Now We Are In China

I can't quite believe it, I guess, but we are in China. The smell as we walked off the plane through the jetway to the airport should have cemented the fact in my mind. I'm not sure what it is, but the smell is distinctive. Tonight as I was running bath water here at the hotel, I caught a whiff of it again... whatever it is, it's China.

Our flight went reasonably well, considering it's length and Gwen's age. She wasn't much for wanting to sit. The cartoons offered on the plane are pretty yucky, and our laptop battery lasted only so long for her to watch the dvds I brought for her. Playdough lasted about 15 minutes. Food was a great distraction, when something wasn't being spilled or broken. She did nap for a couple of hours a couple of times... that about sums it up. But we made it! Just as we were leaving the plane, Seth got sick to his stomach, and then after him, it was Madelyn who got green and clammy and pinched her lips together to stop herself from vomiting. Customs was super quick, and our luggage was coming around just as we walked up. It took four luggage carts to get it all... we each pushed one and Madelyn pushed Gwen in the stroller. Our driver (we are not able to drive in China... too many signs in Chinese and all that), Mr Wu, was waiting for us right outside the airport doors. He is young and smily, and I want so much to be able to talk to him! He is my first motivation to get going on my Mandarin lessons. Rain poured from the sky as we drove from the airport to our apartment, blurring the view. The kids snoozed on the way, making them groggy when we arrived. It was odd to be in the apartment again after so many months... all the proportions were different that I remembered, and of course it looks different with some furniture in it. The kids perked up a bit as they explored. Madelyn and Gwen were pleased about their long awaited bunkbeds. We stayed only a little while and then headed to a hotel where we are now and will stay for several nights while we wait for our air shipment to arrive. As we were leaving the apartment, a Chinese man said something to Gwen in Mandarin, probably assuming she could understand. She looked at me and said, "What he saying?" I giggled... we'll probably get more of that.

Gwen is definitely getting some attention, being with us. Lots of staring and whispering about her, and lots of smiles, too. Several people have commented on the size of our family. "Big family, very lucky."

Last night we crashed hard, everyone was asleep by 6:30. That meant we were all awake around 2 a.m.! We managed to stay in bed, for the most part, until nearly 6, and were down at the breakfast buffet by seven. Breakfast is pretty neat... a combination of western, English, and Chinese food. Gwen had three bowls of noodles for breakfast and ate them fairly expertly with chopsticks. Madelyn ordered eggs and was asked if she wanted them one side or two. Not knowing what that meant, she answered, "One side", and got sunny side up. Seth said, "Two sides" and got over easy. It makes sense, now that we know. :-) I tried dim sum, with a steamed onion bun and egg custard, but I also had bacon and pancakes. The combination was interesting!

This afternoon we went shopping, with Vivian, the relocation agent, along to help us. She showed us the ins and outs of the grocery store (this was a Carrefour), and I'm not sure I will be very effective without her. I guess I will be able to find some basics, at least. The dairy isle is very different, and I couldn't tell what the milk was all about... everything is in different sizes than in the U.S. Butter is a different shape, not the sticks we are used to. There are so many choices in the yogurt section, much of it being far more liquid than the Dannon we bought before. I did get a couple of bottles of yogurt. We'll see how everyone likes it! The store was very crowded today... note to self not to go shopping on the weekend, and not to take the whole family, either. We were all spent when the excursion was over. We took the groceries back to the apartment, then returned to the hotel and after a bite to eat, everyone has crashed again.

Now everyone is asleep but me... so I guess that's my clue to finish this up! Thanks to all who are praying for us. It is not going to be easy. There is a lot to be excited about... but it will all be a process. Your encouragement is so needed! We love and miss you! :-)

P.S. I have pictures... hope to get to posting some soon.