Trip to China
All Days  |  Previous Day

Thursday, August 19, 2010 ALL ABOARD! Once again we are on the move – this time our destination is Hong Kong! We are all packed and ready to go home to the states. I definitely feel like we are taking part in the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" for our journey home. Our travel home starts with a forty minute car ride to the train station in Guangzhou. Then the train ride is approximately 2 hours. We will arrive in Hong Kong and then take an hour taxi ride to the Marriott Hotel by the airport. After spending the night we will wake up at 5:30 am to take a shuttle to the airport and then we are homeward bound from Hong Kong to JFK on a 16 1/2 hour flight. Once we arrive at JFK we have a 5 1/2 hour layover and then board another plane to Charlotte. Here is where everyone's prayers come in to play...we will need them! As I awoke today I was thinking about how amazing it is to get on a plane and travel half way around the world to meet your child. It is just a crazy experience! Todd and I are completely drained but I have mustered up the energy once again to be the family cheerleader. I know this journey home is going to be very long and trying. I have read people's stories and I am sure I will be at my whit's end forty-eight hours from now when we are finally home. Our guide has arranged a car service and porter to help us with our luggage today. I have no clue how people do it otherwise. We have way too much stuff and not enough hands. Harper is definitely confused by all the suitcases again and I am sure she wonders if she is coming with us. She looks just like us – exhausted! She barley took more than a 20 minute nap today and she fought us the whole time. She was literally crawling away from me on the bed. I think she is just scared to go to sleep and wonders if we are going to leave her. I assume most of the dramatic transitions for her occurred during her sleep. I know all of it will have a residual effect on her sleep habits for years to come. It was a very dismal day outside which made Todd and I feel pretty sad and depressed. We are nervous and I guess a bit overwhelmed. I have to say as much as I complained about this guide she did come to the rescue today! As we pulled up to the train station she gave us all sorts of directions about watching our luggage, and making sure to repeat the pronunciation of the train stop we are supposed to listen for in Hong Kong. As we got out of the car she shielded Harper and I with her umbrella and we entered what seemed to be a back entrance of a huge abandoned warehouse. It was dark, but up ahead we could see more light and there were people everywhere! We hurried as quickly as we could inside and yet we still managed to get pretty wet. Harper had no clue what was going on and the darkness of what we assumed was the back entrance to the train station scared her. As we went through security and said our good-bye's to our guide, Harper looked beyond nervous. She had the most panicked look in her eye as if she thought I was going to hand her off to the guide and leave. It was so sad and brought tears to my eyes. I kept saying don't worry you are coming with us. She was gripping on to me so tightly and then I thought about how she must have felt just two weeks ago when the orphanage directors took her from her foster mother's arms. We were running to the immigration line now to make sure we got to the train before it left. If we missed it our whole itinerary going back home would have to be changed. I think we have had our fill of travel and also filling out immigration and departure cards. This time is even harder since we had fewer hands, more luggage and now a baby attached to me. After they validated our passports the men behind the desks want to verify Harper's Visa. It was so annoying because I had to take her out of the carrier and hold her up to the glass window and of course she was hysterical. We made it to downstairs to the train just in time to start our rainy ride to Honk Kong. When I first told Todd that I wanted to take the train instead of the plane to Hong Kong he was like, "Are you sure?" He knows I am not the most adventurous person but I figured who knows if we will ever be back here so let's really see the countryside and experience everything we can! I guess I was thinking it might be like the famous Orient Express – uhm…not so much! Instead of caviar and champagne we had packaged pretzels and small bottles of water. It reminded me of being on a US flight. It was definitely not that clean and I can't say I felt that safe. As for the countryside it was interesting! I think the prettiest countryside I saw was on our car ride to Fengcheng, or I guess it was the most meaningful for me since I knew Harper had seen that land before. There were parts of the countryside that reminded me of being in the states. Some areas were very poor with debilitated housing and other areas were booming with large buildings, bridges and mini palaces. It was the poor sections which were the most remarkable since the housing was made out of anything they could find from burlap, to tin to tree branches. It was exactly how I envisioned it. In the distance you could see the women working the fields with their straw hats going from plant to plant so diligently. The train cuts right through these farms and we are just bystanders peering into their lives. Every time I looked out the window I just didn't know what I was going to witness next and if it was something I wanted to see or remember. At one point we rode across a little dam and there were these young boys jumping in and swimming in what seemed to me very mucky and unclean water. There were no adults in sight and I am not sure if they would even stop them. I guess everything is free game here and some villages probably are not even aware of certain health issues that can come from contaminated water. As I sat with my camcorder in one hand and digital camera in the other trying to capture everything Harper was running Todd ragged up and down the train cars. She didn't seem to care much for the train ride and spent most of the time crying over her displeasure. Just when I was regretting my decision to take the train, I saw the reason why people go through the hassle. The cloudy skies parted and there stood the most gorgeous, breathtaking mountains. They look like they rose right into the heavens. Our train seemed to be coming to a stop and we hoped we understood what the conductor was going to say. We knew we had to get off at Kowloon station. All we needed was to get off at the wrong stop! As tired as we all were, I realized that we would not be doing much site seeing today! So much for my grand plan of exploring Hong Kong on our own! After following the crowd off the train, we filled out some more forms and then we were overjoyed to see the immigration line. No one was in it! We were in the clear to just grab our luggage from the porter and get in a taxi. Our hotel room and their beds were calling our name! Just then a man approached us started talking in Chinese and flagged a red scanner in my face. He waved his hand for us to follow him. Todd looked at me and I said, "Oh no! Harper must have a temperature!" So we walked back and I lifted Harper up. The man then shoved the thermometer in each of my ears. Seriously?! I guess I looked sick…ha! I was so overheated since Harper was in the front carrier and I had a backpack on and a sling purse on my arm! I was hoping that they would not keep us too long or worse yet, quarantine us. We felt like there was this huge barrier in getting us home. Then the man nodded his head so I guess that meant we were fine. We made a quick jog back to the immigration line and now there was a forty-five minute wait ahead of us! Todd was not a happy camper! His patience was now wearing very thin and I think my body was getting ready to hit the floor. Not only were we exhausted but now people were staring at us and commenting. We had no clue if they were saying something positive or negative but it is obvious they think it is strange for Harper to be with us. There were even some people holding on to their children tighter as if they thought I was going to take their child! Oh gosh! Todd and I were not too amused and the travel portion of this trip is really taking a toll on us both. At least we could see our porter on the other side with our luggage. It felt like there was an end to all this madness and chaos once we got passed this line. The porter helped us out and then we sat in another line as we waited for the red taxi. I kept telling Todd that I read we only want to get into a red taxi cab. Apparently there are some other types of shady taxi's here. Other drivers came up to us telling us that our luggage would not fit into the red taxis and that we have to use their van. I kept saying to Todd, "We are not getting in any van!" Todd looked at the porter and he gave him a quick shake of the head indicating for us not to get in the vans. I feel like I am back in New York City. There is no line here people just jump right in ahead of you. It is all about being the quickest!

Our last breakfast mess at the White Swan! Now where are we going and why did you wake me up from my nap? Our last good-bye to mainland China! Harper's first train ride and of course she is not sitting! The endless fields we saw along the way! The awe-inspiring scenery! A very rainy day in Hong Kong! At last American food! Daddy and Harper snacking on french fries and pizza! Our view of the harbor from our hotel room. We are surrounded by water, boats and gigantic clouds! Our final sunrise in China!

Here we are with mountains of luggage, a baby and people were stealing our taxis! We just barely fit all our luggage in the little red taxi. We actually had to put some up front with the driver and we had to leave the trunk open. Harper was sitting on the floor and Todd and I didn't even buckle up. I felt like we are a part of this culture now. To make matters worse, once we got in the car the driver didn't even know where the hotel was or which one we were talking about. Everyone told us Hong Kong is like Manhattan – everyone speaks English. Unfortunately, our cab driver wasn’t one of the folks that spoke English! Talk about not feeling secure! I didn't know if we were ever going to make it to the hotel. Luckily our guide translated our hotel name on a piece of paper and the driver was able to radio his dispatch to get the right address. Hong Kong is a very busy place! I would love to come back here another time to really explore the city and all the shops I am passing by! As we left the center of the city, we crossed over a bridge and now we were staring at the other side of the mountains we saw on the train. This side was even more striking! The pictures I have do not do it justice! They were unbelievable! It was picture perfect triangular mountains with lush green trees covering them and misty mountains skimming the pointy peaks – it made this voyage from Guangzhou to Hong Kong well worth it! Once again I realized how lucky and blessed we are to be here and to see this country. This journey from the travel to receiving our daughter has just been intense but very positive. One minute you are crying with joy and the next you are so saddened and crying over the pain your child is experiencing. We have had such a wonderful trip yet we were never fully able to let go and relax. I wish we could have but I don't see how you can with an adoption trip. There are too many things can go wrong and I have heard and read almost all of them. I am so glad I was able to keep a journal throughout this trip and know that Harper will appreciate it someday. We are so lucky to have been given the opportunity to travel to this far away land. I keep making a parallel to the beauty I see in China's land and the beauty I see when I look into Harper's eyes. They are just absolutely beautiful and so is her personality. Every mother must feel this way about their child as they are all made in the likeness of God. Harper has a unique presence about her – something special and I guess since she was not born from my belly I can almost analyze her more if that makes any sense. I can stop and really think about her and her life and what it would have been like if she stayed here in China with her biological parents. I am sure they think about her every day and here we are getting ready to take her to our home in the United States. I can't help to wonder if her mother is feeling the intuitive sense that all mothers have. Does she have a keen awareness that something is about to change for the child she carried for 9 months, birthed and then kept safe for 3 months? I pray that her heart can feel the love that surrounds Harper now. I know without a doubt that from the moment of Harper's conception she was meant to be our daughter. It is all part of God's master plan but at the same time I must give respect to her biological parents. They provided her with the gift of life and Todd and I will provide her a life where she can live! As much as a blessing she is to us, I have to remember that her biological parent's hearts are left empty and hurting. Before we traveled, I would pray for us and Harper and now I pray for her biological parents and hope they have worked through some of the pain and anguish they must have experienced when they left her. There are just so many facets of this story and so many people who have loved Harper and cared for her. I take solace in knowing that she will always have her mother and father's blood pumping through her. She also has a keen sense of humor that she inherited from her foster mother and now I wonder what will Todd and I give her and will it be enough? As I searched for answers in my head we approached our final hotel in China. All of the questions in my head had already been answered long ago – I just needed time to sort them and that is what this trip provided for me. We would provide Harper with faith to guide her daily, provide her hope when the days are cloudy and give her unconditional love that knows no boundaries. Besides the gift of life I think these are the best gifts a child can ever receive. In return, I know Harper will teach us what it truly means to live a blessed life.

Web site by myadoptionwebsite.com