Yes, I Cried!

Okay, I will immediately admit that I cried today. Of course, everyone in our group laughed about "my allergies" but even our Chinese guide new better and said, in perfect Chinglish, "No, no, Misser Nitch-uhl-sun, you kwy-ing". Today was the day we took the "oath" on behalf of Mack that allows him to be a legal immigrant and become a U.S. citizen. Actually, the "oath" sounds impressive but it is really just us raising our right hand, along with maybe 50 other families, to affirm that everything we have written about ourselves and Mack is true. So, it was what happened in advance, over the last 18 months (in our case) that really mattered. So, basically I begin crying when the gal said raise your right hand. I barely repeated a coherent word of the "repeat after me"--thankfully Melissa was the rock or else they might not let Mack in the U.S.

Backing up, we arrived at the U.S. Consulate after a 35 minute bus ride. You might have a picture in your mind of a stately mansion or government building surrounded by a tall fence protected by armed guards. Instead, imagine pulling up to a business office in the downtown of a moderately sized US city. Take a few escalator rides up about three levels, show your passport, walk through a metal detector, and you are in the immigration office of the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, Peoples Republic odf China. We then waited for about 30 minutes for an agent to say "CCAI (our agency), parents of Guo Yuhui, please go to window 23". The agent compared copies of our passports submitted with the immigration application to our actual passports just to make sure we were the real parents per China's records. I then signed one last document and we returned to our seat. After another 30 minutes, the adoption director of the consulate came out to speak to all the families. She, I believe, is an American of Asian decent, and along with her staff of about five people, they will process about 3,000 adoptions this year. About 65 per cent of the adoptions are for children with special needs. Other U.S. Consulate offices around rthe world process another 7,000 adoptions a year. A few years ago, the Consulate in China processed maybe 7,000 adoptions and only 30 per cent (or so) were special needs. So, the trend is fewer babies being placed and more placed (as a per centage) with special needs. She proceeded to walk us through "Frequently Asked Questions". The one thing that really struck me was when she said "When you are in a foreign country, and you have lost your passport, or you are in a hospital, or you otherwise stuck, WE WILL HELP YOU (emphasis mine)". It may not seem like much, but when you are far from home, it is nice to know that the arm of Uncle Sam works mightily through a 5 foot 4 inch Amer-Asian woman. I almost started to belt out "God Bless America" but she got us started on the "oath" which is probably why I was softened enough to cry. Hey, when you are a long way from the place you want to be, and the people you want to be with, even a rock like me is gonna crack.
We fly to Hong Kong late Wednesday night and fly home Thursday evening. This is likely the last entry until we hit Pumpkin Festival. Warm- up the Neil Diamond baby, "We're Coming to America!"
Dave and Missy and Mack (sometimes Yu Hui and sometimes Luke when I forget which Asian I am shouting for).

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Visa Approved!

Well, the big news of the day for us is that Mack's visa application was approved this morning.  I do not know all the technical and legal words, but basically this allows us to bring him to the United States.  Tomorrow, we go take the oath of citizenship on his behalf, which not knowing all the technical/legal words, means he is a U.S. citizen when we land in the in U.S.  So, we are feeling quite good about being essentially done and essentially heading home (in our minds, we are probably already home).

We had to wait in our room until mid-morning in case there were visa problems.  When we got word that we were all clear, we went for a stroll around the local markets on the island, stopped by Starbucks for lunch, and picked up laundry.  A pretty typical day regardless of where we seem to be.  Mack took a brief nap and then around 2:00p.m. we headed with our group via bus to the local pearl market.  Melissa did pick up a few knick-knacks and then we walked back to the hotel.  As for Mack and I, our only purchase was a Slurpee from 7-Eleven.  He loved it but I think he will like a cherry Arctic Rush Freeze from DQ even better.  After our shopping excursion, Melissa and Mack played in our room while I went to play squash with the boys from another adopting family.  We have the recreation staff a little perplexed now because they never know if we are coming in to exercise, play squash, or play table tennis.  At 6:00p.m. we loaded another bus with most of our group to head to a dinner cruise along the Pearl River.  I was not very excited because I heard the food was "unusual".  I have already had my share of "unusual" so I would have preferred something like an all you can eat Pizza Hut buffet.  In the end, the food was fine because it was no more "unusual" than anything else we have tried while here.  The cruise was about one and a half hours and was visually spectacular because of the city's architecture, numerous bridges, and well-lit skyline.  As well, there was a brief magic show, which was pretty entertaining.  The best trick was a gal swallowing six razor blades individually, showing an empty mouth to the crowd, then swallowing/working a string down her throat, and then retrieving six razor blades tied to the string.  I could hardly watch.  The best was one of the dads cautioning the kids to "not try this at home".  Given that he spoke English and most of the kids speak Mandarin, I am not sure the joke was nearly as funny to them as it was to me.  After the dinner cruise, we returned to the hotel for more time in the hotel playroom, as well as another competitive round of squash and table tennis.  We are now settled in for bed, having had a bottle (Mack) and baths (Mack and Dave--separate).  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice, so we plan to be by the poolside for the better part of the day.  Then, it is off to the US Consulate in the afternoon to take the oath--I hope there are no history/geography questions.

Take care.

 

Red Couch Pictures

Today was a relaxed day for us.  We pray your Sunday goes well.  I will keep the entry short today.  We had our usual breakfast and then stepped out to the street to drop our laundry at one of the local shops for cleaning.  We ventured into two sourvenir shops and Melissa promised both staffs that she would be back later to make purchases.  We then intended to walk to another local hotel to connect with friends but ended up not doing so because of pouring rain.  We instead returned to the playroom at our hotel and let Mack spend some energy.  Mack then took a long nap, Melissa did some reading, and I went to ride in the gym.  I do not know why, but the recreation center attendant offered to get me proper clothing--I guess she had not seen a man exercise in aged sweat pants and a button down shirt.  I thought I looked sophisticated--she did not seem amused.  Around 4:30 all of the adoptive families in our group gathered for the customary "Red Couch Pictures", which take place, you guessed it, on a red couch.  First they do individual families, snapped by everyone else in the group, then they do all the families at once, snapped with every family's camera, and then they do just the adopted children, snapped by everyone in the group.  You can imagine the shear chaos, the sense of impending doom, and the tears of agony  (this was just from the parents--the kids were fine).  Quite a scene--with curious Asian onlookers also stopping to take photos of all the madness.  From there, we headed to a Thai restaurant called The Cow and Bridge--excellent.  My only disappointment here is that my oldest brother tells me Thai food is most wonderful when followed with coconut ice cream.  Sadly, that was one flavor they did not offer.  We headed back to the hotel, with Melissa and Mack visiting with half of the Wong family in the playroom while I played squash with the other half of their family. We are now settled into bed.  Have a great day.

Dave

The Worst "Must" Be Behind Us!

You might notice that this post is really during the middle of our day and not at the end of the day as is typical.  We are doing so now because we are pretty sure we may pass out before too long.  You might ask, why so tired/fatigued/defeated?  Well, today was the day we took Mack to get his physical exam and immunizations.  Long story short, it was a miserable experience for Mack, all the other adopted children, and all of their families.  I suppose someone may have had fun but I did not see them.  To set the stage, you must recall that we are in Guangzhou, which is where all U.S. families from all adoption agencies converge in order clear immigration through the U.S. Consulate.  As well, there are people from other countries also adopting and clearing through Guangzhou.  There are two hotels that house all these folks (The White Swan (our temporary home) and The Victory).  I do not know the real number, but it has to be in the hundreds spread between the two hotels.  They all have to go to the one clinic on the island for physicals and immunizations and we all chose to do so today and no one is able to schedule an appointment.  You just show up and watch the fireworks and the fire drill ensue.  The clinic is only slightly bigger than a double-wide trailer and has maybe one air conditioner to feed the entire facility.  There are three stations that everyone must clear and a fourth (immunizations) that only some must visit.  The process is changed from when we were here for Luke (no immunizations required upon exit) and we fell under the new requirement for Mack to have immunizations upon exit.  First, we arrive and 9 families converge on one room and sit.  The kids descend upon the one box of toys that probably thousands of other kids had drooled upon and we just waited and waited and waited while others filtered through the stations.  When it was finally our turn, sweet Melissa basically handed me Mack and the paperwork and said good luck—she tends to not do nearly as well as I do in handling hot, sticky, crowded, situations where your new child is about to get poked and prodded.  I, was of course, cool as a cucumber.  Station 1 was weight (27.9 lbs), height (33 inches), and temperature (presumably 98.6).  From there we waited for Station 2, which is where Mack decides it is time to throw him self about and basically resist any form of control.  Thankfully, when we actually see the doctor in Station 2, we get the all is good on head size (I do not know the scale, he just said Rugaard) and his heart and lungs are sound fine.  Station 3 was ears (they are there and they hear) and throat (he has one but does not like sticks jammed in while his arms and legs are forcibly restrained by his father).  We are feeling good until we realize it is going to be “10 minutes” before we get to go through immunizations.  In China, I think everything in “10 minutes”—every bus ride, every walk, every flight, every line—it is just a question of “10 minutes”—and for me it is usually the last “10 minutes” my nerves can take.  So, one hour later, we get to for immunizations.  The immunizations they get in Guangzhou can be different (and usually are) from one child to another based on what orphanage they came from and how often they needed to see a physician.  You do not know until you get in the chair, holding your screaming bundle of expensive joy, how many shots that your child, and you, and everyone within hearing distance are about to enjoy.  For Mack, the magic number was SIX shots.  To add insult to injury, he had fallen asleep about five minutes before we got into the chair, and yet they made me wake him up for the event—which really amounted to 5 minutes of wailing before the shots even began.  Then, I just restrained him while he got loaded up with various concoctions.  So, four hours and $450 later, we headed home—Mack with bandages, me drenched in sweat, and Melissa looking faint.  By the time we walked “10 minutes” back to our hotel, he was totally fine.  Melissa and I, on the other hand, are still wiped. 

 

We miss you all.

 

P.S.  We did hit the Guangzhou Starbucks for cool drinks, a hot sandwich, and a blueberry muffin.  Mack likes mocha frappuchino. Our day did have upside.

 

Pics for Planes, Trains, Automobiles

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I am pretty certain that I used the heading "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" before when we adopted Luke. If so, consider it something like the movie "Groundhog Day", whereby the main character lives the same day over-and-over again until he decides to interject his own tweaks to what he thinks/knows will happen. Well, I am not trying to change what I think will happen, but there are some aspects of the travel side of this trip that start to feel repetitive. The sole objective of this day was to make it safely to Guangzhou. We started travelling at 3:00pm, by bus, to the airport. The straight shot flight was slightly delayed but lifted off safely and touched down without incident. Did you know that I pray before every flight and ask God to spare my life? If I ever go in a plane crash you can assume I forgot to pray because up till now I am batting a 1.000 in this narrow aspect of my prayer life. Or, maybe, as the joke goes, it was the pilot's time to go and I just picked the wrong flight. Okay, you did not ask for all that, so back to happy words. Ou flight arrived in Guangzhou and we pushed our luggage for 20 minutes to a bus. We then took a 45 minute bus ride to our hotel. We were in our room by 11:00pm or so. Long btravel day for such a seemingly short distance.

Mack did really well travelling. Basically, I have learned, after three bus trips with him, that he happily handles the first two-thirds of the trip and peacefully sleeps the last third of the trip. The alarming signal relative to his flight behavior is that he did not sleep on the plane. Basically, he was a bundle of energy--not loud--not crying--just constant motion--constantly bouncing between us--constantly kicking tray table--constantly reaching into other passenger's space beside us, in front of us, and behind us. And, did I mention, that this kid drools constantly. I really should have "knocked on wood" when I told Melissa, I can handle anything as long as he does not drool. I love hot, sweaty, cramped quarters, being drooled on by a small child. Good Times! Why did I say this was alarming flight behavior? Well, me being Mr. Negative--i am just "concerned" about the 14 hour flight home.

Two funny stories, and then I am going to bed because it is 1:30am here. Plus, I am pounding this out on a Blackberry, a la Robin Williams in RV and I have a tingling senation in both hands. These are really "you have to be there stories" that are only funny because I am such a goof.

First, when I checked out of my room, the desk guy asked if I had used the mini-bar. I indicated that I had two Cokes and he said "No charges, only liquor". Seemed strange, so when he gave me my room bill I asked again and he said "just liquor". So, I went upstairs and told another guy, who had been searching all week for real Diet Coke that I had some in my room and that apparently it was free. So, he takes the DC. Now, spool forward, to a bus full of adoptive families about to exit the parking lot for a 45 minute trip to the airport. Imagine a littlw Chinese lady running out to the bus and asking "Who was in room 316?". Always afraid of the worst, I sheepishly said that I was in room 316. She explained that first two Cokes were free and that third one "You must pay". So, back to the front desk to pay the tab while the bus sat.

Second, imagine what happens in most airports when someone sends a coffee can full of baby formula through in checked luggage. Nothing happens--absolutely nothing. Now, imagine what happens when an American named Dave Nicholson sends that same coffee can of baby formula through in checked luggage in a Chinese airport. You gussed right. Horns sound and red lights flash and ol Dave Nicholson gets asked to step through the secure zone for a bag inspection. I am just glad I had visited the Shaolin Temple and could find a way, in peace and harmony, to not go kung fu all over everyone.

Cannot keep my eyes open.
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Slow Day

Not much to write about today.  It has been quite slow, which has been quite nice.  We had such a long day today that we opted to just stay at the hotel.  We had intended to sleep-in, but we started the day a little earlier than planned.  Mack woke up crying at around 5:30, which then triggered Melissa to wake-up, which then triggered me to wake-up.  We had a slow morning, regardless, and went to breakfast around 8:30.  We then decided to make a trek to the "Zhengzhou Starbucks" with another family.  We were convinced that we had seen a Starbucks within a few blocks of our hotel.  Suffice it to say that at mile 3, we had not seen the alleged Starbucks, and by mile 6, when we returned to the hotel, that most of us were muttering (again), "That the Care Bears were here" and "it seemed like a good idea at the time".  Did I mention that I had Mack on my chest and/or shoulders for all but one mile of the trip.  Seriously, I am thinking of heading to Mt. Everest and becoming a sherpa.  Or, better yet, becoming a rickshaw driver--they have great calves.  Or, better still, a monk (hey, I like the hairstyle and the pjs they get to wear).

We did stop by a Wal-Mart towards the end of our walk.  Yes, I am becoming a Wally World regular.  We decided to buy a stroller.  Of course, I pick up the one that has no price tag.  Imagine two mutually unintelligible people trying decide where the stroller came from, what it might have cost, whether or not I wanted to just forget the purchase, and who was going to go find the price in the event I did want the stroller.  After waiting probably 10 minutes for a clerk to return, Melissa decided I should go back to third floor of the store to see if the clerk was waiting.  I did, and the clerk was waiting patiently for my return.  She probably told me to come upstairs, but you know, it must have been lost in translation.  On a related topic, this is the same Wal-Mart that I tried to buy groceries as two days earler.  Imagine Melissa and me standing in line with about 10 Chinese nationals behind us.  I only have a credit card.  I tell Melissa, if they do not take a credit card that I am walking straight out and leaving her and the stuff behind.  This sends Melissa into full tilt panic mode.  She waves my Master Card at the clerk and the clerk nods to affirm that they do take MC.  Perfect, all is right in Wally World.  She rings us up and runs the card.  She hands me a pin pad.  Here the fun begins.  I do not even know if I have a PIN code for the MC.  Me, Mr. Non Verbal, shakes my head sideways and to help better explain my situation, I loudly state "No PIN".  Imagine, if you will, Melissa, Mrs. Verbal, launching into a full conversation with the gal to explain to her why we do not have a PIN and that we have used the card elsewhere in China without a problem and questioning could there be another way to use the card than with a PIN code.  At this point, the crowd behind is glaring and I am starting to sweat.  I then hand her a VISA Debit card--emphasis on the debit--to which she initially says yes but then indicates no upon the advice of the manager she has now brought into the picture.  They take MC (with a PIN) but not VISA (with a PIN or without a PIN).  In the end, another adoptive family paid for my groceries.  There are good reasons not to shop at Wal Mart and yet I find myself doing it.  It must be the heat. 

We spent the rest of the day engaged in a family ping pong tournament, doing office work, and reading.  Melissa spent most of the day chasing Mack.  He is starting to warm to us and is laughing and smiling more and more.  Trauma, of course, draws people close together.  So, we are feeling close because so far today he has pulled a full suitcase over on himself, pinched his fingers in a drawer, fallen face first in the hallway, and gotten reprimanded for sticking his hands in the toilet.  He is ACTIVE!  Although, I can say that he does sleep quite well.  He took a 1.5 hour lap as we finished our failed Starbuck search and had lunch.  And, as I write, Melissa has laid him down for the night and he crashed in about 5 minutes even with the television on and me rattling about.  We have got to figure out how to keep him so well conditioned for sleep. 

We received all of our Chinese paperwork today.  His Chinese passport will arrive tomorrow.  We then fly to Guangzhou on Friday afternoon to begin the process of completing U.S. paperwork.  This all seems incredibly slow and we wish we were headed home.

Dave