First Flight

I fear I sounded a bit like a whiny princess in my last post about leaving Zhengzhou. To be clear, I realize that we are not here for vacation, and any “hardship” we endure is absolutely worth it to bring home our precious son. For the record, we regularly pay good money to sleep under the stars[camp] and I have slumbered in the open air of West Africa among the nocturnal –and exceptionally vocal- guinea hens. I’m no wimpy princess.

In Zhenghou, we weren’t allowed to flush our toilet paper. Think about that for a second.

Our room was still dirty from the previous patron when we first arrived, with used dishes and unmade beds. Because it was sweltering, and lacking AC, we had to open the cavernous death-trap of a 4th story floor-to-ceiling window to the polluted air that caused coughs, sore throats and bloody noses in several children. Each morning we awoke dotted with mosquito bites. Twice, the power went out.

Guangzhou is a breath of fresh air. Pun intended.

Little Man enjoyed his first plane ride to get here, a two hour jaunt that we knew would be a good litmus for the long journey home, yet ahead. At one point I found myself rocking him in the cramped restroom, but we survived. It was heartbreaking to witness the very obvious anxiety that each of the Chinese kiddos in our group exhibited, after watching us pack up our luggage and check out of the hotel. They surely must’ve thought we were leaving them behind. It’s easy to believe that they have always been a part of our family, since we have loved them from afar for months already, and they instantly fit so perfectly into our families.

We are currently tucked away in our 12th floor room of a hotel that specifically caters to adoptive families (since every international Chinese adoption exits through the local consulate here). There is a playground, a Starbucks, a pool (that isn’t growing fungus), and several family-friendly dining options. We even have towels in our room! We feel very spoiled.

Little Man is napping now, and Husband took the Big Sisters to the beautiful outdoor pool. We will take it easy tonight and join the rest of our group tomorrow for some sight-seeing before starting our medical, visa, and consulate appointments once the work week begins.