Our last day in Shenyang

Friday was an important day for a lot of reasons. We finally received the documents we needed from Shenyang that allowed us to travel to Guangzhou, our final stop in China. We received Zach's birth certificate, his certificate of abandonment, a translation of the adoption registration and his passport. It was a blessing to finally have all of those important documents (and it did not seem that receiving the passport was a sure thing, so we heaved a big sigh of relief).

It was also a day of hurry up and wait. We were leaving Shenyang to go to Guangzhou so we had to pack up our things and check out, but our ride to the airport was not coming until 4:00 p.m., since our flight out was not until 5:50 p.m. So, we packed our bags and waited with our new best friends (and Zach's old friend) Hannah and her family in their room. We will be seeing them in Guangzhou on Sunday. The White Swan is a wonderfully beautiful hotel with a swimming pool (we have been preparing Zach for his first adventure into swimming) and it is great that we get to end our stay here. We want to be home, but this is a pleasant place to be if we can't be there!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. This is just a quick note to let you know we are on the last leg of our journey. We got in last night after 11:00 p.m. and have to meet our group this morning at 9:00 a.m. More later!

Shenyang Imperial Palace

Thursday, we had a chance to visit the Imperial Palace in Shenyang. Steve never had a chance to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, so this visit gave him an idea of what that is like. Shenyang became the capital of the Manchu empire in 1625, so the Imperial Palace here was the residence of the emperors. It is second only in scale to that in Beijing, being comprised of over 300 rooms.

The thresholds of the rooms are high as a result of their belief that evil spirits can't jump very high. The high thresholds, therefore, keep them out. There is a meaning to just about everything that is done. Even the colors they choose. Of course, gold is the color used by royalty. Black apparently symbolizes water so when they built the library in the Palace, they used black ceramic tile for the roof. The greatest threat to the books is fire, so they used the color symbolizing water for the roof to protect them.

There is so much to see here, but we are so glad we finally get to travel to Guangzhou today to our last pre-US destination! We miss our girls, we miss our dog, we miss our home, we miss our friends, we miss our food. We have discovered that Zach likes KFC and have eaten quite a bit of that lately (there are lots of them here, Kelly and Ryan!). It is very hard to eat around the hotels we have stayed at in Dalian and Shenyang. The menus are understandably not in English (and without pictures, we just don't want to guess what we are ordering!), and the people do not speak enough English to trust that they understand. That will be different in Guangzhou, since every adoptive family has to travel there, it is easier to find people that speak English.

We are looking forward to not being stared at so obnoxiously. We are so different as we walk the streets of Shenyang and Dalian that people will turn around at street corners and just stare at us. It is a mission of Steve's to win the stare downs. It obviously makes Zach uncomfortable, since the look on their face as they are staring is not often nice.

We met an 89 year old woman at a park we went to recently. We climbed many stone steps to reach a little pavilion and she joined us soon after we got there. As she entered, she proclaimed her age in wonderful English! She has 4 daughters and 1 son, and her husband, who was a doctor, died 9 years ago. We enjoyed talking to her! She learned English many years ago in Shanghai through a Christian school. Then she proceeded to sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children." She also shared that she thinks the young people have horrible manners. The old people still have manners, she said, but she is saddened by the young.

The three children are Zach, Hannah and Hannah's brother, Andrew.

The furnishings are in the living quarters of the Emperor's family, and of his throne.

There is a picture of a cradle which would be used for the Emperor's child. It hangs from the ceiling. I thought this was really interesting.

Qing Zhao Tomb

Wednesday, we visited the Qing Zhao Tomb which means Luminous Tomb. It is more commonly known as Beiling Park, since it is in the North. This is one of the largest and best preserved of China's imperial mausoleums. It is the tomb of Abahai (1592-1643) and was built in 1643. It is a massive complex with many gates and buildings. The tomb itself is a mound that apparently has not been unearthed and remains sealed to this day. It is a beautiful area and we enjoyed hearing the history.

Zach continues to brighten our days. He giggles and laughs at bedtime when we say our prayers and give him goodnight kisses. He says "wo ai ni" (I love you) to us spontaneously and smiles, laughs and goofs around with Dad. He has a great personality and seems completely comfortable with us already. He always wants to hold both our hands (which is a challenge on the crowded sidewalks), and gets concerned when one of us is gone longer than he likes.

We asked Maggie to translate some words/phrases for us -- like "obey" "now" and "no whining" (which he does when he doesn't get his way, the universal language for kids!). When she translated "no whining" for us, there is not a direct translation in Chinese. So, what we are saying to him when we use the phrase she gave us is "don't be chickie!" We think that is so funny!

He is trying to learn more and more English and can now count to 8. He says "thank you" and "you're welcome" and repeats other phrases he hears. His nannies told us that he is better at learning language than math (which may be more a function of poor vision than ability) so we are hopeful for better communication in the months ahead.

And Eliza, Maddie and Katie -- he loves to straighten up our room! He is always putting things back where they came from and organizing our suitcases. We definitely think you will be learning a thing or two from your new brother!

Well, we are counting down the days now. Tomorrow, after we receive the documents we need from here, we leave for Guangzhou, where the US Consulate is. That is where we will receive Zach's visa to come to the US. We are looking forward to checking into our last hotel, especially one with a swimming pool and warm weather.

We really just want to come HOME! We miss our girls soooo very much (by the way, the picture of the marble horse is just for you! It is a statue honoring the emperor's horses named Big White and Small White who saved his life many times).

Steve & Hannah

Steve & Zach

Cindy & Zach

Miscellaneous Observations

We had a free day on Tuesday, after traveling back to Shenyang from Dalian Monday evening. We didn't do much, which was nice. Zach loves K'nex and legos. It is a great way to spend time in the hotel room. He also loves the movie "Polar Express." He has watched it all the way through several times now (in Chinese, of course!).

As we have had Zach for a week now, we are praising God for how well he has done so far. Maggie asked him the other day why he was talking in such a sweet, sing-song voice. he said it is because he is so happy! What a great thing to hear!

We know there are a lot of transitions ahead of us when we get home. Here, he can't communicate well with us, although he understands more and more each day (like "time for bed," "brush teeth," "time to eat," etc), but he can talk to Maggie, who is with us everyday. When we get home, there will be no one regularly available who can speak to him. We will see what we can do to help that situation, but it will be different.

As for being in China, we have enjoyed the chance to experience what it is like here. After being on the highways traveling by bus to Dalian and back, I have learned a few things about life on the road in China.

--Lane lines are simply suggestions, not absolutes. If you don't know which lane will go faster, simply drive in both lanes and make up your mind when you need to.

--Horns are for letting those ahead of you know that you are coming and to get out of your way. If those ahead of you are driving in both lanes, it is a way for you to tell them they need to choose the lane that is not the one you are currently in. And, many times, it is not the biggest car that wins, but the loudest, longest horn.

--If you are going to survive on the streets of China, whether as a driver, bike-rider, or pedestrian, you need to be fearless. The one who wins is the one who plays the best game of "chicken." Just because you are a pedestrian, does not give you any rights against those in cars. However, you can win your space if you simply plow right ahead as if no cars are coming.

--If you want to make a turn, it doesn't matter which lane you are in. You can make a right turn from the left-most lane of a three lane street, if you like. It simply is a matter of going where you need to go from where ever you are.

--Sidewalks are not just for pedestrians and bike riders. They can be for cars trying to get around traffic, or cars wanting to drop off passengers. Pedestrians always need to be on the lookout for cars coming up behind them as they walk along.

--Last observation about the rules of the road -- It all works! We have seen no accidents, which is amazing! Somehow, everyone is able to drive, ride and walk in harmony with everyone else. Everyone seems to have a sixth sense about what the others around them are doing so that they can avoid anything unpleasant. Fascinating!

Today, we will visit Beiling Park. We will enjoy the sights, I am sure!

Our day at the orphanage...

We are so thankful we spent time at the orphanage on Monday. We found out so much that was helpful. When we arrived, we were shown pictures on the wall of children from the orphanage that have been adopted and their families. Next to that, we were told about how this particular orphanage has been at the forefront of encouraging children to be placed in foster families. Of the 238 children under the care of the orphanage right now, only 41 are currently in the orphanage. There are approx 168 in foster families and the rest are at the boarding school in Chaoyang (where Zach spent his last year). We are able to take pictures, but were told to make sure we did not take pictures of children.

We were then brought to the nursery. There were 6 babies and 2 caregivers. the room was bright and clean and the nannies seemed very loving and compassionate. One of them brought Zach over to a drawer and she pulled out some baby lotion and put it on his face He has some very dry patches that look like eczema on his face It is hard to buy things here without our guide to help us find what he needs. We thanked her and asked through Maggie if there is anything else we need to know about Zach and his health. We were amazed at the answer.

First of all, they said his eyes were a little crossed and he is a little nearsighted (we had already talked about getting his eyes checked when we came home, he gets really close to things to see them). Then she told us he had broken his leg (we think they said femur) when he was 4! Such important information which may help explain his "slight limp." When he walks, he does have an unusual gait at times, but not always. It will be interesting to see if the leg healed well, or if it was simply relearning how to walk after the cast came off that caused him to "limp." Maggie said something about "surgery" for it, but we find no scars. There is also no indication of any skin problem with his legs.

We were then brought to a school room, again very bright and clean. We saw the washroom, the dining area, the play areas, and another room with more children, mostly toddler/preschool age. We saw the little boy that was with us during the adoption process in Shenyang. We were able to tell him that we had "met" his parents on line through a group set up for parents with children from this orphanage. We told him they are very excited to come get him. He just beamed and gave Zach a thumbs up.

As for the titles of the people we have met, I am confused. The woman we have spent many of our last days with is apparently the Director of the orphanage. We were introduced to another woman, who seemed very kind, who was called the Leader of the orphanage. Then we met a gentleman, Mr Liang, who is the President of the orphanage. He invited us to a special lunch with him in our honor.

We went up a hill to a play area and saw the location of Zach's referral photos. It is prettier in the spring, but it is lovely. There was a play area there. After a while, we were called back down for lunch. It was a very traditional Chinese dinner, complete with fish served whole, shrimp served with the head, eyes and antennae, and chopsticks. Steve had never experienced a meal like this (we have been on our own for meals and have not ventured too far into Chinese cuisine). It was all delicious, and Steve managed to eat with his chopsticks!

We were thanked several times for adopting the children. The president addressed most of his conversation to Steve, as the only man there. We were still with Nancy who is adopting Hannah (among the last single women allowed to adopt), her cousin, Ellen, and Nancy's son, Andrew (adopted 4 1/2 years ago from China). Mr Liang asked where we were from and which NBA team is in our area. So, they talked basketball for a while and Mr Liang said the kids all love to watch the games in the morning.

He then asked Steve for a personal favor. Since the kids all love the NBA, he asked if we could get autographs for all 238 children in the orphanage. He preferred Kobe! But said any would do. We agreed to see what we would do, and we will certainly give it our best try. Anyone out there with connections??

It was a lovely time, and Mr Liang told us to consider this our second home...

Our Day in Dalian

Sunday, our day of sightseeing was simply shopping. I was hoping for a chance to get some gifts and souvenirs, but we were taken to a very expensive department store, at which we could buy very expensive clothes! I think the Chinese people assume all Americans are very wealthy. Anyway, we were able to get Zach two pairs of pants for more than we would have paid at home. The director of the orphanage was with us and we had the feeling we were expected to buy some things for our child. So we did.

After that, we decided to bring Zach's ball to the square two blocks from the hotel to play catch. When we arrived we were immediately approached by a woman who obviously wanted to practice her English on us. She asked about the history of America. Anyone who knows Steve would know that this is right up his alley! He started with 1760 and moved his way through the revolution, civil war and an explanation of our government system with the House and Senate! We had quite a crowd around us, with another teenager practicing her English on me. Then, I ended up helping a student with his application to get into school in the UK. He asked if I would help with his grammar. It was quite a day.

It makes me nervous when anyone but those we have been working with speak to Zach or Hannah in Chinese. Their expression is sometimes so sad, you just want to know what they said so that you can explain away anything that may have been hurtful.

The pictures are of the time at the park. Zach and Hannah did get to play a little and giggled and laughed the whole time.

**There will be more pictures added of the time at the park. Blogger.com was having temporary issues when I tried to upload the other 2 pictures.

Sightseeing in Dalian

After almost a week away from home, we finally had a day of sightseeing! Dalian is a beautiful city and the seaside is really gorgeous. We just drove along the shore and saw the National Hotel, where the Chinese diplomats stayed. Mao had a room there, but apparently never stayed.

We also stopped at a square with many sculptures and some rides for kids to go on. Zach and Hannah had a great time!

Zach continues to do well and we are so thankful to God for the peaceful adjustment he has made to us while here. We know there is more adjustments to be made when we get home. Zach has already told Maggie that he is afraid of his new room -- it will be too big! He wants his sisters to sleep in his room with him for a little while. It will be much different at home than here. We pray the transition continues to go well. And thanks to everyone for their continued prayers on our behalf. We are blessed!