Part Two (A)!
18/01/08 18:58 Filed in: Travel &
Prep
The day is here...! Today, we're to get Hope. This
day has been nearly two years in coming -- and, for
some reason, we're not anxious. Not in a bad way,
that is. We are ITCHING to get her in our arms, but
there isn't the emotional "queasiness" we were
expecting. Just a constant, "we're gonna get her!
we're gonna get her!" running through the van on the
way to the apartment.
Backing up a bit... just to provide some degree of tension & anticipation amongst our readers... We settled into the Inn pretty well, and rested well for such a short night. We got to experience typical Chinese plumbing, and we learned that most Chinese western-style (aka American) toilets don't accept toilet paper well, so you don't put it in the toilet -- it goes into the trash can beside the toilet. TMI? Maybe, but not if you plan to travel to China sometime. You'll need to know this. It smells funny, too. Even in hotels. My best friend, who works for Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., says that the toilets were missing something called a "pee stop" (??) -- hence the smell. Plus the plumbing doesn't route down-up-down, like in the States. Oh, and it's all on the outside of the walls, because the Chinese *know* it's poorly constructed & will break. Why make a repair job difficult, eh?
The beds are firm -- I like this part a lot. I sleep on the floor at home quite often (by choice, thank you very much), so a firm bed is a much-appreciated "luxury". It was a pretty good first night in China. I couldn't have imagined it any better -- again, thanks to Leah & PHF.
Ok, back to this morning: we drive into Langfang "proper" (we've been staying in the Development Zone -- all major cities in China seem to have one) and head over to the apartment where the children have been staying. The door is opened, and its just a cacophony. Ayis chattering & laughing, people greeting each other, and Hope screaming -- we initially missed her asking "mama?", as she posed the question of Suzanne to her ayi. Leah heard it, and Carolyn managed to capture it on video (though it's still hard to discern amongst the mixed noises). Nonetheless, she knew "mama" had come to get her. It was just... beautiful.
After tearing her away from her ayis, and leaving her other orphan buddies behind, we headed out in the van again. I don't remember much between the apartment visit & Hope vomiting all over herself -- probably emotions, but likely her super-squeals. This little girl -- and I mean little, she seems so fragile & tiny -- has the lungs of an operatic soprano, and the endurance of Lance Armstrong. Poor, sweet Hope worked herself up so much that she puked out her entire morning. Thrice. The whole family jumped in to get her cleaned up -- a sight that Leah called "just right". Her whole family (that includes Carolyn) offered napkins, wipes, emotional support, and whatever else was necessary to get her feeling better & all cleaned up. She was pretty calm after all that. Probably pure exhaustion...
Still, it was marvelous to look at her in Suzanne's arms. For real. She wasn't just a cute picture anymore. She wasn't just a sweet orphan being sponsored & cared for at PHF. She was real. And really, really, really stinkin' cute. The stinkin' part was the vomit.
We arrived at [someplace I forget the name of and it doesn't really matter anyway] for lunch. Yippeee!!! Our first *real* Chinese meal!! Woohoo! And Hope's stomach was empty, so we could have a chance to feed her for the first time! Not sure that was a considerate thought at all, but it worked out. No more hurling, thank the Lord.
The food was AMAZING. I don't think we'll be able to eat Chinese food in the States again... it's just not the same. Trust me. Ask Suzanne, Carolyn, or any of my children & they'll tell you the same. And the Chinese people serve in such an impassioned way: Caedyn bumped a ceramic spoon, which hit the floor and shattered; one of our waitresses virtually dove to the floor to prevent Suzanne from even trying to clean it up. When Suz offered her assistance, the waitress vehemently refused. And these ladies don't get tips! Completely different from the "you're lucky I'm here to serve you at all"-attitude that we receive so often in the States.
After lunch, we headed back to the Inn. Hope at some point upon our return, latches onto my hip. And she remained there for the next 48 hours -- she's a daddy's girl already!
to be continued...
Backing up a bit... just to provide some degree of tension & anticipation amongst our readers... We settled into the Inn pretty well, and rested well for such a short night. We got to experience typical Chinese plumbing, and we learned that most Chinese western-style (aka American) toilets don't accept toilet paper well, so you don't put it in the toilet -- it goes into the trash can beside the toilet. TMI? Maybe, but not if you plan to travel to China sometime. You'll need to know this. It smells funny, too. Even in hotels. My best friend, who works for Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., says that the toilets were missing something called a "pee stop" (??) -- hence the smell. Plus the plumbing doesn't route down-up-down, like in the States. Oh, and it's all on the outside of the walls, because the Chinese *know* it's poorly constructed & will break. Why make a repair job difficult, eh?
The beds are firm -- I like this part a lot. I sleep on the floor at home quite often (by choice, thank you very much), so a firm bed is a much-appreciated "luxury". It was a pretty good first night in China. I couldn't have imagined it any better -- again, thanks to Leah & PHF.
Ok, back to this morning: we drive into Langfang "proper" (we've been staying in the Development Zone -- all major cities in China seem to have one) and head over to the apartment where the children have been staying. The door is opened, and its just a cacophony. Ayis chattering & laughing, people greeting each other, and Hope screaming -- we initially missed her asking "mama?", as she posed the question of Suzanne to her ayi. Leah heard it, and Carolyn managed to capture it on video (though it's still hard to discern amongst the mixed noises). Nonetheless, she knew "mama" had come to get her. It was just... beautiful.
After tearing her away from her ayis, and leaving her other orphan buddies behind, we headed out in the van again. I don't remember much between the apartment visit & Hope vomiting all over herself -- probably emotions, but likely her super-squeals. This little girl -- and I mean little, she seems so fragile & tiny -- has the lungs of an operatic soprano, and the endurance of Lance Armstrong. Poor, sweet Hope worked herself up so much that she puked out her entire morning. Thrice. The whole family jumped in to get her cleaned up -- a sight that Leah called "just right". Her whole family (that includes Carolyn) offered napkins, wipes, emotional support, and whatever else was necessary to get her feeling better & all cleaned up. She was pretty calm after all that. Probably pure exhaustion...
Still, it was marvelous to look at her in Suzanne's arms. For real. She wasn't just a cute picture anymore. She wasn't just a sweet orphan being sponsored & cared for at PHF. She was real. And really, really, really stinkin' cute. The stinkin' part was the vomit.
We arrived at [someplace I forget the name of and it doesn't really matter anyway] for lunch. Yippeee!!! Our first *real* Chinese meal!! Woohoo! And Hope's stomach was empty, so we could have a chance to feed her for the first time! Not sure that was a considerate thought at all, but it worked out. No more hurling, thank the Lord.
The food was AMAZING. I don't think we'll be able to eat Chinese food in the States again... it's just not the same. Trust me. Ask Suzanne, Carolyn, or any of my children & they'll tell you the same. And the Chinese people serve in such an impassioned way: Caedyn bumped a ceramic spoon, which hit the floor and shattered; one of our waitresses virtually dove to the floor to prevent Suzanne from even trying to clean it up. When Suz offered her assistance, the waitress vehemently refused. And these ladies don't get tips! Completely different from the "you're lucky I'm here to serve you at all"-attitude that we receive so often in the States.
After lunch, we headed back to the Inn. Hope at some point upon our return, latches onto my hip. And she remained there for the next 48 hours -- she's a daddy's girl already!
to be continued...