Travel Day

Yesterday was Friday.  I THINK yesterday was Friday.  We have moved on to our second city (Guangzhou) to complete the US side of the adoption.  I'm not sure if I've explained this before, but when adopting from China, you spend two weeks in country.  The first week is in the child's home province - for us, Shanghai.  During this week, you complete the Chinese side of the adoption.  There is, of course, Gotcha Day, then paperwork at the passport office for her Chinese passport, the official adoption "ceremony" and paperwork, and various papers to fill out at the notary.  All of this takes about a week and you spend your empty time touring the city.  Some families are also able to visit their child's orphanage during this time (which, unfortunately, Mary's orphanage does not allow....Boo.)  So, everyone adopting from China begins their journey in their child's province.  The second week is the same for everyone..... all adopting families spend their second week in Guangzhou.  This week is spent completing the US side of the adoption.  There's a medical test and Visa paperwork along with the Consulate Appointment at the US consulate.  Empty time here is spent.... SHOPPING!!!

So, here we are on our second leg of the journey.  Yesterday was a travel day, so you would think there wouldn't be much to share...... but oh..... there were some sweet moments....

Last breakfast in Shanghai.  Yes.  That is her plate.  Yes.  She ate it all.  Fried rice, Shanghai noodles, and congee.  I'm pretty sure she's making that face because they just brought out another tray of croissant.

Our view at breakfast.  We shall miss this.

The Shanghai Railway Station is Mary's "finding spot."  In her report, it states that the police found her in this railway station in "waiting room 9"..... This was directly across from our hotel and we could see it right outside our window. 

Since we didn't get to take a tour of Mary's orphanage, our guide agreed to let us drive by it on the way to the airport.  We pulled up at this gate and all got out for a picture.  Our guide walked over to the security officers seated in their little "room" and explained to them that we were there to take pictures.  The guards smiled and pointed at Mary, then the big gates to the orphanage opened.  We were able to walk in and take a few pictures.  Sweet.

Shanghai Children's Home.  Mary's "home" since December, 2011.

We stood in front of this building, snapping pictures of us as a family of five.  Then, I turned on my video camera and captured the moment when Mary's Daddy officially walked her out of those orphanage gates for the last time.  She was carried in an orphan with no one to love or care for her.  She was carried out today a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin. You're ours, baby girl.

Orphanage sign

Our sweet guide, Maggie, helped us check in at the airport in Shanghai and got us set for our flight to Guangzhou.  Communicating in this airport is NOT easy.

So.  Here sits a child who is about to leave the place where she was born.   The city is way in the distance behind her..... She was very serious and apprehensive and saddened by the whole "leaving my birthplace" thing........... Uh.  NOT!  That kid is so happy.  She fits right in with our crew.  And she did BEAUTIFULLY on the flight.  The only annoyance was the man seated in front of me who kept explaining to us (in CHINESE) that Mary was cold and we needed a blanket.  He even had the flight attendant bring a blanket to us so we would wrap her up.  He was INSISTENT and wouldn't stop..... I was slightly irritated by this, but he redeemed himself when the in-flight meal was served and he gave Mary his roll.  We liked him after that.

And THIS was what we walked into at aroud 9:30ish on Friday night.  The Garden Hotel.  Aka:  Paradise.  The Lifeline guides (Rebecca, Helen, and Lily) met us there and got us all checked in.  Herbie Newell, the Director of Lifeline Children's Services, also greeted us in the lobby.  He's been in China since May 27 with his entire family visiting and checking on the 8 or 9 partnership orphanages the Lifeline has in China.  Lifeline is an AMAZING agency and we have been blessed beyond measure by their work, their mission, and their vision.

Yep.  Looooong day.  And today was even longer, it seems..... Mary's MEDICAL EXAM happened today.  That's a whole other blog post.  

I leave you with a bit of cuteness.  We love her.

Her last night in Shanghai.

Mary had a hard time going to sleep tonight.  And I am struggling a little, too..... You see, tonight is Mary's last night in the city of her birth.  For some reason, that is VERY bittersweet to me.  Although I KNOW that we are bringing her into a family full of love and a community that has prayed for her for so long, I'm sad that her beginning has been so difficult.  In 20 months, this baby girl has been through A LOT.  And yet, she's got the sweetest, happiest, easiest disposition ever.  She's got JOY downpat..... But does she know that there has been sadness in her life?  Does she know that we are taking her from Shanghai tomorrow?  Does she know that her life is changing so dramatically?  Well, I know.  And I'm sad FOR her.  Bittersweet.

BUT.... it was a VERY happy night.  Tonight, we had dinner with Joe's cousin and her family.  We had "authentic Chinese"....... They came to get us at the hotel and then we traveled on the Shanghai subway to a completely different part of town.  We went upstairs into a private little room and shared the loveliest and TASTIEST meal we've had yet.  There was a BIG glass lazy-susan in the middle of the table and all of the dishes were served "family style" on it.... you just turned that sucker until you had what you wanted in front of you.  Mary, of course, LOVED the rice and noodles.  Somebody at home better be finding me a fried rice and/or noodle recipe and have it ready when I get there.  Do I need a wok?  Whatever... anyway.... The meal was completely delicious.  The dishes included salad (yummiest EVER), cucumbers in some sort of liquid that made them also completely delicious, a WHOLE flounder (head ON.... you just peel the skin back and take what you want), barbecue pork, fried steak with a sweet sauce (Oh. My.  Gosh. It. Was. Good.), steamed rice, wonton dumplins, spring rolls, greens, and a sweet dessert (we think they were little dumplin balls in a sweet syrup, but I told them it looked like those little cocoons from the silk place....), and, best of all..... Shanghai Noodles.  Mary totally ignored her Cheerios she was so engrossed in the rice and noodles.  I liked the salad and steak best.  Max liked the barbecue pork.  Jack liked the rice and steak.  Joe's favorite thing was.... EVERYTHING.

The best part of the meal was spending time with the Simpsons (Peter, Jeanne, Sara Grace, Paul, and Luke. Their daughter, Claire, is away in NY right now!)  They have been in China for quite some time.  We have all been so excited to know that our Mary is from Shanghai.... and THEY are in Shanghai.  Made me happy to know that she was near family even before we could come to get her!  They talked about the culture, the city, the people, and their "normal."  It gave us even more insight into Mary's first "home" so we can share it with her someday.

After dinner, they walked us to Nanching Walking Road (totally don't know if I spelled that right or if that's even the right name.....).  It's a BEAUTIFUL place at night full of shops and LIGHTS.  It stretches through the city for a mile and a half..... very nice.  We zipped into a HUGE Hershey store and got some chocolate covered almonds, and then they tucked us safely into a cab back to the hotel.  It was the perfect evening with family on the other side of the world.

And now, tonight, now that Peanut is finally asleep, we pack to move on.  And it makes me sad.  Although I feel SO very small in this huge and bustling city, it will always be special to me.

But.. now it's time to face forward and MOVE ON.  Cause after this next city, we get to go HOME.  America.  (We all got so homesick this afternoon that we all started singing, "God, Bless America" in our room...... then we all busted out laughing cause I'm pretty sure the fatigue has caused us to lose our minds.  Mary just looks at us and laughs.  Welcome to the family, baby girl.)

Here are some sights from our evening:

Waiting on the subway!  We must be very happy it's there.... If you look closely, you can BARELY see Mary's face under her little hoody.  It was STILL raining, so we had her bundled up.... And that's why my hair is wonky in every. single. picture.  The humidity over here is eight hundred thousand and eleven percent.  I will NEVER complain about Alabama humidity ever again.  K.  Moving on....

The flounder.  Tastes WAY better than it looks.  Cause I was a little worried when they brought it to the table.  But.... oh.... it's GOOD.  (Joe now says he thinks THAT was his favorite.)

Hanging out in Shanghai.  See the big lazy-susan in the middle of the table.  Very cool.  Very Chinese.

Uh.  Mom.  Could you quit trying to use the chopsticks to feed me Cheerios?  You're dropping them all over the floor and I NEED them.

Family meets up in Shanghai.  Big love.

Beautiful walk.

Happy family.  Lovely evening.

The brick building is a government-run church.  

BIG Hershey store!

Chocolate is the universal language.  That, and Cheerios.

More pretty lights.

And some more.....

As we left dinner, the Simpsons gave us a gift to celebrate Mary's adoption.  The book at the top is a  coffee-table type book with scenes from all over Shanghai.  The set of FIVE chopsticks (get it?  family of 5???) have Chinese characters with phrases about LOVE on them.... "Love each other."  "Share the love."  And then, the chocolate, of course!

Such a thoughtful gift.  Made me cry.

I think I say this at the end of every blog post, but we are truly, truly grateful to everyone who is praying for us and encouraging us through these two weeks.  We are getting tired and this is hard, but, the reward is great.  Our flight leaves Shanghai tomorrow afternoon at around 5:00.  Please pray for Mary to be a GREAT airplane traveler, for luggage that weighs the right amount, for easy airport maneuvering, and for continued health.  We'll blog again from Guangzhou, China.

Goodnight, Shanghai.

Seeing Shanghai.

As we wait on Mary's passport and other important documents to be processed, we are spending time getting to know the city of her birth.  Shanghai is HUGE.  REALLY huge.  It has a population of over 26 million people and covers 6374 square kilometers (that's like.... a lot of miles...).  We are amazed at the busyness of the city and the number of humans that are here.  We are also intrigued by how the old and new Shanghai intermingle.  You will see one level homes that have been there for a hundred years sitting right next to a brand new high rise apartment complex.  It's strange and beautiful all at the same time.  Our guides all talk about how expensive it is to live in Shanghai.  They frequently mention that the culture in China only allows one child in most circumstances and how boys are favored over girls.  It's interesting to hear them talk about it in such a casual manner.... but.... that's their culture.  I'm sure that things we do in America seem strange to them, too.  They are always asking us things about America to compare to their culture.... they are most interested in how we learn to drive, the weather (do we have a rainy season?), and the cost of things.  More than once, after our answer, they will say, "It much better."

Speaking of America.  We miss it.  We are such homebodies that it's difficult for us to be away from home for so long.  I mean, even when we go to Disney World (and you KNOW how much the Powells love us some Disney), we are usually ready to go home after a week.  Well, tomorrow will be a week for us, but instead of heading home, we've got to be packed and ready to head to city #2 - Guangzhou.  But we're hanging in there.  We've washed our underwear in the sink, gone shopping in the POURING rain, and ridden around all of Shanghai in that little white van.

Anyhoo..... here are some pictures of what's been happening.

See the tall building?  That's new.  See the little houses below?  Those are REALLY old.  Everything is built right on top of everything else.  VERY crowded.  And note the greenery along the Interstate.  Most of these are rose bushes and are watered and kept by government workers.  Interesting to see that greenery along the road like that.

Again.... old meets new.  The tea house on the left.... that one is really old.  It became famous when Queen Elizabeth visited there and had tea.  It became SO famous, that they built the one on the right.  It is a restaurant and tea room, I think.  This is at Yu Garden.  Very pretty.  Oh.  And little thang got herself a new stroller.  She loved the ride.... until she didn't.  Then we just pushed an empty stroller.

Again.... Yu Garden.  The garden was built by a military leader as an oasis for his family in the middle of the city.  I think that's right..... it's hard to listen to the guides and deal with priss pot.

Joe is chatting it up with Edward, our guide for the day.

At one point, Edward started speaking in rapid Chinese to our other guide, Maggie.  She said, "Edward says you are an interesting family.  He says that you are all so happy all the time.  Most Chinese families are very serious.  He like you."  Well, Edward, you ain't seen nothing yet.  We're trying to behave since we're in a foreign land and all......

Tea room where Queen Elizabeth had tea.... there are people in there.... having tea.  We didn't have the tea.

Joe with his kiddos.  Sweetness.

Yu Garden.... very quiet and peaceful in the middle of a BUSY city.

Chinese door:  SHORT.  American Powells:  TALL.

Edward pointed out something about a giant TV being brought into this room for entertainment.  He said they would watch the Chinese Acrobats and Oprah.  Funny.

A bazaar set up outside Yu Garden. 

Toy store:  the same, but different.

This street reminded me of Gatlinburg.  Except for the ginormous city right behind it.

At The Bund, there's a statue designed by the same fella who designed the bull for Wall Street in New York.  Same statue, actually.  Since I'm toting around baby girl, I'm having to depend on my three boys (ages 41, 14, and 11) to take pictures.  When I said, "Somebody take a picture of the Wall Street Bull".... this is the only picture of it I got.  Lovely.

These walls along The Bund are covered in CUPS.  The flowers are placed in the cups to make a design and changed out every week.  Neat!

The Bund.

The Bund.

Baby girl starting to warm up to her brothers.  She doesn't give them the stink eye much anymore.  They must have been sneaking her some Cheerios.

Everybody up in the big bed!  Just as it should be.

This is the creative district..... basically row after row of tiny little "stalls".... shop after shop after shop.  They sell everything from art to silk to trinkets to tea to pottery to.... Chicago Style Pizza.  Our guide was very much wanting us to "look not buy".... she said it is WAY too expensive here and we can get a better price somewhere else.  We did get a little trinket box with a rabbit on it (Mary's born in the year of the Rabbit), a Chinese fan, and a little silk pouch.  There will be MUCH more shopping done another day.  Oh.  And it was POURING down rain all morning.  So, I window shopped with three boys, the pouring rain, a 20 month old throwing her spoons everywhere, and two guides saying, "Just looking, yes?"  I gotta get some stuff, people.  In Guangzhou, I shop ALONE.  

Turtles for sale!

For the above mentioned reasons, we decided to NOT go to the SECOND outdoor shopping place and went to the Silk Museum instead.  It was FABULOUS and INDOORS.  These are the worms..... (I thought they were fake until they started MOVING....)

these are the cocoons.....

The boys helped four lovely Chinese ladies pull the silk to make a comforter.....

See Jack getting the "thumbs up" from one of the ladies?  Funny.  They were SO cute.

Boys touching the worms...... they were really soft.....

When the tour was over, they dump you out in a shop filled with silk stuff (prolly learned this from Disney....) Anyway... we got a silk scarf for Mary  (to use as a blanket) and a bracelet.  It took me a while to talk Max out of the $175 silk pajamas and the $50 silk boxers he wanted. I've promised him LOTS of treasures in Guangzhou.... but no 11 year old needs pajamas that cost $175.  

And, after a long day of WET touring, this is what Lil Bit did in the van on the way back to the hotel.

When we got back to the hotel, she was SOUND asleep.  So, I decided we'd lay her in her crib while I blogged......

She slept about five seconds.....  Then she started doing THIS.... LOOK, MOM!  I CAN STAND UP!.....  Little thing has been keeping secrets from us.  I think she can do a lot of things she hasn't shown us yet!

Love you, you little firecracker.  You are just fine......