Today was the last day in our long adoption wait. The adoption agency must intentionally keep us busy because we hardly had time to dwell on the big day Monday.
Summary: Good night's rest Saturday night. Breakfast, then on the bus at 9:15 to go to an international, English speaking church. Then to jade store, then lunch. Drove to Great Wall and climbed up to the top of the section we were on. This was thrilling, and a highlight of the trip so far. Drove back to downtown and enjoyed a quick meal, then back to the hotel for a 15 minute stop before going to see an acrobat show, which was very entertaining. Then we returned to the hotel and packed for our trip to Jiangxi province. We fly there in the morning, will be taken to our hotel, and then in the afternoon we will get Alexis!
More detail: We we're getting used to the wonderful buffet breakfasts here at the hotel, but we learned this afternoon that we need to get up at 4:45 am Monday morning to be on the bus at 5:20. No buffet tomorrow. We'll be taken to the airport with our group, and we'll all get on flights to the province where our children await us. Most of us go to Nanchang in Jiangxi province, but other families are going to Xi'an, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. We'll all be back together again Friday night in Guangzhou.
We'll be going to Nanchang, and we were told today that we will meet our children across the street from our hotel. We're happy that we go to the hotel first because we'll have a little time to unpack and get all the things together we need for meeting Alexis and any paperwork we need to do.
There's definitely a nervous tension among all the families as we eagerly await tomorrow. Some have adopted before so they know the excitement, joy, emotions, and challenges ahead. We're expecting a very emotional day.
The Great Wall was definitely a highlight. To finally see this great wonder in real life - we just kept pinching ourselves as we took in the views and the experience! We had about an hour to spend there so we did the very steep climb to the highest point at our location - about 35 minutes straight up. The wall varies considerably in width, and the steps are very uneven so caution was necessary. As with all the other places we have visited here, it was crowded but thinned out considerably as we kept climbing. Although the trip up was aerobically challenging and somewhat slow, the trip down was quick but tricky with the uneven steps and steep enough to cause the leg muscle jiggles. The weather was lovely - it would be a killer in super hot weather or if the steps were slick in wintertime!
The group meals yesterday and today were very similar - a huge lazy susan filled with traditional Chinese dishes, rice and soup. There are generally variations of pork, chicken, duck, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Some are much more flavorful than others. Our Saturday lunch was probably the best.
The acrobatic show tonight was hilarious!!! It was like David Letterman's stupid people tricks meets the highest skilled/strongest Olympic gymnasts. The feats were amazing and funny - a male juggler with an inappropriately-revealing outfit, gymnastic feats while spinning plates on poles, riding bicycles, jumping through an ever-higher ring, etc. The strength and skill needed to do most of the acts was just unbelievable. The strangeness of some of the acts was funny. The showmanship of all the participants was just so entertaining! An event not soon forgotten.
Now we are back at the hotel packing frantically as our checked luggage had to be ready by 10pm tonight, and there is a weight limit of 44 pounds per person for checked baggage. I think we will easily make it.
Tonight will likely be a fitful night of sleep with the ridiculously early wake-up call time and with our thoughts focused on finally meeting Alexis tomorrow! It's hard to put into words the emotions we are experiencing!
By the way we have been humored (and frustrated by the ongoing delays) of the domestic flights here so far. There is really no such thing as a line, boarding was super fast and the flight attendants are super zippy with their service (there is minimal selection and no ice for drinks which probably helps). But on Friday night during our flight the "dinner" was a box with 2 wrapped pieces of bread in it. So after the flight being delayed more than 5 hours, we had bread and water for a meal! We didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that point but have since been laughing more and more as we remember it.
Summary: Good night's rest Saturday night. Breakfast, then on the bus at 9:15 to go to an international, English speaking church. Then to jade store, then lunch. Drove to Great Wall and climbed up to the top of the section we were on. This was thrilling, and a highlight of the trip so far. Drove back to downtown and enjoyed a quick meal, then back to the hotel for a 15 minute stop before going to see an acrobat show, which was very entertaining. Then we returned to the hotel and packed for our trip to Jiangxi province. We fly there in the morning, will be taken to our hotel, and then in the afternoon we will get Alexis!
More detail: We we're getting used to the wonderful buffet breakfasts here at the hotel, but we learned this afternoon that we need to get up at 4:45 am Monday morning to be on the bus at 5:20. No buffet tomorrow. We'll be taken to the airport with our group, and we'll all get on flights to the province where our children await us. Most of us go to Nanchang in Jiangxi province, but other families are going to Xi'an, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. We'll all be back together again Friday night in Guangzhou.
We'll be going to Nanchang, and we were told today that we will meet our children across the street from our hotel. We're happy that we go to the hotel first because we'll have a little time to unpack and get all the things together we need for meeting Alexis and any paperwork we need to do.
There's definitely a nervous tension among all the families as we eagerly await tomorrow. Some have adopted before so they know the excitement, joy, emotions, and challenges ahead. We're expecting a very emotional day.
The Great Wall was definitely a highlight. To finally see this great wonder in real life - we just kept pinching ourselves as we took in the views and the experience! We had about an hour to spend there so we did the very steep climb to the highest point at our location - about 35 minutes straight up. The wall varies considerably in width, and the steps are very uneven so caution was necessary. As with all the other places we have visited here, it was crowded but thinned out considerably as we kept climbing. Although the trip up was aerobically challenging and somewhat slow, the trip down was quick but tricky with the uneven steps and steep enough to cause the leg muscle jiggles. The weather was lovely - it would be a killer in super hot weather or if the steps were slick in wintertime!
The group meals yesterday and today were very similar - a huge lazy susan filled with traditional Chinese dishes, rice and soup. There are generally variations of pork, chicken, duck, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Some are much more flavorful than others. Our Saturday lunch was probably the best.
The acrobatic show tonight was hilarious!!! It was like David Letterman's stupid people tricks meets the highest skilled/strongest Olympic gymnasts. The feats were amazing and funny - a male juggler with an inappropriately-revealing outfit, gymnastic feats while spinning plates on poles, riding bicycles, jumping through an ever-higher ring, etc. The strength and skill needed to do most of the acts was just unbelievable. The strangeness of some of the acts was funny. The showmanship of all the participants was just so entertaining! An event not soon forgotten.
Now we are back at the hotel packing frantically as our checked luggage had to be ready by 10pm tonight, and there is a weight limit of 44 pounds per person for checked baggage. I think we will easily make it.
Tonight will likely be a fitful night of sleep with the ridiculously early wake-up call time and with our thoughts focused on finally meeting Alexis tomorrow! It's hard to put into words the emotions we are experiencing!
By the way we have been humored (and frustrated by the ongoing delays) of the domestic flights here so far. There is really no such thing as a line, boarding was super fast and the flight attendants are super zippy with their service (there is minimal selection and no ice for drinks which probably helps). But on Friday night during our flight the "dinner" was a box with 2 wrapped pieces of bread in it. So after the flight being delayed more than 5 hours, we had bread and water for a meal! We didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that point but have since been laughing more and more as we remember it.
Those steps make me tired just looking at them! We're so excited for you guys to meet your daughter tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteM&M,
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited for you guys! I've loved seeing where you've been. I'm thrilled about where you're going...to get Lexi Lu. I know that this has been a long and difficult journey (figuratively and literally) but I am so thankful that the day is here...you will meet her within hours! I can't wait for you to hold your daughter in your arms...and I can't wait to meet my new niece, Lexi Lu! I love you both!
-Janell, Amy, Sally, and Ginger
It is exciting to hear and see how your trip has unfolded. I am so excited for you becoming new parents! God has blessed you and prepared you for this day and I know that you will flourish in it. Enjoy the rest of the trip and cherish every moment you have together as a family! I love you!!!
ReplyDeleteJohnny Spillane and his sidekick, Jelly Belly Ellie