The story did not end in China.

The past year and half has flown by and we have had such an amazing time. Our lives were changed in such an amazing way through this adoption experience. The first few months back along with the few corrective surgeries we had with our little girl made for a few challenging month in shelter mode. We survived thanks to amazing family and friend support. Then emerged in spring like butterflies from cocoons. Speaking of emerging from a cocoon. Nothing could be more dramatic than the transformation this little girl has made in a year.

 

The folks at John's Hopkins were amazing!

So the story continues on and we embrace life for all it is and I can at this moment say this blog and story are on a nice trajectory towards happily ever after.

A Simple Thing - Being the Change Impacts Others

     During this adventure there were so many people both friends and strangers that were curious about our reasons, the process, and all types of deep questions regarding our adventure in adopting. I'd love to answer some of those openly at another time on another post. For this post I want to share a simple by-product which I had secretly hoped for as we started this process.What was that? Well when you take something this large that has such an impact to your own life and family there is one piece of the puzzle that is like a seed. A seed you hope you are providing soil, water and sun to. A seed which will take on a life of its own and sprout roots. I secretly desired that as we fulfilled our desires for a little girl to grow our family that the way we went about it would touch and drive others. Something you have no true control over.
    Today my wife and kids were grabbing lunch, to my despair at none other than the local McDonald's, when a stranger approached them. This random lady was so moved by what she saw in Ella and her un repaired cleft lip that it drove her to walk up to a complete stranger and open her heart. She told my wife in broken English that she always saw on television the commercials of kids with cleft lip and had wanted to donate, but for whatever reason never has. Seeing our new family moved her deeply and she said she just wanted to say something. She continued on to tell my wife that she is committed to definitively going home tonight and donating to www.smiletrain.org or some other charity dealing with cleft palates.
    I don't know if she will or not but all along this journey I have tried my best to be open about our reasoning's etc for which there were many. The one I often have not shared is that secret hope that we are setting an example others will follow, that others will be empowered by what they see. That we are challenging the norms,  changing opinions. This stranger today gave me a gift by just sharing that she was moved, that one of my many hopes of this adventure played out.
    I know for every one story told there are more not spoken and with that I sleep well knowing you the reader of this blog and many other random folks will walk away and be inspired in some way to do something positive for society.
    Here's to Ghandi and Thich Nat Han for their thoughts on being the change we want to see in this world and engaged Buddhism.  Which I'd like to combine here as "Be the change you want to see in this world, by doing."

End of China trip - One broken dad and a ball of fun

     This week has flown by but was full of interesting events for sure. First off I must say how amazing our guide John was. He went out of his way to ensure we got what we needed and was very happy to share his Cantonese customs and culture with us. I think he was excited to have some westerners that liked being adventurous with food and not just looking to replicate hamburgers and fries. Your guides really can make a difference in your trip and I am thankful that the Barker team selected some great folks to help us on this trip.
     Our first stop this week aside from some visa pictures was to visit Shamian island home to   probably the most influential hotel known to so many families who have past through Guangzhou to adopt, the white swan hotel. Its too bad it was not open as it definitely would have been awesome to stay there for its history as well as its perfect location to a nice serene island. The island itself is filled with open space and old colonial buildings. The statues in the main square are not to be missed and from what I'm told visiting adopting families love taking pictures of the lady playing violin with kids in tow and posting to blogs so here is my contribution to keeping that going. My personal favorite though was the two clowns one Western and other Eastern a simple symbol of both sides laughing with each other to bring happiness.

     Next stop on the adventure was the medical visit. Ella did absolutely fine and the dreaded TB test was taken. Daddy Sherpa not so good. While in the clinic I was squatting down and got up to fast and twisted just a bit causing some excruciating knee pain which essentially took me out for a full day and hobbled me the rest of the trip. Thankfully our guide was a big fan of ancient herbal medicines etc and brought me to this pharmacy where we procured some spray and funny smelling bandages. I have no idea what they were, had cool tiger on it, but it worked well enough that I could struggle through until I got stateside.
     Ella and Momma spent the next day at the zoo while this hobbled sherpa layed in bed with ice all day. From what I'm told if you want to see Panda's go to the Washington, DC zoo. The zoo in Guangzhou has them but your not likely to see any. Overall this Chinese zoo seemed to get bad ratings on trip advisor but I think it has improved greatly.
   On to Canton Tower. Having been to the top of CN tower in Toronto I wasn't too excited with this one.  Although Canton tower is much taller and the view is amazing. From the top its a sea of high rises.  Of course for the ultimate cheesiness is the rides at the top and yes we took part in the horizontal Ferris wheel which is the worlds highest at 450M. Worth it? I'll put it at maybe although how often will you get a chance to ride a record setting Ferris wheel? Canton tower at night is pretty special with its dynamic light show. If you get the chance a river cruise on the pearl is worth the effort and gives you a chance to see this spectacle all lit up.
   We wrapped up the week with our consulate visit and a trip over to the temple of the six banyans. The temple was not far from the Marriott, walking distance really unless your on a bad leg and its raining. Then opt for the taxi for a few dollars. Visiting this temple was high on my list as I embrace  Buddhism and read that the monks bless newly adopted children which sounded special. Maybe the rain slowed things down or we just didn't realize how to go about things in the temple but as high on the list for me it was it didn't live up to expectations. An optional stop as anyone who has traveled in Europe knows, once you visit one huge church they all sort of blur.

   
  The consulate visit was a cake walk compared to all the paperwork and bureaucracy we have jumped through over past two years on this journey. The  man working here obviously loves his job or is just ridiculously bored with the repetitiveness and has a fantastic sense of humor. He made the final stop painless, quick, and fun. A combination you typically do not experience from any government worker and for that we are thankful for him. 
  Homeward bound!

Guangzhou - Diversity in every city

    Our flight from Nanning to Guangzhou although delayed a bit went better than anyone traveling with a toddler could imagine. Ella slept most of the way and played quietly the rest. Although our poor travel companions didn't fair as well with their new family member wailing and fussing the entire flight. Just shows that you have to be prepared for either as every child handles situation vastly different and so far along this journey we have always thought up the worst case and thankfully received the better case instead.
    As cities go we are noticing each one is a little unique and comparing Nanning to Guangzhou is like comparing apples and oranges. I realized this right off as we arrived really late to the Marriott and the only place open was a 7-11, yes just like home, and a McDonalds. Dawn and Ella settled in to the room and I ran to get something from McDonald's to get us through the night till breakfast(yes, breaking my boycott on fast food to satiate hunger pains and some sanity). I wasn't out the door of the Marriott two minutes and some Lady solicited me for a "massage". Given it was 11PM at night I have a feeling it was an all inclusive type offer. Needless to say Guangzhou is a large city with all that goes with such places so if your from some small town you should prepare as if you were headed to Manhattan. I will add at no time did we feel uncomfortable or worried for safety and the Marriott is in a good part of town across from a beautiful park.
     The other aspect of this part of the trip which took us by surprise was when we headed down the first morning to the buffet breakfast at the hotel. A very surrealistic moment as we noticed the dinning area was packed. It was full with others just like us, a sea of multicultural adoptive families, high chairs everywhere. This took us by surprise and was a big departure from the solitude we had in Nanning. According to our guide there were about 30 families staying at the Marriott this week and another 30 or so in other area hotels, all processing out this week. On one level it was amazing and oddly beautiful to see so many new families in one place. On the other hand I felt a little sad that this is the norm and that there were so many children that were being exported away from their cultural heritage to foreign shores due to the economics and governmental policies. The issue is a complex one of course and being on the receiving side of one of China's beautiful treasures I can only be grateful for how it is today at this moment and hope that in the future things work out so there are less children abandoned in China and in need of homes and care. Maybe some of the folks we saw driving Maserati's here or at home will decide to spend their money on something more valuable in the future? 
  
    We have a week here and are looking forward to seeing the sites that we have read on other blogs like the infamous Shamian island. On the process side of things the big hurdle this week aside from avoiding U.S. government computer malfunctions, which apparently derailed some folks a few months ago and made headlines in our local paper, is the medical tests that the adopted children need to go through prior to leaving the country, especially the TB test. If your not familiar with TB the situation is if the child does not pass the TB test then you don't get to leave this week. A real bad situation of a long wait in medical isolation working through that nightmare is something no one wants for certain. I was a bit anxious as I asked the guide if any kids had not passed and he reluctantly said yes it has occurred but very rare. I took comfort in statistics on this one and tried not to cross any imaginary nightmare bridges we dreamed up. The last thing we want right now is to extend this trip any longer than need be as we are very anxious to get home to our boys. Fingers crossed and Shamian Island tomorrow.

More from Nanning first week lessons

     The rest of our week in Nanning was essentially spent touring around the city with a lot of time to take naps and walks in the local parks while we waited for Ella's Chinese passport to come back.
Day 6  we visited the heritage museum. Was typical museum showing different tribes and customs of the region. The bronze drums  and all the artisan crafts were interesting. Good slow day.
Day 7 was a day on our own. Headed over to this huge park to play and picnic.

    I have this perception in my head of what life was like for Ella at the orphanage. I imagine she didn't get out much nor get to run and play in large spaces. Of course I have no clue the reality of it as the information we have on how she lived these past few years was reduced to a paper saying she like con-gee and rice, naps twice a day and likes to play by herself. From what I can tell the sheet of paper is standard issue as no matter how we serve it up she has yet to eat any con-gee. I tasted it and can totally understand why too. So the time we have in the park really was magical as we see her light up what we take as her first time down a slide and have the freedom to just be a kid and run, roll in the grass and stomp in puddles. We may not have been around for her first steps but can lay some big, proud claims on her enjoying her first slide down a slide, plane ride and I'm sure a ton of other firsts as time goes on.

We  head to Guangzhou this weekend.

     In the past whenever we traveled we would pack the day full from morning to night and having the agency plan our itinerary was a blessing in disguise as it was just the opposite. Half day of doing stuff and a ton of down time which really made things easier on us all as we learn Ella's needs etc. Our time in Nanning started out hectic and overwhelming but quickly ended relaxed and routine and we found this city was fun and culturally stimulating.  The city planners in China really surprised me with the vast amount of space dedicated to parks which afford you the ability to go somewhere quiet and relax in a city of a few million. If you do find yourself headed to Nanning be prepared for weather similar to Florida. There are tons of scooters everywhere and they go wherever they want and don't seem to follow any rules of the road. Crossing the streets is like playing frogger. Overall its not much of a departure from any major city in the U.S. and you can find just about everything you could want.
      If you stay at the Marriott be sure to walk around the corner to Umoli's bakery cafe, it looks like a coffee shop but was our favorite place to have dinner. The owner and her husband are wonderful hosts and committed to "clean" food. Dinners were inexpensive and amazing and from what we heard is also a great place for breakfast or a real cup of coffee. A must for any adoptive parents in Nanning.

Green Mountain Park or Qingxiu Shan

Day 5 - .
Beautiful park set up in mountain outside Nanning, China about 40 min from Marriott hotel. Ella seemed nervousness getting on bus but quickly settled down and spent rest of day smiling and playing. She does tend to shut down a bit in public, gets very quite. Soon as she is back in room it is go time and she runs jumps and plays. My non scientific reasoning for the shutdown is its a normal response for an adopted child who really has been isolated from the real world.  Park was fun we fed some fish and took pictures with our zodiac statues.

Then we climbed a few hundred steps(nine stories) to the top of Longxiang tower. Earning my Daddy Sherpa title as a majority of the climb was with a princess on my back. The top of the pagoda offers a fantastic view of the city and is well worth the effort to get to top.

In the evening we hit the Mixc mega mall and everyone did fine. Date night with my girls, huge nice dinner and some clothes shopping. Note for those thinking everything in China is a bargain...nope. This mall was legit high end and prices were about same costs we would find at home. There are plenty other places in China to go bargain hunting as we are told and will explore deeper into that later in week.