Meeting the Neighbors

Last night was interesting enough that I wanted to share. We met up with 3 other families adopting in our group. These three families are all adopting for the first time. One family is having their first child tomorrow. There mother is here with them. The second family has 3 boys and is adopting a little girl. And the third has 3 boys in college and they are starting over with a 2 year old! We all went to Wal-Mart together last night. It was such a surreal experience, watching everyone hunt for things they don't know if they need or not. We are all nerves and excitement.  And tomorrow we all become parents together. Such a bizarre experience to meet someone and to know in less than 24 hours you will share is on of life's most intimate moments.

We will all receive our babes at the same time, in the same room, with a massive gamut of experiences. We will spend the next two weeks together as we sign paperwork, travel around and learn to bond with our little ones. And then we all go our separate ways. There are really hardly words for this experience.

There is also a couple going with us that live in the area. They are considering adoption and wanted to see what tomorrow brings. I will be interested to get their perspective. On a brighter note...they helped us order dinner last night, which was such a gift. Eating really is one of the hardest experiences of this trip. Very few people speak English (I sure don't speak Chinese!) so trying to order looks more like a comedy sketch. So it felt good to sit with locals and not feel like such a foreigner...at least for 5 minutes. 

Chongqing Day 1

Hello all...let me say thanks for praying. We had a wonderful, uneventful flight. We are in Evan's province and thankful to be here. We have been wondering around, taking in the sights and sounds. So much culture that the locals take for granted but we are oohing and awing over. We have walked around a mall, found a grocery store and even had McDonald's for lunch.

There is an odd American representation. American music playing everywhere, American t-shirts, stores with American names. But very few speak English. The few conversations we've had are pretty one-sided...on both sides. But everyone has a smile to share. That has been pleasant.

So tomorrow is a big day! At 1pm our local time, we get our baby...so 9pm PST. We cherish your prayers and will have much to share tomorrow. For now, I'll leave you with a Chinese/American sweater we found in a store. It made me giggle.