Journey to Alaina Brooke JiaCen

June 3, 2004

2009-03-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

Due to an early arrival in San Francisco, Alaina joined us in traveling through Pittsburgh, and ultimately arriving home at 11:15 pm. It was wild. We got into San Francisco early and thought for fun, let's just see if an earlier flight would be leaving. We had one hour to get on the plane--not much time. We literally ran through the airport. We arrived in Pittsburgh and literally ran through that beautiful airport to get to our airplane. We called our family to say that we were on the way while we were on the airplane waiting to taxi. Thankfully, someone had a cell phone and they allowed us to borrow it. We had tried calling at each airport but the phones wouldn't work. We really surprised everybody when we called. My parents brought the kids to the airport in their pajamas. What sweet memories. Lots of smiles and hugs. The first question the boys asked was, "Where are our Gameboys?" Alaina blew kisses and laughed at everybody. She wouldn't leave my arms but was happy to be friendly. Finally, she allowed my mom to hold her.

It was very late by the time we made it home from the airport but our bodies were thinking it was in the middle of the day. Alaina didn't mind her first ride in her carseat at all. She did great. Alaina was happy to play with the kids. We didn't stay up too much longer and thankfully, Alaina slept all night. She was on schedule almost instantly. What a blessing.

The next day was great. We had family and friends come to see us. Alaina allowed Granddaddy to hold her for a picture. Thanks again for the prayers. It was a difficult trip and our agency was great. Trina will no doubt share more of the details in the future.

We have a rather full schedule this weekend, but Alaina looks forward to meeting all of you soon. We had prayed that we would be home for our niece's wedding and Alexis's dance recital on June 4th. Not only are we home on time, God brought us home a day earlier than planned. Our journey begins...

See our slide show to music of Our First Year.

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June 2, 2004

2009-03-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Notes from our Itinerary:

6/2 Kathy will give you the CCAI Adoptive Family China Adoption Trip Experience survey. Please take'a few moments to fill it out and return it to Kathy today. Thank you.

Kathy goes to the Consulate to pick up visas and delivers them to you after 3pm.
DO NOT OPEN YOUR CHILD'S VISA PACKET!

Please take some time today to begin packing.

Our Day

The beginning of the day, I visited Sherry's Place to finish my shopping. Alaina and I spent many hours with Amie, Sherry's sister and they ask me to eat lunch with them. It was very tasty Chinese food. I asked if they had a fork to share since I'm not very good with chopsticks. Joel went back to the electronics mall to buy more Gameboy games...by himself in a Taxi.

Kathy took us out for dinner at a nice Thai restaurant. After dinner, we finished up our purchases at Sherry's Place and they wrapped everything up for us in a very large suitcase that we bought. It was raining cats and dogs so it was a challenge. It was getting late but Sherry and her family helped us get it all together. We were so amazed how they can make things happen. The seamstress had made a dress for me. She brought it to Sherry's and I tried it on. It was too tight so she took it back to her house and fixed it while we waited. In the meantime, the artist brought the drawing by and he sat in front of us to add some ending touches. So amazing and talented. I can't wait until we surprise the kids with the drawing. We hugged Sherry, Amie and Daisy goodbye and promised to keep in touch.

We finished packing with excitement knowing we were going home. While we were getting packed up and ready for bed, we remembered it was our wedding anniversary. Before we left to go to China we were very excited about spending June 2nd in China. So sad that we were so busy all day that we forgot about our special day. It was ok. We were going home to be a family of six.

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June 1, 2004

2009-03-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

Notes from our Itinerary:

6/1 Kathy will deliver your visa packets to the U.S. Consulate Adoption Unit. Go to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath at 4:00pm. Cell phones or cameras are not allowed in the U.S. Consulate or on the U.S. Consulate grounds. Please leave them at the hotel.

Note: The U.S. Consulate prohibits adult travel companions from entering the building.

All adult travel companions must remain at the hotel.

OUR WONDERFUL DAY

Today was an exciting day. We walked to the American Consulate. I imagined that we would have just our group for an exciting ceremony. It was very short and sweet with many other families from other agencies. We all sat in a crowded room and promised a few things and that was it. We were permitted to leave the country with our babies. I couldn't leave today, because I have lots more shopping to do.

We took Red Sofa photos today with all the babies and the group picture of our families in front of the waterfall at the White Swan. Precious.

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May 30, 2004

2009-03-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

Joel's email:

Thanks for all of your prayers. Last night we arrived in Guangzhou by airplane. Alaina's first airplane trip. She did great! She is quickly coming out of her shell and showing off a little. Today, we went on a sightseeing adventure with the group. She was quite the entertainer at lunch. Always ready to eat, she finished her bottle in about 2 minutes. Everyone was impressed. After feeding herself throughout lunch, she proceeded to smile and pose for a couple of photos. She's beginning to understand a little about that. Now, if we can just keep Trina home from the shopping long enough, Alaina might get a good afternoon nap. Apparently, not today.

Trina is discovering the shops of Guangzhou. There are several stores close to the hotel that cater to the adoptive parents. Trina's favorite is Sherry's Place where we bought most of our things. In fact, one of the stores is permitting me to use their internet service as I write this. They actually offer this to all of their customers.

Well, I have to go and save some money, or at least that's what Trina is telling me. I'm going to save about $60! (I'm guessing that I would have saved more by not leaving the hotel room.) Maybe Alaina and Daddy can get to bed at a decent time tonight. We're getting to be better buddies every day.

Guangzhou is very much a busy Asian city. Much different from Nanchang. Guangzhau has about ___ people. I asked the girls that work here; they didn't know. It's a lot.

Much more money here. The Westerners are much more common due to the city size, the business here, the U.S. Consulate, European Consulates, etc.

We'll check in later. Have a great day. Our return is very soon.

Joel, Trina and Alaina

Our Day

We enjoyed our tour today. First, we visited the Buddhist Temple. Some have said they will not visit there. First, I just wanted to go to see what it looked like. Once we were there, it broke our hearts to see people bowing to a statue. Some say they go there to get good luck. We just wanted to run to the people and tell them about our God, Jesus, the living almighty God, creator of Heaven and earth. It put a love in our hearts, a different kind of love for them. If you are a Chinese Citizen, you are not allowed to meet as a group and worship. Going to the Buddhist Temple changed my heart forever. It added a burden on my heart for these precious lost souls. Alaina will know our God.

We ask a grandmother if we could take her picture inside the temple. Her little grandchild had split pants on and you could see his little bottom.

After the Buddhist Temple, we toured another museum...beautiful art, carvings, and paintings. Beside this beautiful museum was a very old looking apartment building.

We met Sherry, Amie, Daisy (the owners of Sherry's Place) and their Grandfather today at Sherry's Place. I began my shopping adventure. I plan to buy lots of things to take home to give to Alaina through the years as special gifts. I've learned that Sherry is so much like me...and we live a half an earth away from each other. We had so much fun getting to know each other. She has a famous artist that will draw your family from pictures. A friend had told me to take pictures of each child and he would draw them together. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I also picked out satin asian fabric and a seamstress is going to make a quilt for Alaina. The squeaky shoes are adorable and Alaina looks so cute in them.

The hotel, the White Swan is beautiful. It has a shopping mall and a waterfall inside the hotel. The rooms are about the same as the Gloria Plaza, very nice. We have the city view and some of our travel mates have the waterfront view which is so beautiful.

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May 29, 2004

2009-03-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

Email from Joel:

We are traveling to Guangzhou today to prepare for our appointment at the U.S. Consolate where we will receive a Visa for Alaina to come to the U.S. We have now completed the initial phase of our travel. Alaina's adoption was registered here in Nanchang, making it final. We have also received her passport with her very cute picture in it. We have also received a number of other official documents to be used to obtain her Visa to U.S.

Our flight today is a short one-hour flight south. We fly at about 4pm here (4am Sat for you). The hotel there is the White Swan (phone number is 011-866-20-8188-6968) that caters to Americans very well. It will be a pleasant experience as well. Much shopping to do there.

Alaina is taking her morning nap after breakfast. She is beginning to be the life of the party (the party starts around dinner time!). She can always find food that she likes. She is a beautiful, healthy, happy girl. She can't wait to see her siblings, family and friends. The days are getting shorter and her arrival in VA is quickly approaching.

We say good-bye to Nanchang today. It is a somewhat somber occasion as some of us might never be able to return. Mixed feelings, though, as everyone is growing anxious to get home as well.

Our next report will be from Guangzhou, a little hotter there.

Love,

Trina, Joel and Alaina

At the airport, we were greeted by the same children from when we arrived. They posed for a picture with us and Joel gave them some candy. They were not shy. Alaina held her passport close by...with her cute picture in it.

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May 28, 2004

2009-03-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

We got our pictures back from the foster mom. Her house appears very clean. They have a refrigerator and tile floors. She took several pics of the TV. She took several pics at the orphanage so we got to see Alaina's split pants.

It was a very eventful day in the beginning of our day. Alaina pooped in the potty. At breakfast, she was trying to poop in her diaper so I got her up from her seat. We got back to the room and I took off her diaper expecting her to have a full one. A little spot was there. A had heard a couple talking at breakfast about putting their baby on the potty so I thought I would try. She sat there while I supported her and began to do her thing. She had obviously been holding it. She also began to wet. What a happy day. She played on the bed afterwards and was so happy and smiling. Joel missed it so I didn't flush until he got back into the room. "Would this mean less diapers"? Daddy wonders.

We walked around today just taking pictures of things. We had to prove to you that we have KFC (which is really good and taste the same as home) and McDonald's.

Our last dinner was at another very nice restaurant. This time we picked out our food from a fish tank. They kill it in front of you and then cook it in front of you...that is if you want to watch what you are about to eat. James helped us pick our fish as some other brave husbands.

Alaina was the life of the party as usual. She decided to rest her feet on the table. Too cute.

We got Alaina's passport so we are packed and ready to leave. It was very sad knowing that we were leaving Alaina's province. She was leaving behind all that she ever knew. Although this was a sad time, we were very excited to fly to Guangzhou and learn about a different place in China and ultimately we were one day closer to home.

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May 27, 2004

2009-03-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Thursday, May 27, 2004 around 4 P.M. (China time) and you are sleeping (because it is 4 AM (US Eastern time). I really love it here. It's really hot here, a lot like Florida. Can't wait to show you all the pictures. Linda and Rachel (Creative Memories consultants) will laugh that I have taken about 7 rolls of film already. Hope I don't run out. We received notarized adoption documents today. Happy day.

Alaina is rolling over very easily now. She plops over and bumps her head on the firm crib mattress. She enjoyed her nesting cups today. She laughed more with us today and was so animated.

She is so precious. She is still connected to my hip at all times. She is just now allowing me to put her down for a nap. Joel continues to kiss her but she prefers me. She is realizing that he is not going anywhere so she is slowly coming around. We took the stroller today to see some sites and ended up carrying her. I'm so tired from holding her all the time but I am loving every minute of it.

We visited the Tengwang Pavilion. It has been ruined an rebuilt more than 28 times. It did not have an elevator so we climbed many steps with Alaina. Glad that I have been working out before this trip. We bought Alaina a teaset in the Pavilion. We found large gold coins and had them engraved for the kids. On one side, it has the Pavilion and the other side was the Chinese animal of each child. James was impressed that I knew exactly when their birthdays fell and what animal they needed.

For lunch, James took us to a very nice restaurant. Everything is so tasty and they always serve us so much that we can't eat all of it. They serve the food on a lazy-susan so you spin the food around. Before you are seated, you look at the menu basically on a shelf and pick the things you want.

Notice eyes and head and other parts.

Later that evening, after we had Pizza Hut pizza in our rooms (yes, Pizza Hut...it taste a little different but good), we went for a walk. We stopped by a shop called Tiffany's Place and met a guy named Jack. His English was very good. We laughed at trying to explain that we wanted to buy a Chinese doll for our baby. He didn't understand at all what we were talking about.

It's so funny when we are out and Chinese people speak to her. She laughs out loud. We have gotten her to laugh a few times. I think she is going to be like Zachary thinking that since she can't understand us, why should she waste her time trying. Today she waved bye-bye and looked at Joel and said DaDa. We are slowly getting to know each other. Her eyes get so big when Chinese music plays and she sort of dances. She's not walking yet. I think because she was in a walker so much that she has not been given much time to practice balance. Some of the babies started walking just this week. This gives me some time to get the house childproofed.

We get lots of attention on the streets. I feel like a celebrity. Everyone looks at us and ask if she is our baby. After explaining that "yes, she is Chinese" and "yes, she is ours," then they add how beautiful she is. One lady said that she is very pretty and her skin is very white. I guess Chinese people think that is a good thing. (Much of the advertising in China is done using caucasian models. That is especially noteworthy in Nanchang because it is not a tourist destination and virtually no Americans are seen in the public street.) I think she is going to have a beautiful tan this summer just like her sister.

Happy Anniversary today to Mom and Dad (51 years and counting)!

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May 26, 2004

2009-03-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

We had an emotional day today. We visited Fengcheng City where Alaina was born. First, we had lunch with the director and his staff of the FengCheng Social Welfare Institute (Orphanage). After lunch, we visited the orphanage where Alaina spent one night--the day she was born. There are 12 babies in our group and 10 of the babies were in foster homes. We got to talk to the director that supervises the foster families. She made visits to the homes every month. She knew all about Alaina's foster family. Most of us have gotten pictures back from the cameras we sent last month. Joel just took ours to get them developed and we will have those to show you tomorrow. The foster mom took all the pictures on both cameras. What a blessing. Those that have seen their pics, have great pics of the foster moms and where they live (the cinder block buildings with concrete floors, etc.).

Almost all the couples went to the orphanage. One parent stayed on the bus with their baby while the other went in to see the orphanage. I went in first and then Joel. The babies in the orphanage are all in walkers, all under the age of 1 year. There was one little girl that was around two. There were about 12 babies there but they have 100 babies in foster homes directed out of the orphanage. Some of the nannies live in apartments just next door to the orphanage. Keep in mind that it is really hot and humid here. All the babies were in walkers outside on the balconies all day. There little rod iron beds were so cute. I can't explain the sweet little faces without parents. You can tell the nannies love the babies very much and do the best that they can. They would make them laugh and comfort them when they would cry. All the babies had split pants without diapers. Many of us cried some tears when we had to leave. You couldn't help but want to take an extra baby home.

Our group donated over a thousand dollars extra to the orphanage (not including the $3000 orphanage donation fee from each parents). I am happy Alaina was in a foster home. I'm sure that her living conditions were not much better than the orphanage. We did find out that the foster family that had Alaina has been a foster family for many years. We know that she was loved and cared for greatly. She came to us very clean, healthy and beautiful. I kept her outfit and sweet little shoes and socks.

Next, the bus driver drove us to all of the finding spots of each baby. We were able to get out, take photos and video all of the surroundings. Alaina was found on April 1, 2003 at the gate of the hospital, all bundled up, with a note that told the Chinese authorities about her birthday. While standing there in the streets of FengCheng City, we could only imagine what it must have been like for this mother to release her child. We know she must have stood at a distance, as she took one last glance at her beautiful baby girl. We pray that Alaina's birth parents know that she is happy, healthy and loved.

After we got back to Nanchang today, James took us to China Town Restaurant for a dinner and a show. Lots of great food and singing and dancing. Alaina moved her little head like she was dancing. She would laugh out loud when she would drop stuff on the floor. She was so tired from such a long day, she held my necklace and sucked her thumb.

So much more to share. We are in love. Continue to pray that Alaina wants Joel more; my arms are so very tired. We have two more days here until we move on to our next destination. We visit the U.S. Consulate and then home we come. We should be home by June 4. By the way, so many of you have asked how big she is. She is about 20 lbs. so the 12 months clothes are fitting nicely. The 12 months onesies that I brought are a little snug. She will be in 18 months very soon. She looks so cute in hats and she allows me to put them on her. Amazing.

More later. It's o.k. to write back to us. We have free internet all day in our room. E-mail anytime, we'll get it.

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May 25, 2004

2009-03-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

May 25, 2004

Another great night. Alaina is such a wonderful sleeper. What a blessing.

Not a lot went on today. Joel met with our group and James to do more paperwork to apply for Alaina's passport. The doctor visited our room. CCAI has a Doctor come to our rooms and give our baby a check up. All the babies had runny noses and some congestion from sleeping in the cold airconditioning. They have never had heat or airconditioning so these changes can cause some cold like symptoms. Alaina was healthy as we already knew. She didn't like the doctor holding her....only mommy. She still won't allow me out of her site. So I can shower, Joel will try taking her for a walk but she cries the whole time.

Joel and I got adventurous and took a taxi by ourselves to Walmart for fun. This was Alaina's first car ride...without a seatbelt. It was wild and like a race car racing and weaving through the traffic.

James, our CCAI representative has been so wonderful. He is with us in the hotel 24/7. He is so kind and genuinely loves our babies. My favorite part of having James is his knowledge of the area. He lives in Nanchang so he knows all the great restaurants and sites.

Not a lot of pictures today but I'm sure we will have many tomorrow. We have a big day tomorrow as we to visit Alaina's birth city, FengCheng City.

Alaina's Dr. Visit..."I want my mommy!"

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May 24, 2004

2009-03-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

May 24, 2004

Adoption Day

Notes from our Itinerary:

The passport fee will be collected at the Registration Office. It takes 5 working days to issue the passport.

You need two passport-size photos and three copies of the passport photo page and the China visa page
for each applicant (whether they travel or not).

•Note: Use your daughter's Chinese name to fill out all paperwork. Also, if you have changed your address
and have an update home study, it is imperative that you maintain consistency of address with all
paperwork and in all interviews with BOTH governments while you're in China.

An optional trip to the local department store for baby supplies. Pay as you go.

OUR WONDERFUL DAY

Alaina's first night was perfect. She slept all night, woke up and enjoyed her bottle. I thought that she would cry when she woke up but she didn't. We all got dressed and enjoyed our nice breakfast at our hotel, The Gloria Plaza. It was very nice as well. The beds are very hard but we were so tired that we slept great. Alaina loved Congee, which is water-down mushy rice, basically. It really is kind of tasty. I did get a sweet smile at breakfast. Wow, in less than 24 hours, she seems so content to be with us.

After breakfast, we headed out to the same building to do even more paperwork and do the Adoption Registration. We had our first family picture taken for Alaina's adoption certificate. We did fingerprints and signed all the papers. She is ours!!! Next, we headed to the Jiangxi Provincial Notary Public Office. After that, we were all done.

James planned a trip to the grocery store and Walmart. I was so excited that Walmart was in China. The Walmart was very much like our Walmart but the food and merchandise was very different. Lots of interesting fish and other creatures for sale and a long shelf of bags of rice.

Nanchang was very different than Beijing but very similar in some ways. In Nanchang everybody rides bikes and only the wealthy has a car. Cars, buses and people on bikes are everywhere driving in all different directions.

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May 23, 2004

2009-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

May 23, 2004

Email from Joel:

Well, we arrived in China about 36 hours ago. The flight was a little challenging since we were in the air almost 17 hours in 24 hours. Not the most exciting way to spend your day. Since we got little sleep prior to our departure, we have adjusted to the time change fairly well. I am waking about 5am.

Today we fly to Nanchang to get Alaina Brooke. We are traveling with our CCAI group of about 28 folks (12 families). It has been a great experience so far. We did some sightseeing around Beijing yesterday, including the Great Wall.

Hope all are doing well. Please pray for us as we continue to adjust to food, water and time differences. We will be flying several times again within the country of China. Please pray for quick transition of Alaina Brooke who has been in foster home for her entire life.

Gotta run now. Since Trina is along, we will undoubtedly have plenty of photos to share soon.

Joel and Trina Miller

Sunday morning, May 23, 2004

Email from Trina:

Hello friends:

What a day! We arrived in Nanchang around 1P.M. and received the babies about 5P.M. It was so amazing. We just walked up when our name was called and they just handed her to us. All the other babies were crying. Alaina kind of held it back trying to be so strong. I could feel her little chest beating so hard. Joel started giving her cheerios. What a lifesaver! She ate and ate and ate. I think she was hungry plus scared. We came back to the room and attempted to make our first bottle. She didn't care for the nipple. She continued to eat those cheerios and continued to attempt the bottle. I held her for a solid two hours. When I would try to put her down, she would start to cry. She followed Joel around the room wanting to know where he was at all times and what he was doing. We decided to go eat about 7:30. What an amazing thing happened. Alaina, the scared little baby, became the real Alaina. She loved the placemat in the restaurant and actually laughed out loud. Tired Daddy missed the picture of the big smile. I'm sure we will have more smiles tomorrow.

Well, it's about 10:30P.M. our time and about 10:30A.M. your time. I'm assuming you all are in church praying for us. Cont. to pray as she gets use to us. We have a very big day tomorrow morning. We meet at the registration office...very important day in the adoption world. She becomes ours...officially!!! She has already been ours before the beginning of time and this makes it final! P.S. she wet on me at dinner...daddy didn't fix the diaper right.

She's sleeping like an angel. We will try to figure out how to send pics.

trina

Here is an article we wrote for the newspaper about our Gotcha Day:

The Miracle of Gotcha Day

Our miraculous Gotcha Day was May 23, 2004. Our itinerary was scheduled for our Gotcha Day to be May 24 so when we landed at the airport in Nanchang, James, our CCAI representative surprised us with the news. We were to get the babies in a few short hours. Incredible excitement and nervousness filled the airport as our travel group #608, 12 families hurried to the bus. While walking out to the bus, we were surrounded by small children begging with their hands reaching out to us. Their ages were probably 8 to 12 years old. Debbie had heard about this happening so she brought candy to give them. We were already emotional just hearing our news that we were going to get the babies. Seeing these children broke our hearts.

We had a long ride, or what felt like a long ride to our hotel. After carrying our luggage into the hotel and had our group meeting, we were off to get the babies. We can't explain the emotions at this point. After giving birth three times and knowing what that is like, this was an incredible experience that is beyond a miracle. Half of the couples had biological children and half of the couples were experiencing the "birth" of their first child. We had waited so many years for this moment, and within minutes, our Alaina would be in our arms.

We stood around in a small room waiting and watching as each family's name was called. It wasn't long before it was our turn. We walked to the front of the room and the sweet Chinese nanny released Alaina as Trina reached for her. We walked to the back of the room, holding tight to our precious Alaina. She was ours!!! Almost all of the other babies were screaming. These precious little ones had never seen people that looked like these Americans. They had been loved and cared for by loving foster families all their lives. Alaina was strong and tried not to cry. She was scared with tears in her eyes and her little chest was pounding. What a precious little face, and little hair that stood straight up on top. She was beautiful! Holding her close, we decided that maybe Cheerios could help the moment. She ate her first Cheerio that day and continues to love them even now.

Within 24 hours, she wouldn't let go of Trina. She cried instantly when Trina would leave the room. The Snuggly was a blessing. Within 24 hours, she said "Mama" and looked for "Da da" but didn't want him to hold her, not yet anyway. Within 48 hours, she could blow a kiss. We learned quickly, her most favorite time of the day is after dinner. She entertained in China with all our friends and she continues to entertain her brothers and sister at the dinner table every night. She has an amazing smile that melts our hearts. It didn't take long for her to sound out, "Daddy, Daddy" when Joel enters the door at the end of the day. Within a month, she had an amazing comprehension of everything that was said. It wasn't long that she was saying everything she heard.

Alaina is incredibly smart and continually amazes us. She is such a joy in our lives. It feels like she has always been with us. We believe God created her for us and us for her. He knew before the creation of the world that Alaina would be in our family forever.

Loved by siblings, too:

Alexis, Zachary and Joel B.

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May 22, 2004

2009-03-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

May 22, 2004

Notes from our Itinerary:

May 22 Here is your chance to climb the Great Wall of China! This wonder of the world, built 2600 years ago, was one of the two man-made structures seen by the naked eye of US astronaut Neil Armstrong from outer space. Later visit the Ming Tombs, the burial place of thirteen emperors and their families of the Ming Dynasty.

(Breakfast, Lunch)

This was a very exciting day. We were up early and ready to see some sites. The weather was beautiful, kind of like a nice spring day at home. We enjoyed the ride to the Great Wall. After arriving we had a picture taken with our travel group and received a really nice book with the picture included on the front page. Before climbing, we thought we better take a potty break. We were able to experience our first "squat potty" in China. A little man in the bathroom was passing out toilet paper. Several of us from our travel group decided we were going to climb the most challenging side of the Great Wall. It was quite steep. The Great Wall is miles and miles long and can actually be seen from the moon.

Next, Shiney took us to the Ming Tombs, a little Northwest of Beijing. They saved their most precious belongings in the tomb. Then we walked through the park of the Stone Animals and Statues. They were erected in the period of 1436-1438. Animals were placed in front of the tombs not only for decoration but also stood to guard honor when the Monarch was alive. We also saw the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion which was built in 1435. Poems were engraved on the back and side of the stele, written by Qian Long and Jia Qing, Emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

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May 21, 2004

2009-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

May 21, 2004

We had a great flight of daylight the entire trip of 14 hours from San Francisco to Beijing. The view was beautiful. We landed in Beijing around 5P.M. We were met at the Airport by Marion, our CCAI representative and Shiney our Beijing tour guide. The very first thing we did was get our luggage and exchange our U.S. dollars for Chinese Yuan. Walking out to the bus, we were very excited to see the very, very large Official Olympic Torch beside the airport.

We were so amazed how beautiful our hotel was. We stayed in the Gloria Plaza Hotel. We got very little sleep on the plane so we were very tired and ready for bed.

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May 20, 2004

2009-03-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning, 5A.M., my dad drove us to the airport. We didn't go to bed all night. Too much excitement, I guess. The kids were sleeping so peacefully. This was the hardest part...leaving the kids although I knew they would have so much fun with the grandparents.

We finally made it to San Francisco Airport and met our travel group for the first time. We had "met" them on our new yahoo group, but meeting in person was so exciting. Everybody was talking, taking pictures and excited to finally begin this journey. All twelve families were ready to begin our amazing journey together.

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Travel Journal to Alaina

2009-03-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

May 20 Off we go!
May 21 We are in Beijing!
May 22 Great Wall
May 23 Gotcha Day! She's ours!
May 24 Adoption Day!
May 25 Dr. Visit
May 26 FengCheng City visit
May 27 Tengwang Pavilion
May 28 Foster Mom Pics
May 29 Last day in Nanchang
May 30 Shopping and more
May 31 Visa Photo and Physical
June 1 American Consulate
June 2 Last day
June 3 Coming Home!
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