Oh, my gosh. It has been a long three days. I've been out of commission with either food poisoning or some kind of hideous GI virus, but I'm finally starting to feel human again. Thankfully, I was the only one who got sick, but it was rough.
We flew from Jinan to Guangzhou on 12/18/14. The airport was nice, but nearly every flight was delayed due to "air traffic congestion". We had some angst going through the security checkpoint because the agents confiscated all of our hand sanitizer and the cleaner for my sunglasses even though they were under 3 ounces. They kept repeating "fire" and, ultimately, one agent was so intent on proving to me that I could use my hand sanitizer to light the plane on fire that she poured a bit of it onto the metal table, grabbed a lighter, and lit the sanitizer on fire right there at the checkpoint.
Several ladies waiting at our gate loved Bean and Pearl. They were mystified about how Pearl could be traveling with us until we used the Pleco app on my iPad to translate "adopted daughter" into Mandarin. Mollified, they fed strawberries, mandarin oranges, and candy to both children until they'd had their fill. The best part was when Bean started using his Color Wonder markers. Soon, four fifty-something year old Chinese women were clustered around him trying out the magic for themselves. They couldn't believe that the markers worked on the special paper but didn't make marks anywhere else.
When it came time to board the plane, we were packed into a bus that drove us all out on the tarmac. Even with a toddler strapped to me in a Kinderpack, the people all pushed and shoved me trying to get up the staircase to the plane. I pushed harder, though, and soon we all settled into our seats for the 2 and 1/2 hour China Southern flight. Once aboard the plane, everyone was as polite as could be and it was as though the shoving had never even happened.
We finally checked into the Marriott China Hotel at about 10:30 pm. The room here is smaller than our room in Jinan, but at least we have a small refrigerator, a pack and play, and a bathtub. There are many adoptive families staying here and several staff members speak passable English. We have a total of nine families now in our travel group, including one new dad who attended the same medical school I did.
Yesterday, we all traveled by bus to the medical clinic so that our children could undergo medical examinations before the American visas will be issued. There were four stations: height and weight, ENT, general medical, and a blood draw to check for tuberculosis. Parents were not allowed to go in with children for the blood draw and a very traumatized Pearl was handed back to me screaming. The next boy in line took one look at Pearl and burst into tears himself, so I guess the element of surprise was lost. Pearl quickly fell asleep right there at the clinic and when she awakened, she repeatedly showed me her band-aid to remind me of the indignity she had suffered.
Bean and I took a looong nap in the hotel room upon our return, but Angry Driver insisted on waking us up to go to dinner with the group. I probably could've slept for two days straight at that point (dehydration will do that to you) and Bean threw an absolute fit about having to get out of bed. Nevertheless, we all walked to a nearby Chinese restaurant that featured a lazy Susan (my favorite!) and a poster of a cooked rooster complete with head (not my favorite). My nausea had greatly improved by that point, but the smell of Chinese food and the unappetizing poster caused a symptomatic resurgence. I don't think I've ever walked as quickly as I did last night trying to get back to the hotel.
This morning, we all went by bus to the zoo, which was actually quite nice. The red pandas were adorable and the hippopotamus was diving and cavorting merrily. Unfortunately, the lions were housed in small cages with cement floors. I could see no signs of environmental enrichment, but, hopefully, they will get a more appropriate habitat soon. Pearl loved the animals. She pointed and babbled with excitement, but seemed entirely uninterested in learning the English names for any of the animals. At one point, we lost track of Bean and eventually found that he had followed a Chinese family into the giraffe enclosure and was feeding them (the giraffes, not the Chinese family) leaves.
After the zoo, our guide Shiyan took us to a supermarket where we replenished our supply of diapers and wipes. We also bought some 7-Up, strawberries (Pearl's favorite), bananas, Chinese crackers, and Chinese candy for Bean to bring back to his classmates. Pearl was absolutely giddy when she saw all the bulk candies. She kept pointing and saying "Mama ha-ha", which is her way of saying "Mama, gimme". I kept telling her that we were buying some candy and she could have some soon, but she was not appeased. Finally, some poor store employee took pity on her and gave her a piece of candy. It looked like an unappetizing rice pellet to me, but Pearl happily shoved it into her mouth and said "xie xie", or "thank you".
She actually ate a ham sandwich today for lunch which is remarkable because, up until this point, Pearl has refused to allow any form of bread product to make contact with her mouth. She and Bean ate all of the strawberries (washed in dish soap, but still probably not health department approved). Now she has finally settled down in the pack and play for a nap. Since it is a balmy 65 degrees Fahrenheit outside, Angry Driver and Bean have headed for the outdoor pool. Since I get disapproving looks from people when we take the kids outside without a winter coat and three pairs of pants, I'm glad I'm not with them right now to face the public scorn that I'm sure is forthcoming.
China is an amazing country, but even before the GI thing, I was ready to go home. Now I want nothing more than to take a bath in my own bathtub, sleep in my own bed, and eat processed foods. We still have four days to go, though, so I will do my best to stay positive.
Just don't serve me any whole roosters, please.
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