TV to be blaring loud
He is rough
He weighs 40 lbs
He is Uygar and not Han Chinese
He can say "good boy" in English
He was called Yakupa by his foster family
We have pictures of him and his foster family :)
He was spoiled
He has started calling us Mama and Baba
He has been living in the orphanage for the last 2 weeks
We are unable to take photos or bring out the video camera as it unleashes the "monster child" within Kai. Hopefully we will be able to take photos at some point so we can document our first days.
Tomorrow we are going to take him to a park with rides if the weather is tolerable. So far, only our fist day in Urumqi has been cold and the rest of the days have been mild.
We are thinking so much of this behavior is due to stress and his inability to communicate. We see some promising improvement today and hope it will get better each day.
We will try to post some pictures after Kai is asleep as it will require the camera to come out of hiding :)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
We are in Urumqi
Urumqi: Pronounced Oo-Roo-Moo-Chi or Woo-Loo-Moo-Chi....
So, we've been mispronouncing it for the last 9 months. Better late than never, i guess :)
It was about a 4 hour flight from Beijing and Cindy was the only Caucasian on the fully booked flight. It's funny how everyone stares at her. But I now exactly what they're thinking.... 'How did she get so lucky to end up with such a handsome Asian husband' LOL.
On the flight there was a Uighar man and woman with a 2 yr old boy. The boy could pass for Kai's little brother. He was very cute and pretty well behaved. When we got in, our guide, Lily was waiting outside of the baggage claim. We are the only one's in the group which is kind of cool. Lily informed us that Kai is THE first adoption from the Kashgar orphanage EVER. The orphanage director will be flying in with Kai a little later and she is very nervous. Apparently because she's never done this before. All the paperwork says that Kai is Han Chinese, but when we showed Lily his picture, she could tell immediately that is not the case. He looks Uighur.
Urumqi is very smoggy although you could see some blue sky, here and there. (Unlike Beijing). During this time of the years many of homes burn coal to stay warm which could account for some of the smog. We are staying at the Hoi Tak hotel which is nice and clean. The pool requires everyone to wear a swim cap for sanitary reasons. We checked in and Lily immediately escorted us to Wangfujing, a huge department/grocery store just a couple blocks from the hotel. There we bought snacks and bottled water. We then came back to the hotel to do some paperwork. Interestingly, one of the documents mentions that once we get Kai, we have a several hour return policy. This is something different from our last adoption.
We went next door to a 24 hour Muslim restaurant and Lily ordered shish kebabs, bread and noodles for us. The food is very inexpensive. About $1.50 per dish, which is awesome. Really tasty too. Lily explained that the food is very similar to Chinese food.... just no pork. And lots of lamb.
Outside our hotel is a large common square where people gather to exercise, roller blade and hang out. We were able to film a large group of women and a few men doing "Chinese Line Dancing". It is great to see that exercise is still a component of peoples daily lives. I must admit the people in Urumqi appear to be thinner than those in Beijing. We have yet to see any fast food chains here.
Because Monday is a big Muslim holiday in this province, all the government offices are closed. Lily was able to convince them to 'do the deal', otherwise we would miss our appointment with the American Consulate in Guangzhou on Saturday. Because of the holiday, we will not be receiving Kai at an official government office, which is customary here, but at a photo mart down the street from the hotel. Were we will be taking our official family photo and passport photo for Kai.
Right now it is 8am Monday morning and it's still dark outside. The whole country of China follows one time, but a lot of locals here follow the actual time zone, which is 2 hours behind Beijing. We will meet Lily in the hotel lobby at 10am. We have a backpack full of toys and coloring supplies for Kai and I'm trying to figure out the plan when we receive him. I think we will keep it simple... maybe just 1 gift immediately to break the ice. Probably the stuffed dinosaur that Sophie sent for him. Then later he'll get all the goodies. This way, hopefully he will be able to be more conscious of everything that is going on during this extraordinary time.
More to follow later....
So, we've been mispronouncing it for the last 9 months. Better late than never, i guess :)
It was about a 4 hour flight from Beijing and Cindy was the only Caucasian on the fully booked flight. It's funny how everyone stares at her. But I now exactly what they're thinking.... 'How did she get so lucky to end up with such a handsome Asian husband' LOL.
On the flight there was a Uighar man and woman with a 2 yr old boy. The boy could pass for Kai's little brother. He was very cute and pretty well behaved. When we got in, our guide, Lily was waiting outside of the baggage claim. We are the only one's in the group which is kind of cool. Lily informed us that Kai is THE first adoption from the Kashgar orphanage EVER. The orphanage director will be flying in with Kai a little later and she is very nervous. Apparently because she's never done this before. All the paperwork says that Kai is Han Chinese, but when we showed Lily his picture, she could tell immediately that is not the case. He looks Uighur.
Urumqi is very smoggy although you could see some blue sky, here and there. (Unlike Beijing). During this time of the years many of homes burn coal to stay warm which could account for some of the smog. We are staying at the Hoi Tak hotel which is nice and clean. The pool requires everyone to wear a swim cap for sanitary reasons. We checked in and Lily immediately escorted us to Wangfujing, a huge department/grocery store just a couple blocks from the hotel. There we bought snacks and bottled water. We then came back to the hotel to do some paperwork. Interestingly, one of the documents mentions that once we get Kai, we have a several hour return policy. This is something different from our last adoption.
We went next door to a 24 hour Muslim restaurant and Lily ordered shish kebabs, bread and noodles for us. The food is very inexpensive. About $1.50 per dish, which is awesome. Really tasty too. Lily explained that the food is very similar to Chinese food.... just no pork. And lots of lamb.
Outside our hotel is a large common square where people gather to exercise, roller blade and hang out. We were able to film a large group of women and a few men doing "Chinese Line Dancing". It is great to see that exercise is still a component of peoples daily lives. I must admit the people in Urumqi appear to be thinner than those in Beijing. We have yet to see any fast food chains here.
Because Monday is a big Muslim holiday in this province, all the government offices are closed. Lily was able to convince them to 'do the deal', otherwise we would miss our appointment with the American Consulate in Guangzhou on Saturday. Because of the holiday, we will not be receiving Kai at an official government office, which is customary here, but at a photo mart down the street from the hotel. Were we will be taking our official family photo and passport photo for Kai.
Right now it is 8am Monday morning and it's still dark outside. The whole country of China follows one time, but a lot of locals here follow the actual time zone, which is 2 hours behind Beijing. We will meet Lily in the hotel lobby at 10am. We have a backpack full of toys and coloring supplies for Kai and I'm trying to figure out the plan when we receive him. I think we will keep it simple... maybe just 1 gift immediately to break the ice. Probably the stuffed dinosaur that Sophie sent for him. Then later he'll get all the goodies. This way, hopefully he will be able to be more conscious of everything that is going on during this extraordinary time.
More to follow later....
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Leaving Beijing for Urumqi
We had 2 great days in Beijing and now it is time to fly out again. Sorry,I was unable to post at our Beijing hotel due to the Internet connection.
Yesterday we toured with our GW group. It started out wet and cold but by the time we got to the Great Wall the showers had stopped and we were able to climb the wall without getting wet. We climbed the same portion of the wall as we did when we came to get Zoe. Being 9 years older this time we didn't climb quite as far.
Beijing sure has changed since my last visit in 2005. You can see the effects of the Westerners and fast food on the people. The 20ish young people are looking more Western in a Japanese way. The spiked hair and stylish clothes. Lots of bright red hair from the over use of henna. Something I did not see in '05.
Our GW group consists of 8 families. 2 couples that will be first time parents and the rest of us with kids. Some with Chinese girls. The entire group will be heading out to their various provinces and meeting up in Guangzhou. It will be great to see everyone with their new kids. We have one mom who is traveling with her father. She will be picking up 2 girls. One that is 13. She is a bit stressed about the 13 year old because after the age of 10 the child must consent to being adopted. With having no contact with the girls she is unaware of her feelings regarding being adopted.
We will try to post once we are in Urumqi (depending on the internet).
xxoo Cindy
Yesterday we toured with our GW group. It started out wet and cold but by the time we got to the Great Wall the showers had stopped and we were able to climb the wall without getting wet. We climbed the same portion of the wall as we did when we came to get Zoe. Being 9 years older this time we didn't climb quite as far.
Beijing sure has changed since my last visit in 2005. You can see the effects of the Westerners and fast food on the people. The 20ish young people are looking more Western in a Japanese way. The spiked hair and stylish clothes. Lots of bright red hair from the over use of henna. Something I did not see in '05.
Our GW group consists of 8 families. 2 couples that will be first time parents and the rest of us with kids. Some with Chinese girls. The entire group will be heading out to their various provinces and meeting up in Guangzhou. It will be great to see everyone with their new kids. We have one mom who is traveling with her father. She will be picking up 2 girls. One that is 13. She is a bit stressed about the 13 year old because after the age of 10 the child must consent to being adopted. With having no contact with the girls she is unaware of her feelings regarding being adopted.
We will try to post once we are in Urumqi (depending on the internet).
xxoo Cindy
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
On our way Kai!!
This post was going to be our original post leaving Seattle. Whoops, things are in the wrong order :)Our Internet connection is similar to dial up from the early years of technology. Small pictures and brief post may be our only choice at this location. Enjoy our journey!
We are in China!!!!!
We left Seattle on October 31st and arrived in China on November 1. We had a wonderful direct flight into Beijing. When we arrived in Beijing our guide was waiting for us. Things could not of gone smoother.
The drive to where we were staying was quite far outside of Beijing. It is a wonderful little village with cement houses, stray dogs, fruit vendors, food stalls and all the wonderful smells of village life (LOL). We walked through the village and ate at a local restaurant. The vegetables are locally grown and the flavor is amazing. The carrots were sweet and the cucumbers had a crunch unlike anything you can buy in our mass supermarkets in the states.
Our first day spent with the children was exciting and informative. The children are happy , well cared for and so much fun.
Brooks and I fell asleep after lunch and did not wake up until 11 PM Beijing time (9 am in Seattle, I think). As you can see we are on Seattle time still.
The village is quiet and the Mato family is wide awake and hungry!!!!
The good news is that our internet connection while sketchy, works, hence this post.
We miss the girls but know they are in good hands. We will try to post some picture.
Cindy
The drive to where we were staying was quite far outside of Beijing. It is a wonderful little village with cement houses, stray dogs, fruit vendors, food stalls and all the wonderful smells of village life (LOL). We walked through the village and ate at a local restaurant. The vegetables are locally grown and the flavor is amazing. The carrots were sweet and the cucumbers had a crunch unlike anything you can buy in our mass supermarkets in the states.
Our first day spent with the children was exciting and informative. The children are happy , well cared for and so much fun.
Brooks and I fell asleep after lunch and did not wake up until 11 PM Beijing time (9 am in Seattle, I think). As you can see we are on Seattle time still.
The village is quiet and the Mato family is wide awake and hungry!!!!
The good news is that our internet connection while sketchy, works, hence this post.
We miss the girls but know they are in good hands. We will try to post some picture.
Cindy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)