Monday, September 29, 2008
Home Sweet Home!
Well, after a very long 24 hours of travel, we got home safe and sound! The long plane ride from Toyko to Oregon was extremely difficult on Kaitlyn. It was late at night for us, she hated sitting for that long, and dispite my attempt to "drug" her, it didn't work. She stayed awake and restless the whole way. It was actually the first time she ever cried. When we arrived in Oregon it took about an hour to go through customs and immigration to make Kaitlyn an official US citizen. Then my brother picked us up and took us to a nearby hotel to hang out with him, his two daughters, my sister and her two boys. It was so great to see them!!!!! It had been almost 3 years - the kids have grown up so much!!! It was about 1:00 am for us, so we were very tired.
The flight to Phoenix was much better. The seats were a little wider and we had much more leg room. Kaitlyn, Kailey and Austin slept almost the entire way. Tim and I got a cat nap in. When we arrived we were greeted with family and friends, lots of welcome banners and many tears of joy! It was pretty awesome and emotionally overwhelming. We hit the drive through on the way home and everyone ate at our house. When we came through the front door there was big banner stretched across our entry that said, "Welcome Home Tim, Tanya, Austin, Kailey and Kaitlyn!" It was fabulous! Then, all the bedroom doors were shut with a sign on each door saying welcome home and our bedroom door said "There's No Place Like Home". There were welcome balloons and a card in Chinese telling Kaitlyn welcome to her new home. My mother-in-law cleaned our whole house, cleaned out my refridgerator and stocked it with food. My sister-in-law Audrey, made us a lasagna too! Our neighbors, Micah, Alyssa and their two kids stopped by to meet Kaitlyn and bring her a gift. It was all so touching and we felt so loved, missed and cared for. It truly was a great homecoming from a long trip!! When it was time for everyone to go, we had to explain that they don't all live here - they have their own houses. It think that was weird to her. Kaitlyn slept in her own bed in her own room the whole night! Praise God! I don't know if she'll do this every night or she did last night out of being too exhausted to argue about it!!
Today, Monday, Kailey and I slept in until almost noon. We were completely and utterly exhausted. Tim and Austin got up early, but Tim crashed right after dinner. Kaitlyn had a really good day exploring more of the house and getting used to our dogs. (she has a fear of animals). We had to teach her to throw her TP in the toilet, because in China and Japan you can't flush it - you put it in the waste basket. We also demonstrated you could drink the water from the sink and brush your teeth with it. The water is not drinkable in China - even for them. My in-laws took us the the Olive Garden for dinner tonight and bought her a doll she could play with, feed and bathe! She gasped with joy, got the biggest smile on her face and was all hugs!
Thanks for all your prayers and comments!! I'll write more later this week and let you know how things are going at home. Bye!
The flight to Phoenix was much better. The seats were a little wider and we had much more leg room. Kaitlyn, Kailey and Austin slept almost the entire way. Tim and I got a cat nap in. When we arrived we were greeted with family and friends, lots of welcome banners and many tears of joy! It was pretty awesome and emotionally overwhelming. We hit the drive through on the way home and everyone ate at our house. When we came through the front door there was big banner stretched across our entry that said, "Welcome Home Tim, Tanya, Austin, Kailey and Kaitlyn!" It was fabulous! Then, all the bedroom doors were shut with a sign on each door saying welcome home and our bedroom door said "There's No Place Like Home". There were welcome balloons and a card in Chinese telling Kaitlyn welcome to her new home. My mother-in-law cleaned our whole house, cleaned out my refridgerator and stocked it with food. My sister-in-law Audrey, made us a lasagna too! Our neighbors, Micah, Alyssa and their two kids stopped by to meet Kaitlyn and bring her a gift. It was all so touching and we felt so loved, missed and cared for. It truly was a great homecoming from a long trip!! When it was time for everyone to go, we had to explain that they don't all live here - they have their own houses. It think that was weird to her. Kaitlyn slept in her own bed in her own room the whole night! Praise God! I don't know if she'll do this every night or she did last night out of being too exhausted to argue about it!!
Today, Monday, Kailey and I slept in until almost noon. We were completely and utterly exhausted. Tim and Austin got up early, but Tim crashed right after dinner. Kaitlyn had a really good day exploring more of the house and getting used to our dogs. (she has a fear of animals). We had to teach her to throw her TP in the toilet, because in China and Japan you can't flush it - you put it in the waste basket. We also demonstrated you could drink the water from the sink and brush your teeth with it. The water is not drinkable in China - even for them. My in-laws took us the the Olive Garden for dinner tonight and bought her a doll she could play with, feed and bathe! She gasped with joy, got the biggest smile on her face and was all hugs!
Thanks for all your prayers and comments!! I'll write more later this week and let you know how things are going at home. Bye!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Last Day in China
Well, this will be our last post while in China. We will be getting up tomorrow at 4:30 am to get ready to head to the airport. I will continue to post updates on our blog once we're home, but probably not everyday.
After breakfast, Kaitlyn got a long lesson in how to use her translater by our guide, Rosa. Rosa said it is complicated, and she will have to spell things correctly in pinyin. Chinese children are not taught uppercase letters, only lowercase. Therefore, since the keyboard is in capital letters, it makes it more difficult. Rosa made an enlarged copy on the keyboard and all the functions, then wrote in Chinese characters what each button is for.
Then we hailed a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Shamin Island again. The driving is still a bit crazy in Guangzhou, but not nearly as bad as Lanzhou!!! We arrived in one piece and set off to do a little more shopping. Tim picked out the BEST shirt for Kaitlyn and she will be wearing it home! Leave it to Tim!! :)
When we got back to the hotel, we talked about what we wanted to do for our last dinner in China. We all unanimously agreed to go back to the Japanese/Chinese resturant! How our family loves our sushi and seafood!! It was an awesome treat! We went around the table asking how everyone was feeling about leaving. Again, we unanimously had the same answer. "I'm not ready to leave." There are still things we wanted to see and do. We have made some good friends: Guides in Gansu; Megan and Steed, Guides in Beijing and Guangzhou; Maggie and Rosa. Even "Donk", the shop owner of "Susan's Place" on the Island. Tim enjoyed learning how to play Chinese Chess with him. We spent hours in his store both days we were there. We have had the best time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the culture, customs and food. We thank God everyday we were given such a wonderful opportunity to adopt a child and visit some majestic places! Kaitlyn finally has a "forever family" after waiting ten years of her life! She is a joy and a blessing to us and has really blossomed these past few days. It's so hard to leave and I'm even starting to get choked up just writing this. China will forever be a part of our hearts and lives.
After breakfast, Kaitlyn got a long lesson in how to use her translater by our guide, Rosa. Rosa said it is complicated, and she will have to spell things correctly in pinyin. Chinese children are not taught uppercase letters, only lowercase. Therefore, since the keyboard is in capital letters, it makes it more difficult. Rosa made an enlarged copy on the keyboard and all the functions, then wrote in Chinese characters what each button is for.
Then we hailed a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Shamin Island again. The driving is still a bit crazy in Guangzhou, but not nearly as bad as Lanzhou!!! We arrived in one piece and set off to do a little more shopping. Tim picked out the BEST shirt for Kaitlyn and she will be wearing it home! Leave it to Tim!! :)
When we got back to the hotel, we talked about what we wanted to do for our last dinner in China. We all unanimously agreed to go back to the Japanese/Chinese resturant! How our family loves our sushi and seafood!! It was an awesome treat! We went around the table asking how everyone was feeling about leaving. Again, we unanimously had the same answer. "I'm not ready to leave." There are still things we wanted to see and do. We have made some good friends: Guides in Gansu; Megan and Steed, Guides in Beijing and Guangzhou; Maggie and Rosa. Even "Donk", the shop owner of "Susan's Place" on the Island. Tim enjoyed learning how to play Chinese Chess with him. We spent hours in his store both days we were there. We have had the best time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the culture, customs and food. We thank God everyday we were given such a wonderful opportunity to adopt a child and visit some majestic places! Kaitlyn finally has a "forever family" after waiting ten years of her life! She is a joy and a blessing to us and has really blossomed these past few days. It's so hard to leave and I'm even starting to get choked up just writing this. China will forever be a part of our hearts and lives.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Consulate Day & Starbucks!
Our day began with group pictures on the back stairs of the hotel lobby. Then if was off to Starbucks for some much needed coffee! We introduced Kaitlyn to a creme based mocha frap and she liked it once she got over the initial cold! After that, it was Kaitlyn's first time ever in a swimming pool! She got extremely excited when we acted out swimming and pulled out her bathing suit! They have rules in the hotel that you must wear a swim cap. Some friends let Kailey and Kaitlyn borrow there's. She did really good! She seems to like the water - once she learned to keep her mouth shut and nose plugged when going under! According to Kailey, "she was more wiggley than a fish flopping around out of water!" They had a great time!
Next, our whole group piled in the bus and drove to our Consulate appointment. The room was packed with many other groups adopting as well. It was a snap. An English speaking lady got on the microphone and explained the envelope we would get and then we all stood up as one large group, raised our right hand and said, "we will" after she asked a couple short questions. It was a total piece-of-cake, and the FINAL step to our adoption! We are FINALLY done with everything! Yeah!!!!! Once we touch down in Oregon, she will instantly be an American Citizen and be know legally as Kaitlyn Ying Christians!!
We went to dinner with 3 other families from our group tonight. We wanted to have something a little more daring before we come home. It took almost an hour to order our food! There was MUCH confusion with the staff and we ended up calling our guide, Maggie, to come down and help explain our order to the servers. Austin ordered Eel, which was pretty good - a little salty. I ordered a chicken with the head on the plate! It was really good! Kailey played it safe and ordered ribs from some animal. Tim, on the other hand, was the most daring and ordered Snow crab and Frog. It looked a lot better in the picture! When it arrived, it was more like slimy jello and tasted like it looked! No thank you!! Tim was a good sport and ate the whole thing!
After dinner we got Kaitlyn in the bath and then Tim and I went to say our goodbye's to our new found friends (don't worry... Austin & Kailey stayed with Kaitlyn). It was sad and of course the women got choked up as we hugged goodbye. We especially connected with the McBeath's and both Lois and I cried a bit as we hugged goodbye. Next summer they want to come do the Grand Canyon with us which will be great to see them again! Our Austin's exchanged cell numbers and email as well. The Ehmann's have family in Arizona and they used to live in the East Valley, so we will also get to see them again! Susan (Ehmann) collected everyone's address, phone, email, etc. and photocopied it for the whole group. We hope to stay in touch with everyone - you feel like a "new family" after being together for two weeks in a foreign country!
Saturday, we will be the only ones left :( We will go to Shamian Island again and spend a bit more time looking around - then start packing to leave Sunday at 5:30 am to the airport. We figure our travel will be about 24 hours. We are coming in Northwest Flight 0006 to Portland, OR from Tokyo at 8:10 am Sunday. (Dad, Chris & Cari...I will turn on my cell phone once we land). Then, we will arrive in Phoenix NW flight 4129 Opperated through Alaska Airlines at 4:40 pm Terminal 2. Looking forward to seeing you!
Next, our whole group piled in the bus and drove to our Consulate appointment. The room was packed with many other groups adopting as well. It was a snap. An English speaking lady got on the microphone and explained the envelope we would get and then we all stood up as one large group, raised our right hand and said, "we will" after she asked a couple short questions. It was a total piece-of-cake, and the FINAL step to our adoption! We are FINALLY done with everything! Yeah!!!!! Once we touch down in Oregon, she will instantly be an American Citizen and be know legally as Kaitlyn Ying Christians!!
We went to dinner with 3 other families from our group tonight. We wanted to have something a little more daring before we come home. It took almost an hour to order our food! There was MUCH confusion with the staff and we ended up calling our guide, Maggie, to come down and help explain our order to the servers. Austin ordered Eel, which was pretty good - a little salty. I ordered a chicken with the head on the plate! It was really good! Kailey played it safe and ordered ribs from some animal. Tim, on the other hand, was the most daring and ordered Snow crab and Frog. It looked a lot better in the picture! When it arrived, it was more like slimy jello and tasted like it looked! No thank you!! Tim was a good sport and ate the whole thing!
After dinner we got Kaitlyn in the bath and then Tim and I went to say our goodbye's to our new found friends (don't worry... Austin & Kailey stayed with Kaitlyn). It was sad and of course the women got choked up as we hugged goodbye. We especially connected with the McBeath's and both Lois and I cried a bit as we hugged goodbye. Next summer they want to come do the Grand Canyon with us which will be great to see them again! Our Austin's exchanged cell numbers and email as well. The Ehmann's have family in Arizona and they used to live in the East Valley, so we will also get to see them again! Susan (Ehmann) collected everyone's address, phone, email, etc. and photocopied it for the whole group. We hope to stay in touch with everyone - you feel like a "new family" after being together for two weeks in a foreign country!
Saturday, we will be the only ones left :( We will go to Shamian Island again and spend a bit more time looking around - then start packing to leave Sunday at 5:30 am to the airport. We figure our travel will be about 24 hours. We are coming in Northwest Flight 0006 to Portland, OR from Tokyo at 8:10 am Sunday. (Dad, Chris & Cari...I will turn on my cell phone once we land). Then, we will arrive in Phoenix NW flight 4129 Opperated through Alaska Airlines at 4:40 pm Terminal 2. Looking forward to seeing you!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Paperwork Passed & Shopping!
All the families had to hang out in our rooms this morning just incase we were needed if something was wrong with our paperwork. Maggie, our guide, just called (11:30 am) and said everything was perfect and our papers passed! Yeah!
Did I mention that our hotel has 45 floors? We are on the 32nd floor and our ears pop going down to the 1st floor! The breakfast buffet is on the revolving top floor -kinda like the top of the Hilton in Phoenix or the Space Needle in Seattle! It's a spectacular view of Guangzhou that seems to go for miles. Our room has two bathrooms, a master bedroom and a large living room where all the kids sleep. It is so nice having two bathrooms with 5 people!!
We went to Shamian Island today to do some shopping. We were only given 2 1/2 hours, which was not enough time to walk around and see the island. All we did was barter for souvenirs! I think we're going to brave it and take a cab there Saturday to explore more. The rest of our group leaves for home Friday or Saturday. I think we're the only ones staying until Sunday. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in China and I will try really hard not to cry when we say goodbye!!
Kaitlyn (who we call ,"Dang Ying Kaitlyn", until we can drop the Dang Ying after awhile) had a really good day! Only a couple small episodes, which she got over fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
Okay, I have got to tell you about our dining experience tonight! We ate at the famous "Banana Leaf Resturant". It came complete with delicious food (we wished there was more!) and hilarious entertainment. I took pictures and video from my camera and I'm going to attempt to load the video of Austin and Kailey dancing with the dancers. It was too funny to watch! Austin's new friend, Austin (15) and our Austin were the constant tease by the "colorful" dancing staff there. It was quite the experience! We had a fabulous time! The pictures and video say it all!
Did I mention that our hotel has 45 floors? We are on the 32nd floor and our ears pop going down to the 1st floor! The breakfast buffet is on the revolving top floor -kinda like the top of the Hilton in Phoenix or the Space Needle in Seattle! It's a spectacular view of Guangzhou that seems to go for miles. Our room has two bathrooms, a master bedroom and a large living room where all the kids sleep. It is so nice having two bathrooms with 5 people!!
We went to Shamian Island today to do some shopping. We were only given 2 1/2 hours, which was not enough time to walk around and see the island. All we did was barter for souvenirs! I think we're going to brave it and take a cab there Saturday to explore more. The rest of our group leaves for home Friday or Saturday. I think we're the only ones staying until Sunday. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in China and I will try really hard not to cry when we say goodbye!!
Kaitlyn (who we call ,"Dang Ying Kaitlyn", until we can drop the Dang Ying after awhile) had a really good day! Only a couple small episodes, which she got over fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
Okay, I have got to tell you about our dining experience tonight! We ate at the famous "Banana Leaf Resturant". It came complete with delicious food (we wished there was more!) and hilarious entertainment. I took pictures and video from my camera and I'm going to attempt to load the video of Austin and Kailey dancing with the dancers. It was too funny to watch! Austin's new friend, Austin (15) and our Austin were the constant tease by the "colorful" dancing staff there. It was quite the experience! We had a fabulous time! The pictures and video say it all!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Rain, Rain Go Away
Kaitlyn being a ham!
I'm too cute for words!!
Alyssa... I love my new clothes! Thanks!
We all piled onto the bus and were all set to go to the island to do a little shopping today, but due to the typhoon that hit Hong Kong, we are getting torrential rains and the island is flooded! It was standing in about three inches of water this morning... I'm sure even more by now! Everyone was bummed out and looked forward to spending a few hours wheelin' and dealing for some souvenirs. We are going to attempt it again tomorrow. Instead, our guides (Rosa & Maggie) took our group to a little musuem for about an hour. Two of our friends forgot their cameras, so I said no problem... I will just download my pics onto your laptop. I went to take my first picture and discovered I left my memory card in the computer from the night before!!! Ugh!! So, no pictures today, sorry. While we were at the musuem, we felt like we were part of it... we got a few photo-ops with some of the locals that seemed fascinated with our looks, especially when we stood next to our blonde friends! The man was trying to be sneaky and not obvious he was taking our picture, we all (9 of us) turned around on the count of 3 and smiled giving the piece sign and it just made his day!!
Kaitlyn's behavior was much better today. Thanks for all your prayers!!!! Keep them coming! Our guides sat her down and had a little chat with her about it. "She needs much training and boundries" they say. I have been concerned about her academically too. She is old enough to be in 5th grade, but struggles with her 2nd grade work. She didn't get hardly any stimulation, attention or an education at the orphanage and has a lot to catch up on. She has mastered counting to 10 in English, know the names of about 8 body parts, 4 colors, about 10 letters and several words now. For example, "be gentle", "I'm hungry", "Are you hungry?" "shoes", "bath", "bathroom", "please", "more", etc. It's coming. We've also picked up on a few key phrases in Mandarin as well.
We ate dinner again with our friends, the McBeath's, tonight at an Italian restaurant. We ran into two other families there as well. We're enjoying exploring all kinds of foods. Tomorrow night we have a group dinner planned at a local Chinese restaurant... something to do with "banana leaves". We have absolutely loved the food! Lorraine... it's not bad at all, I think you will really like it. You just have to be open to trying it! The guides have been very good with the group meals and helping us order things they think we'll like.
Tim seems to be getting his fair share of attention too. There's been a handful of Chinese people that come up to him and rub is "budda belly". The first time it happened it really caught Tim off guard!! It was hysterical! I guess big bellies on westerners is a sign of great wealth and happiness! Well, for us, the happiness part works! :) Oh, one more crazy thing we've learned. Coffee shops are not "coffee shops" - they're bars! Interesting.
McIntyre Family... I really liked your "priceless" comment! That's great! Miss you!
To all that have either emailed me or posted us a comment supporting us through Kaitlyn's challenges - thank you so, so much! I can't tell you how much that means to us!
We're almost home! I will let everyone know our flight information in a couple days. I know we get in on Sunday, the 28th around 4:40 pm. We'd love to see ya'll there at the airport!!!!!!!!! I'm so incredibly excited to see my family in Washington that are planning on coming to Portland to keep us company during our 6 hour lay over! It's been way too long since I've see you and I can't wait for you to meet your new grandaughter and niece!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Paperwork and Medical Appointment
Today was a big paperwork day and Kaitlyn's medical appointment. The paperwork took about 1 1/2 hours to complete, but we are finally done with all that!! Yeah! Next was the medical appointment where she had a physical, ears & eyes checked, got weighed, etc. She was being very difficult. This has been pretty typical for the past few days. We feel like we can't disciple her too much here, but we had to do something. Can we just say, "presure points". Please pray for us with this matter. It has been extremely challenging having a 10 year old act like she's going through the "terrible two's". I know this is only a phase, and we'll get through it. "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." As I sat here praying about this, it came to me that maybe she is being so naughty to test us to see if we will still love her and accept her no matter what she does to us. Hmmmm, I wonder?
After the medical appointment, we went to a "Wal Mart" type of store and stocked up on bottled water, soda, some oreo cookies, pringles and some snacks Kaitlyn picked out... I have no idea what they are, but it is some kind of a cracker with what looks like carmel filling that comes in a purple bag (Audrey - it's in Chinese, so I don't know how else to explain this. Tim says a red super hot sause would make her day!). Then, Tim and I finally had some coffee at Starbucks! It was fabulous!
Later, we had an incredible dinner at a Japanese resturant in our hotel. We went with another family and sat around a u-shaped table with the chef cooking in the center. We ordered sushi, prawns, salmon, and the biggest king shrimp we've ever seen (longer than Tim's hand!) It was phenomenal!! Tim even got to eat the heads! That was a first! Kaitlyn had her spicy noodle soup and sucked it down no problem! We were given the "red carpet" treatment! There was 3 chefs and 3 servers just for us! One chef seemed to really like serving Kailey and devoted most of her time making sure she constantly had everything she needed! Kailey thought this was pretty cool!
After the medical appointment, we went to a "Wal Mart" type of store and stocked up on bottled water, soda, some oreo cookies, pringles and some snacks Kaitlyn picked out... I have no idea what they are, but it is some kind of a cracker with what looks like carmel filling that comes in a purple bag (Audrey - it's in Chinese, so I don't know how else to explain this. Tim says a red super hot sause would make her day!). Then, Tim and I finally had some coffee at Starbucks! It was fabulous!
Later, we had an incredible dinner at a Japanese resturant in our hotel. We went with another family and sat around a u-shaped table with the chef cooking in the center. We ordered sushi, prawns, salmon, and the biggest king shrimp we've ever seen (longer than Tim's hand!) It was phenomenal!! Tim even got to eat the heads! That was a first! Kaitlyn had her spicy noodle soup and sucked it down no problem! We were given the "red carpet" treatment! There was 3 chefs and 3 servers just for us! One chef seemed to really like serving Kailey and devoted most of her time making sure she constantly had everything she needed! Kailey thought this was pretty cool!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Leaving Lanzhou City, Gansu
We woke up early, got ready, and had breakfast in the hotel. Our guide came to pick us up and drove us an hour away to see where Kaitlyn was abandoned. It's a small part of town next to a huge oil refinery. It seems like a very, very poor community. I didn't get emotional about it until I sat here to write this journal entry. It's heartbreaking to think she was just left in a box or bag on the street in front of a store when she was only a few days old. I'm so thankful she was found rather quickly. Our guide made many stops to talk to the locals to try and find the man that discovered her... but with no luck. He has been great and really bent over backwards for us this morning!
Interesting facts we've learned: Men can beat women without getting arrested, there is no drinking age in China (beer is sold in vending machines like coke), marijuana is legal and grows in public, the average income in Lanzhou is about $350/month, the death penality is immediate (no waiting around in jail for years), Military people cannot have any religious beliefs or they get discharged, kids go to school in the morning - come home to eat a hot lunch - take a nap, and go back to school until about 4pm. Kaitlyn has some BIG adjustments with school once she gets home!! The tooth fairy doesn't come in China. Instead, if the tooth came from the top row, you throw it on the roof. If it came from the bottom row, you throw it in the ditch! Weird, huh??
We're packing getting ready to drive an hour to the airport and fly to Guangzhou at 2:00 pm. Kaitlyn has never been on a plane before and she is EXTREMELY excited! She sees us packing and jumps right in hastily putting things in suitcases, backpacks and dragging them to the door!
15 hours later... now we are here in Guangzhou! Yeah!!!!!!! Civilization!! Praise God!! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful! Wow! I heard there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I cannot wait for a good cup of coffee!!! I have been drinking Lanzhou coffee and it just isn't the same. The flight was good. Kaitlyn did really well for her first flight. We thought she would scream, but she did pretty good. Her ears hurt both times we decended and we gave her more gum to chew. I think we'll give her a little benadryl (sp?) for the long flight home! LOL!! We had a lay over in some other providence between Gansu and Guangzhou (I have no idea!) - hense, the late post... Sorry Drea!! It is currently 11:45 pm and everyone just settled into bed. Tomorrow is paperwork day!
Oh, Savannah - yes, we kept the tooth! Nicole, you're too sweet to have got Kaitlyn a gift! Don't worry, I didn't tell her! Yes, they gave her something on a cotton ball to numb her gums... thank goodness!! Tiffany, I miss you guys tons too!!!! Colleen - love getting your posts!! Denise - I miss you and it was good to hear from you!!! Mom and Dad, I know you probably cannot post comments, but you can email me - the internet is WAY FASTER here!! Everyone - I treasure your comments and I cannot tell you how much they mean to us! It is like waking up Christmas morning everyday to read them!! Bye for now, I'm off to sleep in a king size, much softer bed :) Love you all!!
Interesting facts we've learned: Men can beat women without getting arrested, there is no drinking age in China (beer is sold in vending machines like coke), marijuana is legal and grows in public, the average income in Lanzhou is about $350/month, the death penality is immediate (no waiting around in jail for years), Military people cannot have any religious beliefs or they get discharged, kids go to school in the morning - come home to eat a hot lunch - take a nap, and go back to school until about 4pm. Kaitlyn has some BIG adjustments with school once she gets home!! The tooth fairy doesn't come in China. Instead, if the tooth came from the top row, you throw it on the roof. If it came from the bottom row, you throw it in the ditch! Weird, huh??
We're packing getting ready to drive an hour to the airport and fly to Guangzhou at 2:00 pm. Kaitlyn has never been on a plane before and she is EXTREMELY excited! She sees us packing and jumps right in hastily putting things in suitcases, backpacks and dragging them to the door!
15 hours later... now we are here in Guangzhou! Yeah!!!!!!! Civilization!! Praise God!! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful! Wow! I heard there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I cannot wait for a good cup of coffee!!! I have been drinking Lanzhou coffee and it just isn't the same. The flight was good. Kaitlyn did really well for her first flight. We thought she would scream, but she did pretty good. Her ears hurt both times we decended and we gave her more gum to chew. I think we'll give her a little benadryl (sp?) for the long flight home! LOL!! We had a lay over in some other providence between Gansu and Guangzhou (I have no idea!) - hense, the late post... Sorry Drea!! It is currently 11:45 pm and everyone just settled into bed. Tomorrow is paperwork day!
Oh, Savannah - yes, we kept the tooth! Nicole, you're too sweet to have got Kaitlyn a gift! Don't worry, I didn't tell her! Yes, they gave her something on a cotton ball to numb her gums... thank goodness!! Tiffany, I miss you guys tons too!!!! Colleen - love getting your posts!! Denise - I miss you and it was good to hear from you!!! Mom and Dad, I know you probably cannot post comments, but you can email me - the internet is WAY FASTER here!! Everyone - I treasure your comments and I cannot tell you how much they mean to us! It is like waking up Christmas morning everyday to read them!! Bye for now, I'm off to sleep in a king size, much softer bed :) Love you all!!
Sunday At The Park
Our day started with a trip to the "dentist" office. It was not as clean as US dentist offices by any means & she's probably is a self-taught dentist. Kaitlyn had a loose tooth with decay and they pulled it out for her. She was refusing to have this done, so I asked the guide to tell her, "Either we do it now in China, or we will do it in America. Either way, it is coming out." She quickly cooperated! Plus, I like the price tag in China MUCH better! LOL!
Afterwards, we headed to a city park. We went with two other American families. Thad Ehmann is 6'5" and was a big hit with the local spouting his slam dunks! The kids played a little soccer, used the exercise equipment and had a great time! Who needs to pay for a gym membership in Lanzhou?! Kailey was being constantly "checked out" by all the teenage boys. It was kinda humorous, but made Kailey feel a bit uncomfortable! She got her picture taken with another girl about 18 yrs old that practiced her English with her. Austin got his pic taken as well, some thought he was 20 years old! Maybe because his height? Oh, did I mention we were approached by a Chinese man and given his Amway business card... too funny!
We ate lunch at another delicious resturant today and had lamb. The tea was very different tasting, but good. The dessert was pumpkin wedges with these sweet root pieces in the center. I think I ate more of that then anyone! Kaitlyn once again piled on the heaping spoonfuls of spice on her lunch. Tim took just a tiny bit of it and starting sweating like crazy. Kaitlyn doesn't like Tim's sweat and started wiping it off. Sweet moment!
Back at the hotel room we watched some Chinese TV. Of course Tim makes up the dialogue to go with it and we just sit there rolling with laughter!! It's pretty funny!
Kaitlyn definitely prefers Ma Ma to anyone else, but is warming up more and more to Ba Ba (dad). Her clinginess and constantly wanting my touch just shows me how insecure she is. She needs to be by me at all times - I guess I'm her security blanket for now, and that's okay :) She continues to test us and does naughty things to get a reaction from us. I just continue to pray for her and her adjustment... and our patience!! She seems much younger than 10 1/2 years old. Everytime we go to eat, she out eats everyone else. She grabs food and fills her plate. I sometimes wonder if she does this because she thinks she won't get her "share" or enough. She also does something else quite interesting. Things she came with, things we sent in her care package, and anything else we've given her (including the phone number to our Chinese guide), she hides in her backpack. She draws a clear line that these are her things and they are special to her. It's kinda cute :)
Afterwards, we headed to a city park. We went with two other American families. Thad Ehmann is 6'5" and was a big hit with the local spouting his slam dunks! The kids played a little soccer, used the exercise equipment and had a great time! Who needs to pay for a gym membership in Lanzhou?! Kailey was being constantly "checked out" by all the teenage boys. It was kinda humorous, but made Kailey feel a bit uncomfortable! She got her picture taken with another girl about 18 yrs old that practiced her English with her. Austin got his pic taken as well, some thought he was 20 years old! Maybe because his height? Oh, did I mention we were approached by a Chinese man and given his Amway business card... too funny!
We ate lunch at another delicious resturant today and had lamb. The tea was very different tasting, but good. The dessert was pumpkin wedges with these sweet root pieces in the center. I think I ate more of that then anyone! Kaitlyn once again piled on the heaping spoonfuls of spice on her lunch. Tim took just a tiny bit of it and starting sweating like crazy. Kaitlyn doesn't like Tim's sweat and started wiping it off. Sweet moment!
Back at the hotel room we watched some Chinese TV. Of course Tim makes up the dialogue to go with it and we just sit there rolling with laughter!! It's pretty funny!
Kaitlyn definitely prefers Ma Ma to anyone else, but is warming up more and more to Ba Ba (dad). Her clinginess and constantly wanting my touch just shows me how insecure she is. She needs to be by me at all times - I guess I'm her security blanket for now, and that's okay :) She continues to test us and does naughty things to get a reaction from us. I just continue to pray for her and her adjustment... and our patience!! She seems much younger than 10 1/2 years old. Everytime we go to eat, she out eats everyone else. She grabs food and fills her plate. I sometimes wonder if she does this because she thinks she won't get her "share" or enough. She also does something else quite interesting. Things she came with, things we sent in her care package, and anything else we've given her (including the phone number to our Chinese guide), she hides in her backpack. She draws a clear line that these are her things and they are special to her. It's kinda cute :)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Just Hanging Out Today...
We were on our own today without our guides. We walked around outside and got many stares and people talking about us. We have no idea what they were saying, but some seem to be friendly if we said hello first. We crossed a large intersection and thought we'd be okay if we followed the crowd... uh, NO! Cars don't stop for pedestrains until they are two inches from you!
We came across some entertainers and watched a show for a few minutes. Kaitlyn seemed to like this until she got too hot... time to go! I got a few pictures of the city around our hotel. Some of it was sad to see. A homeless boy/man crying, laying on the sidewalk and many run down buildings and people begging us for money. Parts of the city are in such poverty, and other parts seem okay. I think it's been an eye opener for Austin & Kailey.
Kaitlyn has been complaining about her tooth hurting her. "Tong" is pain in Chinese. It's loose and looks like it has a pretty bad cavity. We called our guide and he is taking Kaitlyn and I to a Chinese Clinic tomorrow morning to have it checked out. I hope it is sterile!! This should be interesting!
Eating at the hotel is always hysterical! Our joke is... How many Chinese staff does it take to figure out what we want to order?! They all gather around the menu after we try to explain what we want. Sometimes the electronic translator translates accurately, sometimes not. Austin asked for a Sprite and got Orange Juice!
We came across some entertainers and watched a show for a few minutes. Kaitlyn seemed to like this until she got too hot... time to go! I got a few pictures of the city around our hotel. Some of it was sad to see. A homeless boy/man crying, laying on the sidewalk and many run down buildings and people begging us for money. Parts of the city are in such poverty, and other parts seem okay. I think it's been an eye opener for Austin & Kailey.
Kaitlyn has been complaining about her tooth hurting her. "Tong" is pain in Chinese. It's loose and looks like it has a pretty bad cavity. We called our guide and he is taking Kaitlyn and I to a Chinese Clinic tomorrow morning to have it checked out. I hope it is sterile!! This should be interesting!
Eating at the hotel is always hysterical! Our joke is... How many Chinese staff does it take to figure out what we want to order?! They all gather around the menu after we try to explain what we want. Sometimes the electronic translator translates accurately, sometimes not. Austin asked for a Sprite and got Orange Juice!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Day At The Museum
For my 3rd grade class: Some of the food is WAY more spicy here. Think of the hottest food you or your parents have ever eaten and times that by 100!! Kaitlyn's soup made her sweat to death at lunch today, and she can handle a lot! We plan to bring back a jar of that crazy hot stuff Kaitlyn likes so she can add it to her Top Ramen! We will also bring back Chinese money for you to see as well. I miss you all very much and look forward to sharing pictures and more of our experience here. I think the first day I come back we won't do any "school" work and just talk about China!!! Sound good to you?! I know you cannot see the still-shot photos from the school computers, but you can on your parents computer at home. Ask Mrs. Barter to give you our blog address. I cannot access "photobucket" to make slideshows, but have asked my sister-in-law to try and load them from Arizona for me. Hopefully it will work soon!! Funny fact: Did you know toddlers don't wear diapers here!? They wear pants with a big slit in them and they just open the slit wide and go to the bathroom without taking their pants off! Crazy-funny huh?! I will try to get a picture if I can!
Today, we went to a famous museum. (We only had a heart attack several times as we drove there!! Holy smokes! It is totally insane the way they drive here! The is no stopping for pedestrians and they just cross the street in front of traffic weaving in and out. The drivers don't pay too much attention to lanes-I thought we were going to have a head on collision several times and they like to tailgate about 12 inches behind other vehicles!! Crossing the street is like the video game, "frogger"!!! ) The museum had dinosaur bones and replicas, pottery, Chinese artifacts, etc. It was really interesting, but Kaitlyn got bored and tired of walking. Then we went to the famous waterwheel park and Austin and Kaitlyn got to float on a raft on the Yellow River... which actually looks more like Brown River! LOL! We ate lunch at Pizza Mira - the pizza was really good (and I don't really like pizza too much). Kaitlyn had a bowl of spicy noodles and all kinds of "other" things in it! She eats like a horse! :) Eric & Lorraine: We haven't been able to find scorpion or starfish on a stick to try, but we're still open to it!
Kaitlyn slept in the other room on her own bed last night and stayed there the whole night! Praise God! I got a full 8 hours of sleep last night which was beautiful. I was so tired, I actually fell asleep at the computer waiting for pictures to load! Tim saw me all hunched over the desk and called me to lay down. Who knows how long I was like that - there aren't clocks in the room! I slept great, dispite our bed that's like sleeping on a box spring without a mattress... try it at home, and you'll get a small taste of what Chinese beds are like. They say the harder, the better quality. We're in a "quality" hotel! LOL!! We finally got smart and asked for two extra comforters to sleep on top of!
Today, we went to a famous museum. (We only had a heart attack several times as we drove there!! Holy smokes! It is totally insane the way they drive here! The is no stopping for pedestrians and they just cross the street in front of traffic weaving in and out. The drivers don't pay too much attention to lanes-I thought we were going to have a head on collision several times and they like to tailgate about 12 inches behind other vehicles!! Crossing the street is like the video game, "frogger"!!! ) The museum had dinosaur bones and replicas, pottery, Chinese artifacts, etc. It was really interesting, but Kaitlyn got bored and tired of walking. Then we went to the famous waterwheel park and Austin and Kaitlyn got to float on a raft on the Yellow River... which actually looks more like Brown River! LOL! We ate lunch at Pizza Mira - the pizza was really good (and I don't really like pizza too much). Kaitlyn had a bowl of spicy noodles and all kinds of "other" things in it! She eats like a horse! :) Eric & Lorraine: We haven't been able to find scorpion or starfish on a stick to try, but we're still open to it!
Kaitlyn slept in the other room on her own bed last night and stayed there the whole night! Praise God! I got a full 8 hours of sleep last night which was beautiful. I was so tired, I actually fell asleep at the computer waiting for pictures to load! Tim saw me all hunched over the desk and called me to lay down. Who knows how long I was like that - there aren't clocks in the room! I slept great, dispite our bed that's like sleeping on a box spring without a mattress... try it at home, and you'll get a small taste of what Chinese beds are like. They say the harder, the better quality. We're in a "quality" hotel! LOL!! We finally got smart and asked for two extra comforters to sleep on top of!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
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