We Arrive in Beijing – 25 January 2007

Despite the dreary winter colors and “smoky” weather (a recognized meteorological term here), Beijing was like a beacon of light to us. Armed with lots of advice (all helpful) from friends about how to fight jet lag and blessed with an affordable last-minute upgrade to Business Class that Ira found when confirming our flights, our travel was smooth and on time. (In the Chinese tradition, I attribute this to the watchful and benevolent spirit of our mother, the late Janice Montague, who herself travelled to Korea and Colombia to assist in international adoptions in the 1970s and ‘80s.)

We are a group of four: the parents-to-be, Ira and Karen Montague; “Auntie” Susan Montague, Ira’s sister and the narrator of this posting; and Marilyn Montague Harper, Ira and Susan’s one and only first cousin—ever cheerful, energetic and always unflappable.

We were met at the airport by our national guide, Rose (Chinese name, Yue Xia). Originally from Inner Mongolia, Rose attended university in Beijing, majoring in history and English. She is articulate and very capable—already we love her.

There is little point in describing Beijing. The guidebooks can do it much better and by the time AiLi is old enough to read and understand this, it will have changed even more than it already has in the past decade. We will spend two days sightseeing in the city, one day on our own and with the rest of our CAWLI group who
arrive tomorrow. We will visit all the major attractions: the Great Wall, Fobidden City, Tiananmen Square and more. But our sights will be set on Sunday’s trip to Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, where we will at long last be united with AiLi and she with us.

Susan