Zhengzhou, day 1--Eagles Wings Visit

Sunday, August 26, 2012.

This was our first day in Zhengzhou.  We were very excited that we were able to arrange to visit Eagle's Wings foster home.  After seeing the Yellow River in Lanzhou, we were interested to see what it looks like here in Henan.  The pollution really limited the distance we could see.

 

Here is a China version of a quick-stop, right by the tollway at the beginning of the bridge.

 

 

The Yellow River is much wider and slower this far downstream.

 

 

Henan seems to be very flat and very agricultural.

 

 

Finally, we reached Jiaozuo and the Eagle's Wings apartment where Cheng Cheng has lived since he left the orphanage when he was 9 months old.

 

Shi Wu was, as she is most of the time, ready for a picture.  She has been talking about Cheng Cheng for days, excited about meeting him.

 

We climbed the 6 flights of stairs and finally got to meet the little guy we have talked so much about.  He was shy at first and had a hard time knowing how to react to me.

 

 

He was very proud of his photo book that we sent him and he started showing it to Shi Wu.

 

He seemed to find a new aunt less threatening than a mama, so he let her hold him first.

 

 

 

 

With Donna, the wonderful director of Eagle's Wings.  He calls her Donna Mama.

 

Here is the Cheng Cheng that so many people have fallen for--such a funny boy.  Shi Wu thought this pose was so funny.

 

 

 

He showed me one of the matchbox cars we brought for him, and let me drive it up and down his arms and tummy.

Then we got the first picture of me holding him, with him making a silly face.

 

The nannies got them to pose together.  Being a girl, Shi Wu was much more enthusiastic about that idea than her new brother was.

 

 

 

Shi Wu made herself at home among the other children.  She has missed playing with other kids.  The nannies welcomed her warmly and she loved that too.

 

 

She was VERY happy to be invited to eat lunch with the other kids.

 

 

 

Both of these kids love to eat.  She is so tiny but can really put food away.

 

 

 

 

Saturday--Goodbye, Lanzhou!

August 25th, 2012.

 

This is the day we left Lanzhou--unfortunately both Mama and Aunt Hannah were not feeling so great, but Shi Wu was her usually perky self at breakfast.  This little girl changed so much in a week.  It is hard to believe how much difference a week can make.

 

 

Our group, with our driver and guide.

 

 

 

Leaving our guide was very difficult for Shi Wu.  The guide cried when she said goodbye to Shi Wu and then when we went to the security checkpoint and Shi Wu realized we were leaving the guide, she really lost it.  We drew quite a crowd on the other side of security--two blonde American women with a screaming Chinese toddler.  Everyone wanted to see what was happening.  Luckily a lollipop made things better and we were able to be only a moderate spectacle at the gate.  Besides watching us, the other passengers got to see a boy of about 7 throw up all over the place.  They cleaned up with a broom and dustpan and then squeegied the floor dry.  Someone throwing up was the last thing I wanted to see since I was sitting there feeling very nauseous myself.  Then Shi Wu thought that crawling around would be fun, since we had to wait an hour.  I wasn't about to let her get down on that floor. 

 

Shi Wu thought it was fun being on the plane, but keep in mind that we hadn't even moved yet when this picture was taken. 

 

 

The Lanzhou airport.

 

 

We flew off over the hills of Gansu Province.  In some ways it is sad to leave the place your new child was born, knowing that you are taking them from everything that is familiar.  On the other hand, Shi Wu had no future in Lanzhou and unfortunately leaving is the only option for her.

 

 

 

 

We could see the Yellow River through the clouds.  Downstream is the province where Cheng Cheng is waiting.

 

 

Shi Wu hated her seatbelt and it was all we could do to keep her in it for the descent.  She screamed and cried and we couldn't even get her interested in a lollipop.  When we landed in Zhengzhou she was much happier.  We collected our baggage and when we came out of the airport it was like being hit with a wave of heat and humidity.  After arid Gansu, Henan looked extremely lush and green. 

 

 

 

 

Lanzhou, Friday

We are feeling excited today, because tomorrow we fly out to Zhengzhou. I'm impatient to meet Cheng Cheng, and also one province checked off gets us that much closer to getting home. I really miss my kids and my dear and handsome husband. I have never traveled without him on an adoption trip before.   I may also be feeling excited and energetic since I ate Dragon Beans at breakfast.  The Chinese are so superstitious about health, and everything has some benefit for your qi, or channels and collaterals.

 

Today we didn't have a guide since she had to run around getting Shi Wu's passport.  She explained for us to Shi Wu the other day that we are giving her the American name Therese. We are using both right now and she is starting to know Therese when we say it.  We skyped with our families and then using skype, we introduced Shi Wu to her godparents.  She was her usually wiggly self but she did talk to them a little bit and look cute on my lap.  She has 3 Chinese godsiblings.  I don't know if that is really a word, but she seemed to like hearing them use Chinese even though her dialect is different.

 

After skyping we decided to go find a shopping mall since we needed some diapers.  To get to it involved crossing a street, which is normally extremely dangerous, but this one had an underground passage so we arrived at the mall safe and sound.

There was actually a sign that said, in English, Baian Shopping Center.

 

 

We had to figure out how to get inside, and we stared into all the windows and watched people and were able to figure out how to get in, in spite of being barbarians who cannot read Chinese.  This is the entrance, just in case you are ever in Lanzhou:

 

 

We went through the whole mall, out of curiosity.  We wanted a tote type of carry-on or big purse, but the prices were horrendous.  One we found on the sale rack was $66 dollars.  And it wasn't even a fake Gucci.  So I said I will carry a plastic grocery bag if I have to.  I'm not buying a $66 dollar bag.  People stared at us a great deal and one woman tried to ask us about Shi Wu, and then tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't reply.  Maybe that is a good sign, that she realizes she belongs with us.  I have had concerns about how excessively friendly she has been sometimes with Chinese people.  In the basement we bought diapers and wipes, and some cheap spoons with a Chinese character on them.  They were only 50 cents and will be easier to wash than the plastic spoons we have been using.  The character written on them could say "poison" for all I know, but they look cute.  We also found an adapter for the outlet that we need.  I brought 4 of them, but we still didn't have the right one and have had to borrow them from every hotel.

 

Outside the shopping center was the American fast food presence in Lanzhou.  I'm sure the "Colonel" would be proud to know his face has made it to the Silk Road.

 

 

 

These are the delivery vehicles.  Of course you would have to be able to speak Chinese to order, but we thought they were quite interesting.

This is near the underground street crossing.  An exercise area outdoors in a public square.  There were lots of people using the equipment--grandmothers riding the exercise bike and younger people lifting weights.  There were children in split pants wandering around watching.  It was a very local Chinese scene and everyone looked us over very thoroughly since we obviously were not locals.

Our next stop was the bank next door to the hotel where there is a handy ATM machine.  Froggy and Little Panda wanted to get a picture with the stone lions out front.

This helpful sign was posted in the bank lobby.  I managed to obey this sign while I was in there, both not stealing and avoiding someone stealing from me. I'm not sure which one the sign is talking about.

Froggy and Little Panda also got a picture on the dragons outside our hotel.

 

We walked around the whole city block after putting our diapers and stuff up in our room.  It was interesting just to look in shop windows and try to figure out what they are selling since there is rarely any sign with English on it.  We saw a wedding couple too--they had a decorated car pulled up to the curb and people threw paper streamers and confetti on them while the groom hoisted the bride and carried her into what I think is a restaurant where they were going to celebrate.  We found two different children's shops, and we ended up buying Shi Wu a couple of outfits from the sale rack in the one close to the hotel.  She was thrilled to get to hold the small shopping bag.  The sales staff was twice or more what the staff would be in a tiny store like that in the US, but they were friendly and helpful and one even knew a couple of words of English--she did say "small" in English.  Shi Wu is so tiny that it is interesting buying clothes.  She is longer than a toddler would be, but very thin.

 

We made noodles in the room for lunch and Jenny, our guide, brought Shi Wu's new passport and some other documents up to our room for us.  Shi Wu was very happy to see her and then had a major breakdown when she left.  She was inconsolable for a long time, and it was so sad to see.  She didn't want me to comfort her but I held her and walked the room.  Eventually a lollipop helped things get better.

 

 

Lanzhou--life at the Grand Soluxe

 

I thought I would do a post about our life in the hotel Grand Soluxe here in Lanzhou.  This is a 5 star hotel so the breakfast buffet offers a wide variety of food, elegantly presented.  There are fresh flowers and this morning the music was a soothing version of What Child Is This.

 

This was my breakfast earlier in the week--I have a seperate plate for dessert, and then a plate with fried potatoes, noodles, tofu, tomato things, and even lotus root.

I also have a bowl of oatmeal to soak up all that grease.  Chinese food seems very greasy to me, but at home we follow the McDougall diet so most food is more oily than what I am used to.

 Here is one of the buffets.  That day there were salted duck eggs and all sorts of salads.

There is a whole section for desserts and breads.  And over by the wall are cereals and hot milk, both cow and soy.

 

Hannah makes more modest selections for herself, but she always eats several croissants.

 

Here is another one of my breakfasts, since I know my kids at home want to know what we are eating.  Here I have tofu, noodles, broccoli, and baked beans.  Yes, they had baked beans at breakfast!  I also tried the lotus root, since that is something I have never had at breakfast.  (Actually I have never had it any other time of day either!)

 

 

 

 

Hannah has gotten more adventurous each day.  Today this was her plate.  She even tried the lotus root.

 

 

This was my plate--yes, I normally eat a vegan diet, and yes, that is a fried egg.  It was for Shi Wu, but I did taste a bit of it.  It is very difficult to be vegan in China.  Even if you can avoid meat, egg shows up in all sorts of food.  My new thing today was the Homely Fried Dragon Beans. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am feeling very strong and fierce after eating these!  I haven't started breathing fire, but maybe if I eat them often enough?

 

Shi Wu has started to bond more with me and wants to eat on my lap, with me feeding her.  This is great for bonding.  It is hard for me to go to the buffet, because she starts yelling, "MAMA!!!" at the top of her lungs.  The first few days it didn't bother her if I went to the buffet.  She doesn't have any qualms about yelling in public, that is for sure.  It will be interesting to get her trained to sit through the Latin Mass.

 

 

 The first few days she ate so much I didn't know how she could hold that much food.  Now she is starting to be more selective.  She doesn't like meat--yes I did try to feed her steak.  She had a nosebleed the other day and I thought she must need more iron.  She also rejects any green vegetables.  She hasn't had much fruit probably, and rejected banana and some other fruits like peaches, but she does like watermelon.  Her standard is of course a bowl of congee and I always get one for her. 

 

 

We spend a lot of time in our room, and Hannah and I take turns struggling with the internet so we can upload photos.  It takes hours.  We would have to be in the room anyway, since Shi Wu really needs her nap.  She isn't fun to be with when she is tired.  She also usually has a major meltdown whenever we say goodbye to our guide, and I have to carry a wailing child through the ornate lobby of the hotel and up 19 floors in the elevator while people stare at me and wonder what I am doing to the poor child.  Shi Wu is a strong little person, but she is under a lot of stress, not being able to communicate with us very well, and she clearly sees the guide as a lifeline. 

 

We have lots to do in our room.  First of all, we have funny English warnings to keep us safe.  This is the one that is by the faucet.  I know we aren't supposed to brush our teeth with anything but bottled or boiled water, but I'm not sure how you deal it. 

 

 

Then there is this gem on the shower door. In the US, whenever I see a warning label that seems humorous, like on a ladder a label saying, "do not climb this ladder when you are asleep," I assume the warning is there because some dimwit actually did use the ladder while sleeping, or use an electric drill to clean their ears.  I don't think China has the same level of lawsuits, but I wonder if they have had problems with hotel guests getting sloshed in the shower and getting injured.

 

 

 

I didn't have any wine handy, and don't like the taste of it anyway, but just for the experience I poured a glass of grape juice and had a good long drink in the shower.  It is probably a good thing we are leaving town tomorrow, since now this is out on the internet, people will know what kind of people are staying at this hotel.

 

Since we are not acutally 5-star people, of course we didn't send out our laundry to be done, but used the sink.  Here is Hannah doing laundry.  We have lots since the Chinese diapers leak.  I won't elaborate, but you wouldn't want to eat out of our sink.

 

Since our air-dried clothes were quite wrinkled, we managed to procure an iron and ironing board.  The board looks like it was made for people even shorter than the Chinese, but maybe it would be a good idea to iron on your knees, and pray while you do it.  In spite of the appearance from these pictures, I did do my share of laundress duty, and I didn't make Hannah do all the ironing either.

 

We ate most of our meals in the room.  Here is our Thursday night meal.  Noodle cups, crackers, and peach juice.  A very interesting combination but cheap and easy.

 Notice the huge jug of water--we got it at the grocery store, and I think our guide thought it was crazy we wanted so much water.  Chinese people seem to drink very little fluid of any kind and I don't know how they survive.  It is kind of funny to buy water at the grocery store instead of using the extremely expensive bottles of Evian from the minibar, and then the bellboys all run to carry it up for you.  Even after tipping them it is still half the price of the minibar.  There is one very cute little bellboy that tries so hard to be helpful.  He studied English and hotel management and he wants so badly to be able to talk to us, but he always looks like his circuts are overheating from the effort as he struggles to remember some words he wants to use.  It is so comical and painful to watch.