3 Feb 2007: Adventures on the Road

What an eventful couple of days it’s been since our last entry!

On Thursday, Feb. 1, we took our trip to Huai’nan, a city of about 2 million people some 50 miles north of Hefei. At the gate of the Social Welfare Institute in Huai’nan is where AiLi was abandoned, but it’s quite likely that she was actually born in in one of the outlying rural areas that surround the city. Our trip on a provincial highway through the countryside to Huai’nan was fascinating, a melange of buses, trucks, luxury cars, farmers’ carts, pedestrians and bicyclists, passing left, right and center. We passed through a number of major villages, all with open air markets. In one, hot house strawberries were the major crop and both sides of the highway were lined with attractive young women selling baskets of berries.

Huai’nan is a coal mining center and the place where tofu was “invented.” It is an old city, with a history dating back to 1050 A.D. We stopped at the monument to its founder and strolled through a farmers’ market where we attracted much more attention than the produce and the wares for sale. From live fish swimming in oxygenated pails to pigs’ tails and live rabbits and chickens, the market was a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of Chinese people who live outside the westernized centers.

We had a sumptuous lunch at a local restaurant, which cost us less than $30 US for 13 people (bus driver and our guide Rose included) and then headed back toward Hefei, a two-hour journey on the rutted provincial road. Then, the most amazing thing happened.

Assuring us that it was normal custom in China, Rose directed the bus driver to pull over at a small farming settlement. (There was nothing pre-arranged about this. Rose had never been to Huai’nan in her life.) Ten Caucasians, two Chinese babies, and Rose trudged down the rutted dirt road to the village. As we approached, a man plowing the field with his ox and calf greeted us. Soon, others came out of their homes and, after a bit of discussion, we were invited into several houses—simple two or three room dwellings, with stone and concrete floors, no central heat or bathrooms, modest furniture, perhaps a picture or two, with a place for the farm animals to sleep inside and help to provide warmth. The residents were very proud to show us their homes and, as they became more familiar, seemed to compete over whose house we would see next. What a rare opportunity! We all agreed, next to the adoption of our children, this visit was the highlight of the trip.

Incidentally, the photos you see here and throughout the blog are the work of several photographers—Ira, Marilyn and me. All composed and posted by Ira from the laptop. I’ve been given too much credit, though I certainly have enjoyed it.

Next day, our last in Hefei, the families completed the paperwork that is required for the adoptees to immigrate to the US. About 4:30 that afternoon, we headed for the airport to catch our flight to Guangzhou, the last stop before we wend our way home next week. This was, of course, the babies’ first-ever plane trip and some handled it with more equanimity than others. AiLi seemed quite uncomfortable and complained a lot. We hope we can make her more comfortable when we embark on the 14-hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago (for our sakes as well as hers).

In Quangzhou, we were greeted by our local guide, Connie, and checked into the White Swan Hotel, the place where all the adoptive families from the US end up. It is a very sophisticated city with a long history of commerce and international relations. With temperatures in the mid-to-high seventies, it is a welcome respite from the winter weather we will face upon our return home. As of this morning, AiLi and the other children have all had their US visa photos taken and their medical exams completed. Final processing will take place on Monday when the US consulate reviews all the documents and issues her visa. In the meantime, we will visit the pearl market, go to a Buddhist temple for a special blessing of the babies and take a cruise on the Pearl River, which flows behind our hotel.

AiLi’s walking improves daily and she’s started to make noises that, to hopeful parents’ ears, sound a lot like “Dada”, “Mama” and “Baba”, which is Chinese for father. She keeps us constantly entertained and grows more beloved with each passing hour.

Auntie Susan