June 29, 2009

Rebecca planned a trip to the zoo. It was extremely hot and humid but Zoe & Yihui still enjoyed the animals. The panda was up and eating which was a treat. No doubt he is the emperor of the zoo when you see his enclosure.

The only other activity was the river boat diner and cruise down the Pearl River. Zoe & Yihui wore their qipaos and the sights were very pretty. Zoe wanted to take the next ride. Yihui seemed to enjoy it somewhat.

June 30th is the swearing in at the consulate. We leave early July 1 for home. This may be the last post.

June 28, 2009

We didn’t have any plans until the afternoon so we took a walk and went to the playground on Shamian island. Young and old were out exercising on the equipment. We then went down to the Pearl River and it was like a festival. People dancing, exercising, talking and even a swimmer in the Pearl river!

We walked over to the White Swan since Yihui had left her jacket there and luckily they had it in the lost & found. After a light lunch we let the girls relax until Yun, her husband and Anna came over. Yun is very good friends with Xin and their family is lovely. Anna, their 13 year old daughter spoke English very well. Yihui immediately bonded to her and felt comfortable. They took us in their car on a tour of the city and shopping to the oldest street of Guangzhou where the city gate is buried under glass. Bob looked at pottery and jade and other things- all too expensive to buy. Zoe crashed & fell asleep in the car going to the next mall. I stayed in the car with her at the next stop and Zoe slept 2 hours. Yihui loved shopping. Yun’s family then took us to a famous Guangzhou restaurant called the 4 Seas International house. It was quite a ways away from the downtown area. We ate an amazing meal- it reminded me of Hong Kong restaurants in the atmosphere and the food. The seafood was very fresh. On the way back we walked along the Pearl River with the beautiful lights. Yun’s family was so warm and generous. They gave each girl an outfit, and a bag full of typical Guangzhou foods. No matter how hard we tried to pay for dinner, they would not allow us. So we made them promise to visit us in CA so we can return the lovely evening.

June 27, 2009

We still got up fairly early and went to breakfast. We met several adoption families from other agencies. One family we met had an 8 year old girl and a newly adopted 4 year old girl. When they found out we were form Davis (they are from Portland OR) they mentioned they had been to Davis for their cat’s renal transplant! We then explained we worked at the veterinary school. Their cat lived 5 years after the transplant so they were very happy.

Today was a hard day for Yihui. We first got Yihui’s photo for a visa and then went to the medical clinic for her physical examination and 2 shots. Yihui is very healthy and although taller than Zoe- she weighs the same amount! Yihui had explained she had trouble with her vision of one eye and they did several tests and she is slightly near sighted and has a “lazy” right eye. The condition is hopefully completely correctable with glasses and is something that occurs in many children as they develop. We will get that handled as soon as we get home. I suspect it made it harder for her at school since that eye really is not functioning correctly. Yihui was so brave and handled the 2 injections well. I immediately noticed they did not wear gloves at the medical clinic when injecting and the syringes were thrown into a wicker basket and not a sharps container!

We went to lunch and I spent some time with Rebecca getting paper work in order while Zoe & Yihui tried to rest and sleep. That didn’t happen so we thought we’d go swimming but the pool is outdoors and it started raining hard so instead we stayed indoors and the girls watched a movie. The weather report shows cloudy, rainy weather the entire time we are here. Rebecca has some activities planned such as a Pearl River Boat cruise Sunday night and the zoo Monday morning. We are meeting Xin’s good friend Yun Sunday afternoon to shop. Yun has an eleven year old daughter who wants to meet Yihui and Zoe. Monday afternoon is our consulate appointment and Tuesday is free and we leave early Wednesday morning for CA. We are ready to come home and have our routine back.

June 26, 2009

We didn’t do much the morning before our flight. It was 102 degrees in Beijing and we let the girls relax, watch a movie and pack. Yihui wanted to make sure all of her things were coming with us but otherwise she seemed comfortable with leaving Beijing and taking her first flight. We had lunch out and picked up Zoe’s pottery she made and met Helen at 2pm. We got Yihui’s passport and then went to the airport.

The flight was delayed slightly and after we boarded we found out it was delayed another 3 hours due to bad weather in Guangzhou! They decided to feed everyone and just as the meals came, they said we are leaving and unlike the USA……. they took off with tray tables down and food on them. We of course took the girls trays away & made sure they were safe. Seat belts and car seats are non existent in China too. Just different standards than we are use to. We were very impressed how Beijing really had an excellent no smoking law and areas but Guangzhou is more lax about that. We arrived around 10:30 at night and our guide Rebecca was waiting for us. Both girls fell asleep in the van on the way to the hotel. Zoe never really woke up and she went to bed in her clothes. Yihui barely got changed and into bed. We are staying at the Victory hotel on Shamian island. Shamian island is the old colonial area of Guangzhou. We have a suite with 2 roll away beds. It is fine for the few days we are here but we all miss the room and comfort we had at the Lee Garden in Beijing!

June 25, 2009

Today Xiaomei, Mark & Miriam came over & we made a quick Starbucks stop before heading to the Yong He Gong temple.    It was VERY hot and humid today so we knew the interest level would decline quickly. After the temple we took the girls to lunch and went to Chinese Children’s favorite store for 2 hours of playtime in the sand pit.  All three girls loved it and Mark, Xiaomei and I had a good time just relaxing and talking.  At 5 we went our separate ways because our friends had a prior dinner date and we took quick showers and had a nice dinner in the mall. 

Zoe and Yihui watched a movie in the hotel room after dinner. Tomorrow we get Yihui’s passport and leave Beijing to go to Guangzhou.  The American consulate is there and our appointment at the consulate is July 29^th.  We must have a medical examination and Yihui will need one vaccination before leaving.  The process in Guangzhou takes a few days and then we leave for home July1.  Although we are having a great time in Beijing, it is important for Yihui to leave Beijing to fully understand how her life is changing.  We have seen many changes in Yihui over these 2 weeks.  Her bond to Zoe is complete and she is starting to bond to Bob and I while trying to figure out the rules of family life.  Zoe told us again how she wants to stay and live in Beijing!  It is a wonderful city and we all hope to spend more time in China so the girls can maintain their connection. 

 There may not be any post tomorrow with the travel.

June 24, 2009

We made plans to meet up again with our friends Xiaomei, Mark and their daughter Miriam.   Xiaomei twisted her ankle so she couldn’t join us since we planned a lot of walking at the Beijing Amusement park.  It is their older amusement park and although not a themed, fancy one, actually much better for smaller children since almost every ride they can go on.  All 3 girls really enjoyed themselves despite the >90 degree heat.  They LOVED the water ride that soaked us all.  Yihui’s favorite ride is the carousal.  They all took turns picking one out to do.  We managed to stay until 3 and by the time we left, they were dragging (so were we).  Today Yihui was smiling a lot and she allowed us to take her picture more often.  It helps so much that Mark speaks Chinese and can explain things when needed. 

 We came back to our hotel and all took a quick shower.  Mark had picked out a restaurant, Pure Lotus Vegetarian that serves inventive dishes in a temple like atmosphere.  The food was terrific but the children were not so thrilled with it.  It was in Chaoyang district which is my favorite area of Beijing.  By the time we got home it was 10pm and both girls fell asleep quickly.

June 23, 2009

This morning Helen came over to eat breakfast and play with Yihui and Zoe while Bob and I went off to Beijing University Veterinary School for me to give a lecture.  The girls were thrilled to “get rid of the parents” and play with Helen.  They needed some down time to just relax and be at the hotel too.

We spoke to the Dean, Dr. Lin and another faculty Eddie and found out one of my friends from Europe that I teach at AO with was in Beijing teaching a course.  Allasandro and I spoke on the phone but unfortunately our schedules didn’t work out to meet while here.  The lecture went fine and then Tina and Eddie insisted on driving us back to our hotel.  The University is in the far North west corner of Beijing so the trip can take an hour with traffic.  

We were happy to find Helen still alive and well.  We took her to lunch and then Helen went off on her own.  Both Yihui and Zoe adore her!  We then took a taxi to the International Veterinary Clinic in Chaoyang district.  The Doctors asked if I would consult on 3 patients which I did.  Zoe & Yihui both love animals and enjoyed seeing all the hospital pets.  The Doctors and staff were so nice to them & they each picked out a dog toy that could easily be a child stuffed toy!  We all took a picture together.  

We headed back to the hotel and Zoe convinced me that they wanted to play at the Chinese Children’s store play area again.  It was Yihui’s turn to choose the activity so they went into what looks like a padded jungle gym.  After a full hour of running around & sweating I got them to leave.  We picked up 2 Barbie princess coloring books to help pass the down time in the hotel.  It was difficult to peel them away from the new books to go to dinner.  

June 22, 2009

It was sunny and hot today but we got out early and went to the Happy Valley Amusement Park.  Zoe & Yihui were not tall enough for some of the wild rides but Yihui actually said she wanted to do them!  There was a section of mild rides that the girls really enjoyed.  They had plenty of areas to beat the heat with sprays and water jets to dodge which they both enjoyed like last time they did them.  We spent about 4 hours there and Dad was still smiling as you can see in the picture.  We headed home and both girls fell asleep in the taxi and the driver was smiling because both were snoring!  

They had a snack and played together and then we went back to the Chinese Children’s store to do art projects.  Zoe chose to make a clay pot and Yihui chose to do a picture with the glue.  They finally communicated to me that the clay pot needed to dry 1 week and to come back then.  We will be leaving Beijing June 26^th so I’ll stop by then to see if it is ready.  Otherwise I’ll have Helen pick it up and keep it.  Zoe will be disappointed if it doesn’t come home.  

We ate an early dinner since we didn’t eat much lunch and I hope the girls will settle down early.  It is interesting to see them act more and more like sisters.  Sometimes they annoy each other and need some space but most of the time they want to dress exactly a like and do the same things.  Their food taste is opposite- Yihui continues to pick extremely spicy foods and she prefers vegetables to meat.  Zoe likes bland food and meat.  Picking meals at home will be a challenge.  

June 21, 2009

We let the girls relax a little bit this morning and then met Helen to go to the Forbidden City.  Bob and I were there when we adopted Zoe but it was still fun to see it again.  Zoe and Yihui were troopers but said they didn’t like it very much.  Zoe wanted to see where the Emperor slept and wanted to know all about his wives.  

We then went to Yihui’s finding spot.  I asked Helen to explain what that meant and Helen indicated she didn’t think Yihui fully understood the significance of the spot.  It was on a bench in the new out patient area of the Beijing Children’s Hospital.  It was a very busy place today when we went.  We took a few pictures so that one day Yihui can see it.  

Then we went to the “antique” market sometimes called the Dirt market or Panjiayuan market.  We know nothing is truly antique but Bob enjoyed looking.  Some of the things Bob liked would be impossible to get home and shipping cost too much so we left with nothing.  

The girls and Bob were tired so we came back to take a rest before going to the Chinese opera.  Of course as soon as they get into the hotel- they are no longer tired.  So I took both of them to the New Chinese Children’s store play area.  They chose to play in the giant sand pit for an hour.  Then we had to rush back so they could have a snack before the opera.  They had an area where you could watch the performers put on their painted faces.  Zoe & Yihui liked that a lot.  The opera may not be our taste but it was fun and well done.  The person that liked it the best was Zoe!  Yihui told Helen the faces scared her.  It was late so we rushed to get a quick bite to eat before all the restaurants closed.  

June 20, 2009

We met Helen early and went off to the Great Wall Juyongguan section.  We considered Mutianyu section where they have a cable car up but both Bob & Helen have height issues and we had no idea how Yihui felt on it.  It was a hot day and when we got there, Yihui did not want to climb.  Zoe & I started out and went all the way to the second guard house when Bob called and said he’d try.  Bob made it to the first guard house & we spotted him and we saw he was not coming up so we decided to call it a day and come back down.  It is quite steep and Zoe did very well.  She said going up was easier than down.  The heat was making the girls tired but we decided it was early enough and maybe we’d stop and see the Olympic stadiums.  We walked through the water cube and around the birds nest.  The girls really were hot and wanted to go to lunch and home.  We went to a noodle shop and they got a second wind just as we went to the room.  

We rested about 1 hour and then had great seats for the Flying acrobatic show.  The acrobats do moves that seem absolutely impossible.  The youngest girl was only 5 years old.  Everyone enjoyed it a lot.  Then we went off to dinner and it was late and all were tired.  I did get my qipao which is absolutely beautiful.  Yihui picked out a qipao at a shop and I was surprised but she picked pink.  Yellow is her favorite color but we have never seen a yellow qipao.  

June 19, 2009

Today we did paper work in the morning.  This was the notary appointment for the Red Book and then the processing for Yihui’s passport.  It took a few hours but Zoe & Yihui passed the time with lots of origami paper crafts & then watching a movie on my iphone.  We then had lunch and Yihui wanted to try pizza.  Unfortunately the only pizza is Pizza Hut so we tried bad pizza but she liked it.  To Zoe there is no such thing as bad pizza.  

Then we took a Hutong tour.  The Hutong is a Mongolian word for narrow street.  As you all know many Hutongs were torn down for the Olympics.  Families live in small houses in a courtyard and use public bathrooms.  We saw the streets via rickshaw and then visited a family in a Hutong.  Zoe was very curious and asked a lot of questions to the owner.  Then Helen took me to a great little Hutong coffee shop with a high end espresso maker- once again the old & new China together,  

We took a short break after that and I had the final fitting for my qipao.  We then went to dinner at a trendy place called Afunti.  Zagats said the food was OK but the show great for kids and it was true.  The food was from the Uighur minority and the show was a mixture of music on traditional instruments, dances from the area and then Kung Fu –hip hop.  The girls thought the belly dancer and the women that danced with a live snake were funny.  The show was about 1.5 hours and at the end the hostess took Zoe & Yihui up to the stage to dance with them.  Too bad we didn’t bring the good camera to capture it.  Even Bob’s beer was a show as you can see from the glass.  

June 18, 2009

Helen our guide came over early this morning to talk with Yihui to make sure we were communicating effectively with her.  Helen had a tailor come over for me so I could pick out material and get measured to have a Qiapao made for me.  Zoe has 2 of them and we want to get one for Yihui.  They grow too quickly to have a custom made one done but hopefully I will not be growing!  The girls helped me pick the silk. We spent the morning together and then had lunch and we went off to the Beijing Agricultural college to see the Veterinary school clinic..  It is about a 1 hour drive North-west of the downtown Beijing.  They have a large caseload (about 30-50 cases/day) and they see equal numbers of dogs and cats (very few large animals but some exotics).  Dr. Jason Shi is the associate director of the hospital and he was busy in a meeting but his graduate student Tina showed us around.  We are always interested to visit Veterinary schools in other countries.  I will give a lecture at the school June 23^rd.  

The air quality today was unbelievable bad.  All day it was charcoal grey skies and it didn’t rain!  The picture was taken at mid day. Even Bob complained he felt sick from it.  We have been fairly lucky up until today in that the air quality has been manageable.  Today we realized how bad it could get.  We all went swimming at the hotel before dinner to escape the outside air.  

June 17, 2009

We went to the Capital Museum of Beijing. It is in a brand new building that is architecturally beautiful. The museum holds many Chinese treasures such as pottery, silks, antiquities, and some of the clothes and furniture of ancient China. Yihui didn’t seem all that interested but Zoe wanted to know all about the history of China. We stayed about 2 hours and then realized that was about the limit for young children.

We went over to the Wanfugjing mall for lunch and decided to see a movie. We saw Night at the Museum 2 which was in English with Chinese subtitles. The girls enjoyed it. The theater was so modern and comfortable.

That was about it for the day.

June 16, 2009

We made plans to meet up with our friends Xiaomei and Mark and their daughter Miriam today. Zoe goes to school with Miriam. Xiaomei and Mark own an apartment in the North part of Beijing near the Olympic stadium that Xiaomei’s Mom lives in. They came over here first and the girls immediately hit it off. Yihui appreciated having people that could communicate with her and she wanted to be near Xiaomei a lot. Just as we ventured out to go the Aquarium, there was a huge thunder storm and rain. We decided to first go into Haagen Daaz for an ice cream for the girls and then they all seemed to want to eat so we went to a famous Baozi place that Xiaomei remembered in Wanfujing district (where she grew up). We finally made it onto the subway to get to the Aquarium which is near the zoo. As always- directions are hard here and even the natives have a hard time. Mark said literally the city changes so fast no one can keep up with the changes. After a subway ride & a bus ride and lots of walking we found it. The girls were thrilled to see the dolphin, sea loin show and the beautiful tanks.

We then went back to their apartment by subway and then out for dumplings. We wore the girls out and took a taxi home.

Yihui is shy sometimes and doesn’t always want to pose for a picture. She also says she doesn’t want to go out and do things yet always has a good time when we do so. She told Xiaomei a bit about her life at BCWI. It will take time for Yihui to understand what really happened to her and to adapt but she is doing very well.

June 15, 2009

Today was Civil Affairs day when we sign the paper work to finalize the adoption.  Our appointment wasn’t until 2 so we first went and bought the girls disposable cameras so they could be their own photographer and then we walked to The Forbidden City.  Yihui & Zoe looked tired.  The air quality was poor today.  They didn’t seem very impressed and only wanted to look at the tourist shops.  We are planning to go for a real tour of the Forbidden city another day.  

Lunch was another dumpling shop where Yihui once again amazed us by eating a big bowl of soup and about 15 dumplings.  She can out eat Zoe when she likes it.  

Helen met us and we went off to Civil Affairs.  Turns out they moved their building but we finally found the new location.  The van driver had a hard time- I am unsure if it is the way streets are labeled or numbered.  Yihui gladly said yes to the adoption and signed the paper work.  It was not a traumatic experience that it could have been.  So now we must wait for all the paper work to be processed for a Red Book (probably by the 18^th) and a passport (the 25^th or 26^th) which will be the day we head to Guangzhou.  

The girls went swimming again and this time Yihui showed more restraint and did really well.  We think she will learn to swim quickly.  Bob had to get a picture of the sign at the pool which we are sure is a literal translation (see the picture).  Makes me wonder what Yihui thinks when I use my translator and she reads it.  We then ate in another VERY good restaurant called the Silk Road which features Yunnan cuisine (the province Zoe is from).  It was quite good and we recommend it.