Sunday, September 16, 2007
BEIJING TO HEFEI
Today was a travel day. We left Beijing for the hour and a
half flight to Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province. Of the
seven families in our group, Louisa is the only child to
come from Hefei City. It’s odd to think that somewhere
across town, Louisa is sleeping. It’s 11 pm – I certainly
hope she’s sleeping!
Once in Hefei, we headed out for our hotel but made a pit
stop at a local grocery store for supplies. Hefei is a much
smaller city than Beijing – “only” about 2 million people.
The locals here are not as used to seeing westerners, so we
caused quite a stir! People are very curious about us, but
our communications are mostly limited to smiles, nods and
“Helllo/Ni Hao.” We discovered that the children are much
braver than their parents when it comes to approaching us.
Several young boys came up to us to try out their English.
They are very charming and sweet. Avery has really enjoyed
interacting with the kids, although most don’t know what to
think when they see her. She’s been sharing lollypops
brought from home (thanks Sara Bernosky!), which has helped
many get past their fear of her. A little sugar goes a long
way!
We got settled into the room, complete with complementary
stroller and crib. It took us about two hours to unpack
tonight and prepare for tomorrow morning. We brought
waaaayyyy too much stuff. But better to be prepared, right?
Our group meets at 8:30am tomorrow morning. We’ll go by bus
to a local government office to meet the children. I’m not
sure how long we’ll be there before we come back to the
hotel. We’re ready for her. I hope she’s ready for us!
Thanks everyone for all your well wishes and prayers. It
means so much to us! After two+ years, we’re finally to this
moment. It’s so surreal. Must get some sleep now, so good
night from Hefei!
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Last day in Beijing. Of course, we couldn’t go to the other
side of the world without Little Bo!
Cars are becoming more and more common in China (3.5 million
in Beijing alone!), but bikes still rule.
Wedding ceremony at our hotel in Beijing. White “western”
dresses are becoming increasingly popular. |