Claudia's 1st Shopping Trip and Birthday Party

After we completed our final paperwork at the local notary we took a shopping trip to the local Wal Mart. This Wal Mart was the most hectic and crowded we had ever seen. Claudia's hair bow was a big hit with the locals who seemed more interested in it than the four policemen who ran into the Wal Mart - two of them carrying sawed-off shotguns. We finished our shopping soon thereafter.
We went to dinner at a local restaurant, where we celebrated the birthday of one of our party, Jim. Jim is married to Kathy and there new one is Kajsa, a Swedish name. Those of us with older children were reminded why we tended not to go out to dinner for the first two years of our children's lives. The first time parents concurred. Nonetheless, the food was excellent and in spite of crying and spilling babies, Claudia - unfazed - blew through a bottle, two bowls of vegetable congee, egg soup and all of our napkins. Grace organized the dinner and again showed her contrast to the now legendary Jerry. Somehow the group started repeating Jerry tales again, and Grace revealed that she is in fact certified and showed us her card.
We took Claudia home and gave her her first bath, with mixed results. She cried but she is clean. She promptly went to bed - unlike a certain little guy who knows who he is. We now count the days until we can get Claudia home and stay up late watching dvds with the child who is not so easy to get to bed.

Certified Parents

Today our little Mohawk dumpling awoke promptly at 6 am. She went to bed at 8:30 and slept through the night. I am told one benefit of orphanage life is a strict schedule, not true for life at 86 Lessing Road just ask Colton.

So after a bottle and breakfast all six families boarded the bus and headed to the Civil Affairs Office yet again for an interview and approval. After it was completed we became certified parents. The Chinese seem to love adjectives especially the word certified and authentic.

At the interview we meet Director Ling again. She is the woman in the picture below. Ms. Ling was very grateful for the fruit, cakes and other gifts we had sent to the orphanage over the past month or so. Cha-Lian as they call her was the only baby of the six that lived at the orphanage her entire life. The rest of the babies had been in foster care. Director Ling saw Cha-Lian nearly every day. Director Ling brought her two children a boy and a girl.
The children are actually the two older children pictured with her and the fruit basket in my earlier post. Director Ling adopted her daughter and we really could see the love she had for Cha-Lian in her eyes. The Director had presented each baby with bell bracelets which Cha-Lian proudly is wearing. And after the paper work was complete we received our certified certificate and a porcelain gift.


At this meeting we also presented the Director with gifts from our family. We also gave her the many blankets and hats made by the angles in Vermont. The Director was so moved she actually took pictures of our family. As I am writing this I have tears swelling up in my eyes....as we were leaving the office we traveled with Director Ling and one of Cha-Lian's care takers in the elevator. When they saw her they held her hand so tightly and tears streamed down their cheeks. While I am so happy for our family I feel the sadness that these women are experiencing. It appeared giving Cha-Lian to us was a genuine loss. They cared for our little one since she was 2 days old. She has been with them almost a year. It was very hard for them. To know that she was loved fills my heart with joy.
After civil affairs we went to the police station to be photographed (slightly intimidating) then back to the hotel for a short break. Next we will are going to see a notary and off to the super Wal-Mart to get baby stuff. By the way I had ordered a baby backback filled with everything I would need from my agency, but somehow they did not get me one so I am here without much other then meds. A very generous family has given me many of the items they purchased because they did not need them their daughter is nine. They are life saviors because without them we would be bottle-less. After the Wal-mart we are going to send our laundry to be done and then off to a special Chinese dinner. One of our new friends, new dad and travel companion , Jim is celebrating his birthday today.

I hope all of you are well and will keep the updates coming... I have put more slide show phots below....

Wo Ai Ni (I love you}

She Came With A Cookie

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Three pm and we finally get Claudia! There are five other couples with us when we go to civil affairs to pick up our children. For most of them, this is their first child after years of trying to have children and emotion floods the room - as may be expected. Claudia comes with a cookie which she holds all the way back to the hotel. She is quiet and tiny, but observant and active.

Once we are back at the hotel it is on to the ordinary activities of parenthood - changing the diaper and playing with her in the hotel hallway. The hotel is full of parents adopting children and a couple from Maine on our floor has just adopted a young boy who has lost his arm. Eventually Claudia drops the cookie on the floor. We go to dinner where she eats a bowl of conge and falls asleep at the table. She wakes up and we take her back to the room where we put her in her pajamas and put her to bed. We get her to smile for us and laugh a few times. She falls asleep peacefully - unlike a certain little guy who knows who he is. Now we count the days until we can get her back home to the rest of her family.

Bye Beijing Hello nanchang

This morning we were up at 4 am and had to leave Beijing for the airport...As you can see from the top photo the weather was still gray..Grace our guide confirmed it is like that always and it will also be like that in Nanchang City where we are off to next.....Well we arrivied in Nanchang and as you can see from the bottom photo it is still gray out...This city have only ten million people whereas Beijing had 15 million. This town is real China..
Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, is located along the Ganjiang River. For many centuries, it was a storage and distribution center for the famous porcelain from nearby Jingdezhen. In 1937, it became famous when on August 1, Zhou Enlai led an uprising against Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalist army at Nanchang before retreating to the nearby Jinggang Mountains to form one of the first armed forces of the Chinese Red Army. Today, the anniversary of the uprising is celebrated each year in China as the day the People's Liberation Army was founded.

Claudia was born in shang rao which is in jiangxi province but about 3 hours away from nanchang. we are not allowed to visit the orphange.

We arrive d in our hotel at about noon and will leave around three to go to the Civil Affairs Office to meet Ling Cha Lian. We are traveling with 5 other families and they are all wonderful and just as excited. We will walk in civil affairs a group of 12 and leave a group of 18. Five of our travel companions are first time parents and it is so exciting to share the moment they become moms and dads...I just can't wait....

New Day New guide - Grace is back!!!

A new day and a new guide. Today Grace returned, quite confused about Jerry's claims of her lack of knowledge and an official certification. The Mao bag carried by the wannabe communist is replaced by a floppy pink hat, endless giggling and unabashed capitalist instincts (no need to cover that in this blog).
We first visited Tianamen Square and most in the group are struck to visit the site of the tragedy of government excess and the display of superhuman courage by a scrawny student who stood up to a tank. However, that memory appears far removed from the throngs of people laughing, chatting, sightseeing and taking pictures of their children under the not-so-threatening watch of local police and government soldiers. Grace is informative but not overbearing. Mao's portrait hangs over the square and Grace advises us that the people love him greatly and that he did many good things for China.
We move on to the Forbidden City - which housed 40,000 people during the times of the emperors. Jerry had asked the group to ask Grace how many rooms there are in the Forbidden City - assuring us that she would not know there are 9,999.5. Grace laughed at our question and its preface - the city has about 9,000 rooms, but everyone claims that there are 9,999.5 because the heavens supposedly had 10,000 and the emperors claimed to be just less than immortals. So much for certifications. Grace claims not to know anyone else besides Jerry who brags about being certified.
We go to lunch over a government-run pottery factory. The young girl describes how the bowls are made in the same feverish staccato that the woman in the government-run pearl factory used the day before. they were apparently trained by the same person. the food is of course excellent and everyone buys some trinkets after lunch - all of which are of the "highest quality" as assured by the store "credit card" handed to us when we walked in.
We move on to the Great Wall - a prospect noone is much interested in as it is almost 2:30. However, that feeling immediately evaporates when we get there. Shrouded in mist and mountains, the Great Wall is, well... pretty darn Great. We climb some of the wall and then turn back because the mist augurs rain and the steps are slippery. we do go high enough to get "certified" that we climbed the wall ( china is obsessed with certifications) but opt out another thing to hang on the wall - seeing as the seven-year-old girl in our group got just as high as we did.
we return to the hotel as we pass the olympic village and cheat death multiple times in the Bejing traffic (ok i am exaggerating but these people drive like maniacs). Tomorrow we move on for the really important part - getting Claudia.

A Sunny day..

 

Well as you can see today is the best day yet, I can see six blocks out my window instead of five. It's 5:30 am here and I been up for over an hour trying to get Colton on the phone. He is safe and sound at my mother's today. Luckily he played hard yesterday with his buddies Soren and Myles. When he left the playdate he was terribly exhausted and fell asleep on the way to his six o'clock swim class at the Y in Montclair. His swim class was the one disturbed by the shooting yesterday. Luckily we are in China or I would have been there with him. Thank the lord we traveled when we did and thanks to Vanessa and Lisa for calling my mother last night. Your help and concern while we are away is greatly appreciated. Plus thank Michelle for giving Colton a lift to camp this week - I hear he was enjoying some music in your car reminiscing about the JT concert I took him to a few years ago.

So today we will spend our last day touring Beijing. I anticipate a fun, long and hot day....Until next time...

Peking Duck

Well it is almost 11 p.m. here and we got home from a small dinner party at Da Dong where we enjoyed fabulous Peking Duck. With the help of Patricia Jin (Phil Shih's cousin and Beijing resident) we made a reservation for a group of us to dine in this well known restaurant. The food was to die for, the drinks cold and the company just delightful. I can't wait to return, even in light of the fact that the reservation was under the name "White Lisa" and that they tried to charge us 300 Yun a piece when our meal was just 40 Yun.

Over dinner we recounted the day with Jerry and continued to build the friendships we have started. All of us are in this journey to our babies together and it is great having someone to share in both the anticipation and fear of what lies ahead.

We have one day left in Beijing. Tomorrow we will climb the Great Wall, visit
Tian'an men square and tour the Forbidden City. We will not have Jerry as our guide again but he has promised to keep in touch via e-mail. Grace who we meet at the airport will be taking us to everything from here on out. She will get us to Claudia and the whole adoption finalized and will be with us until we get on the plane back home.

I have posted some photos at the bottom of this blog so you can enjoy some of the faces and beauty of China. While I have poked fun at alot, the people are unlike any others and so interesting. The beauty and history of China is like no other. The city of Beijing may be the largest city I have ever seen. The number of high rises are out of control, the number of bikes, the number of cars, the number of people - all out of control. I look forward to my last day in Beijing and continuing my journey to Nanchang, but I will miss the city I have just started to experience. In the short time I have leared so much about the Chinese past and present and without a doubt have a better appreciation and understanding for China. (Although i could live without all the public spitting and snot blowing, not to mention the issue of toilets..lol).

Touring With Jerry

So today Jerry was our guide again. His political incorrectness continued. We learned ABC describes a woman "Amazing Beautiful and Charming" while a UFO is "Old Fat and Ugly". After that he told one guy he was clever then asked him if he was Jewish and after that he was describing an emperor as "even though he was short he was smart." Jerry also extolled China's one China policy (referring to it as family planning) and made sure we understood the Chinese were so exceptional for coming up with the idea and being the only country to adhere to such magnificane. Remember everyone in the group is adopting, most couples are childless. He further praised the knowledgeable, smart Communists for various envioronmental polices and discussed Taiwan. (Luckily for us today he stayed away from fal un gong and Tibet today.

That aside we did see alot. the zoo was first. We saw the Beijing pandas and then the pandas that were rescued from the earthquake region. They were so cute and cuddly. I wanted to bring one home for Colton. Although Jerry told a story that one panda ate a boy. IThey only eat bamboo and fruit???) Anyway, I decided against it.

Next we hit the Summer Palace. Jerry taught us all about the Dragon Lady (she drank breast milk to stay young) and how she was so ugly but still became an empress. We were all amazed when he told one woman in the group that he could be the Dragon Lady's sister. He also told us more then we needed to know about concubines. The Palace was beautiful. It is on a lake. Our group took a dragon boat across.

After that we went for Chinese food. It was at a restaurant in a large warehouse the outside looked crazy but inside it was beautiful, each table enjoyed various dishes along with beer and soda. Jerry allowed all the men in the group to do shots of Chinese vodka with him. I was told it tasted like turpentine. Jerry seemed to do a shot with each group and was totally buzzed when we got back on the bus.

After the lunch we went to the Pearl Market and then to the Temple of Heaven. It was very beautiful. I have taken many photos to share.

While Jerry was a total nut we learned alot and his memory is not one easily forgotten. Furthermore the ardent communist was all too eager to accept tips from everyone as they were leaving the bus. Noone minded tipping Jerry or compromising his somewhat malleable principles as he was a good guide, tried to do a good job and was very entertaining.

Our tour today was with 31 people. All adopting through Great wall. Yesterday there were just 8 of us. Tomorrow we will have a few more members on our last tour in Beijing and then off to Nanchang to get Claudia. As more and more families arrive it really seems like this is actually going to happen...More later....

Finally a Sunny Day!

 

Well our guide from yesterday, Jerry, was right it did rain last night and is sunny today...this seems to be as sunny as it gets here in Beijing...as I was told by locals on the plane while landing....So after posting yesterday I actually went to bed around around 3:30 and slept to 11:00 p.m. watched all most all of Snakes on Planes (which I highly do not recommend) then went back to sleep untill 4:30 am so I feel rejuvenated - hopefully this will quell any jet lag....So another day - more fun experienging Beijing. Today we will have Jerry take us on another tour with highlights being The Temple of Heaven, The Summer Palace and The Beijing Zoo to meet the Pandas.

THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

The Temple of Heaven is the most holy of Beijing Imperial temples. The temple of Heaven was where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. Since his rule was legitimized by a mandate from heaven, a bad harvest could be interpreted as his fall from heaven's favour and threaten the stability of his reign. So, it was not without a measure of self-interest that the Emperor fervently prayed for a very good crop.
In line with the Confucianist revival during the Ming dynasty, the sacred harvest ceremony was combined with the Emperor's worship of his ancestors. This embellishment was also, in effect, self-interested. For according to the Confucian pattern of social organization, just as the Emperor respected his ancestors, so a younger brother should respect an elder brother, a wife her husband, a son his father, and a nation's subjects their ruler. Incorporating ancestor worship within the most solemn ceremony of the Imperial ritual calendar, indirectly reinforced the social philosophy that perpetuated the Emperor's power.

The design of the Temple of Heaven complex, true to its sacred purpose, reflects the mystical cosmological laws believed to be central to the workings of the universe. Hence, complex numerological permutations operate within its design. For example, because the number nine was considered to be the most powerful digit, you will see that the slabs that form the Circular Altar have been lain in multiples of nine. Similarly within the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the interior twenty-eight columns are divided into four central pillars to represent the seasons, twelve inner columns to represent the months and twelve outer columns to represent the two hour tranches that make up a day. There are many such examples of this intense numerology at play.

THE SUMMER PALACE

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. Originally called 'Qingyi Garden' (Garden of Clear Ripples), it was know as one of the famous 'three hills and five gardens' (Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900, it suffered again, being ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Force. After the success of the 1911Revolution, it was opened to the public.

Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, The Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres), three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature, artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest materials.

Centered on the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) the Summer Palace consists of over 3,000 structures including pavilions, towers, bridges, and corridors. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area, front-hill area, front-lake area, and rear-hill and back-lake area.positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, etc.

Front-Hill Area: this area is the most magnificent area in the Summer Palace with the most constructions. Its layout is quite distinctive because of the central axis from the yard of Kunming Lake to the hilltop, on which important buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, etc.

Rear-Hill and Back-Lake Area: although the constructions are fewer here, it has a unique landscape, with dense green trees, and winding paths. Visitors can feel a rare tranquility, and elegance. This area includes scenic spots such as Garden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Market Street.

Court Area: this is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials, conducted state affairs and rested. Entering the East Palace Gate, visitors may see the main palace buildings: the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity served as the office of the Emperor, the Hall of Jade Ripples where Guangxu lived, the Hall of Joyful Longevity, Cixi's residence, the Hall of Virtue and Harmony where Cixi was entertained.

Front Lake Area: covering a larger part of the Summer Palace, opens up the vista of the lake. A breeze fluttering, waves gleam and willows kiss the ripples of the vast water. In this comfortable area there are the Eastern and Western Banks, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, Nanhu Island, and so on. On the western bank float six distinct bridges amongst which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the most beautiful.

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Today's View

 

Yet again it is so hazy that you can not see more then 5 or so blocks out of the hotel room window...anxiously waiting for the sun. Jimmie, today's guide, said it should rain tonight which may mean some sun tomorrow..I am doubtful...Other local people here told me it does not get sunny, but before the Olympics they will be limiting the use of cars and trucks to clean up the air.

Hutong Tour Part 2

 

So this morning we saw the Hutong. We traveled through all the alleys and courtyards via rickshaw. This may have been one of the best tours I have ever done. We saw how real Beijing Chinese live. In fact we went to Mr. Wu's house in the Hutong and had jasmine tea with him. He had pet crickets which were gigantic. I think he raises them for fighting. In the Hutong everything is set up by class. Mr. Wu was labeled clearly middle class yet did not have indoor plumbing, i.e. no bathroom or sinks. He was generous and answered all the questions we had about family life in Beijing. The photo is of Mr. Wu and also includes Laura and Robin, Cathy and Jim, and Marla and Matt.

We had a guide Jerry today who was just plain hysterical, something out of a bad movie. While we were driving to a silk factory he kept talking about "hooters" (which he actually thought was an appropriate name for breast) and then he mentioned that they have a great Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant in Beijing and that has black people working in it so he assumes they are Americans and very very nice. He likes to go there to see them. After that he started inquiring on our positions about Tibet. He was clearly against a free Tibet reiterating that "there was a long history there" and then he said "we admit Tian'anmen Square happened but they were practicing illegal religions." No one in the group offered him any opinions on anything. All indications from the US State Department said to avoid topics of religion, race and politics. Yet he would not stop. It may have been one of the most politically incorrect diatribes we all had ever witnessed/heard and made for great laughs over lunch at a great Thai place called Jimmies.

He was a nice and knowledgeable young man and will be taking us on another tour tomorrow, but it was just suprising to hear all his opinions on things.

It is only 2 p.m. in the afternoon now here; taking a quick break to recharge and plan the rest of the afternoon and evening. jerry our guide wanted us to all go see the Chinese Acrobats with him but I do not think I would be able to stop laughing at him long enough to see the show.

Until later...Zai Jian

Hutong Tour

Today we will have our first real look into Beijing. we are going on a Hutong Tour.

People say that the real culture of Beijing is "the culture of hutong" and "the culture of courtyard". How true that is. Often, it is Beijing's winding hutongs that attract tourists from home and abroad rather than the high-rise buildings and large mansions.

Hutong is a typical lane or small street in Beijing that originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). "Hutong" is a Mongolian word, meaning "water well". During that time, water well is the settlement around which people lived. There are tens of thousands of hutongs surrounding the Forbidden City. In the past, Beijing was composed of countless courtyards. Hutongs were formed when people left a passageway between two courtyards to make entering them more convenient.

As the symbol of Beijing City, a hutong has its own layout and structure, which makes it a wonder in the world. When taking a bird's eye view of Beijing, you will find the combination of hutongs and courtyards just like an orderly chessboard with delicate gardens, fine rockeries, and ancient ruins. Hutongs have witnessed the development of Beijing. Where there is a hutong, there is a story.

Orphanage Care Package #1

 

 

 

 

It is 4 am here on Thursday. I have been up and watching CNN International for almost 3 hours, got bored so I figure I would fiddle around with the blog. For those of you who do not know or don't recall, Claudia is and has been since July 21, 2007 i the ShangRao County Welfare Institute in Shang Rao, Jiangxi. On May 24, 2008 the Welfare Institute received a care package of clothes toys blankets and snacks for Claudia and some of her friends. I also included a fruit basket. The orphanage was so thankful they sent me photos of the items and basket which do include a more recent photos of Claudia. She is the little one in the back in pink.

Room With A View

Upon arrival in Beijing I took this from the window in our room. The smog is not good, yet I was told the weather was good.

Ni Hao!!

So we are in Beijing the flight was wonderful had my doubts when I saw
131 band members from Harrisburg PA in bright yellow shirts...I was
afraid of sing-a-logs and band camp jokes but they were fine..I had a
one year old with her BaBa next to me and she too was great...I watched
4 movies The Other Bolyn Girl, the Motorcycle Diaries, 27 Dresses and Y
Tu Mama Tambien plus read an entire novel Balzac and The Little Chinese
Seamstress - this was almost like traveling as a singleton or kidless -
we arrived to an airport so clean you would not imagine..our guide for
the entire trip Grace met us at the airport and had a car drive us to
our hotel...The Poly Plaza www.polyhotel.com It is very nice. Grace
called the orphanage and found out Claudia is there and is doing well.
We are totally beat having been up over 24 hours and after Grace
departed we only went to the gym and a for a walk around town. In rush
hour in Beijing we saw one other Caucasian person and an African
American..other than that all Asian..We were told the weather was great
but it is very gray. I can't imagine not seeing the sunshine. I tried
to post this directly on blogger but I am in China and it apparently
has been prohibited. I am trying to post this via e-mail so I hope it
works.
 

Hi All

Well I am new to all this blog stuff but am trying so hopefully it works and bear with me through the next three weeks...It is 10:00 am we are through security and at the gate waiting for another two hours..the luggage was the right weight for this trip (under 50 lbs) but I have to get them down to under 44llbs fot the intra-china airlines....we will be in Beijing tomorrow until Sunday.....when we fly to Nanchang in Jinagix for the big event...Leaving my house today was bittersweet I am so happy to be embarking on this new journey yet a little sad to leave existence with Colton as I know it....Curiously it is the same feeling I had just over 5 years ago when I left for Morristown memorial to give birth. I was so sad to leave Colton this morning but know it for the best given the situation with the virus in Jiangxi and the flooding in Guangzhou..I took one last photo of us this morning before my parents took him off for a fun filed day at the Little Y for camp...he is looking forward to seeing his best buddies Myles and Soren there and then spending the afternoon with them at our house...Thanks to all who have offered to help out with him while we are away. It means alot...Until next time...Lisa