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Our Trip
November 27, 2001 - Day Ten: Mission Accomplished click HERE for Day Ten Photos Paige’s Comments: No comments from Ann today as we are both wiped out, and she is coming down with the flu. Everything is GREAT, but we're just exhausted. But in a good way. Sophia slept NINE hours straight last night, and after the early wakeup in Beijing, nothing could have been a better gift. She rolled over a couple of times, made a mewing sound and then was out like a light. We got up this morning and had a buffet here at the Hilton. As a vegetarian, Ann is massively relieved that Chinese cuisine fits her needs. Sophia nibbled on eggs that I picked from my fried rice (fried rice; not just for dinner anymore) and went nuts on orange juice. After breakfast, we explored the hotel a little and Sophia crawled around the lobby a bit. Last night, while Ann unpacked, I took her for a swing into the lobby bar, and the lounge singer sang her "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." To say that she is a hit with the locals would be an understatement. More on that later. The Hilton has a huge spa, fitness club and pool area. Ann was smart and didn't tempt the Fates Of Flu further by going swimming, but Sophia donned her little swimsuit and joined me for a paddle around the large, circular, indoor pool. The kid is fearless. Now it's cool. When she's 16, we'll have our hands full. She has jumped right into this thing (the adoption and the change) with no qualms or crying. The only two times she's cried at all have been when we've wiped her nose. She has a cold, like all the other kids we saw in the orphanage nursery. John, our local guide, met us after lunch at the hotel buffet. Sushi and pastries. LOTS of pastries. I think the Chinese rival the Swiss for the love of things covered in frosting. A photographer joined us in the lobby and we all went back up to the room for our "official" family photo, which is now a part of our Permanent Record. They pulled the shades in our room, clothes-pinned a red cloth on it, and the new version of the Rinke-nabers were snapped against that background. On the drive to Changzhou yesterday I had commented to John about the large ponds with rows of tiny floats in them. These are freshwater pearl farms and after the pictures we headed over to a BEAUTIFUL local park, that also harvests and sells fresh water pearls. Nanjing is a fantastic city. And I'm not just saying that because my e-mails are probably being screened. It's the capital of Jinjsu province and has about six million people: a medium sized Chinese city. I could live here. Seriously. Tree lined streets that remind me of Georgetown. Also at the park, we hit their pearl store and the clerks grabbed the kid away from us and almost cried when they had to give her back. Part of adopting is making a donation or gift to the orphanage. For the other kids who aren't fortunate enough to be adopted. So John (who is the epitome of "lifesaver") took us to a "supermarket" in the downtown section of town, to load up on warm clothes for the kids. This place was literally three times the size of a Sams Club…and two levels. There must have been 15,000 people in there. I kid you not. And as Hammer would say, we turned that mother out. I think we've written about the general Chinese public's fascination/appreciation for the Americans who come over to adopt, and the kids they bring home. We'd seen that first hand when we saw that group of Italians get swarmed in Beijing. Imagine Mick Jagger strolling through a Sam Goody. He would not receive nearly the attention we did. At one point, John, Ann, Sophia and I literally shut down one department as a crowd four deep, gathered around us to see, touch and inspect the baby. China has some very unusual policies about photography, and our camera was taken away and "checked" at the main door. Thus, no pictures of the melee. To say that Ann enjoys keeping a low-profile in life would be an understatement. So what could I possibly do to torment her? How about taking John over to another aisle and abandoning her to a mob of Chinese women badgering her with questions. She'll get me back. It's just a matter of time. Most of the questions, as translated by John, pertained to whether we loved her and would take care of her, and also, and this is interesting, how could someone abandon a child so beautiful? Seriously. But the overwhelming sentiment is one of gratitude. People thanking us for being so kind and loving. It was a massively weird, but gratifying experience. The Chinese do harbor some suspicions of the U.S., which many perceive to be "too proud". But on one thing they're united; they love the fact that we are generous enough to travel half way around the world to find homes for their beloved children. While we were waiting for the cab back to the Hilton, Sophia's bowels finally kicked in. (Lots of #1's up to this point, but never the deuce.) I've never changed a #2 before. And I have been kind of scoffing at all of the warnings of dread that I've gotten. I mean, we've had lambs living in our kitchen, so it would take a lot to freak me out. I don't know what they were feeding her at the orphanage, but my guess is that it was algae-based. I'd laughed at Ann for packing all of our stuff in ziplock baggies. No longer. They're going to be put to GOOD use. Well,
that's it for the night. Sophia is miraculous. John, who handles
hundreds of adoptive couples a year, has marveled at her amazing
disposition and curiosity. Right now, Ann is sitting on the floor,
spoon feeding her apple sauce. Life is good.
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