Return to China 2009

Goodbye.......

2009-04-16T12:38:00.002-07:00

I know a lot of people won't agree with me. I am sorry and certainly not saying this right at all.
It is just my thoughts and not a criticism.

People assume a western foster home will take better care of orphans than a chinese orphanage. I am not so sure. I have seen two foster homes and investigated several on the web and see a trend of more opening all the time. I have seen only a couple of orphanages years apart. The Chinese people love their children. The Chinese nannies do a pretty good job of caring for their charges and it is always a paid staff that cares for these kids. I have seen some not so gentle care and some unkindness but it was rare. Kids can be trying a times and some have real issues. Some are not so easy to love. The beautiful children/"cute ones" get more and better attention. It is a fact of life. Probably true of people in general but that is a long debate. I also think the people who were led to China and have foster homes are doing this for many and varied reasons.
They aren't sainted and they aren't sacrificing and they live good lives full of purpose.

After spending a little time with these children their personalities shine out and that is when you will fall in love not their looks. Once that happens you begin to notice all the little characteristics that make them who they are. The sweet smile, the cheeky giggle, the way she likes to hug and how hard he tries to please you.

I am glad there are places like this that try to do their very best and care for these orphans as best they can. Lots of children have received medical attention that they sorely needed. Some of it good and some not so good.
Plenty of people given a ton of money and lots of donated toys and clothes and medicines and food and strollers and all sorts. I have seen the store rooms packed to the rafters. America is still an incredibly wealthy country and immensely generous and they donate a huge amount. So does Britain and Australia and Canada and others including China.

We know how many so very sad people are waiting for families. We know what a change an adoption would make in the lives of these children and in the lives of the families waiting. Doesn't it seem a waste to create facilities to warehouse these kids instead of getting them homes? Especially since they say there are fewer children available for adoption now. Why does adoption take so long? It shouldn't take years and years. They should be coming from China, from Ethiopia, from Haiti and all the other stricken parts of our sorry old world. It isn't hard. A child with no parents wants parents....a Mom and Dad or either or. A man or a woman wants a child. And these waiting parents are paying and paying a lot.

The wasted potential is heart breaking. I would rather take the money used for creating these foster homes and direct it toward getting the children adopted. I don't mind that I don't have any photographs of my girls before they were one , or in Grace's case before she was 4. They are here with us and in a family that loves them warts and all and will always love and be there for them. They are getting an education and have bright futures. There potential is being realized. So I will sacrifice the scrapbooks for their future and document their growing up in photos with their family in their home.

And I weary of people fawning over the kids. Oh they are so cute, so pretty, so adorable............when some are clearly not and yet you can look into their eyes and see a light shining. They want to be loved and to learn and to have all the opportunity we take for granted and to have some one get to know them for who they are not just for what they look like. Home and love are very special words.

I am on a rant and my heart is sore. I am having a hard time expressing what it is I want to say. We don't live in a perfect world and everything isn't pretty. We pussy foot around and try to be politically correct. We are told it is up to the Chinese government and we can't do anything. Surely, at least, we can talk about it and keep asking why?

I miss those dear children of Hope....and Starfish. I imagine what they are doing every day. I will wonder what became of them often.

Thank you for following along on both or our Return to China blogs. They will stand as a constant reminder to us and maybe some day we will be able to share them with the friends we made along the way.

Goodbye.Zai Jian.

Goodbye 2008.......

2009-04-16T12:38:00.001-07:00

And more.......

2009-03-28T20:43:00.001-07:00

Some last photos of the kids........

2009-03-28T20:39:00.001-07:00

One week later and goodbye........

2009-03-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

To whom much is given is much required. [Luke 12:49]

I am still tired and the girls are just back to normal. We wonder what everyone in China is doing and the girls occasionally discuss
the kids and remember little incidents. But it is over now and we move on.

This time we won't get to find out what happens to them. That is sad.
If anyone out there is lucky enough to travel to Hope or better still to adopt one
of these precious children please drop us a little note.

We will remember them and we will pray for them.

Again I am so grateful for having had the chance to take all three of my girls back and for the priceless opportunity
they were given of seeing some of where they came from, and a part of their heritage, and that they were able to know some of the children who had similar beginnings.

Just another piece of the puzzle.

Thanks to all who were interested in our adventure and who were kind enough to comment or email.
We were happy to share.

Friday......Day Twenty........

2009-03-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

No need to go on about how long that trip home is. Enough to say it was okay and we are thankful to be home. It is 7pm and I am in bed. Beth is eating pizza and Grace is eating fruit that her Daddy went out and got especially for her. It was the one food she was craving. They seem to have caught a second wind unlike their old Mom. I am tired dude and this lovely soft bed is feeling pretty good.

We arrived home exactly to the day Isabel and I did one year ago. I have a lot of the same confused feeling. Miss the kids and wondering what they are doing. Just this morning the girls were out in the playground entertaining them.

I will rest and think and try to wrap up our incredible journey in a while

Last Day of Preschool............

2009-03-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

I would take all three of these children home if I could.

The little girl is a paraplegic and is going to be adopted and we are so happy someone was smart enough to chose her.

The little boy to the right is a pure pleasure always happy and sweet natured and smiling. If we had to chose a favourite he would certainly be high on Grace's list.

The boy with the most beautiful smile and the great laughter breaks my heart. He has some congenital heart disease which needs some attention as his oxygenation is clearly not what it should be, but I just love him no matter what. He would be an absolute blessing to any home he went to.

Photos.......

2009-03-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

Last Full Day in China........

2009-03-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

It has gone by so quickly and yet we are taking home so many memories.

We made good use of our time and got a little taste of everything. Some tourist and fun trips, a little exploring and a smidge of adventure. The food was great, the Chinese people always gracious and polite and the staff here helpful and accommodating. We saw some amazing sights and enjoyed learning the history.

There was nothing even remotely bad except we didn't get to meet as many people as we would have liked. I enjoy meeting folks from around the world and sharing travel stories. Not that mine are as interesting as some.

We will miss Katie. The girls had a lot of fun hanging out with her and their trips to the village meeting her friends there and playing with the locals. I think that was a valuable lesson for them.

There was lots of time loving on the children. We will remember them for a very long time. We are praying for them to find a family all of their own. One 7 year old is always asking when will his Mommy and Daddy come for him and it is so sad. We will be praying for them all. If they don't find a family that they have a good life here and China.

It is nap time now and I am off to begin packing. Tomorrow we will be up at our usual time and off to the airport by 930. Our long journey home begins at 1240. We are looking forward to being home and reuniting the family.

I am grateful for this opportunity and thankful we all stayed healthy and safe.

Will we be back? Only God knows.

Thursday...... Day Nineteen....... Grace.....

2009-03-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

My last post here in China......

Sorry I haven't written in a while......

On Saturday we went out to dinner with a woman named Jennifer and her family. The food was delicious but we went through a heck of a lot to do so. We accidentally came an hour and a half early so we wandered around for a while. We found this lovely park, and a rollerblading rink, so we went rollerblading! That was really, really fun. It's just like skating but on stone! After the dinner we went to the acrobats. Those people are SCARY! They did such bizarre things, I was afraid to watch in case the messed up or hurt themselves! One dude did mess up and I felt sooo sorry for him! But the show was fantastic!

Yesterday was the hottest day we've had so far. The babies go outside to play when it's nice out, so they went out yesterday. But they had jackets on! It was like 22 degrees out! I was taking my shoes off it was so hot! Joseph, the seven year old was sweating bullets!

We went to the Summer Palace as well yesterday. It was a lot like the Forbidden City, but it was prettier and different because the
Forbidden City just repeated the same designs over and over again. Also, while we were in the palace, we had lunch at this very chinese place. The palace was beautiful because it had this porch that went as long as who knows what, and it had a gazillion different pictures on it, no picture was the same.

After that we went shopping and then home. I've gotten a pair of jeans, a dress, a shirt, 3 pairs of shoes, and a purse here in China.....

Bye Bye!

Wednesday......Day Eighteen......

2009-03-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

What a day............almost the best ever!!!!

Summer Palace was awesome and shopping with my beautiful girls. I have had the best time with them.

Exhausted and gearing up for the long ride home.

Tonight I went around and kissed all my little munchkins goodnight.

Will update tomorrow. Our last day at preschool. :( :(

The staff....

2009-03-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Of course, there are the nannies who are treated very well here. They have uniforms as do the cleaners. The ratio is 2 children to 1 nanny on days and evenings and one nanny to 4 kids on nights. I think there shifts are eight hours. They get three meals a day in the canteen prepared by three cooks. They are the primary caregivers for their charges and do everything for them. This is so the children will learn trust and how to bond.

There are a load of cleaners and they have a set routine and are assigned to different areas. There are two drivers I know of. One regular guy who runs a lot of errands and one on call for the likes of us who want a little tourist action from time to time. They have two vans and one car. They have a caretaker cum guard who lives in a little house at the entrance with his family and they also have 2 foster kids from here. There are several other workers I see around the grounds. Somebody shovels coal......the very polluting source of heat here. If I lived in china full time the particle count in the air would be areal concern. It is hard to miss in all the photographs. Some do yard work. I noticed their are residences in the backyard where staff live.

Their are two girls in the office doing secretarial stuff and there is Mona, the nurse and Rose the medical assistant. And of course, Robin and Dr Joyce who are the founders and directors of all the facilities Hope is now running. It is quite the organization.

The day starts early. You can hear the babies around 630 beginning to stir. Breakfast is at 7 sharp and then any nanny who has a concern goes to the clinic to see either Mona or Dr. Joyce. They are pretty astute at picking out the sickies.

Some of the older ones go to preschool in a little classroom off the playroom. They are taught in English and some speak it well. There is a schedule of who is coming and on what day. It is only for 1 1/2 hours.

There is lunch at 11 and then nap time until 1 or 2, then snack and then dinner at 5pm. In between they are taken for walks or outside weather permitting or just play and visit with whom ever is around. Volunteers or such.

Prep for bed is right after dinner and most are sleeping by 7ish although the occasional older kid is sometimes playing amongst the chattering nannies.

And so it goes. I haven't seen a birthday party. One of the kids is three on Thursday so we will see.

It is a very happening place and there is a sense of family here.

Tuesday...Day Seventeen......

2009-03-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

All you wonderful people at home longing for spring.......I wish you could have been with us today and had a taste of summer.
It was bliss!!!

We had preschool and then for the first time, we felt the need for some quiet time in our room. No one slept but we just relaxed for a while after lunch when all the kids were napping. Then the lure of the spectacular weather became irresistible and the nannies, most of the children and we headed out. The playground here is really wonderful. Trampoline, slides and swings and play gym, lots of toys and bikes and things to push and two sandpits. The kids loved it. Goes without saying they were all pretty hot because it is well known how the chinese love to overdress their little ones.

Now we are up in the lounge and will dine on broccoli and leftover pasta followed with ice cream. Life is good.

Beth wants to stay longer and Grace is ready to come home. I am on the fence.

Skating in Beijing........

2009-03-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

Monday....Day Sixteen.......

2009-03-16T03:50:00.000-07:00

Fairly quiet here at Hope today. We took preschool because Rose was busy. The girls wanted to run it themselves so I sat near by and kept busy. Beth is definitely not school teacher material at least at this point in her life. Grace has more patience. We have two more days of our classes left.

The girls have been a little restless today and so decided to go with the driver to pick up Kate and get a look at her very posh British school. She gave them a little tour and I hear it is pretty nice. They were treated by the driver to all kinds of goodies on the way home and he even bought a snickers bar for poor old Mom.

In the evening there was a lot of biking and out side play because it was so beautiful out. I was a little.....ok, quite a lot, annoyed with the girls for taking off into the village while I searched for half an hour trying to find them. I walked all over the place inside and out until I found out from Robin that they were with Katie and due back at 630. They assumed they didn't need permission. Of course, I had to enforce some consequences and am now the not so great Mom.

Dinner is a bunch of snacks tonight and then maybe a movie up in the lounge before reading time and bed.

Tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be in the hi 20's...........winter to spring to summer in a very short time. I'll take it.
Our next outing and our final one will be on Wednesday. Thursday will be rest and packing and Friday........well, let's enjoy the time we have left.

Will post some more photos of our kiddos tomorrow. Bathtime and bedtime are so cute. They are so adorable toddling around in those little footie pajamas all rosey from the tub and sucking away on their bottles.

Night night.......sleep tight.

I am thinking of home now and missing it some. Love you guys...........won't be long.
Hope you miss us too.

Food photos......seafood.....

2009-03-16T03:46:00.000-07:00

Random photos.......

2009-03-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

The visiting teens.....and sweet Katie......

A Daddy and his boy..........

The shopping mall.........

The Canadian Embassy which all of us adoptive parents know and many will know soon enough.......

The brand new highway that leads to Bei Wu our closest village and which oddly rarely has anyone on it going in either direction...........

Sunday..continued....

2009-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

It was a very full day.

Robin is off to Henan province with the guests to check on the progress of Maria's Big House of Hope. It will be opening this summer. He generously left money with Mona to treat us to lunch. This was taken in the ex pat area know as the Pinnacle Mall in a restaurant called the Hungry Horse Cafe. It was fab!!! Afterwards and again graciously and kindly we were given the use of the van to go shopping. Joon a friend of Mona and Roses' whose company we had enjoyed last week came with us.

If you are going shopping in Beijing try the Yashow Market in the Sanlitun area. It is full of lots of knock offs and outside you will find all the up market "real" shops. It was fun and again not crazy packed as you would expect China to be. The girls purchased some items for their friends back home and I got us all Chinese slippers like the ones we have been wearing at Hope and are so comfy. We wandered the out side square in quite warm spring weather just to feel the sun on our skin. The girls played.......we had young Katie with us too.

By 3 or 4 we were home and there was more play and then reading and an early night. Beth and I seem to sleep less well than Grace and already I am preparing myself for the trip home.

Sunday.....Day Fifteen.....

2009-03-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

We were up early to get ready for Church and were a little fatiqued after our night out. Our ride home was like passing through Las Vegas. They like their lights here!!!! Probably in bed for 10pm........our latest night yet.

The new folks were up and about and we met them briefly. Loved the teenage girls. Shades of things to come.
After a stop at Starbucks, we were off again. Must say I like drinking coffee in Church and the girls have taken up
tea drinking here. Big girls now!!

Enjoyed the service done by the youth group this morning and an inspirational talk by the Youth Minister. It was timely and helped me sort out some of the feelings I have here in China about wealth and guilt a the big picture.

We are helping here. By smiling at the kids and sitting with them. In hugs and kisses and cuddles. Even in scrapbooking.
In smiling and saying "Ni Hao"to the nannies and cleaning staff. Trying to talk to them. Letting them know we aren't that different.
I wish they wouldn't clean up after us or do our laundry. I would tell them if I could, but it is expected. It is their job. We are
obsequious in out thanks yous. Our driver is so kind and protective of us. Without him we would be lost.......literally.

At church we were given the definition of theology. It is faith seeking understanding. Just what we are trying to do.

I haven't a clue about what China is or isn't. Everything I write is probably wrong. I ruminate. It is my nature. It would take many years of living here to understand some things.

China is part of God'd plan and while I am here I will try to open my heart and just listen.

Actions show what our beliefs are and prayers work.

We are enjoying it all.

And still more Saturday.......

2009-03-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

We met our friends and had a dinner and were whisked away to the acrobats. Very colourful and entertaining. My girls had a good time. Jennifer and her family were very tired. They had only arrived the night before and had been touring since 930 that morning. Poor Luke was exhausted and I sure hope they were able to catch up on their sleep and enjoy there time in China. Little blond haired blue eyed Anna is the star of the show and has already had far too many photo ops with the locals. She and her brother were treated to some oranges from some older chinese folks taken with her looks in the theatre.
We will catch up in April when we are all back in our real lives and exchange stories of our adventures.

More Saturday......

2009-03-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we left earlier than we should have for our dinner date with friends from our hometown. Once we were dropped off at the restaurant by our lovely driver Joe we found we had an hour and a half to kill before meeting. So we decided to spend the time walking. Some of my best memories of the last trip to China with Isabel last year were of just walking in the very gentle warmth of the evening around what I perceived as a typical chinese neighborhood.

We chose a direction and headed off. When the main street filled with huge blocks of apartment buildings became too tedious we headed up the next alley. Beth was a little nervous about being off the beaten path which only increased when a man on a bicycle began calling out in aloud voice, the same message each time. Turns out he was a salesman of some kind selling whatever was in the large container on the back of the bike.

We passed a hospital and then spied an interesting looking bridge a head. This entry gave way to a beautiful park. It was a little bit of magic bathed in the golden light of the sun low in the sky. We crossed the bridge and meandered along a path beside a pretty little lake. It was busy but not over crowded and we were the only westerns...........well, I guess I was. There were boats and amusement rides and a gigantic water park. It must be lots of fun and a very pleasant place in the summer. We stopped and watched the children on all the kiddie rides and there was an area where they could do artwork and even an area where they had
wheels for making clay pottery.

On we wandered and then we followed some modern chinese and western pop music and an outdoor roller skating park. The girls really wanted to have a go and against my better judgement I consented and paid up the 36 quai ($7) for the rental of skates and for an hour of unadulterated fun!! They had no problems and zoomed around and around and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was praying for no bad falls and no head injuries since no one wore a helmet.

So there is a lesson learned..........go off the beaten path and you may be surprized what you find.

We finished up our walk after skating and were still early meeting our friends.

Saturday....continued.......

2009-03-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

These pictures are about what happens when you go off the beaten path and are not afraid to just try something out of your comfort zone. I'll tell 'ya tomorrow. It's a lovely story.

World wind action packed two days and too pooped to post.

We did dinner and the acrobats and got home around 930pm......girls crashed and I didn't. Was up at 2 am looking for a sleep aide.

They were up and downstairs by 630am for a Chinese breakfast in the canteen and out with the babies on walkies.

Ready for Church by 900 and met the folks who took our apartment.........no biggy!! Very nice people from Tennesse
and their lovely daughters.

Church was led by the youth group and was nice. The Youth Minister was really impressive and helped me answer some questions I have about the situation in China. About money and poverty and such which I would like to comment on once I process it.

Robin was off to the new facility being prepared in Henan province with the new guests but left money to treat us to lunch. It was Mona and Rose and Joon, our new Filipino buddies. We were in the Pinnacle Mall in Shunyi a westerner enclave again where we had a very nice meal. Afterwards our driver took Joon and I and all 4 little girls shopping. I will cover that later.

We didn't make it home until 3ish and the kids had a couple of hours outside and then some time with the little ones.

Dinner was okay. Did I mention that I miss my kitchen? It was fine and just a staircase away form our little sitting area.
Little disconcerted by the bugs in the kitchen. Not sure what they are but there were several kinds and they could scurry.
I am keeping everything..dishes and all......in the fridge.

It is nearing 8pm now and I am tired. Tomorrow I will have more to say and I will post our photos.

Saturday.......Day Fourteen.......

2009-03-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hello regular digs!

Goodbye big apartment with your very nice moon gate doorway!

This morning I awoke at 6am after a better nights sleep. We read and breakfasted and then were up and moving our things from the apartment. It was way too big for us anyway but I did like having our own kitchen. So now we are in a standard twin guest room with a cot for Beth......she lost the draw but probably better than the mortuary like slabs that past for beds in China. I have mine padded with any extra blankets I could find! It is still hard!

All of our food is in the canteen in an area with fridge, little oven, toaster and all the things one needs to prepare meals. It will do.

The girls are out biking and getting some sun and fresh air. The babies have all gone for a walk in their strollers with the nannies. It is a bright, sunshiney day and will be 12C with tomorrow hitting 17C. Wonderful spring.

This afternoon we are going into Beijing to meet friends from home.........such a small world. We will have dinner with them and then go and see the acrobats. The kids should enjoy it and I was pretty impressed when I saw them too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz4LKiJZsdY

Our friends are doing a tour and then going on for a week in Xian at Starfish. Jennifer is a doctor who has a specialty in cleft babies and I hope she is able and allowed to help. She wants to very much.

Here I haven't made the same connection to the children I did at Starfish. I am not sure if that is because there are so many more or because they have Chinese names and I can't personalize them as much or that we don't spend as much time with them as we did in Xian. I am not sure why the disconnect but part of me is okay with it. Maybe I won't go home and think about them so much and worry that they don't have families and wonder what is in their future. Not sure it is the same for the girls because they seem very attached to the kids and seem to know them better than I. I am thinking in the future when they are in high school or university about them coming back for a month or so in the summer. By then, of course, it will be there decision.

I will update on our day with photos tomorrow. Take care friends. Thanks for all the emails.

Photos......

2009-03-13T00:05:00.001-07:00

Learning body parts in preschool.........ears!!.......and high fives..........Anna isn't impressed because she is so smart she already knows!!!

Teeny tiny sweetiepie..........smart as a whip and then some!!!!!

This guy ran full tilt down the hall and into Beth's arm when he saw her coming!!! Adorable and isn't my girl beautiful?

What I have left to do.........

Those I have worked on............doesn't matter.....when they get low a new pile appears. I am praying for a new group of teenage college students to visit and help me out.

Friday......Day Thirteen.......

2009-03-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

We slept in a bit today and awoke at 8ish.......late for us.
I did some scrap booking and the girls visited with the children. Grace is very involved in the Nemo room and likes to
feed the babies. The nannies are very gracious and polite to us. Possibly the warmest of all the people we have come in contact with and they are used to the girls coming in and out of the rooms and interacting with the kids.

It is another pretty day but last night there was a terrific wind storm....probably why I didn't sleep very well.
I was ruminating about how we are going to manage with out the use of our own kitchen.
Poor me!!!

I keep thinking about China and how every time I come here it changes so. More affluent and more western. This is my
fourth time and I keep thinking it may be my last. It is a big world and there is so much to see and only so much time and money left to us. For the girls I hope it will be different. I hope they will come back several times even to just work on their Mandarin. It would be such an asset to be fluent in todays world.

This home is very well established and very well run. Derek keeps asking if we are being of any help as I had hoped. I would have to say no. It runs itself and I think we will come and go without having made any difference. Everyday tours of people come through. University students from the US; international school students whose parents are here in Beijing on contracts with big and wealthy companies from all over the world; today, a group of Chinese youngsters around 7 years old with their North America English teacher. Last Sunday I studied the congregation at Church. Wealth and privilege.

That in itself isn't such a bad thing I suppose but I wonder how it impacts on these children growing up in the Home. Are they confused by all these people who come through and take their photos and give them candy. They will run to anyone and reach up to be held and they will plant big kisses on any cheek and hug so tight. No doubt they enjoy the attention but it must be confusing at times too and it must be sad when someone they have connected with leaves. So many who come and then leave. It is always the cutest and the prettiest and the most demanding who get the most ooh's and ahh's. The nannies are sweet and mostly kind, occasionally a little harsh, but are they a family? Not as we think but maybe they are in some sense .There is so much I would like to say but can't. I feel guilty up in our big apartment with our fridge full of highly priced western food and our nightly movies. There is very often the sound of some child crying filtering up. While someone is cleaning and doing our laundry. It doesn't seem right but I like it.

The girls have played with Katie every evening and they are getting along so well. She is a sweet little girl of 9 1/2....the directors daughter. It must be difficult for her too. To make friends with all the visitors/volunteers and then they are gone and the next lot arrives. Lots of adults and not so many children her age.

I think things are changing for the better for the orphans in China too. I believe they are getting better care and the shift is to foster care in the community. China is now a very wealthy country as anyone who comes here can attest. There is also a huge
social and economic divide of which there can also be no doubt. The great majority of people are peasants and poor, but I think it is changing and since our first time here in 1997 it is almost unrecognizable.

I am told the running cost of the three or four facilities the Hope Organization funds is approximately $56,000 per month and there are about 144 children in this homes. That's $388 per child per month. They have some very good sponsors and do not
have to rely on fund raising. Robin and Joyce are at home here in China and I expect it is where they will end their days. They have made it their lives work to look after these orphans and they are kind and good people.

What Beth and Grace have gotten out of this experience is hard to say. Not sure if it is what I wanted them to see. It isn't that much different from home except we have a maid and a driver which we decidedly do not at home. Perhaps seeing the orphans and the way they are cared for is good because it is the new China. Isabel got to go to an orphanage and saw another view. She saw a baby die of malnutrition and neglect. It isn't that that is what I want the girls to see but I want them to realize what is going on in the world. Maybe they are too young and this will be a stepping stone to helping in another way. In Africa
or South America or Honduras or some third world country. These places are in need now more than China.

I am proud that I fulfilled our promise to China that every adopting parent is asked and that is to bring them back. Well, I have now brought back all three of my girls. They have had a small taste of China and seen the opulence and wealth and the small
poor villages. They have seen great privilege and wealth. They have seen orphans and foster homes and kids with deformity and disability and those without mothers and fathers. They have seen a little of their past. That is also a privilege and I thank
God for giving us the opportunity.

Okay off my soap box and apologies for anyone who thinks I am pompous et cetera, et cetera. Just thinking out loud people.
Dare say I will never figure it out but am open to any thought you may have.

Thursday.......Day Twelve.....

2009-03-12T00:48:00.001-07:00

Fairly quiet day as Grace has stated. Preschool, playing and lunch then homework and some down time.
I worked on the scrapbook of a little boy who is fostered in the village. His parents are coming to adopt him on March 20th, the day we leave. Hope they like the work I did!!

The home is expecting a couple of new arrivals on Saturday so we will be moving out of the Chapman's big apartment and into a
twin bedded room with a cot just around the corner. The new group is large and needs the space. The second group I am not sure about but think they will be in a room like ours and beside us. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. It might be fun to have a
bit of a shake up. We will move our food to a communal kitchen near the computer area down the hall and up another staircase at the opposite end of the Home. There is a TV here and a cozy sitting area and no doubt we can make ourselves comfortable there.

We had a loaned stash of DVD's and have been watching a movie every night before bed with some snacks.
Beth had read her book before the first week was out and Grace also only brought one book. If not playing with the kids, they play outside or with Katie, or on the computer or Nintendo and they have done homework everyday with two days off each week. I am reading some good books. We have occupied our time well.

Most of the time we did our own dishes and tried to keep everything tidy but it was nice to have our laundry done everyday and I wonder if that will stop. If it does I have laundry detergent and access to the machines so I will manage. I am unaccustomed to having any kind of "help" so I am okay with doing for myself.

As Grace said..........a quiet day. We walked so much yesterday we are a little tired.

Thursday...Day Twelve..... Grace

2009-03-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sigh........

I can't believe we only have a week left of China! It seems like only yesterday that we came off the plane!

Yesterday we went to the Forbidden City as I said on my last post. That place is HUGE! It's like 1000 times bigger than my school! And to think, only about 140 people lived there (maybe more!!!).... Wow..... It took two hours to walk from one end to the other. It was so big! After that we went to our FIRST actual chinese restaurant. That place was really good. Mmmmmm....... Then after that we went to Carrefour to get some groceries. And that was pretty much the day!

Since today all we have done is preschool, and nothing special happened there, I think I'm done for today! Good-bye!

( love your blogging Grace........so glad we could have this time together.....you are wonderful and I love you)

Photos......

2009-03-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

The Forbidden City.....

2009-03-11T02:55:00.000-07:00

I was a little leary of taking the girls into the City alone. Independent travel here can be scary. The language barrier is huge.
I did some investigating and to do the Forbidden City and a hutong tour with a driver and a guide would have been over $400.

So we decided to go for it. Robing arranged a driver, the same one who took us to the Great Wall, and we were on our way by 1015am. It was a 45 minute drive into the centre of Beijing. Pretty nice day again. The traffic seems a lot less life threatening
and the drivers not as wild. One near miss by a bus and that was it. I noticed the driver was even wearing his seat belt!

We were let off at the North gate of the City and walked through until we exited neat Mao big portrait in Tiananmen Square. The Square, of course, is the largest open air venue of it's kind in the world. The Forbidden City is massive. For two hours we wandered about and enjoyed it very much. Go here to read all about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City

We were told to meet our driver near Kentucky Fried Chicken on the south west corner of the square. Bit of a challenge and quite the walk. Once I had land marked it with the help of a friendly policeman and Beth's excellent Mandarin we knew we could find an authentic chinese restaurant and have a lovely lunch and still meet him at the pre set time.

We found just the thing and confidently walked in and sat down with all the locals. Had a great meal of chicken and chilies, tofu,shrimp and broccoli, fried noodles and rice. The girls ate like they hadn't eaten in a week. Again couldn't have done it without Beth's Mandarin. She is gaining confidence by the day and it is too funny to watch our driver direct all questions, as does pretty much any chinese, to Beth and hear her rattle back at them. Grace is trying some and reads the characters very well but Beth has a greater command of the spoke word. So, Derek we haven't been wasting our money all these years and they can carry on with their classes. Tell Ariel she has taught them well!!

After our excellent lunch I hit the ATM and we went grocery shopping for a few things we were running low on. I wanted to take the girls to s chinese supermarket and so I did. It was also huge as it most everything here and we had fun exploring and
making our choices. It was similar to where Isabel and I shopped last year in Xian. The girls found the candy bins and made some selections. Isabel used to enjoy that.

Then it was find our driver and head home. It was interesting that at 430pm there was not much traffic at all and as we came closer to Shunyi where we are housed, in the northeast part of Beijing, there are brand new 4 lane highways and there was NO
ONE on either side of the road for miles and miles..........very surreal.

So that was our most excellent day. Just now the kids are playing with the children and soon it will be bath time and bedtime for us all.

Wednesday....Day Eleven.......

2009-03-11T02:34:00.000-07:00

What a day!!!

By 10am we were getting ready to leave for downtown Beijing to see the Forbidden City/ Tiananmen Square.
I was upstairs talking to Robin, the director, and two ladies passed behind me . They weren't Chinese I noticed but
was deep in conversation so didn't really pay them much attention. Dr Joyce poked her head round from her office and said
"Did you see Kirsty?"

Here is one of those little miracles that happen so often to me.

Kirsty is a Canadian who has lived here for over a dozen year, I think and is a teacher at an international school. When I was adopting Grace who was almost 4 at that time, I met Kirsty over the internet and she invited us to visit on our adoption trip. She had a little girl, also adopted, who was just Grace's age. We spent some happy times in Kirsty's home, here in Beijing and it was soothing for Grace to have someone who spoke her language and told her everything would be alright. The girls played together just like children anywhere in the world would. Kirsty also brought us to Hope for the first time. Her school did fund raisers for the Home. Who knew all these years later Grace and I would be back and Kirsty would walk right by us!! Talk about timing.

I had asked Joyce about her when I arrived and she said she did see her from time to time in the community but it was only by chance she was here today. I had long ago lost contact when we moved from Ontario. She is sponsoring a little boy and had brought him for Dr Joyce to see. I flew down the stairs and just caught her. She lives in a hutong by the Llama temple and I am hoping we can meet next week when we go into the city centre to the Summer Palace. Her girl is 12 now too.

I was happy to give her a hug and to thank her again for her kindness to us back in 2001.

Tuesday.....Day Ten......Grace......

2009-03-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're going to the Forbidden City! That'll be sooo much fun!

Ummmm.... This is kinda random, but I can hear loud banging right now......... Oh yeah! I just remembered! There are some people doing some renovations on the house today. It's been rather busy.

The food here is really good! They have only few vegetables though.... My Mom said I would be sick of noodles by the end of the trip, but I think I'm going to be sick of rice! I've had it every single day since I've gotten here!

The babies are still really cute! I want to take several babies home! One baby cries when you ignore him. The babies go " Bye-bye-hello".
The preschool today went much better than last time. We took in only a few at a time so it was much less hectic, plus I think some of them actually learned something!

Byebyehello!

Tuesday.....Day Ten......

2009-03-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Preschool was a lot better today. Thank goodness. We kept it small and that seemed to work.

There was another group of students through for their day of volunteering. Pretty much the routine...play with the kids a bit and do scrapbooking. More like observing than volunteering but they felt good about it and did a good job. This one was from OCDF which most of the adoption community will know of. A group of sweet University kids from Illinois. They are here for only one week which must be pretty tough!! They set a fairly full itinerary that includes all the tourist sights and lots of shopping in 7 short days.I gather American students doing these tours can claim their expenses as a tax deduction. Very nice.

Homework got done today and exercise included bike riding into the village again. Grace is doing her sit ups and push ups in preparation for her black belt test in June.

Photos......

2009-03-09T01:43:00.001-07:00

Lunch was tofu and a green vegetable and of course, rice. The girls like the meals and are never late. Usually it is a couple of servings.

After lunch comes nap time so we hopped on the bikes provided and it was a short ride to the village. Each village has their own impressive entrance marked by an arched entry. This one is pretty big and we will make several trips to explore it all. Particularly nice in todays weather. We call out "Ni Hao" ( hi bascially) to everyone we pass and smile. They always answer back and are friendly.

The houses are the gamut from the wealthier to the very poorest hovels that look like they have no floors, no water and basic electric. Most have the traditional entry gates decorated with colourful signs asking for wealth or luck. Inside are small courtyards. There are garbage bins on the main streets and the spring cleanup is in full swing. Lots of sweeping and piles of twigs, old corn stalks and such. A lot of water in very polluted reservoirs. Many people have started tiny gardens outside their compounds with the beginnings of green onions starting to sprout. Two old ladies inquired as to who the girls were and then politely told me off for them not having them dressed warmly enough. They were in tee shirts and jeans. Wish I could have talked to them and have them understand some of our life. The kids in China are famous for being layered in so many clothes they can barely walk. These are a few of the many shots I got today.

All the nap photos are by Grace. What little angels.

SHHHHHH.....nap time.....

2009-03-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

Monday....Day Nine.........

2009-03-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

The day has begun for us and I just wanted to add some photos of the New Hope Foster Home so you can get a sense of it.
Will try to add the village shots later. It is another spectacular day and worth the trip here for just that ......almost. The sunshine and warmth are glorious.

We have an outbreak of chicken pox so it should be an interesting week. We have all had them and are immunized thank gosh.

This is one of the bathrooms and shows the colour coded system at work. The same as in the bedrooms. What will they do when they run out of colours?

This amazes me!! This is the storage room and I have rarely seen such a feat of organization. Wouldn't we all love to be this tidy and neat? It was like this 8 years ago when I was here and I was just as impressed as I am now.

This is the wall outside the house where the names of the children who have died are painted.

This is just to the left of the home and is the entrance to the local village. It is quite large. Beth and Grace bike throught it and have been known to purchase candy at the local shop.

The exterior of the compound. Used to be an old school. Our apartment is to the extreme left on the second floor.

There are pictures of the children outside of their bedrooms. They are all of the kids when they first arrived and so many are years outdated and it is hard to put a name to the face of a toddler who was just a baby when they came. Some are three or more now. Some have had surgery to their faces. I am having difficulty putting the chinese name to the face. Maybe that will prove to be a good thing because it makes it less personal if you can't call someone by their name and maybe we won't be as haunted by their little faces when we go home........as we were at Starfish. All those kids went by English first names and we knew them by that. I doubt it though. They are so lovable it breaks your heart. I am drawn to several of the little boys. When they put their little arms out for you to pick them up or when they cuddle into you............

Photos....some of our best friends......

2009-03-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

This is my little love. I would bring him home in a heartbeat if they would only let me!

Sunday.....Day Eight......

2009-03-08T01:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we got caught up in the visit of an International School from Beijing. Two bus loads of students from every country in the world whose parents work here and they attend the schools. There are many.

Spend some time talking to the teachers and some of the children. They brought quite a pile of donated gifts. Again this seems to be something the little ones are very accustomed to and they welcomed them with open arms.

The girls spent the evening playing with Katie and were invited over to her house to make brownies and eat pizza. Then they all had a hot tub and watched a movie and arrived home around nine with a plate of goodies for Mom. Where are we?

We awoke to a beautiful spring morning. Another blue sky and crisp and fresh and full of birdsong.

Kate came over and we went for a walk in the grounds with Fluffy, her dog. By 915 am we were on our way to Church.
It was a bigger crowd this Sunday and again, I enjoyed the preacher's talk very much. A great speaker from the state of Texas.

I had the pleasure afterwards of meeting a friend of the nurses named Joon. He is a real fan of Canada's and applied for immigration a few years ago and is still disappointed he was turned down. We had a nice conversation as we traveled to the market to do a little shopping on the way home. It has been quiet at the Home and if you don't speak Chinese or Tagulo (Philipino) you are pretty much on your own. A little adult conversation was welcomed.

Kate, the girls and I spent a couple of hours looking around the market and bartering for a few things. It gets so tedious and you always feel like you have been had. I manage to get the price down to usually 1/3 or 1/2. I just don't have the heart to nickel and dime these people working so hard to support themselves. Or so it seems to me.

We were home by threeish and played with the children until it was bedtime for them. Then a movie and off to bed to read by around 9 as is our routine. Usually we are up by 630.

It felt good to feel the warm sun and to stroll the streets on such a lovely spring day.
After all my talk of the internet here I couldn't blog or upload any photos so am posting this a day late.

Saturday....Day Seven.........

2009-03-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

My how time flies! Yesterday was rather low key.
It was another fairly nice day for the weather.
The girls helped out at preschool and then did their rounds to each of the rooms......Bunny, Pooh, Nemo.
Grace is making a point of trying to learn some of the children's names each day.

Lunch is a rather early 11 am and then it is nap time from 12ish to 2ish. During this time we make ourselves scarce and
head back to the apartment to do homework or reading. Beth is doing very well and fulfilling all the assignments given her.
She has made a schedule and is following it. Grace is working on her karate essay and hopes to finish that before we come home so she can concentrate on her missed homework, which she is a little worried about.

In the afternoon is more playing and I have somehow been landed with the scrap booking. My girls just aren't that into it!!!
Only takes a short time. Today I worked on Justin's. He is off having surgery in Singapore and will return sometime this month, I think. He is to be adopted very soon and his parents are hoping for June or so. A very sweet little guy and everyone here seems to have something nice to say about his personality and his ready smile. They tell me his parents will be blessed to have such a great little guy!

Later on I sent the girls out on the bikes provided to get some sun and some exercise. They biked to the local village just next door. We are right in the middle of a very large farming community and I expect that is how the folks make their living. Of course, the girls fit right in until someone talks to them........then the jig is up. I expect they know they aren't from around here by their demeanour and clothes. Several of the children from Hope have foster families they live with here and one or two of them even come to our preschool, or live with the nannies that work at the home.

Beth noticed that all the kids outside playing were boys and we had a bit of a dialogue about that and the poverty. It is possible or even probable that this kind of village is similar to one that many of the orphans originate from.

It is hard to remember that the vast majority of China's people are peasants who do live like this. Every time I have come to China it is changed. Many more cars and less bicycles. Brand new and very modern highways. The people are better dressed and the standard of cleanliness improved. Even the nannies working here have cell phones. The men dressed like warriors at the Great Wall were able to cash my 100 yuan note ($14) with a wad of bills several inches thick. Last year I couldn't get
blogger on the computer and wifi was rare. This year you can get youtube, facebook and pretty much nothing is blocked.
I expect some of this is because we are in a very Western area and in the capital of all China with 14 million residents.

It is intriguing to say the least. I would love to stay a while longer and really get to know it. My hope is that this visit and Isabel's last year will plant the seed for more exploration in the future. They at least have some contacts now and a place to start.

We will take some pictures and post them later today.

Friday...... Day Six..... Grace...

2009-03-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Yesterday was soooo much fun! We went to the Great Wall of China! We took a cable car up, and walked on the Wall, then took a slide down. When we took the walk on the Wall the view was glorious! The view of the Wall was really beautiful. About every 100 meters or so we would go through this turret-like-thing that's top was always different. Beth said the Wall was rumored to have dead bodies in it. The walk was about 60 minutes and so then we went down the toboggan slide. That, was fun. Beth and I went on one together, Beth steering, me in the back, and Mom went alone. Mom was sorta scared so she went a bit slow. She even stopped at one point and so Beth and I had to give her a push to get her going again. At the end people tried to sell us things, one got really pushy, and so we ended up with two things, a doll for Beth and a painting for moi. My painting was 70 yuan and
Beth's was 17. Now in Canadian money, my painting was only 10 bucks, and Beth's only 3. The whole trip was 514 yuan, and to find out how much Canadian money we spent we divide 514 by 5.2. So the trip in Canadian money was only 98 dollars and 84 cents.
Today, since it's only still the morning, I can't say much. I think it's snack time for the kids now. The babies have meals at 7 am, 11 am, and 5 pm. Also snacks at I think, I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but I think 10 am and 3 pm? Oh well. Bye!

Somebodies favourite girl.........

2009-03-05T01:41:00.001-08:00

Her sponsor wanted pictures.............so here they are and enjoy Fi.
This tiny tot is 18 months old but is so small she looks like a six month old and it is bizarre to see her walking along like no bodies business. So cute!

More of Day Four.......

2009-03-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

Check out you tube for the slide experience!!!! so mu
ch fun!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfU6U5YFDgE

This is where we were today. It is a section of the Wall at Mutianyu...a less touristy part.

I can hardly explain what a perfect afternoon it was for us. It was more felt than anything else.. Like I had the hand of God on my shoulder the whole time we were there. It felt miraculous to me. The weather was beautiful....cool and crispy and sunny with lovely blue skies and puffy white clouds and small patches of snow here and there. Everyone we met was happy and smiling and helpful. If you ever get to walk the Great Wall of China come on an early spring day and come in the afternoon. For the most part we were the only people walking the Wall. The girls were laughing and running and exploring. I was basking in the sun and in awe the whole time. It was my third time and almost eight years since last I was there. That time Grace was 4 and had the worst temper tantrum ever and I carried her like a football UP all those stairs while she screamed in Chinese who knows what to any one who passed us.

We took the cable car up and that was fun. After about an hour walking mostly down, but also some pretty steep uphill sections we came to the slide down. It looked a little scary but don't miss it!!! I went first and was followed by two girls who were doubled over with laughter and giggling the whole way down and that is what I heard as I whizzed down the mountain from the Great Wall of China. If that memory doesn't stick with them I don't know what will.

At the bottom you have to work your way past some pretty serious sales people but today we all got along well and had a good time bartering. Grace bought a scroll with panda bears for her room and Beth bought a small, colourful wooden China doll.
Our entire trip cost $70 and worth every penny.

I enjoyed the trip there and back also. It is interesting to see some of the country side and how the people live. We pasted many small cities and villages. A spectacular day!!!

Thursday...Day Five..........

2009-03-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that all the dates on our posts are in Canadian time. I will try to change that later!!!

We awoke to day to a very grey landscape. It was a tad foggy and you could barely see the trees outside our apartment.
Since then it has warmed up and there is a little more clarity, some bluish sky and a sort of sun. There is no green at all.
We leave shortly for the Great Wall about an hour and a half away. Our personal driver will take us for 150 Yuan....about $20. Looking forward to our outing.

Preschool was a bit of a gong show today. Clearly we are not meant to be teachers. It starts at 9am with the first of many ayis'
dropping off their small charges. We have to pass through a playroom to get to the school room and we picked up two on our short trip. Then they just kept coming until we were about a dozen. Supposed to be around the 3 year age mark and up, but we had a real hodge podge from wee toddlers, to Joseph the 7 year old who comes from his foster home for the preschool. We had six kids on our list that were expected to attend. somebody forgot to tell the kids again!!

We put on some music and then they just go to town tearing through the place. We put out any fires by separating the odd bully and trying to clean up after them as they leave a trail of toys, books, dress up clothes, blocks and you name it. Grace had a group as did Beth and I have my little band. The kids have fun but pretty sure there wasn't a lot of actually learning happening. They are clearly used to coming to the "school" and love the attention and just being free to be kids. I hope that is something good.

Photos....

2009-03-03T19:55:00.001-08:00

Random, terribly out of order pictures....both on this post and the last. Some of the kids and some of our outing and some in the Hills apartment and a lovely group shot of us all after dinner.
Sorry.....better to post than to not!

Wednesday...Day Four......

2009-03-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Snuck in a quick picture of Jayne at preschool. Her smile will melt your heart.

After a lunch in the canteen of rice, meatballs and mystery veg we had some homework time and then hitched a ride with the driver who was going on some errands. He dropped us at the bank and then we hit Jenny Loo's, the supermarket for our snacks and some staples. Over to Starbuck's and then Zhou arrived with Katie from her school.......it was her late day and it was after 5pm. No complaining from the kids at St Pat's please.

We were invited to Robin and Joyce's for dinner to say goodbye to Molly who is leaving after her three weeks here. I wish we could have gotten to know her better. It was a lovely meal of steak and gravy with potatoes and peas and a purple yam dish. This followed by fresh fruit and ice cream. Very nice.

The girls finished their day playing with Fluffy the dog and Katie came over for a late night game of hide and seek. She is a very dear little girl who has a pretty unusual life. I enjoy spending time with her and love her quirky sense of humour.

Today there is no preschool but we will spend time with the kids and I will attempt some more scrapbooking. Oh Joy!!!

Tried to Skype Isabel this am but no luck. I recommend this service very highly. There she is on her computer in our family room and here are we so far away in another land and yet we get to see and talk to each other. Great.

Day Three.......

2009-03-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Beth and I are feeling decidedly more awake and rested today although Grace is still lagging a bit. We are beginning to set ourselves a routine. What has been assigned to us is fairly easy. One and a half hours of preschool in the am in a designated, well stocked playroom. Actually it works well for the little ones who get to come. They keep the numbers down I expect because they get very little one on one time and this gives them that. Beth and Grace were very good with the kids. We put on music, and made towers, did puzzles and chalking and bubbles. They were a big hit!! Everyone seemed to love dress up too. The children for the most part are very well behaved. They have English names but don't respond to them so I think somebody forgot to tell them. The chinese names are beyond me and I am kinda sad I won't know them all by name. They just adore the extra attention and will break into beaming smiles when they see us. I could take a dozen home tomorrow.

We were also asked to do some scrap booking. I will try to do two or three pages a day. I guess these are a chronicle of the children's days here at Hope, given to the adopting parents. I maybe the first volunteer fired from this chore as it isn't my favourite activity nor the girls. Happy to help where we can.

This afternoon we are tagging along when the driver goes to pick up Kate from her International school. I need to go to the bank and the shopping centre for more snacks and some groceries. I am arranging a trip to the Great Wall on Thursday after lunch. Exciting.

It has been grey and cool the last couple of days and looks dreary and dusty outside. We are planning an evening walk.

Tuesday.. Day Three..... Grace.....

2009-03-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

I'm really tired. In the past 3 days I've only gotten about 22 hours of sleep in total. But that's not important.
The babies here are so cute! I walk into one room and they all surround me! On Sunday we went to this Indian restaurant after church with some other people that are helping out at the orphanage. Their names are Jason, Molly, Rose, and Mona. By the way, about the church, it was a singing church! They sang most of the stuff they say in church.
Yesterday wasn't too exciting. We played with the babies, had lunch with the other people, and that was basically it.
Today we helped with the preschool. That's where we play with the babies more individually. We first started out with two, then three, then five, then six! I think...... Oh well! One of the kids was seven, and he could speak english really well! We blew bubbles, played dress up, and played with puzzles! Well, now it's lunchtime so I am going to go eat or there'll be nothing left!

Monday....Day Two....

2009-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

I put all the quilts in the cupboard and the extra pillows on my bed and that made it a lot more cozy. None of us slept as well as we would have liked and were up at 6am. Last night we watched Narnia with Katie and had some snacks together. Bedtime was 9ish.

Today the girls again tried the canteen breakfast. Beth attempted the congee (popular rice porridge) and found it ok. Grace likes the flat bread. It's two for two for the menu. I suspect it maybe the same everyday.

I headed down to the clinic at 730 to meet Molly, the Doc and Mona, the nurse. The nannies showed up with any babies there were concerns about. All were minor.......slight temp, the snuffles, rashes and such. Then we went upstairs to the special care area where the younger babies were and checked them out. They are expecting a team from the US in April to come and do repairs on several of the cleft kids. This unit is funded by Love without Boundaries and it is good to see what they are doing.

The little ones are overjoyed to see us every time! Their sweet faces just light up and they come running with arms outstretched calling Bai .......which means up. They loved to be picked up and carried and give big, very tight hugs. They just like to cuddle in to you and it is hard to put them down and they are still reaching for you as you walk away. We have to try to give equal time so everybody gets some love.

I am trying to put names to faces and will try to get photos for those folks who asked for them. Each child has a Chinese and an English name so this may be difficult. Still it is only day two.

Robin is at the home in Henan and will be back tonight. Joyce is still under the weather and taking advantage of having Molly here to rest.Molly will be leaving after a month here this week. I barely got to know her. :( Now Rose has gone down with a cold and is keeping her distance from the kids.......so no preschool today. She is doing office work. Mona is giving meds and restocking. She is so good with the children and clearly has a gift and a heart for them. The girls are taking a nap despite it being only 10am. They have hit a bit of a wall and need it. Katie is at school. The other nurse we met yesterday has left Hope and is off traveling. I think Jason is moving on soon too. I am not sure if other volunteers are expected or not.

Basically it is find a niche and do what you can. I spread our time with the kids out so as not to disrupt the schedule.
Coupla hours in the am and same again in the pm. That's the plan. We are happy to do anything we are asked to do, but it is a pretty well oiled machine and functions well despite our presence.

Day One.....my impressions....

2009-03-01T02:03:00.000-08:00

I posted pictures of Grace and Jade and Beth and Jade, Jade is 5 and a doll. All the kids are sweet and very affectionate. There are around 54 children and they are divided into units.........the Bunny unit, the Pooh Unit, the Nemo unit et cetera. In between the playrooms are bedroom of four colour coded cots and washrooms. Many cots has a beautiful quilt that Joyce, the director hand sews for each child. Very nice. Beth and Grace started off unsure and a little reserved but are now running around the place like they have been here forever. Each has their on special unit they prefer. They are talking Chinese and interacting very well. It is not always understood but they are getting more confident and it is only day one. They know when to hit the canteen for meals and are lining up with all the nannies. They are trying a bit of everything.

Church was very uplifting and was attended by about 300 ex-pats. There was coffee served and good fellowship followed with lots of music and a good group. The sermon was "are we doing anything meaningful with our lives". It was not the Catholic Church which is too far away, but it was good. It was pretty chilly but today was actually very sunny with a touch of spring.

After our Indian lunch we came back and the girls played with the children as did I and then they had some time outside in the playground. We were downstairs from 3-630 and now it is time to go back to the apartment for a movie and a snack. This is bath
time for the little ones and we would be in the ayi's (nannies) way if we stuck around.

I will post some random pictures of the day. Most are what we are writing about and are self explanatory.

Got your email Isabel and thanks. Lovely to hear from you. We miss you too and love you as always.

Day One.......Beth.......

2009-03-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took two planes. The first one was 2 hours and the second one was eleven hours. I hate flying! It was eleven endless hours, I must have watched " the boy in the stripped pajamas" ( a movie) about a dozen times! I was a pain to Mom and Grace and in the end I slept on the floor. When they announced that we were landing I silently screamed thanks!!!! that we were landing. At that point I was nauseated from the plane ride and tired. Grace was the worse though because she didn't sleep at all and was just plain tired.The airport was HUGE! It was so big that you had to take a train from place to place! An half indoor half out door train! I had to carry three bags. One for my clothes, one for the plane and one for my school books and homework that "cough" Miss Pearson "cough" gave me.

The apartment we are living in is awesome! My Mom's room is giant and we get a kitchen and living room.

The children are adorable and I am ashamed to say that I do have a favourite and her name is Jade. The first one I held was Gabriel. When we were given a tour we wandered into a room with some of the kids. Gabriel saw me and leapt into my arms when I bent down to say hello. He was adorable and he followed as down the hallway waving and laughing until we left the corridor.

Today Is Sunday and we went to mass. IT'S FREEZING COLD IN THERE! We were warned that it would be but I didn't expect this. After mass Mom,Grace,Kate(the nine year old daughter of the owner) Molly-the Doc-,Jason-a volunteer-Rose- a medical assistant-,Mona-a nurse- and Tina- also a nurse. As the first meal in China you'd think we'd go to a Chinese restaurant, but we went to an Indian restaurant. It was good.

Sunday..Day One...

2009-02-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

We all slept fairly well. Grace and I until 6am and, and Beth was up at 3am wandering the apartment and checking things out. She had breakfast and figured out the TV and how to view the large DVD collection here. By 7am we decided to head down to breakfast just to see what was on offer. We have the option of taking meals in the canteen.....8-11-5pm or in our flat.
The girls are a little shy today but will soon feel at home. They enjoyed the bread and pickled lotus root breakfast but passed on the congee. I would like them to try to experience it all while here. The nannies and the children are used to westerners and very friendly.

While I am up near the office enjoying the wifi they are down playing with the children. There is a wee 5 year old named Jade they have fallen for and a small boy named Gabriel. So many sweethearts.

Today we will go to Church with Robin, Joyce, Katie and some friends and then to lunch. It will be a quiet day of settling in and tomorrow, Rose, one of the nurse here will give us some suggestions for helping. It is a very well run home and I expect our main
job will to entertain the kids.

Travel........

2009-02-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

After getting up at 3am to shuttle to the airport, then a short flight to San Francisco and a two hour wait, it was all aboard for Beijing. We took off at 11am and landed 12 hours later. I am ok with the long long flight and Beth was antsy but managed to sleep some. Grace was fine, kept herself busy and all and all it was fine.

Beijing airport is lovely and things look brand spanking new here thanks to Olympic upgrades. Robing and his 9 year old daughter, Katie, met us and we hit the supermarket for some staples on our way to Hope. The girls are getting lots of attention and doing actually quite well using their Chinese. I knew it would pay off eventually. I am proud of them.

The area that we shopped in is a western area so it was a pretty fine store with all the western foods we have at home and then some...........British, American and Australian. Lots of organics which was a surprize.

Robin took us to Hope from there. It is a very large complex in the countryside and a fairly remote area on the edge of Beijing.
We are in the big apartment and very comfortable. We had a tour of the place and began to fall in love with all of the sweet little children. There are many more than at Starfish and it will be hard to get to know them all. I had the opportunity to meet Joyce who is a little under the weather. There are other volunteers here but we haven't met them yet.

By 8pm we had had it and were off to bed. Ah, the lovely slab like Chinese beds. I meant to bring an air mattress.

Isabel.......I sent an email........reply and we will see if things are working as they should.
Love you.

Departure Day, Part 1...........

2009-02-26T18:56:00.001-08:00

The girls in the van in our driveway at home. Don't they look happy? We will miss big sister but am pretty sure she and Daddy will have a great time together. Beth got her hair cut short....cute,eh?

We were 20 minutes off schedule and we missed the 1pm ferry. That meant we got on the 3pm ferry. Bummer.
By the time we were dropped off by Dad and Isabel it was after five. It was a quick drop and dash because we were parked in the hotel's driveway blocking any other traffic. Derek.....we never said goodbye. Bye. I love you. Give Isabel another big hug and kiss. I hate quick goodbyes......that quick anyway.

All of us were suffering from a little travel anxiety and stress so we made a truce and decided from here on out we would remind each other to take a big breath and relax. This is the adventure of a lifetime for my little girls and I want it to be an uplifting experience.

We are having some lovely room service and in our pj's.

Not looking forward to the 330am wake up call........assuming we sleep at all.

Testing

2009-02-24T09:37:00.001-08:00

Trying to edit the yucky adverts...............and I did.
We can't actually see our blog in China. Their infamous Great Fire Wall blocks it.
You have to be creative to post and I am just reviewing how to do it so
I can keep everyone up to date on our adventure via the blog.

Think I have it now.

Oh My Gosh........

2009-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Why am I not packing?

Today has got to be the day or I will be doing carry on only. Not a bad idea but then if I do any shopping
you have to worry about where to put it or buy another suitcase to get it home. Half the case is "just in case" things......medications and food stuff. We always anticipate illness and hunger. Must speak to our culture.

My ears are all blocked up due to a recurring sinus thing and last night Beth wasn't feeling up to par. Oh no!!!
Am praying for both to resolve.

We leave on Thursday for the mainland, specificaly the 1pm ferry. Have opted to keep the girls out of school that day so we aren't as stressed and can do last minute tweaking of our bags in the morning.

We are over nighting, as mentioned, at a hotel near the airport.
Probably won't sleep. I always think I will sleep in and miss the plane.
Being a night shift worker lack of sleep is no problem for me but the girls are another story.
They are pretty excited.

Isabel and Derek are going into the city to spend some time with BIL and his wife. Isabel told me last night she is happy to have Emily all to herself! Beth and Grace are a tad miffed that they will be in Vancouver and not see their beloved cousin, but I think we should just chill that evening.

I think I feel a little bubble of excitement building in me too!!

Disclaimer.....

2009-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

If I get all preachy on you I apologize in advance. Just my humble opinions.
Nothing personal.........to each his own, et cetera, et cetera.
I welcome any comments and am open to discussion........I think.

In China I am extra cautious to not offend or cause someone to "lose face".
We are a guest in their country and we try to behave accordingly.

We are pleased to have guests to our blog travel vicariously with us.

One week tomorrow......

2009-02-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Thursday.

One week from then we will board the ferry for the mainland, leave our beloved island behind, and head for an over nighter at a hotel close to the airport. We are up bight and early for the flight to Beijing by way of San Francisco.

So far I have a small stack of stuff in the kitchen to pack. Passports with Visas, coffee and snacky things, magazines and books. Not a heck of a lot.
The suitcases are resting comfortably in the basement. Something I plan to rectify today.
I am relatively calm. I have done this before. Four times. How lucky am I?

If I am packed by Thursday pm I can go to work on Friday for the weekend way ahead of the game.
Just need my American money for the accommodation and I am ready. That is arranged
for pickup next week. Final assembling on Wednesday and ready for blast off.

Derek and I were having a discussion this morning about Beth and Grace. Since we are
talking 2 preteens with a case of sibling rivalry I may need to pack a parachute for a hasty exit
somewhere during the 12 hour flight to China. After three weeks in country it is anybody's
guess what will transpire. It may be that they will learn something about themselves to and enjoy each other.

I wish I could have taken them individually as I did Isabel. We could have had the one on one time and the trip
would have been theirs alone. We do what we can and it is a big beautiful world out there and we only have so much
time and so much money. I think they are okay with it. Part of me wishes Isabel could have come with us also, but I
am so grateful she had last year and now it is her sisters turn.

Seriously, we are hoping this is a valuable learning curve for the girls. It would have been easier to book
one of the proliferating "homeland" tours and to have someone lead us around to all the usual tourist sites.
That it itself would have been wonderful and we would have seen a lot more than we will doing it ourselves.
But it would cost a whole lot more and the girls would have a very limited idea of what China is. I like to shop with the best of them, but dislike the frenzy some folks engage in and what the China Travel guides think is what we actually want. I have tried
to avoid the rampant consumerism that plaques our society and I don't want it for my girls. I will have a modest list of what we will purchase and try to stick to it.

I am hoping this trip makes our two stop and think and that they "get" some of what we have told them these last few years.

This will be my last trip to China, I imagine, but I am hoping they all will go back to visit, volunteer and explore and to see much more of the country than we ever have. Time will tell.

Three weeks until Beijing...........

2009-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe how quickly time is flying by. Last week I had our Visa photos taken and submitted the applications...tick.
This week I will lay out the suitcases in the guest room and begin to gather what we need....tick. I have done this four times now and am not anticipating any difficulties with the fifth. I feel quite cosmopolitan actually.

I had coffee a couple of weeks ago with a woman here in town who is going to China with her 13 year old son, 5 year old daughter and her husband. She had found our last China visit blog and had followed Isabel's return trip. Coincidently she is one of the sponsors of little Rose at the Starfish Foster Home where we volunteered in 2008. She and her family will incorporate a stay there on this visit. I tried to give her a few pointers to facilitate a good experience for her family.

We have arranged to meet for dinner in Beijing and will go see the acrobat show together on the 14th. I expect we will be ready for some R&R by then. What fun.

I am stealing myself to meet all these new little ones. Once you fall in love with them it is hard to say goodbye and they are always
there in your heart.

I have heard from some supporters and some adopting parents who found out we are going and have asked us to deliver packages and supplies. We are trying to arrange that.

The girls are getting excited and I am quite looking forward to the adventure. I am hoping their Chinese will be of some use and that they at least, will get some practice using it.

Wow.........21 more days.
If anyone has any inside knowledge on sights, restaurants, shopping in Beijng we would appreciate it if you would like to share.

I gather our duties at the Foster Home are assigned so we will have a schedule and it will include down time where we can do some fun things too. The girls need to get the big picture.

Stay tuned.

Check out the ticker.......

2009-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

Holey moley............30 days!!! That is one month!!!!!!!!
Can't believe it.

I will be back in China almost exactly one year from our last visit. Never would have imagined it.
At the same time I am so glad to be going. I am beginning to feel pretty comfortable with this independent Asia
traveling. Feel like a big girl now!!

Mostly I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to do. What I promised I would do and that is bring my girls back to the land of their birth. Their homeland. They may not appreciate it now but it is a gift and I am so happy I am able to do it. If we do none of the touristy things I just want them to know China on some level. Just as observers even. Soak it in.

Last year when I was there with Isabel..she was just turned 12 then....she said "I know I am Chinese Mum and I know this is where I was born but it isn't my home. My home is Canada." I said "I know Isabel but this is a part of you and I hope it will have some meaning and that it will be the first of many visits. They won't be with me probably,but maybe with your sisters or with friends." It is a big reason why I have insisted they take Mandarin all these years. I have a strong feeling there may be more of a connection down the road.

I know there was a kinship to the children at the Foster Home. We still feel it today and continue to follow the little ones we knew and loved there. Happily this past year has been awesome and of the 21 kids we met an astonishing eleven have found forever families. Miraculous.

Two died. But they died with some dignity and kindness and were cuddled and kissed at the end.

Good news from afar......

2009-01-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

Am beginning to hear from other volunteers from New Hope and from adoptive and soon to be adoptive parents. How cool is that?
Maybe we can be of some joy to these Mom and Dads by taking photos and such and passing them on. It is the next best thing to being there.

Time seems to be accelerating and I am shocked that we are now in double digits for January. Wow. I am getting excited.

Had coffee with a woman right here in my home town who is traveling to China with her husband and 12 and 5 year old children.
They will be touring for three weeks and will be in Beijing when we are. We are going to try to hook up for an evening and maybe do some sightseeing together. Imagine that. We are becoming quite the seasoned travelers. She will be going on to Starfish and it will be great to get current information on our remaining 10 kiddos. Lily and Caitlyn and Jade and Erica and Cailean and Rose and Brianna and Heather and Sean and Ben. I need to review and hope I didn't leave anyone out.

Please check out our other blog to follow their journey and read of our trip one year ago March. I never imagined I would be back again so soon. We are fortunate and I am so glad the younger girls are getting their chance to see some of their beginnings.

Visas.........

2009-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Got the forms and I think I have some photos around here. One month and 3 weeks from today.
I am hoping it is not too cold in Beijing. I hate the cold which is why we moved to the west coast.
Excepting this year it is supposed to be the warmest place in Canada.

Feeling some anxiety about the trip but I am sure that will change as we get closer. Beth and Grace are
a little less tranquil than Isabel and a little harder to entertain. We shall see. Soon I will email Hope Foster Home with
our flight number and arrival times. They will be picking us up at the airport which on the map is not very far away.

I am perusing maps to get an idea of the lay out of Beijing. It would be nice if we could get around some on
our own. Maybe use the subway instead of cabs. Not because of the yuan involved but just to experience some local flavour.
Maybe not...........I am still brain storming.

I had printed our e-tickets and had a heck of a time finding them. What a relief when they turned up in a handy dandy
folder I had started. I am also hoping all the money we have spend on Chinese school all these years will pay off
and the girls will be able to talk to someone or interpret for poor old Mom. Guess we will find out. Isabel could understand
some on last years trip and at the end, sigh, was beginning to feel a little more comfortable trying out her chinese on the locals.

I am hoping we can do some shopping while there. That has never been a favourite pastime of Isabel's so I kept it to a minimum in March 08. Beth and Grace aren't as particular so might enjoy exploring the markets. We will be mindful that
we are on a budget trip and keep it light.

I am going to begin making an itinerary for us. This will depend on what they want us to do at the foster home. I am told we
will be given a detailed assignment so I am pleased about that. So far want to see of course, the Wall again but not sure which part. The Forbidden City.........chose not to on our adoption trips. Would love a banquet at the summer Palace. It was a highlight in 2001 and I never got to explore there and wanted to. Will take the girls to the acrobats one night for fun.
The rest we will see. I am hoping we hook up with some of the other volunteers because it is always nice to do that.

So the wheels are turning. I am happy to be fulfilling the promise we made to China to bring the girls back one day.
It is a debt long overdue and we are ready now.

Just so you don't forget.......

2008-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

Check out the ticker people. Getting pretty darned excited.
As soon as January rolls around I am so going to be on it!!!

I am seriously glad I bought the tickets when I did. You would think with the price of jet fuel going down
prices would have dropped. Not so far. I still got a great deal.

I have no idea where my electronic tickets are!

The visas are easy peasey so no worries there.

Bit nervous about traveling with two girls and will need eyes in the back of my head
to keep a look out for them. Of course, they are old enough to stay near me and to be cautious with
strangers...........but I will still be hyper vigilant.

Have a Blessed and Holy Christmas and stop by our other blogs and check out my wonderful family.

Peace.

New Hope....

2008-11-01T15:56:00.001-07:00

Am following the blog of a family adopting from New Hope and have snagged a photo from there.
Since their adoption is a private affair I am not sharing more.

There are actually lots of photos on New Hope's web site.
I was amazed at the organizational skills of Joyce and her staff back in 2001
and now that they are at a different and much bigger facility I am sure I will be even more
blown away.

I am hoping they can teach me to do that at home with just three kids, when they have so many.

We are all at home today doing nothing and in a candy induced stupor.

Four months........

2008-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

At this rate it will be here before I know it. So far the girls just don't have a lot to say on the subject. I keep telling them they are going to have to help with their Chinese in the hopes it will get them to practice more. Guess we will see. I have heard that Hope (the foster home we are staying at) is going to be pretty busy while we are there. I am hoping we can hook up with some folks (other volunteers) and do some traveling together on our off time. I would us like to wander a houtong on our own and around the Forbidden City and not be too structured. I will need to weight the girls interest and attention span and exercise some caution that I wouldn't were I alone.

I need to start doing some research and make a solid itinerary. On Isabel and my trip last March I made a point of doing a little outing every 3 days or so, and then we did a full day here and there, and a 3 day trip to see the pandas in Chengdu. That was unforgettable. I love the planning stage. Visas and such take no time and I will get those after Christmas.

Yikes!!! Before we adopted I never gave China a thought....except for chinese food which I have always liked..........now it is hard to imagine I am making my fourth trip back. (Derek went alone to get Beth, which I regret...we should have all gone together).

Each trip has been easier.I guess that is because I now know what to expect and am more relaxed. Luckily we have always had good people helping us out as well.

And you should know chinese food is way better in China than in North America.

Just thought I would add a little something, something so you knew we were still here and the wheels are still turning.

Living vicariously.......

2008-09-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

We are so enjoying our friends and fellow bloggers stories on their trips to receive their new daughters in China. Two families from right here on our beloved island and friends not yet met from other lands and far away. My heart is with them in that ancient land and I share in their joy as their lives change and love blossoms. Through all the worry and waiting and preparations and fatigue and yes, the jet lag yet to come. It really is a wonderful world despite all the sadness and sorrow always around us. It is a rare pleasure to share those first moments together and to see it all unfold day by day.

Someday I will have to stop spending this time watching the wee screen and smiling here in my little world at the antics of tiny children I will never meet. I don't know.......it makes me happy. Maybe because I know how they feel right now and that it will get even better in short order........and it will never change or go away. You'll see.

God speed my friends. Come home safe and sound and together. Home.

Mary Anne, Qing Qing, Alyzabeth and Susannah and all the other sweet and dear little ones.

Become a follower.....

2008-09-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Maybe you got here from reading our other blogs? If you did, become a follower and get automatic updates as we get ready to travel and during our trip. Just click the appropriate spot to your left and it is done. Don't be shy!!!!!!!

Good for Beth..

2008-09-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Beth is in grade 6 this year. She came home today saying her teacher wanted them to think about supporting a worthy cause this year. Of course, Beth thought of China and of New Hope. I gave her an old brochure I have kept all these years and we looked at their website together. She is going to do a little presentation and show them the site and we will see if it is something the class might like to get behind. They would have to come up with some ways to raise funds and then decide what best to do with them.
Very exciting and I hope the class is receptive. There are so many out there who need help it is a tough job to decide where to direct the assistance.

How about this....

2008-08-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Met someone on the internet who has recently moved from Canada to China on a 2 year teaching contract. They have 2 children. I have been following her excellent blog on yahoo. She is making lots of contacts and has very graciously invited us to visit when we travel in March. How cool is that? I love the internet and fellow Canadian adoptive families.

She is in Huangdao, outside of the city of Qingdao, Shandong...........I had to look it up on a map. It is a beach town just south of Beijing. I know there is a famous mountain there and it would be interesting to do the hostel thing again and to know someone there would be bonus. I am going to investigate and see if we can add it to the itinerary and if the budget and time at Hope allows.

Week of the Olympics........

2008-08-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

The summer Olympics open on the 8/8/08.........eight is a very lucky number for the Chinese.

Lots of Chinese travel being featured on TV and in print and lots of everything Chinese in general. Kind of fun for us!

I will work out an itinerary for us in the fall so I will know day by day where and what we will be

up to. I want us to do the Great Wall, of course. We never did see the Forbidden City or have a Hutong tour so would like to do that. Not too interested in the shopping but will get the girls Chinese names painted in a bottle because Isabel cherishes that souvenir from her trip this year.

This is just part of the fun of the entire trip for me.

We have had updates on some of the children we grew to know and love in that brief time on our Xi'an trip. Hop over to the 2008 trip and read on. I am trying to prepare my heart for this trip. It is hard not to fall in love with the children at the foster home and I worry that they will not find a family. What will become of them? How will their lives play out? I am still grieving for the little ones at Starfish. Part of me thinks they will be okay no matter what but of course we don't know that and it can be difficult in China without the support and love of a family. It can be difficult anywhere in the world when you are alone. At least for now they are not and that is a comfort. They are being cared for and have a home with lots and lots of brothers and sisters and many Mommies...........and tons of volunteers loving on them.

I remember........

2008-07-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

We will also have to get visas for us all.

Last night I was looking through the calendar.

Isabel and I traveled February 29 to March 20.

Almost exactly what we are doing this time....

February 26 to March 20......less a day because there

is no leap year day. And I didn't even check that before I booked.

Flight booked....check!!!

2008-07-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I seriously hope I did not jump the gun here and way over pay for these flights!!!

Time will tell. Paid $3260 for the three of us with fees, taxes and fuel surcharges et cetera.

What do you think?

So we leave February 26 (bus & ferry x3) and will overnight in Vancouver (hotel + dinner) and up early for a 6am hop to San Francisco and then it's Beijing here we come baby.

Get in around 330pm where we will be met by the good folks from New Hope Foster Home and transported to our digs. I believe we are staying in the main building which is good. Hopefully we can wander around and visit the children at will.

Returning March 20th.

Fares $3260

Bus/ferry $91

Hotel $113

Dinner/misc $100

San Francisco magazines/snacks $100

TOTAL=$3664 from budget of $5000-6000 (best case/worst case)

I think that's pretty good for 3 travelers for 3 weeks

See our blog link section for our last trip and family blog.........and more.

Something is up.....

2008-07-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Those cheap fares were too good to be true. They must offer very few at those prices and when they are gone they are gone. Every time I tried to book them they came up as "sold out". What's that all about???

Heard from Hope. Good news, bad news situation. Yeah, we can come but they now charge for room and board. That will add $600 to our budget. I know it is a deal and I know they have expenses but still it ups the ante.

Also talked to a woman who was there with her daughter last year and with another woman who lives in Beijing with her daughter who is the same age as our girls. Fact is I met her many years ago on Grace's adoption trip. Long story I will tell you about later. Great gal.

We are making progress with our plans. We are so blessed to be able to do this. It is huge that I get the girls back to China. It is a promise we made and did not take lightly when the miracle of adoption brought us all together. I wish the whole family could go together but for now we have to do it this way. I am grateful.

Cheap flights....

2008-07-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Have found some great fares to Beijing and am seriously thinking of purchasing them now.

For budgetary reasons I need to hold off just a bit longer. Fingers crossed they are still there next week.

I have emailed Joyce at New Hope and asked if we can come next spring break. I am hoping to speak with several people who were there last year. I really hope we can be of help in our time there, not just some tourists stopping by.

Pandas...

2008-07-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

I took this photo at the panda reserve in Chengdu in March of 2008 when Isabel and I had our return trip to China. That place was one of the highlights of our trip. Loved the city as well. It took a real hit during the earthquake.

Vacation...

2008-07-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

We are on vacation at the beach.....see our family blog in the links. I plan to book our flights in the fall but meanwhile I continue to follow, via blogs, all the adoption stories still happening. It makes me kind of sad that a lot of the experiences people have are not positive ones. I wish I could tell them that two weeks under the stressful conditions they are under is not enough time to get to know the real China or her people. I was as judgemental until we went back too and I was sorry for that and learned from it.

World's most boring travel blog...

2008-06-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Honestly it is like watching a clock. We really won't be booking until the fall and in the meantime we just keep living. School is out for the summer and you can either bookmark us and come back or check out our other blogs.....past and present. They are under the LINKS area to your right. For me I will continue to do my homework and arrange the best trip (trips) ever.

Nothing new...

2008-06-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Naturally this blog will be quiet until we begin to make travel arrangements. I am thinking October or November. I still go to kayak and expedia et cetera and price our flights out but it is kind of silly because we don't know what fuel surcharges will be like in the future. I still am thinking we will go to Hope and I still think spring break. Since we are also thinking of trying to go to England next year we may switch travel times. Maybe UK in early summer and China later. Don't know. Part of me would love to go back to Starfish for at least a couple of days but not sure how helpful we were or would be if we went again and without Brittany........it wouldn't be much of a holiday for my girls. China is definitely our number one priority. I took Isabel so now I must take the younger girls.

Air fares...

2008-06-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

Had I been smart and had I the money I should have booked our flights a few weeks back.

Sadly, I did not and now since fuel has sky rocketed I will have to pay the surcharges. It is becoming clear that I will have to book by about September or so to get any deals. Whether the cash will be available is another story.

I am also investigating other airlines. Last time we used Air China and I had no complaints coming or going. The individual TV's were good and kept us entertained. We had books and magazines and munchies. The girls can bring their Nintendos. What else could we need? Actually once on the planes I didn't find the flights all that long. It is the layovers and waiting that is tedious.

It would be a dream to fly first or business class but that is way beyond our plan of a budget trip so it will remain a dream!

I am excited already and it is still months away. The planning is part of the adventure for me.

I hope this time we can be more helpful than last time but we will do what we can.

Update...

2008-05-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

I am learning a lot on this journey to a journey. Hope is looking more and more like the place we will be heading for. While reading all about the terrible tragedy of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, and the loss of their little girl, I came across his connection to Joyce and Robyn Hill. He and his wife and their organization are building a home in Henan province. It maybe the a place that could use us. I will keep you posted.

( http://shaohannahshope.org)

Found another one...

2008-05-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Have discovered another foster home in China run by Westerners. It is called Home of Hope and is in GongYi village in Henan Province and a second Home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province not far from where Grace was born. It has a very nice website and no doubt I will be exploring that over the next few days. I have been in email contact with the Director and he seemed receptive. Stay tuned!!! I am learning alot.

Check out my cool ticker...

2008-05-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Blogging is so much fun I don't understand why everyone doesn't do it!!!

See our cute little plane ready to just take off?

I have just under 10 months to pull this one off and I have every reason to belief that we can do it!!

I know of folks who have traveled or are planning to travel back and I would love to hear about the planning or the actual trips. Obviously these will happen more and more as the children get older and the agencies will scramble for customers now that the adoption trips are sadly dwindling.

Actually have something to say...

2008-04-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

My little emailing fingers have been talking to Joyce at the Hope Foster Home outside of Beijing.

Now Hope is a foster home we have actually visited way back in 2001 on Grace's adoption trip. I had met over the internet a Canadian ex pat teaching in China and when I traveled to get Grace we hooked up so her daughter could play with mine since they were close in age. Kirsty was very warm and welcoming and we were at her apartment a couple of times. She took us to Hope which was an organization her school supported with donations and such. I am so sorry I lost touch with Kirsty.

Joyce was out of country at that time but I did talk to her husband and he outlined what they planned to do and how. Back then they were in a different location and had just 16 babies. I was impressed at how well organized and well run the place was. Now 7 years later they have 155 babies and 4 sites and palliative nurseries .......exactly how they had planned it. I am still impressed.

Also through the internet I was contacted by a woman in Ontario who found our blog on our spring trip and she and her daughter had been at Hope the previous fall. So we got to chatting and I looked at their web site again and pondered.....and thought and did some math. I think we might go to Hope next spring break.

I am not sure what we would do but surely we could be of service in some meaningful way. Joyce has said no problem and was fine with bringing the girls.

Thanks be to God!

Research...

2008-04-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Have begun to do some very light research. Am brainstorming about whether we should go back to Starfish or maybe look into other places to volunteer. Part of me wants to see the children we left behind and part of me will be sad to see them still there one year from now.

It is too early to try to cost out flights. Obviously I am a woman on a mission and I have barely finished organizing our photos and such from the last trip. Foolish of me, I know.

While we were in China a couple who were in our first, Isabel adoption trip, were on a tour with their two daughters. I would love to compare trips and hear what there impressions were.

Okay...change of plans.....

2008-04-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

After much debate and a lot of pleading on Beth's part we are now talking about taking TWO girls to China next year. Our rationale is that since they will both still be under 12 we will save on airfare and it leaves room for visiting England and Scotland one summer ,which we have wanted to do for ages. As a sweetener I may see if we can stop in Hong Kong on our way and visit their Disneyland. Don't know how this will actually play out but I will start research soon. How lucky are we to be able to have this wonderful opportunity. Truly blessed.

It is never too early...

2008-03-27T11:21:00.001-07:00

Isabel and I are just back from our trip and I am barely over the jet lag........but the wheels are turning and time to start planning!!!!! Where will we go this time ? Not sure. Stay with us and find out.

This is my lovely Grace and she is fully on board.