Here is the video I put together of Dani’s Gotcha Day. It was such a different (and more relaxing) experience to have her brought to our hotel room.

As most of you know, we attended Global Chinese Education while in Beijing, so I won’t go into great detail again. They arranged everything for us from airport pick up and drop off to our apartment. They helped get our wireless Internet set up and took us on field trips and out to dinner. They arranged my tutor Kiki to come to the apartment each weekday and so on. I think that we were a new type of customer for them – a family with a small baby.  And a baby adopted from China. Our time there was wonderful and so today’s TT is to share with you a wonderful program they started up a couple days before we left.

Lily from the school and her son joined us on our visit to New Day Foster Home. After going on the tour and speaking with one of the head guys, she went back and told everyone at the school about it. The school then decided to form a relationship with New Day, the first step was to order books for all the children and to arrange for the staff to go and visit New Day.

One day when I arrived at school to attend my Chinese painting class, Ethan, Lily and Nancy wanted to talk to me. They said that Mike and I had inspired them. They said that our adopting Nadia and our love for the Chinese children who still don’t have parents moved them to want to do something for orphans, and for other adoptive parents. So they launched their new program to offer free tuition to those adoptive parents and families who would like to come to Beijing and do the same kind of thing that we did.

I just think that this is so cool!!! Mike and I will definitely be going back to China sometime in the future – once Nadia is a little older, so that she can start on Chinese immersion classes of her own. And I think that a lot of families, who didn’t think they would be able to do what we did, might be able to now. That would be so awesome! To live in the culture where your child came from, even for a brief time is SO valuable. If you attend the school, you will not be in the middle of the touristy areas that you saw when on the adoption trip. You will be able to meet and interact with Chinese people going about their everyday life. And you can experience that life too.

For us it was an adventure, as neither Mike nor I had ever lived in any kind of urban setting. The apartments we lived in when we were first married where 2 levels, not 20 story buildings in the middle of the city. Using public transportation or walking everywhere was new for us too. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

For me it was so valuable to experience China in the time that Nadia was abandoned. Once she gets older and starts to question how and why she became part of our family, I think China is going to be a very different country (not saying that’s good or bad, just different). Capitalist ideas and their opening up to the world for the Olympics is changing China and its people. I am glad that we went now and were able to meet with and talk to people from the country where she was born. She is an American now and will be raised as an American, but we want her to know the language and people of the country where she was born, and therefore I feel this trip and future trips are important.

And if you do go, tell them we sent you

Edited 2012-8-20: It looks like this school may no longer exist. I’ve removed the dead link to it. -Mike

The first thing I would like you to notice here is that Nadia is in short sleeves and her legs are EXPOSED!! It was a beautiful first day home and 85 degrees. We headed up to church tonight for the mission trip fundraiser and I wore a skirt and sandals. After 30 days in a row of jeans, it was awesome!

Second, sorry if anyone had any trouble getting to the blog. After a year our hosting service decided with no warning to change a technical setting and didn’t let us know. So it’s been down almost 24 hours without us realizing it. And our email went down at the same time!

The trip home was long, but uneventful. The flight from China seemed to go fast and Nadia did great as usual. We are so blessed that she is such a good traveler. We nearly missed our connecting flight in Chicago because it took so long to get our bags and through customs. And NO ONE told us we would have to go through security again. That really annoyed me after traveling for so long. And I forgot that I had a coke in my bag from the plane and Nadia’s sippy cup. So we got pulled aside for 2 bag checks by the TSA. We got through security and Mike asked what our gate was and what time it was. I said B2 and 5:50. The flight was supposed to take off at 5:59 pm. Mike said, I bet we can make it and started to book it. I told him, go, go. I didn’t even have my shoes tied and was dragging 2 carry ons. He kept getting farther ahead and I said, “Keep going, they will hold the door if you get there.” As he rolled up with Nadia they were calling the final boarding call. We thanked the guy and ran down the jet way. As we were running we heard the door SLAM behind us. They told us, “Leave the stroller and get on the plane.”

I was panting and totally out of breath and everyone on the plane was just sitting there all peaceful. So thank goodness that we didn’t have to sit around Chicago for hours for the next flight and we landed early at DFW. When we came to the baggage area and saw Joy and Janis I nearly teared up I was so excited. We were home! Nadia went right into her car seat, which was great. I was a bit afraid that she would resist since she had been free to go from person to person in taxis in China.

On the drive home I was weirded out that all the drivers stayed in their own lanes and no one was honking. Further, I will be honest that when we got home I laid my head down on the kitchen counter when we got all the bags in and said, “Oh kitchen, how I have missed you.” Also, Nadia was MANIC for her toys. Janis got right down on the floor with her to play. Her and Joy got her the Fisher Price Little People in Easter eggs that are so darn cute! Janis also brought it to our attention that Nadia kept stopping playing to rub her hands on the carpet. It was cute since she hadn’t seen any carpet for a month, she liked how it felt I guess.

We visited with Joy and Janis for a bit, then they left and we ordered pizza a little while later. Nadia went to sleep and we crashed soon after. Laying down on the soft bed was the most wonderful thing!!! And in a quiet house. Ahhhhhhhhh. Jet lag had Mike and I up from 3 – 6 am and Nadia up from 4:30 – 6 am. But I have to be honest that this time I am tired, but I don’t feel like I was run over by a bus. Mike says that is seems like only a taxi ran over me.

This has been a great trip and so wonderful to immerse ourselves in a different culture. Here are some random thoughts about our time here and China.

• I read a couple of weeks ago that “Snacking is a food group in Beijing” and it’s true! Everywhere you turn practically you see snacks. In stores and on the side of the road. From candied fruit to sweet potatoes baked in drums on the back of a bike. They have all kinds of filled crackers, cookies, and chips. We embraced the snacking culture while here and tried all kinds of items.
• Corn is popular here. Very popular. It comes on pizza, you can get a cup of it instead of fries at McDonald’s and they have little juice boxes of corn juice that you can buy.
• Many people here have expected Nadia to be potty trained because of her age. Of course we don’t have split pants or a culture that would accept children squatting to potty in public places at home, so what can you do?
• Staring is accepted in China. Everywhere we have gone, we stick out because we are a white couple with a Chinese daughter. People openly stare, gawk and grab their friends and point so they can look at us too. The Chinese love to come up to Nadia and say hi, make clucking noises and in general just smile at her. The most common questions we got were: How old is she? Can she speak Chinese? and Is she cold?
• Pushing and shoving is also accepted on buses and subways. It’s not a mean thing, it’s a necessary thing because of the major crush of people. If you don’t force your way in, you will never get anywhere. And the Chinese are not mean about it, so there is no reason to get upset.
• I would never, never drive here. No way, no how. But I will tell you that the Chinese don’t talk on their cell phones, eat, read, etc. while driving, from what I have seen. They concentrate on driving. I only saw one wreck the entire time we were here and it was close to the orphanage and involved a motorcycle. The very strange auto ballet works here because everyone drives that way.
• Lots of the horn honking comes from taxi and bus drivers warning pedestrians and bicyclists that they are coming.
• When we first got here I was scared I would get run over because it seems like no one follows the rules. Now I start crossing with or slightly before some of the Chinese because I know the patterns of traffic and lights near our house. I am totally confident to just cross all the streets that are near the apartment.
• We are ready for a weird sort of culture shock when we get home. We had some last time because of traveling with a group of 30 or so for 2 weeks and doing so many things together. This time I think it’s going to be even more pronounced because we have been living here. Grocery shopping, cooking and doing the day to day things. Everywhere we go, we only understand each other. It’s going to be odd to come home and be able to read and understand everything. Seeing different races of people will be odd too. We have grown so accustomed to being the minority here.
• I’m going to miss the cheap pastry shops. And the orange Ritz.
• The Chinese people have been wonderful and treated us with such respect. It’s really wonderful to have been welcomed in by the school. And to have been able to go to dinner at Kiki and Jing’s was an awesome treat that we didn’t expect in advance. It was a great honor and lots of fun.
• The sales of Coke Light are going to drop drastically at the Lotus. The first week they kept running out and now they have it on the shelf and in 2 coolers. Coke and tea are just more popular here than Coke Light.
• I think in some ways the Chinese are a happier culture than America. Even when they seem busy and rushing to get somewhere, they are more apt to smile at you or at least project a friendlier attitude. Young girls walk around arm and arm almost everywhere…..way past the age that happens in America. The Chinese just love to wave and smile at children. But I also get this feeling more in Fort Worth than anywhere else I have lived.
• Snoopy and Mickey Mouse are hugely popular here. Within walking distance there is a Snoopy store and a Mickey store. They are filled with all kinds of things that you can’t get in America. We have also seen lots of Hello Kitty.
• Nadia will no longer have to look like she’s departing for an Arctic expedition every time we go out.

That’s all for now. I am going to pack up the computer and we will head for the airport soon. Thanks for following our journey. Our next post will be from Texas!

If this child gets any cuter I might die of cuteness overload!

Nadia is 17 months today and a 2nd molar has made an appearance. Poor thing has been hurting off and on all week. We know that she has gained weight and has grown a little also. We are going to weigh and measure her on Sunday because I love to know the official stats.

Mike had his last day of class today and so when it was near the ending time, Nadia and I rolled on over to the school. The school and Mike’s teacher Jing had presents for Nadia, so we have some new and exciting things for the plane, which will be very good. The school gave her books with Chinese, English and Pinyin – plus a book of Chinese children’s songs with a CD. Jing gave her the cutest little doll and some more books! We love books!! You can never have too many books (good thing we bought an extra carry on suitcase for the book-a-rama). We spent about an hour at the school and then picked up some lunch.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the apartment because it’s very cold and wet outside. I would have loved to take Nadia to the playground one more time, but it’s just too cold here today. I’m happy that we got all of our errands run yesterday. We couldn’t find a mailing tube to put my paintings in, but the school gave me one today, which was awesome.

We have adjusted ourselves to getting up at 4:30am (gross) and so we got a ton of packing done this morning before Mike went to school. We are aiming to have Nadia asleep by 5 pm and ourselves a couple hours later. The crazy thing is we will be up for like 8 hours before they pick us up for the airport, but it will give Nadia a chance for a nap and we should all be able to sleep on the plane. I hope our jet lag experiment works as well going home as it did coming here. The funniest part for me is that you get back to the states before you left China. We leave Saturday at 4:35 pm and arrive in Chicago Saturday at 4:15 PM.

The new photos today are from this morning. The top one in the post is now my new wallpaper…Nadia was smiling and laughing at Mama when Mike took it.

I know I missed last week’s TT, so here goes:

• For cute little Dustin born to Jeanette, Brian and big brother Jack last week. We can’t wait to meet you blue eyes!
• For Travis’ successful surgery.
• For the 3 of us being completely healthy for the entire trip.
• For all the people who have prayed for us during the trip. We are so grateful.
• For the kindness of the Chinese people. We have really been treated well and with respect our entire time here.
• For the KHUSA subs…. you guys are so faithful and I am grateful.
• For Kiki as my tutor. She was a perfect match to me and she really made this month special for me. And as a bonus I feel like I learned a lot.
• For not being “afraid” of Mandarin anymore. I don’t know how to explain it, but it just doesn’t seem so overwhelming anymore.
• For all the wonderful emails and blog posts that we have received on the trip. The connection to home has been wonderful.
• For the work that World Vision is doing around the globe. I know I have said it before, but we had a conference call today and to once again hear stories about how people are working to change the lives of children and their communities brings me to tears.
• For anyone that sponsors through World Vision. You are MAKING A DIFFERENCE and saving lives in a tangible way!!!
• For Mike’s boss and the elders of the church allowing us the time off to make this trip. It’s been so amazing to be immersed in a different culture.
• For the staff of the school taking care of us this month and making us feel so welcome in the country. (2012-8-20 Removed dead link. School may not exist now. -Mike)
• For getting to come home in a couple of days
• For not having to hear round the clock coverage of the primaries. Even though it was the first time in decades that Texas mattered!

Today Mike went to school and I started organizing our stuff to pack. It looks like a small tornado hit the place! We mailed our postcards and then stopped to pick up a few more odds and ends. I had to get one last Totoro bun (YUM) and we got some wonderful sandwiches for lunch at Tous Les Jour. We bought Nadia 10 more books…they are so bright and cheerful. We got her a set of 6 that were $0.70 each and come with a CD that we “think” has the Chinese version and English version of all the stories. For that price we decided to chance it. I can’t believe how cheap books are here. We also found out that we are flying out of the brand spanking new Terminal 3 of the airport that opened the day we arrived here.

Here is Nadia with all our water bottles for a month.

High theft item at Wal-Mart? Honestly…. they were padlocked.

The Lotus Center that we went to at least every other day for grocery items. You shop differently when you have to carry it home.

The street the school and our apartment building are on.

Kiki came for the last time this morning and we got some cute photos. She has been watching the news and Beijing is having serious crackdown at the airport. Two weeks ago a woman got on a flight in Beijing (bound for some other Chinese city) with a bottle full of gasoline and tried to light it on the flight. So they are very serious about security now. She said that on the news this morning they said that any liquid medicines for you or your baby must be given to the flight attendant and if you need it during the flight they can help you get a dose. So Kiki wrote us a note in Chinese for the security line that basically says, “This is liquid pain medicine for our baby who is growing a new tooth. We will give it to the flight attendant to hold during the flight.” Then we will be hoping for the best for Nadia in case she decides to crank out another molar while we travel

This afternoon we went over to a giant bookstore to look for some Chinese learning books. Mike’s teacher gave him her 20% discount card and we got some great stuff for great prices. The prices are already better than America, so the discount card just sweetened the deal. I was also able to finally find some Olympic stuff for VBS this summer. Every other Olympic store has been sold out of the items that Kaye was looking for.

Nadia was being super-cute in the bookstore, so I had to whip out the camera. Click on the first photo to see the whole set.

We went to Wal-mart and picked up a cheap carry-on bag to bring all our goodies home. We also picked up a couple more pairs of shoes for the cute girl. I can’t get over how inexpensive the kids shoes are here. Now Nadia should have enough to carry her through the summer and fall, at least. It just depends on how much she grows. The trip is winding down and I am going to start packing us up tomorrow. We will have to leave for the airport fairly early because it’s at least an hour away and because of all the added security issues.

P.S. As great as the trip has been (and it has) we are ready to be home. I am dying for a fresh salad with all the fixin’s and some chicken enchiladas from Pappasitos. My list could be much larger, so I will just say I am missing all things Fort Worth today.

Today Kiki took me on a field trip to the Silk Market. I really wanted to go and Mike thought I might have a good time with Kiki, so I asked her if we could go shopping instead of our traditional tutoring. CTG had warned me that the place was overwhelming. The guide books said it was best to go during the week early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The place was madness, mania, overwhelming….whatever word you would like to use. Everywhere we went people screamed, “Lady! You want to buy children’s clothes?” or “Lady! You want to buy a jacket for your husband?” Just fill in the blank for what they were selling in their stall.

I was on a mission to find specific gifts and I was ready to bargain. Having Kiki there as a reference point for pricing and to help with the bargaining was also great. She told me that several shop keepers told her in Chinese when the transactions were over that I was a very good bargainer. The transactions were all very fun and some of the conversations were more entertaining than others. Most of the people there understand enough English to be following your conversation. Our last stop was at a clothing stall near the exit and I saw a really cute skirt, so we stopped. Here is the conversation that followed. SG = Salesgirl. All numbers in yuan. And I would like you to know that all of this occurred with me wearing a big smile on my face. It’s not good if you are mean or angry about it.

L: I like that skirt. Do you have my size?

SG: Please step in here and I will measure you…..yes I have your size.

L: How much?

SG: grabs calculator and punches in 450.

L: Foreigner PRICE!

SG: Okay because you have pretty Chinese friend I give you Chinese friend price. 390.

L: (In Chinese I say) That’s too much.

SG: What’s your highest possible price? (hands me calculator)

L: 110.

SG: (all drama now) No….that’s not enough.

L: Okay. Xie Xie. (thank you – and I start to walk away)

SG: Wait! (then she puts her arms around me and whispers) I’ll give you secret friend price 190.

L: No, 110.

SG: Oh please 180.

L: No, 110.

SG: Okay super secret price 150.

L: No. 110. (at this point I am ready to start laughing at all the girls facial expressions and antics!)

SG: Okay 110.

Now while all this is going on Kiki is behind me working a deal on a skirt for herself. We get all done and she asks me what I paid and told me I did good against the girl. Then she told me they asked her to please not tell me that she was getting hers for 90. HA HA!! So I didn’t feel bad at all about standing firm with the girl. There were a couple of things that I wanted and knew the price was inflated, so Kiki had me totally low-ball it and in many cases they agreed after much DRAMA and banging into the calculator trying to get me to change my mind.

One stall that had little girl clothes had the cutest Polo dress that I knew was a knock off and they girl gave me the starting price and I said no. Then she said, “Polo. Good brand.” I said, “Knock off!!!” She took 10 yuan off the price, so I sorta stuck my head out into the aisle as if to say, “I see this dress in 4 other stalls right here.” The girl started laughing and gave it to me at the price I asked. Only one guy seemed to get annoyed by my bargaining and I knew that he could understand me so I said, “You didn’t have to take the price I asked for.” And Kiki told him not to be angry and then he told her I was a good bargainer and to come back in 10 minutes for my item

All in all, Kiki and I had a great time and I feel that I did very well with the prices and got some really cool stuff. I had a little pearl bracelet made for Nadia at a stall the flight attendant recommended. I got myself a few things and quite a few more gifts for people back home. Kiki acted really impressed with my bargaining skills and laughed multiple times at how I held my ground.

Then in the afternoon I had my last Chinese Painting class and Jenny taught me how to do the traditional fish. Mike and Nadia came up to the school with me and everyone just loved her. Mike’s teacher got to meet her and gave her a little stuffed animal mirror thing. They wanted to get some photos of our family up at the school before we left this weekend. Once we were through she said that I did good and all the times she has taught this she has never had a student paint a fish that looked like a fish the first time. She said animals are harder than flowers because they must have some life to them. I felt very proud of such a compliment. Here we are after class.

Yesterday we just relaxed a bit and then headed out to do some more shopping. Nadia only lasted about 2 hours and of course by that night we knew why. I took some photos from the cab ride. This one cracks me up! “Rude Tobacco” looses something in the translation.

Today Mike had school and once Nadia was up from her nap we headed back over to the New York House for one last “best burger ever” before we go home.

We went to the Lotus for a last round of groceries too and then came right back home. The wind was blowing like crazy. I did get a photo of the magnetic escalators for the ones who were asking. I got some weird looks and Mike was correct in saying I must have looked weird taking a photo of something that the Chinese see in their day to day life. We hear classical music every morning from the school next to our building and I snapped a photo of the kids doing their morning exercises.

And here is a photo of what I am calling “The Mini Food of China.” The Ritz cracker is there as a frame of reference for the size of the ice cream drumstick. These are Disney and marketed to kids and I can eat 4 at once We found the Kiddie Cheese at Wal-mart in the very small section for cheese (cheese isn’t popular here). It comes in these tiny little cups that are supposed to be a serving size for one child. We bought strawberry, but Nadia didn’t like it by itself. I thought it tasted like flavored Philly Cream Cheese (just not as sweet as in America) and so I put it on a roll and she liked it much better. The little spoon in the cup came with it, and that is common…tons of foods here in China come with them. I wonder if that’s how they stay so skinny? Kids still get snacks, but they are small. Oh and I forgot to tell you that I found another flavor of Ritz last week: Milk! Milk is a popular flavor here and we had already tried some cookies that were milk flavored, but not the Ritz. They are tasty like the others, but nothing beats the Orange ones.

And yes Nadia “needed” more clippys when we were out shopping Sunday

Silly girl playing around.

Today we relaxed at home in the morning and then after Nadia’s nap we got ready to go. Nancy from the school met us on the bottom floor of our apartment building and we caught a cab over to the Beijing Zoo. We also wanted to see the Aquarium in the zoo, which they claim is the world’s largest in-land aquarium. We got to the zoo and while waiting to buy tickets this lady came up and put this cool pinwheel in Nadia’s hand. Nice salesmanship, right? Nadia probably would not have been upset if we took it away, but it was very cute, so I asked the lady how much. She said 5 kuai which is about $0.70. So I gave her the money. All the Chinese behind me probably paid less, but I wasn’t worried about it. I should also say that I asked 3 different Beijingers if they had been to the aquarium and they all told me, “No, it’s too expensive.” It’s $14 a person, but it’s only $1.40 to get in the zoo. Mike and I expected it to be great because $14 to get in to something in Beijing is pretty steep from what we have seen.

We went into the zoo and looked at some of the animals on our way to the aquarium. We needed to get in there and get seats for the dolphin and seal show at least half an hour early. They had some pretty cool birds at the zoo that I have never seen before. Some had the most gorgeous colored feathers. We also saw the red pandas that aren’t really pandas. Nancy said that the character for them is little panda. They looked like reddish raccoons to me and they were so cute! We also saw some beautiful tigers and female lions. There was also a jaguar that was making a whole lot of noise, but he was really pretty. Nadia wasn’t really aware of what was going on during this part, but she was having a great old time waving to other kids and playing with her pinwheel. We saw the use of the split pants walking through the zoo. Many people just had their kids walk up to a tree or the grassy area and go.

We got to the aquarium and had time to go through the Rainforest section of it on our way to the pavilion for the show. There were a lot of cool looking fish in there and we have the photos to prove it. We got in for the show and there were a lot of people already seated and ready to go. We saw a bunch of kids with these LED dolphins and star fish and Mike thought Nadia would like one, so I ran down to grab her one. Of course she liked it. And she immediately found the button on the back to make it work. It came on a Beijing Zoo lanyard and you can change the batteries. Very, very cute for a souvenir. Once the show got started it kept Nadia’s attention on and off. She is not quite old enough to appreciate how cool it was, but big enough to watch the flashy parts. She got very interested in the people in front and behind us though. At this point waving at people is more exciting that dolphins and seals.

I really enjoyed the show and Mike got some amazing shots and I took some really good videos. I think once we are home I will try my hand at the Movie Maker software and make an aquarium movie. I really wanted to see the dolphins, they have a special place in my heart since Jess and I swam with one back in 2003. These three dolphins were really big! It reminded me a lot of Sea World, but not quite as flashy. And we couldn’t understand anything that they were saying. Nancy translated some of the jokes for us, but otherwise we were just observing the show. The seals came on next and they did some very cute tricks that really entertained the crowd. They also seemed like really big seals compared to ones I have seen at other zoos. After the show ended we looked through the other parts of the aquarium and the biggest part was the coral reef section. They had tons and tons of beautiful fish in there. I really enjoyed getting to see the wonderful displays that they had and all the colorful fish.

We left the aquarium and wandered over to see the elephant house. Now I am by no means an animal rights activist, but now I understand why I have heard people complain about the housing of the animals at the Beijing zoo (except for the Pandas). The elephants were really in some small rooms when you consider the size of them. The tigers were also in small cages, but there was an area for the tigers and lions to go out in where people could look down and watch them run around. After the elephants, we walked over to see the Pandas. They are really cute, but very lazy since all they do is eat all day. Each little area just had one panda and a boatload of bamboo for them to eat. The little baby panda was sleeping, but the other two were eating and eating and eating. In the gift shop I got the cutest Panda umbrella and some post cards. After the panda we tried to see Monkey Hill, but an employee told us it was gone. It was 5 pm by then so we called it a day and took a taxi back to the apartment.

Here is Nancy, Nadia and I with the Panda Umbrella.