Today was unlike any other day I have ever experienced. First and most importantly, We received Kai into our family. Kai is our third son, and I don’t mean to diminish the significance or wonder of the day each of our other sons came to us. But this was something different.
We are halfway around the world and, as I predicted in my previous post, we did indeed leave the tourist route behind today.
Actually, our departure from the “Touristy China” was made in gradual steps. This morning we headed out of the hotel in Beijing on our own to buy some bottled water, and Moon Cakes. We were told a small grocery store was about two blocks away. So, all four of us headed out early to check it out.
Here’s the front, and the lobby of our hotel…
Here is one block away…
We found the contrast quite amazing!
At about 10:00 A.M. The guide who took us to Bao Ding and ShiJiazhuang met us at the hotel, and we departed by van. It was about a two hour drive to Bao Ding. The countryside was beautiful, and the roads were very nice. Still, you could see that China is undergoing rapid change, and poverty is still a major issue.
When we got to Bao Ding we were a little overwhelmed by the conditions many people live in. The S.W.I. where Kai lived was a palace compared to it's immediate surroundings. I'm not sure how to really explain the whole day.
Our "Gotcha Day" experience was unlike any of the many ones we have read or heard about. We first met Kai at the S.W.I. Here's a picture taken when we first saw him...
He had just woken from a nap, and his nanny brought him into the room where we were meeting with the assistant director of the S.W.I.
I want to tell you all about what happened but it's too much right now for me to process, so I'm going to post a few more pictures for right now...
The front entrance to Kai's S.W.I.
The photography studio where we got Kai's passport photo taken
Cam and Ben playing hackeysack with a local guy from Bao Ding in front of the photo studio
In the van on the way to ShiJiazhuang, Tina finally has GOT HIM!!
At the hotel Scott get's to hold him...
After his bath we manage to get a hint of a smile from him...
Then Kai fell quickly to sleep with Tina on the bed...
We had the hotel bring us a crib for him to sleep in...
The day was even more overwhelming for Kai than it was for us. He basically just shut down. We're a little worried about him, but think he will be fine once he's rested and begins to adust to changes in his world.
And finally, I want to wish everyone a very happy Mid-Autumnal Festival! I hope you saw the full moon and could be with your family. We are very happy that our WHOLE family was united on this very special day! Here is a picture of the Moon Cakes we bought...
And here are two poems about the moon...
The Mid-Autumn Moon
by Li Qiao
A full moon hangs high in the chilly sky,
All say it's the same everywhere, round and bright.
But how can one be sure thousands of li away
Wind and perhaps rain may not be marring the night?
The Yo-MeiMountain Moon
by Li Bai
The autumn moon is half round above the Yo-mei Mountain;
The pale light falls in and flows with the water of the Ping-chiang River.
Tonight I leave Ching-chi of limpid stream for the three Canyons.
And glide down past Yu-chow, thinking of you whom I can not see.
Tomorrow is a long day, and it is late.
Good Night.
Tomorrow is a long day, and it is late.
Good Night.
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