1. We flew over the North Pole instead of the Pacific Ocean to get here! We passed within about 100 miles of the actual North Pole, which lead us to question- what time is it at the North Pole?
2. The air temperature while we were flying hit as low as -50 degrees F. In the negative 40s, there is a point where degrees C and F are the same! (-43? -46? Can't remember... bonus points to the first person who Googles it and posts in a reply!)
3. You haggle EVERYWHERE in China. We went into a store in Beijing and asked about the price of a camera (this store was roughly equivalent to Target) and were told 2300 Yuan. We said "no thanks", and immediately the sales person came back with "2100?" We weren't prepared for haggling at "Hyper Market"!
4. "No Smoking" signs are completely optional. People smoke everywhere- in restaurants, in the elevator, in the hotel lobby... when they see you carrying a small child, they sometimes try to hide the cigarette at their side to be more discreet about it. Sometimes.
5. There are two types of people we've encountered: people who are very friendly and kind, and don't mind foreigners coming to their country and slowing things down while they try to convert American dollars to Yuan in their head... and then there are the... others. One guy saw us coming towards the elevator the other day, and I saw him (in true George Costanza fashion) push the 'close door' button as fast and often as he could. When I stuck my free arm into the door just before it jammed shut, he grimaced at me. Of course, I smiled even bigger in reply. I rolled the dice that Chinese elevators operated under the same rules as American ones in that they won't slam shut on a person... I was glad to be right.
6. China has, by far, the most insane traffic in the world. We've been in NYC cabs during rush hour, and that is NOTHING compared to traffic here. I know, you think you have seen some crazy traffic. Unless you've been to China, you haven't. It's unbelievable that people aren't dying by the dozens as everyone (including police) ignore all stop signs, road markings and basic rules of safe driving to get from point A to point B. Mary said that the taxi ride to WalMart the other day was even worse than the bus rides, which I find incredible.
7. Power is a luxury here. We rode in an elevator at the Consulate building from the first floor to the 26th floor. We were packed in like sardines, and there was no light in the elevator. Yes. That's right. No light. An attendant inside the elevator with us carried a flashlight so he could see what number to push. It was one of the scarier moments of the trip thus far. When we visited the museum the other day, they had no heat (all the doors were open, even though it was probably about 35 F outside) and only a few lights were on throughout the building.
8. Gracie doesn't like baths, although she's getting used to them. She has had three baths in four days, which may be more than she had in the last four months. According to one of the coordinators, there is no heat in the orphanage, and babies get bathed about once a month there.
9. When something at the buffet is labeled "chicken knees", that's not a euphemism. They are super crunchy, and that's because of all the cartilage! We avoided altogether the fried octopus and ox stomach. Of course, this is at the hotel buffet, where they try to make it more agreeable to Western tastes... we have eaten a LOT of banana bread on this trip. It's at every breakfast and dinner buffet, and it's just like back home. Thus far, we've only consumed 2 Tums, 1 Gas Ex and 1 Immodium between us. That's not a bad batting average thus far. And while instant coffee isn't bad, I'm starting to jones for a large coffee with cream and sugar from Tim Hortons.
10. The people who warned us that the fashion police were out in full force were not kidding. People keep telling us that Gracie doesn't have enough clothes on... the kicker was yesterday, when the housekeeping lady (who is really nice) came in and saw Gracie in her onesie, and nearly fainted. She grabbed her and started telling us that she needed at least three layers of clothes, and almost started rummaging through our bags in a panic to get more clothes on the child. By the time she left, Gracie had on two layers and was wrapped in a thick blanket, and this seemed to set her mind at ease. We made sure when she came back today that Gracie was similarly attired...
And now to your questions...
What's the rest of your trip going to be like?
Thanks for asking. We get Gracie's passport and finalize some adoption paperwork this afternoon. We fly to Guangzhou to Beijing on China Air Flight CZ 3626 tomorrow at 5:00, arriving at 6:20. Of course, this means that the flight is probably at 4:10 and arrives at 5:00. We have Gracie's medical exam and Visa picture done on Saturday. We do some touring on Sunday and Monday (including a trip to a Buddhist temple to get a blessing on our babies!). We take a group oath on Tuesday and receive her Visa on Tuesday. Wednesday, we start Gracie World Tour 2009, jetting from Guangzhou to Beijing (leaving at 9:25 AM Beijing time), flying from there to Chicago (leaving Beijing at about 4:15 PM Beijing time), and after a short layover in Chicago, head back to Buffalo to arrive late Wednesday night (Buffalo time).
Why does Gracie have little scratches on her forehead?
Gracie had never seen or used her hands (since they were bundled up in her jacket, halfway up the sleeve all the time), and before we got a chance to cut her nails, she scratched up her forehead... so we immediately cut her nails and started putting A+D ointment on at night... and she's almost fully healed up now, and looking all pretty!
And now, some pictures!
It's -40F = -40C.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Gracie for getting awesome parents!
Love,
John, Karen, Zach, & Matt