We spent the majority of yesterday traveling from Beijing to Xi ‘An (pronounced She-Ann). So today, we got out and explored! Our guide arrived at our hotel to meet us this morning, and we walked to our first stop – the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally constructed in the year 652 during the Tang Dynasty, this pagoda is a monument to the origins of the Buddhist faith in China, when a monk named Xuanguang left China for India along the Silk Road. The pagoda is still an inhabited monastery, and a place for Buddhists to come to worship in the city of Xi ‘An. Like everywhere in China, there are lots and lots of people! One thing that was surprising (and a little strange) was the attention we were getting from the Chinese people. Several times today, someone would stop us, and want to have their picture taken with one of us – most usually, Sydney! The Chinese people were fascinated with her silky blonde hair! So, is this what it’s like to be a celebrity? All the attention was fun, and funny at first, but after awhile, it did get a little old. We were very proud of Sydney for being such a good sport about the whole business. To be fair, we’ve seen very few non-asian travelers so far, so we suppose we are a bit of a novelty. From the Big Wild Goose Pagoda,we made our way to the Terracotta Warrior archeological site in a taxi. We were amazed by how many people were there visiting the site today – as it’s a Tuesday, and not a holiday. Our guide told us that in the high season, there can be anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 visitors to this site each day. She told us that today was a lighter visitor day, but for us, it felt very crowded. Still, to us, seeing this major archeological find, was worth the inconvenience of the crowds. Here’s a photo of the major dig in pit #1: So far, 8,000 individual clay soldiers have been uncovered. We were told that the archeologists still working here believe that the tomb of the first Emperor is also on this site, but they are hesitant to uncover it. Mishandling, light and oxygen have already taken their toll on these artifacts. Until plans can be made to more carefully preserve these amazing statues, the Chinese are hesitant to uncover more of them. And Sydney says:
My favorite part of the day was seeing the Terracotta Warriors. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t take a picture with my camera, since they said not to use the flash. I also think it was strange that so many Chinese people wanted to take my picture, just because I look different than they do. How you look shouldn’t matter.
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(First of all, we wanted to let everyone know that we are OK, and we made it to Beijing very late last night, after an exciting evening yesterday.) We were just hanging out at the airport yesterday, preparing to board our flight from Tokyo to Beijing, when out of the black (it was mid-evening) the entire building began to shake around us!!!! It was exactly like the movies portray an earthquake – the rumbling noise, and everything around us shaking and the floor felt like it was sort of rolling . . . Then very loud, sharp alarm noises went off all around us, and I thought to myself, “Yikes! This is a real earthquake! We need to get outside!!!” But of course we couldn’t – we were locked in an airport! I had a fleeting moment of panic, what are we supposed to do?? I grabbed Sydney, and looked around at the others around us, prepared to follow their lead . . . I knew enough to pay attention, and the excitement and activity of the airport staff, and the anxiety of the otherwise calm and polite Japanese people were telling signs to me to stay alert. The quake seemed like it lasted a long time, but in reality was over very quickly. Nothing appeared to be damaged at the airport, and the excitement around us simmered down relatively quickly. When we were able to access information (in English), we found out that an earthquake we experienced was a 5.8 on the Richter Scale, and occurred approx. 50 km east of Tokyo, relatively close to where we were. Here’s a link to an article about the event, if you want to read more: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0009ek2.php And Sydney says:
I got to experience an earthquake! It was kind of freaky, and I was a little scared. I was happy that nothing fell down around us. It was SO like the movies! Whenever we are traveling (which is often!), we like to get off the beaten path, immerse ourselves in the culture of the place we’re visiting. To do this, we do a lot of walking around, we strike up conversations with locals in coffee houses and shops, and we navigate using the local metro services instead of taxis whenever possible. It’s fair to say we’re seasoned travelers, but today we were put to the test – and given the wonderous blessing of perspective. Today, we were given the smallest taste of what it must be like to be a foreign immigrant, or refugee, coming to America. Let me explain . . . We left our hotel early this morning on foot, headed for the nearest Tokyo Metro station. We do this EVERY TIME we travel, so in preparation, we had planned out where we were headed, which trains we would need to take, where our transfers would be, and it’s Saturday so the infamous workday crowds on the Tokyo subway should be at a minimum. We’ve done this so many times, this should be no biggie, right? Ha, ha! WRONG!! The amount of time and energy we spent attempting to decipher the automated ticketing system was comical. Even using the English translated version didn’t help us – none of the train line names or stops matched our preplanned route. After struggling with this for about 30 minutes, a friendly Japanese woman approached us, and offered her assistance. Lesson #1: There are 3 separate train systems operating in Tokyo. None of the train lines matched our plans, because we were trying to buy tickets to the wrong system! After being directed to the correct ticket machine, and purchasing our tickets, we thought we were good to go. WRONG AGAIN! Naturally, everything in the Metro system is written in Japanese – ads, directional signs, you name it. And where the characters were beautiful to behold, without some form of reference for meaning, they were equally indecipherable. Thankfully, the train lines were color coded, and the Japanese people are polite and helpful to visitors in distress. Lesson #2: This is what it feels like to be illiterate. Actually, it was worse than that. When you’re illiterate, you are unable to read or write. We were also unable to speak, or understand the language being spoken all around us. Everywhere we turned, we were confronted with this language barrier, which brought an additional level of complexity to the most common decisions. When we were ready to eat lunch, we were confronted with signs that looked like this: Even our attempts to make conversation with locals for the most part fell short. Smiles, gestures and menus with pictures were helpful, but mostly because of the grace and patience of the people willing to help us. The experiences of the day were frustrating and exhausting, but at the same time positive and humbling. We bumbled through, and by the end of the day, we have a newfound respect for anyone who has the courage to leave the familiar, and brave the unknown, in hopes of a better life for themselves and their children.
On Friday, we decided to spend our day as American tourists in Japan. We boarded a motor coach at 7:45 a.m. for a guided tour of Mt. Fuji, and the surrounding area. Our guide, Take (sounds like sake, the Japanese rice wine), kept us entertained while giving us lots of information about Japan, Tokyo and Mt. Fuji during the 2 hour bus ride. (For instance, did you know that 10% of Japan’s population lives in Tokyo?) When he ran out of fun statistical stuff, he turned to more entertaining things. Here is a pic of Sydney’s name written out in Japanese 2 ways. The writing to the left is the less formal, and the right is more formal. The weather this morning was cool and rainy during the bus ride, so we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see much of Mt. Fuji (Japan’s largest mountain; and active, though dormant volcano). Needless to say, we were thrilled when the sun came out, and the skies cleared – practically the very moment we pulled up to the 5th station of the mountain! Every summer, there is a 1/2 marathon from the base of the mountain to the summit. Last year’s winner was an American, and he ran the distance (entirely uphill, at altitude) in only 2 1/2 hours! After leaving the 5th station, we were taken to a nearby restaurant for an authentic Japanese sushi lunch. We were each given a beautiful little bento box with sashimi, seaweed salad, and other elegant morsels. Yum! Sydney is getting REALLY good at eating with chopsticks. After lunch, we were on to the town of Hakone, where we took a short boat ride around Lake Ashi, which was formed by the caldera of the nearby volcano. It’s spring, and here in Japan, the cherry trees are in full bloom. This tree is 200 years old! After our long day, we were more than ready to get back to our hotel. A quick 40 minute ride on the bullet train (travelling at 160 mph) had us back in Tokyo lickety-split! Ohayo! (Pronounced oh-HI-oh) Good Morning from Tokyo. We had a wonderful flight, thanks to all of Chris’s frequent flyer miles, and our upgraded business class seats. We arrived at the Narita airport about 5:00 p.m. yesterday, but by the time we navigated the train into the city, then a taxi to the hotel, it was close to 8:00 p.m. before we were settled into our room. Even though we traveled comfortably, we haven’t escaped the inevitable jet lag. Well, we are on the other side of the globe, 13 hours difference from our home in Florida. So, it wasn’t terribly surprising that we were bright eyed and wide awake at 2:00 a.m. Hopefully, we’ll adjust to this time zone soon. Today, Chris is in meetings with clients, so Sydney and I went out for a little exploring. We got directions from the hotel to a nearby shopping area and park. We ventured out to see what’s around us, and to find a market so we could get some water and snacks at lower than hotel prices. Unfortunately, today’s weather is windy and rainy, so we weren’t out for long. The nearby Yeshibu Garden Place was very nice. After a little more walking, we popped into a small corner market for our snacks and water. Deciphering the food labels was interesting, to say the least! We ended up choosing some chips, which now we know are flavored with seaweed. Sounds strange, but they are delicious! After a little more walking, we popped into a small corner market for our snacks and water. Deciphering the food labels was interesting, to say the least! We ended up choosing some chips, which now we know are flavored with seaweed. Sounds strange, but they are delicious! And Sydney Says: The plane ride was fun, but really long. We couldn’t sleep very well last night, even though we were really tired. Lots of the Japanese people wear masks, and that seems strange to me. I wonder how they eat and drink with those masks on? The adventure we have been planning for, which used to seem nebulous and unattainable, is now only 6 days away! My to-do lists are being whittled down, and we are just about ready to go. As a family, each of us has already experienced a variety of emotion. What is it really going to be like, when our 3 becomes 4? It’s fair to say that we’re nervous, anxious, and excited!
So many people have taken the time to wish us a safe journey. It feels so wonderful to know that we are surrounded by the love of so many of our family and friends. Our long wait is almost over. Barring some unforeseen international incident, we will be joining other families adopting children from China through our agency in Beijing on Saturday, May 5, 2012. We may even meet our sweet little Qu Yu (soon to be Mia Isabelle) as soon as Monday, May 7. We are so excited! It almost doesn’t seem real. While technically, we are still waiting for the final “travel approval” letter to be issued to us by the Chinese government, we also want to secure the tickets that will take us half way around the globe. Airline seats can fill up fast, and we had hoped to use C’s accumulated frequent flyer miles to buffer the cost. This is a risky balancing act we’re playing. On one hand, by booking tickets now, we can easily get the seats we want, and use the miles to foot the bill. But, on the other hand, if something unexpected happens and we aren’t granted travel approval in time for the May 5 meet-up, well let’s just say we’re going to be hanging out in China for a while. After a very lengthy discussion with the travel coordinator at our adoption agency, we decided to take the risk. So, yesterday, we bought and paid for our tickets. In 46 days, we will be on our way, ready for the next chapter of our lives to begin
So much of this process has been a game of hurry up and wait. A year’s worth of hurry to get our documents compiled, and waiting for our match. Now that we’re at the end of it, the waiting is getting so much harder to bear. We have pictures, and information about this amazing little girl. We talk about her constantly, and we ache for her to join our family. We’ve seen the image of her orphanage on google earth, so we know where she lives. At this point, because she is older, she has been told about us and is likely herself being prepared to transition from her life in an institution to life with a foreign family. So why can’t we just go and get her already????? I am no different than almost everyone else I know in that I want what I want, and I want it NOW. I’d like to think that I’m a patient person, but in reality I acknowledge that I am not. This process has certainly been a lesson in patience, but more importantly, it has been an opportunity for me and my family to cultivate our faith. When the waiting gets to be too much, it has been so helpful to tap into our feelings of gratitude. We are so thankful for this chance to give our love to another child. We are so thankful that she is healthy. We’re thankful that even though the process has been long, it has gone relatively smoothly. We’re thankful for the endless support and guidance of our adoption agency. I think we’re most thankful for the love given us by our family and close friends every step of this fantastic journey. My closest group of friends are planning showers for me in anticipation of Mia’s arrival. Their acceptance and love means the world to me, so I can chuckle along with them when they tease me about this “virtual” pregnancy. While they are only being playful, I can easily draw a parallel to my previous physical pregnancy. Only this time, I’ve traded stretch marks for a paper trail, and my “due date” is ambiguous at best. Last time, I knew that once we had reached the magic 40 weeks, something was going to happen, and we were going to have a baby. Not that a physical pregnancy is completely certain, or without inherent risks. My comfort there, lay in the relative certainty of the timeline. This process is no more or less risky or certain. The difference is the timeline.
This has been such a long and detailed process! Now that we are nearing the end, I am thankful (of course!), but this morning, the control freak in me had to momentarily mourn the end of the paper chase. I have spent the last year securing document after document. We have revealed the details of our lives, personal and financial; strangers have entered our home to evaluate our suitability as parents; we have been fingerprinted for FBI files; and after everything, we have been found worthy. We matched with an amazing little girl, who wants and deserves to be part of a loving family – just as much as we want and deserve to have her. We have visas to enter China, as she has to enter the U.S. So, now it is done .There is nothing left for me to do in order to secure this happening. All we can do now, is wait. We wait for the appointment day and time, when a little girl named Qu Yu from Shaoguan, China, will join us, and our family will be changed forever.
Before I became a mother, there were untold countless things that I never gave a second thought. You know, things like toilets that automatically flush, that sort of thing. When my biological daughter, Sydney, came along and became old enough to interact with the world, her reactions to these seemingly mundane things surprised me. She HATED those toilets! When I think about it from her point of view, I can completely understand. Lots of other things bothered her too. Anything that made loud noise was problematic – hairdryers, Harley-type motorcycles . . . you get the picture. We still have issues with these sorts of things, even though Syd is almost 7. When I think about bringing our new daughter home, I can’t help but think about these things. Considering where she has spent her life until now, so many things will be entirely new and strange to her. And I won’t have the ability (at least at first) to explain and comfort her. I can only imagine that coming here – to our very loud and visually stimulating society – will for her be something like going to live in a Las Vegas casino. Of course, I will do everything I can to soften the transition, but really, there will only be so much I can do. I wonder, what quirks will Mia bring? |
Lisa LynchLisa is a world traveling mom that took the ultimate adventure Archives
December 2012
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