China Trip Part 2

Our second full day in China was even more action packed than the first. We left our hotel and drive to one section of the Great Wall. The Great Wall is regarded as the most magnificent military defense works in the world.  It has also earned the reputation as one of the seven architectural wonders of the world.  

As we drove our Agency's guide, George, shared about China's traditions, beliefs, history. It was honestly the most valuable experience to me. These are the things we will share with Sadie as she grows older. We fell in love with China. We are excited to pass this love along to Sadie until we can take her back and let her experience it for herself.

Seeing the Great Wall really was the coolest.  I remember thinking how surreal it was when I first spotted it in the distance. "Were we really here? After all the months of imagining, was this really real?"

Let me tell you all, hiking up the Great Wall is no joke. The steps are incredibly uneven. One step with be just a few inches tall and the next is 20 in (look at the photo of Ansley and notice where the step hits her). It was super cold. The weather in Beijing was much the same as West Texas. It was probably 30 degrees and a cold wind. In fact, it was so cold, I had Dane snap all of the photos so I wouldn't have to remove my gloves.

There were many tourists in Beijing from all over China. Many of these people had never seen an American or anyone that looked like us. This made us feel a little like celebrities. People often asked to take our photo. Many of them were learning English but had never had the chance to practice with an actual American. They wanted to talk to us, just to try it out.

After lunch we were able to stop at a Jade market. In China, Jade is treasured much like a diamond here in America. Jade jewelry is a family heirloom that is passed from generation to generation. Traditionally, when a women gets married, she wears a Jade bangle on her left arm, much like we were a ring. This bangle is usually one that is passed down from generations above. We were able to purchase a Jade bangle. I wore it the day we got Sadie, the day of her church dedication and for all of her important milestones. You have probably seen me wear it. This is her bangle and when she gets older we will pass it on to her.

Later that evening we went to a Chinese acrobatic show. The show started off with a host that gave quite the speech in Mandarin. For the first 15 minutes we had no idea what was going on. Graham was quiet bored. He huffed and said, "This is going to be the most boring show ever." It didn't take long before he changed his mind. It was quite impressive and even ended with 5 or 6 motorcycles in a metal cage.

We were so tired after such a busy day, we decided to order Pizza Hut and pack up our room. The next morning we would be traveling to a new province. Chinese adoptions take place in the Capital of each child's home province. Sadie is from Henan Province. So we would be traveling to the capital city of Zhengzhou.

On January 1, 2018 when we woke up the feeling was a little different. Before, it felt like we were tourists on a vacation. But today was different. Today we were reminded why we were here. We would soon be getting our girl. We took a bullet train from Beijing to Zhengzhou, Henan. It was a little scary as our guide dropped us off at the train station gate with directions on how to find and board our train and which stop to get off at.  We would only have a short period of time to get on and off the train with all of our luggage. One other couple was also getting their daughter in Zhengzhou, so they were traveling with us. The train ride overall was very nice.

When we got off at the train station we met our new guide Rita. As soon as we got in the van with her she handed us two pieces of paper that contained everything we were to know about our daughter. It shared her daily routine, eating schedule, food preferences, and favorite toys. We checked into our hotel and then walked to the local Care-for to get whatever we needed. This was China's equivalent of Walmart. Dane and the kids stayed behind at the Hotel and I went with our guide and the other couple. This was good other than the fact that I could only purchase what I could carry back, including our drinking water.

When we returned home from dinner an empty crib was waiting in our room. It was getting very real. Tomorrow we would get our girl. That night as I looked out of our hotel window, I had never felt more connected to our little girl. We were closer together than ever before. It was a strange feeling, knowing that tomorrow we would meet our girl, but almost not believing it at the same time. Tomorrow was finally the day!