Barb went with Leslie in 2003 to pick up Leslie’s newly adopted daughter, Emery.
In September 2003, Barb headed off to China to help Leslie with her new adopted daughter, Emery. Leslie wanted Barb’s help navigating in China and helping with the new baby, and Barb was happy to assist. The two of them went to Beijing to complete some of the paperwork and do some touring, then down to Guangzhou and a smaller town nearby to actually meet Emery. They went with a group of other families also adopting babies.
Barb kept a journal of the trip which I didn’t realize until recently. I transcribed it (to the best of my ability) and include it here even though Barb has not yet officially proofread it. Perhaps when she does we can get a more complete recounting of the trip.
9/3/2003
8am flight! Up at 5:30 at airport by 6:30 – meet Leslie – get checked in – to Chicago – slept a bit then overbooked – thought about giving up seat – but was for Narita to Beijing on next day (?) not happening.
Flight only 13 hours – thought it would be 20 (18). Pass time with movie (Italian Job) then some cartoons – spoke to lots of people from another agency (Wide Horizons) – 24 people on flight.
Landed – nice hotel Peace Hotel – actually Novotel. Good lobby, ok room – has fridge, TV (nothing on) and weird stereo/light console by bed.
Went out and walked – hit big department store – overwhelmed – went to dinner – small restaurant – no one spoke English – got rice, tea, mushrooms/veg for 32 Yuan or $4 – shower, bed
9/5/03
Got breakfast – ate lots – stayed one hour or so – skipped tour – went to Temple of Heaven (20 Yuan) – neat but old and faded – needs restoration desperately – nice garden – saw dancing and many people playing (??) and singing Chinese opera.
Walked to Pearl Market – bought lots and lots – bargained and everything
Cab – rip-off to Friendship Store – 35 Yuan – asked 50 but not the case – nothing at the store – got Starbucks – Leslie desperate for it – she also gets mug (?) – free coupons – so I got a frappuccino
Found silk market – scary – too much bargaining – got purses but still too pushy
Hotel – found out Starbucks near us – tuna fish – sleep
Temple of Heaven
9/6/03
Got breakfast – Leslie Starbucks but closed! (9am – 11pm)
Tour – jade factory with (Mike?) – got painted balls – yelled by Mark – not staying with group, saw workers in non-OSHA conditions including 1 smoking and only one with mask was woman
Ming-like Temple of Heaven saw stone statues – very cool – more interesting were the 1908-1909 pictures – Qing Dynasty – all dirt roads, as if out of nowhere – now lined with weeping willows and “lawn”
Also saw cloisonne factory, embroidery and weaving by people
Lunch – dumpy factory but nice Friendship Store and OK lunch – many courses – pork, pickled stuff, grey roast beef main dishes – sweet/sour pork, eggplant, steamed veg, cabbage/mushroom, FF, fried whole fish, beef thing, rice, hot/sour soup, dumplings, spring rolls, kung bao ji,
Outside Temple of Heaven or Ming Tombs?
Ceramics factory
Then to Great Wall or “hog (??) wall” (??)
Walked “hard” path on left – easy on right – per Mike (other group get it wrong)
Overpaid for T-shirts ($5) but oh well – Leslie keeps telling me they need the $
Slept on way back then to Starbucks and department store
Leslie insisted on buying prettily wrapped candy – back to hotel – reminded manager of cash exchange problem (he said will fix – ha)
Dinner looked good – shower – flooded floor – got towels, yelled at by busperson – changed (??)
Great Wall
9/7/03
Changed exchange have for TC – victory
Leslie orientation – I went shopping – Hong Chan (?) then group Chinese lunch – average
Then Tiananmen/Forbidden City – attacked by hordes of vendors – very scary
Came back and packed – spoke to Mark about Jade Factory – he gave me $ – I may be wrong – need to call his boss – very nice of Mark – he said factory head will pay him back – much biz there (360 – I thought should be 160?)
Sleep, drug, Leslie up for 10pm luggage pick up
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City
9/8/03
Trip to Guangzhou – 3 hrs – I almost missed because I was at bathroom – Leslie prpomised to wait but then had to – surprise
Spoke to woman on plane, Laurel/Rick
Walk down stairs – packed horrible ride to main terminal then had to walk to bus
Tour guide Alan – not very useful
Walked around White Swan – very nice hotel – Leslie unpacked and got Em presents
2 nice restaurants and expensive buffet
Met nice woman from Philly – Patti – son Quinn (his problem – small penis – other boy was undescended testicle – both fixable) – she was going to give me info on Guangzhou – hope she remembers
Great view – Pearl View with neon sign flasjhing
Guangdong – a (??) of Life
Had my 2 ham sandwiches (made from breakfast)
Tea and chocolates – bedtime (watching Jaws – The Revenge)
9/9/03
Em’s “Gotcha” Day!
Walked around Shai Man (?) Island while Leslie did paperwork
Went to market, saw craft stuff, Sherry’s for laundry and Jordan’s for internet – worked out nicely
Walked around hotel then 2:00 bus
Got Em! Very emotional – she is in great shape – cute, healthy – she was very good – napped then hotel and bed (watched ??)
She slept until 7:15 – Leslie and I woke her up at 4:00 to check breathing, etc.
Baby Emery
9/10/03
Em wouldn’t take a bottle
Went to breakfast – tried congee, oatmeal, noodles (she took a couple) and her bottle. Em rejected all – getting desperate – she did take some of the rice cereal we made earlier
Get confirmation from airlines. Went walking around island to get goody bag stiff for Allie’s 8th!
Nice shopping – saw kittens at Sherry’s – returned — had my ham sandwich – gave Em some Pediacure (?) for her cough – took long nap – Leslie went shopping. We woke up and went to the group dinner
Found out that one of the couples got a kid with CP – got a new kid (?) and is back on track (Gary)
Jamie – very scary – they are paying for PT and hopefully the kid will be adoptable in 2-3 years
Group dinner wasn’t bad –
Leslie – pork/green beans, deep fried bacon, mushrooms/celery
Me – fried rice, mushrooms
Playtime time – sink bath and 1st poop!
Bed – we watched “Cats and Dogs”
Other babies
9/11/03
Cereal!
Taking bottles like a champ
Breakfast then to Nanfang Department Store – nothing much – back – more shopping for Allie – nap – walk – (sandwich, crackers) – Leslie (???) – drugs for Em and Leslie – bed
9/12/03
Em woke up at 11:30 and 4:30
Can’t figure out why unless due to big Ching Ming Festival – Moon Festival – party outside our door – Western BBQ band sang “Happy BD” several times – Chinese band at moon dinner bad Chinese music
Breakfast then busy day
Leslie at meeting – Em and I dropped off laundry. Got jewelry box, postcards – sent to Marcus and Gerard – cashed $ – Bank of China took # – interesting
Then Visa picture for Em – break – no nap – then medical exam – very fast – ENT, weigh in and general chuck up – told Em was very healthy – Em slept – off to 3rd floor to read – yelled at for no shoes off – back – then group dinner.
(??) WG! Fried noodles – Leslie fried rice – Em doing Cheerios – bottle – bed
Grace feeding Jordan 2 packs (?) asked why – she said each pack for 4 ounce and it was 8 ounce bottle drops! We had been doing mixture of plain formula ½ Infamil and some banana – some (??) but lots of water – now fixed
9/13/03
Guangdong Art Museum – very nice – restored old ancestral home and put in exhibits – ivory, furniture, painints, stone embroidery
Then tea store – got the gist of how to do tea – rinse the tea – email (including one to SK) and bought extra scarf and Diet Cokes – dinner at (??) – fried noodles (Leslie fried rice) – Em eating cereal – 1st step to (??). Em also motoring – almost crawling.
Night of 13th – I did tetris and Lesie played 2 games of solitaire – notable (novels?) – she couldn’t remember how to play sans computer – she’s pathetic – also only played 2 games before boredom set in.
9/14/03
Breakfast – 1st year for someone – went to main shopping drag – very interesting – seemed to be more of a main whole sale thing – lots of pearls, gemstones, etc. Got necklaces for more goodie bag stuff
Dim sum – VV good – shrimp dumpling – crab dumpling – green beans – shrimp, leek, rice wrap
Good (??) meal – then shopping with Karen and Carolyn (Leslie with Em who napped and had cereal) (and ignore scary ??) – teashop – out of containers but [went back and ] bought lots – Ladybug corner – took (??)
Got stuff for Em and Allie tomorrow – some for Kristen and Sara (?) then to Ben’s Gallery – bought scroll, Karen and Carolyn bought pictures too.
Dinner at Cow & Bridge – noodles, strog (?) beef (made ??) – tofu – omelet – broccoli – greens – spring rolls – missed green beans – Shanghai noodles – fried rice
Back to teashop – no MC – needed to get $
9/15/03
Rainy rainy day – low key – went to Ladycorner Tea Shop – got tea and some stuff for Allie, Kristen and Sara – then low key – until consulate visit – very lame – essentially asked if told the truth – yes – and that was it
The NIH (Bruce and Cindy) people asked us to dinner – went to Cow & Bridge – noodle, tea and green beans
Lots of (??) changes including (??) abd shrimp chips – very annoying – contesting some of it – went back – Em had cold – slept in stroller
9/16/03
Em sick – very cranky – giving her Tylenol – sleep – last minute shopping – went to Sherry’s – bookmark and another T-shirt (??) then picture time – no Leslie because Em is sick – went to get P/U (??) – not ready
Went to (?? ??) – had woman who butted in front of us with a yeast infection – she couldn’t communicate it to Dr. – very concerned – probably thought it was VD/STD of some sort – then kid in with noits and had to get weird Chinese bath and some purple think – yuck!
Doctor saw Em – said fever due to cold and needed “shot” in case of (??) but could not tell us what the shot was – Leslie asked if antibiotic – but wasn’t – some herbal scary stuff and then Doctor said to also take Tylenol to bring fever down (so the question Leslie and I have is why bother with voodoo Chinese shot?) Em got shot and then weird Chinese medicine prescription – one antibiotic powder, one tea for cold, another for cold and then mixed stuff up for fever. Nurse took some stuff ground them in a mortar and pestle (without cleaning), concoct a powder then poured (without measuring) into 5 packets – put mortar and pestle back without cleaning. Costs Leslie 190 Yuan, about 25 bucks – she paid and did not intend to use voodoo Chinese medicine. Back to picture…took pictures for others then no (??) ready but got fans for Allie BD and present for Leslie. Went back for free drink – saw Leslie – had drinks at bar and got peanuts/peas mis, etc. went back to get bookmarks – they were eating dinner
Packed and gave Holt stuff and prunes to some woman – fruit to couple with 2nd kid – very nice – diapers to NIH people
Back to hotel – Em cranky – got some milk and (??)
Jennifer – scroll hanging – bargained – 1st told 10 Yuan – went to pay and told 15 Yuan each – got original price – also ran into couples going to dinner (Heidi/Gary, Hawaiian people and Max and couple with Mom)
9/17/03
Got ready – Leslie up at 3:45 thinks it is 4:45 – wake up call is 5:00 – Em slept with me because so restless – we went back to sleep.
Up at 6:00 – on to breakfast – forgot Alan $ – had to return to get it – make speed in bus to Guangzhou – got carry on pulled – had to check in – went to HK and not through (also ?? pulled) – hot, muggy. Bad bus ride – walk up ramp
Em quiet
To HK – had to get carry on through arrival – immigration – health check and then got bag going departing (??) and VA boarding – but then pulled again for (??) (?? ?? ?? ??)
Got to gate and got Leslie her Starbucks – lulled an hour – got on plan – Em floppy and very restless – labored breathing – slept on and off most of the way (veg medley – not bad – love the noodle soup – rice, noodles (?) pasta) no infant meal – Em would not eat – gave her water with syringe (?) dehydrated – stop-over in Edmonton because sick man had a heart attack
Saw 5 movies: Holes, Renee Z Falling in Love, Bruce Almighty, Daddy Daycare, Whale Rider
Kept falling asleep with tapes
Got to Chicago – missed our connecting – rush through immigration – Em had special one (per Leslie stupid and useless) got bags went to customs – gave bags to United to BWI – thought next flight at 6 or so rushed – securit was (?) long (left diet coke on luggage trolley!)
Got to gate – forced way on – thought we had booked on next flight to National
Get to BWI – no fanfare – called Bill (talked to Jeanne Miller) – he was at National – then he got to BWI – Allie had signs for Em (Bill had one for me).
Found out should have called Bill and he made DCA (??) (not UA) – home – unpacked!
Now sick – cold on plane
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