Running with the Bull...all the way to Nanjing PHOTOS

After today, we have experienced every mode of public transportation in China…on our own! I keep saying “on our own” because that is a huge undertaking for a family with two young children and eight pieces of baggage.

We thought we had a good feel for Shanghai… until we actually boarded Shuttle Bus Number 5 for the Shanghai Train Station. Even as we rode past Century Park and the front door of the tallest buildings in China, we felt comfortable. However, as we traveled farther into the heart of Shanghai with its endless rows of high-rise apartment buildings and KFCs on every corner (similar to Walgreens in the States) we found that feeling of comfort slipping away from us.

My first thought as we approached the Railway Station was “Please don’t let us out here.” When we stopped, the bus was immediately surrounded by people wanting to sell us watches, drive us to Nanjing by taxi or bus, and those just trying to get on the bus. Troy laughed at me because he heard me repeatedly saying “No…No…No…No” before I even got OFF the bus. And, again…Lyvie was the “ice breaker.” She truly didn’t know what to think of it all, even when one overzealous hawker grabbed her sides from behind to tickle her. Oh…did Papa Bear come out then! Major BU HAO!!! Papa Bear had a 40 pound piece of luggage that he was about to plant upside this man’s head…single handedly.

Hang on tight! WE'RE GOIN' IN!!

Once we got in the actual station, things calmed down a little bit. I just can’t find the words to describe it. Sunday afternoons must be the time to travel, as there was a sea of people waiting for their trains. We searched for a place to light during our two hour wait. Talk about another Conehead moment…a family of four Americans amidst a sea of thousands of Chinese! One man, yet again, ran right into the gate while gawking at my gargantuan husband. Another young man passed up an empty row of chairs to sit right next to my little Goldilocks. We took all of this in stride. After what we’d just been through, a little staring wasn’t going to shake our nerves.

Waiting for our train
(The photo is a little fuzzy so you get the full effect of Troy's mental status!)

Twenty-five minutes before the train arrived, people began to line up. We prepared ourselves for the running of the bulls…I mean passengers. Once in the comforts of our first class coach, you could see the relief wash over our faces.

A much more relaxed Troy

For the next two hours, we did a little “sightseeing.” There were countless apartment buildings, coal mines, and fields along the way. Jiangsu could be best described as “coal mine country.” I thought the sky was just hazy, until I counted my thirtieth smoke stack in about five minutes. It is, as a matter of fact, one of Jiangsu’s well known resources. What amazed me most were the fields amidst the industry. These little patches of green were the little oasis for my frazzled nerves. I’ve always loved being outdoors. It’s where my soul can be nurtured and my energy replenished, much like Superman receives his from the sun. (Can you tell that Superman was on HBO the other night?) I didn’t realize how vital it was until I did not have it at my disposal. I actually found myself tensing each time we passed the ruins of apartment buildings and industrial parks.

Outside the city of Nanjing

We stepped out of the train station, searching for our guide. I caught glimpse of GWCA’s green flag and immediately felt relief wash over me. We had made it! And, now…we were no longer on our own. Kelly took us to the Parkview Dingshan Hotel and helped us get settled. (Wow! You mean our guide will actually help us do this? We’ve been on our own for four days and now we were being spoiled!) The hotel room is wonderful. And, the creaking of the wooden floors reminds me of my family’s old homestead.

So, here I sit…sipping “yellow label” tea and gazing at the crib that is next to my bed, knowing that tomorrow is THE day! I’ve watched other families bring home their beautiful babies and been overwhelmed by the emotion of it all. And, now… it’s time for our dream to become reality and be swept away.

Exactly twelve hours to Adam!!! God is good… ALL the time!

Lots of love from Nanjing…

-- Robyn

Just a walk in the park... PHOTOS

"So much wonder

Carved in your coral seas
So much wonder
Shaded by ancient trees
I consider all that your hands have made
Every newborn’s eyes, every new sunrise
No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance"

What a difference a day makes! Today was an absolutely beautiful day, slightly overcast and breezy. We were unable to book the private tour of Shanghai for today, so we set out to explore on our own...this time feeling much more confident.

After a little research, we decided that we would visit Century Park. It is about the size of New York's Central Park and absolutely stunning. The subway was much busier than yesterday... with many more people and stares. Lyvie has an amazing gift to put a smile on anyone's face (just like a little Bug that I know) under most any circumstance. The staunch police in the subway couldn't resist a grin when Lyvie would peek through the window and wave at them. This little girl is absolutely comfortable wherever she goes!


While it is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Shanghai's metropolis, life within the park was quite serene. The park was filled with young couples and families delighting in the simplest of things...flying kites, riding along the brick paths on bicycles built for two (and three), pedaling their surrey bikes, fishing, blowing bubbles, and just enjoying each other's company. The Chinese have the ability to slow down and "smell the roses"... the same roses which we, as Americans, often mow over to forge a "short cut" which usually results in hurrying to wait in line.

Fishing on the beautiful lake of Century Park

A little bit of sunshine (notice the little Bug)

The flowers were in full bloom (notice the little Bug theme!)

Caring for the gardens... no John Deere here!

I found myself awake at 3:00 this morning already missing a city that I have come to love in this short amount of time. This has already been a life changing experience for me...changing the way I look at the world and my place in it. In eight hours, we will be boarding the train that takes us to Nanjing and one final step towards being forever joined with our son. We are so grateful for this road and child that He has chosen for us.

See you in Nanjing!

Good bye from Shanghai!

Rainy Days in Shanghai -- PHOTOS

Today’s adventure started with a wonderful breakfast buffet in the hotel. I immediately recognized some of the items from Sue’s and Arlie’s visit here. Troy really wants to try the fungus soup. Seriously! He did say that the “smocked salmon and tuna” were delicious. He wasn’t too keen on the soy bean juice. He said it tasted like burned sesame seeds and plastic, and watered down skim milk with a hint of green bean. These are HIS words! He made sure to tell me that the “burned” part was very important. The farthest I ventured into the cultural cuisine was bok choy and spicy noodles.

My Lyv and me after a filling breakfast at the hotel

The day started out beautifully, but quickly took a turn when we decided to leave the physical and mental comfort of our hotel. One of our goals for our time in Shanghai was to visit “downtown Shanghai” to see the famed skyscrapers we’ve seen built on the television show “Big Jobs.” Well… it turned out to be a BIG JOB for us!

We packed up our little (HA!) family…remembering to bring the essentials… and headed for downtown. First, we boarded the airport shuttle. Once in the airport, we found the Maglev that would take us to Line 2. We watched the speed climb to 430 km/h. (For all of my young blog viewers… here is the importance of knowing the metric system! The US is the only country that uses standard measurement (feet, miles, gallons, etc.) The girls really enjoyed this ride…sort of like Disney’s monorail on steroids.

When we stepped off the Maglev, we quickly realized that we are foreigners! The signs are written in both Chinese and English, but following them seemed to be the issue. I thought Line 2 was going to be a bus, but the symbol was for the subway. Troy’s maiden voyage on a subway was going to be in Shanghai! (At least I’d been to Underground Atlanta.) Just getting through the turnstiles was a challenge. These are the details that no one seems to share. Who would think to ask it anyways?

As we sat on the subway, I began to feel like the Coneheads. At the first stop, a family walked on and the little boy started slapping his mom on the knee and pointing at us. The entire car started watching us. What do you do? We just smile! Even though she was prepared for it, poor Maddie was so uncomfortable with all of the stares from the young men. I think I have fingernail marks on my arm! Lyvie was being her charming little self, trying her Chinese language skills on everyone she met. Watching them look at Troy was the most comical. At 6’5” he towers over most people in the States. Can you imagine how he feels here? People would walk by him and size him up from toe to head. One poor guy ran right into a post because he couldn’t get over Goliath on the subway.

Once we got off at our stop and fumbled through the turnstiles again, we walked right into a rainstorm! It was like a Pacific Fay. (By the way, the best time to try your bargaining skills is NOT for an umbrella while it’s raining!) One thing about Shanghai is that construction and traffic stops for no one. The only thing standing between us and our skyscrapers was a block of construction, a deluge and some very crowded streets. We passed through the Shanghai Expo 2010 site…a beautiful park setting amongst dozens of skyscrapers. I was fine as long as I could be in these green areas. Watching the koi seemed to calm my frayed nerves. They didn’t seem to mind that it was raining!


We got to a barrier that we just couldn’t cross… a flooded corridor surrounded by construction barriers. Sadly, we’d reached the end of our journey. We were so close, yet so absolutely far away. Just as a last tease, we looked over at the Shanghai World Financial Center to see the clouds flowing between floors 94 and 1oo. What an amazing sight that was!

Troy in front of Shanghai's World Financial Tower (left) and Jin Mao Tower

Retracing our steps back to the hotel was much easier. Once we got back to the airport, we had our first dinner in China at Burger King! The menu is a little different, but we all voted that it tasted better here than at home.

Maddie is VERY happy now that she found chicken nuggets!

One more ride on the hotel shuttle and we were back in our comfort zone… and very worn out! No need for Benadryl…Lyvie was asleep by 8 PM (just like the rest of us.) Unfortunately it’s not much different than home. I’m up at midnight and on the computer and “working on the work” for my class.

Two and a half days until we have Adam in our arms! I checked our updated itinerary from our agency and found out we’ve got a fourth family joining our group in Nanjing. Another XuZhou baby is coming home!!! It is so nice that one of Adam’s little friends is joining him on his journey home. I don’t know much other than his friend’s name (Fu Tian); but, for my XZ family, I’ll let you know as soon as I find out!

My email has been acting strange. I can read them, but can’t reply to them! Rest assured, I have read each and every one. It’s comforting to know that home is just a “left click” away.



“Where in the World is Mrs. Church?” Day 5 Question

Roundtrip Maglev tickets: 80 yuan
Roundtrip Subway tickets: 24 yuan (plus 3 yuan for the ticket Troy lost)
Dinner at Burger King: 80 yuan
Not getting lost in Shanghai: PRICELESS

One American dollar is equal to roughly 7 Chinese yuan (also known as the RMB.) How many yuan did we spend on our tour of Shanghai today? How much would that cost in American dollars? Explain how you arrived at your answer. (HINT: I hope you remember your division skills!) And, don’t forget… have Ms. Adams save all of your “Where in the World” work in one folder so you can share your great work with me when I get home! Miss you!!!

We made it to Shanghai... PHOTOS

Welcome to Shanghai!

We are officially in China. And, all of our luggage is too. Yay!!! Most of the trip was very uneventful (no funny Lyvie stories to tell…imagine our surprise!) For my students that are reading this… we flew over the Northwest Territories of Canada and Alaska on the way here…seeing Mt. McKinley from 34, 000 feet. When we woke up over the western Pacific Ocean, the skies were absolutely breathtaking. It was the most beautiful shade of blue I’ve ever seen; pictures and words just can’t capture it.

Over the Western Pacific Ocean

The flight from Tokyo to Shanghai receives the award for nicest plane and the most turbulent. Those puffy white clouds certainly are nice to look at, but not nice to fly through; we had plenty of time to do both! For all of my hometown viewers…it was 2 hours and 31 minutes of crossing downtown’s “Tickle Tummy.”

The view from 34,000 feet above Japan.
(Yes, that's ice on the window and we flew through the dark sky above us!)

I could not wait to get checked into the hotel. The first thing I wanted to do was call home and let my mom know that we’d gotten here with everyone (and everything) still intact. I’ve been blessed to follow a lot of journeys to China since March, but nothing prepares you for the heightened emotions of experiencing it first hand. The word “surreal” keeps coming to mind because it is almost like a dream. Exactly five months prior to setting foot on Chinese soil, we found out about the little boy waiting for us to bring him home. And, now… we’re in his homeland. Just last week, I was kayaking through the Fay flooded streets. Today… I am the farthest point I could be from my home and three days from holding that little boy in my arms.

Our goal over the next few days is to just relax and rest up for the big day. We aren’t scheduled to leave until Sunday when the train departs for Nanjing. I’m definitely taking your advice, Sue! It sounds like I won’t be getting much rest after Monday.

I promise to post pictures as soon as my techno hubby wakes up!



For my Fabulous Fifth Graders:

You all traveled so well! It was wonderful to hear from you guys (even though Mrs. G called us at 2:15 in the morning.)  Not to worry… I wouldn’t miss hearing from you all. You are in good hands with Ms. Adams and Mrs. Godwin…but can’t wait to get back and introduce you to Adam! I miss you guys already.

For Day 4’s “Where in the World is Mrs. Church?” question, you will need to do a little math! So, here goes…

Shanghai has an amazing skyline and some of the tallest buildings in the world. One of most recognized is the Oriental Pearl Tower and the newest Shanghai World Financial Center.

Create a bar graph comparing the heights of some of the most well known building in Shanghai…
Jin Mao Tower: 421 meters
Shanghai World Financial Center: 492 meters
Plaza 66: 266 meters
Oriental Pearl TV Tower: 468 meters
Peace Hotel: 77 meters

When you are finished, I would like you to write five statements about what the graph shows, such as… “The _______ Tower is _____ meters taller than the _________.”

Have Ms. Adams place all of these “Where in the World” questions together in one folder and staple a few on our bulletin board. I want to see the amazing work you’ve been doing while I’m gone!

And we're off.... PHOTOS

All our bags are packed...we're ready to go!
The next time we're in this room, it will be with Adam!

Well... we're officially beginning our transcontinental journey to Adam! We spent last night in the Hyatt Regency hotel, watching the airplanes take off from the pool. What an anniversary present that was for us! Nana and Gra made it home safely through Orlando rush hour traffic (and from what I hear... may have hair that's a little more gray today!)

At the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport Hotel

None of us could sleep! I can't imagine why. :-) Mads and I walked the airport terminal for a few hours before checking in. I must say... the lines were not nearly as bad as we expected! We ended up leaving on time and are now sitting in Minneapolis.

I must admit that the emotions hit full speed as the wheels came off the ground. It was then that I truly realized that we are on the way. This journey that began so long ago has finally taken flight. The girls did well on the first leg of the trip...separated, of course. Just as my eyes dried, Lyvie gazed out the window as we pierced through the clouds and said "You think we might see Katy in these clouds? I think this is what heaven looks like." Out of the mouths of babes.

I can't wait to download our photos so far and share this with you all...every step of the way. Each of you is such an important part of our lives and we can't imagine it any other way. Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes.

To all of my XuZhou mommies... you and our XuZhou darlings are all right here with me! I'm so glad we can share this. Kristen... Lian's care package is packed safely next to me.



More to follow soon... our China bird awaits us!!!

Maddie and Lyvie in front of our home for the next 12 hours
(Minneapolis to Tokyo)

Four days and counting...

I can't believe that we are this close to hopping on a plane and following our red thread to China. I received one last update on Adam before he is placed in our arms. I sent the following questions to the SWI along with a photo of our family and received the answers this morning.

Our "lucky cedar" (as his name translates) is a very active little boy. He loves hugs and playing with his toys. Adam's closest friend is a most adorable little girl named Chu Lian. Their cribs are right next to each other and they frequently play together. He likes his powdered milk and noodles, as well as yogurt drinks.

Our little guy doesn't like sudden sounds and is afraid of strange surroundings and people. How frightening it will be for him when we finally become a family. We're praying that we'll be able to calm his fears.

We also learned more information about where our son was found. I truly needed to know this information so that we'll be able to answer his questions as he gets older. I won't go into too many details; but, I will say that our son's parents cared a great deal about him. He was one month old when he arrived at XuZhou, which tells me that his parents tried to care for their child to the best of their ability. They knew he needed special care and took great risk to make sure that their child would be found quickly. I am so thankful to them, and the nurse who found our son. (We've been blessed with her name, as well.) I cannot even begin to express my feelings for these individuals. I hold them all close to my heart.

This is such an emotional journey. I am filled with excitement, nervousness, fear, love, joy, sadness... the list could go on and on. I'm packed and ready to go! And, as Steven Curtis Chapman's song suggests....

I'm just going to breathe it in and breathe it out...savoring the miracle of every moment with which God has blessed me.


Four days until China
and
Ten days until Forever Family Day

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho... It's back to work I go!

There's something exciting about going back to school.... the smell of new crayons and freshly sharpened pencils, picking out folders and lunch boxes, and receiving that special letter addressed to you telling you who your teacher will be.

Things aren't much different for teachers. I'm one of the first ones at the stores for the back-to-school sales. I just love it! And, like the children... I truly enjoy picking out my new lunch box every year (much to my husband's dismay.) Of course, the most exciting time is getting my special letter telling me who my students will be for the year.

Today marked my first day back for the new school year. There was such a positive charge in the air, as we all spent the first hour catching up on our summer adventures. My summer adventure, however, is truly just beginning! While others were engrossed in Personal Development and resource schedules, I found my mind a "half a world" away. And, like any teacher... I was working ways to take my new 5th grade darlings with me too. Stay tuned for how I take 20 students with me on our life changing experience!

Plane tickets...CHECK!

Check one more thing off of the "To Do" List! We have our plane tickets and now know where we'll be stopping along the way.

Here's what it looks like so far! (Can you tell that I'm excited?)

Itinerary:

8/27 Leave Orlando ...with layovers in Minneapolis and Tokyo before arriving in Shanghai

8/28 Arrive in Shanghai (stay at Ramada Pudong Airport Hotel)

8/31 Leave Shanghai for Nanjing on the Express Train

9/01 Forever Family Day (meet our son!)

9/07 Fly to Guangzhou

9/08 Medical Exam

9/09 Consulate Appointment

9/11 Leave Guangzhou... with layovers in Tokyo and Detroit before arriving in Orlando!!!

Everyone...start your engines!

I can't believe that I'm actually getting to post this blog. A journey that began for me 18 years ago is about to take me to the other side of the world to meet my son!



Yesterday evening, we received an email stating that Travel Approvals had arrived. Today... we received our Consulate Appointment...September 9th! We leave for our baby boy's homeland on Wednesday, August 27th... 22 days from today! He should be placed in our arms on September 1st (China time).

My feet have yet to touch the ground since I received the call from our agency today. And, just so we are still reminded that God has His hand in all things... we received the call while I sat in the sanctuary of our church. How wonderful to be able to share our awesome news with our dearest friends who've been praying for and with us throughout this amazing adventure!

Tonight... we celebrate! Tomorrow...we shop!

Adam... 26 sunsets before the sun rises on our forever family day! And, forever our SON you will be. Mommy loves you "little monkey!"