First Day in Malaysia

Our flight was fine to Malaysia and we landed late at night.  Lin, Pin, and their Dad, L.H., picked us up at the airport and we headed to their house for the night.  In the morning, we packed a small bag, went out for breakfast and travelled a half an hour to this beautiful resort on the coast.

We were quick to hit the pool and enjoy a relaxing afternoon swimming.  Well, I should say the kids did.  I spent the afternoon on a lounge chair by myself reading and napping, in no particular order.  It was heavenly.

Amy and Anna are really enjoying Chen Chen, Lin and Pin's little nephew who is the same age as Anna.  They were all excited to have someone new to play with.

After a wonderful day at the pool and playing on the beach, we went for dinner and then took in some of the market shopping nearby.

Last Afternoon in China

Mei Mei and Xiu Hong posed for pictures.  I'm actually surprised and pleased at how easily Anna went to Xiu Hong.

 This picture says it all.

As we were waiting in the lobby for the van to take us to the HK airport and the girls decided they needed their pictures taken on their "Chinese throne".

 I'm not sure if all Chinese Princesses fall asleep on their thrones though.

Good Bye Xiu Hong

During breakfast, Bruce received a call from Xui Hong to say she was coming over to see us off.  She and her son, Wei Jian, arrived an hour later with more lychee fruit, drinks and a few outfits for the kids.

She has been so kind to us, especially the girls, and we have really appreciated it.  I feel that Anna, like Amy with Popo, was loved, well cared for, and made to feel part of the family.  I am very thankful to her and her family for how they treated our daughter.  The funny thing is that Xiu Hong, I'm sure, would express similar thoughts over how we are treating her daughter.

That thought pretty much sums it up.

Of course, a few goofy photos were in order before they left.

Thank you again Xiu Hong.  It was a pleasure to meet you and your family.

We are now packed and awaiting the bellboy.  Next stop Malaysia!

The Park and McDonalds

Another hot and sunny day here in Shenzhen.  I don't even pay attention to what the temperature is here anymore, it's just hot.  The smog lifted this morning and we could actually see our view out of the window here on the 21st floor.

You can see the ocean and the causeway that connects Shenzhen to . . . . some place else.  Ships can barely be seen in the background.

We went to Xiu Hong's home this morning after breakfast to pick her and the kids up before it got too hot.  We were heading to a local park with rides but, unfortunately, the rides were all shut down for maintenance.  Instead, the girls all had a chance to stroll around and use their sun umbrellas, which was almost as much fun.

We were able to find a kiosk that sold bubbles and ice cream, and we indulged in both.

The little girls were so cute with their ice cream and bubbles, taking care not to get either on their fancy dresses.

Xiu Hong had pictures of Mei Mei on her phone when she was in their family.  She was able to print some off and give them to me.

Once the temperature began to hit unbearable levels, we headed for the cool and comfort of McDonalds.  The kids were all so excited to eat there and I've never seen such joy over the toys before.

Happy meal, happy kids.

After lunch we went back to the room for a nap and some down time which included a movie before bed.

I am so thankful that we changed hotels given the amount of time we have spent in the room.  It is so hot here, that we are really not going outside much at all.  We are all enjoying the cool and comfortable surroundings.  Thanks again Robbie.

Lunch with Anna's Foster Mother - July 11

The kids were up late last night after Carol took them to the pool, which meant I actually had to wake them at 9 a.m. so we could leave by 10 a.m. Kai Min, Xiu Hong’s eldest daughter, came to the hotel to show us how to get to her mother’s apartment.

Xiu Hong’s late husband built the very narrow five storey apartment building they live in and she takes in two foster children to supplement her income. She lives in the top floor apartment, her sister lives on the fourth floor and there are paying tenants living on the second and third floors. On the main floor, there is a very small drug store operated by her sister and niece. The family appears to be much more comfortable than Popo but, as the sole bread winner, Xiu Hong still struggles.

Xiu Hong’s apartment has air conditioning, which seems to be a rarity in the average apartment in Shenzhen. There is wooden living room furniture and a television in the main room, one bedroom with a large bed and a computer and a washing room with a clothes washer, a squatty and a small sink in the corner. There is a balcony with another sink, just like you would find in our washrooms, and space to hang clothes.

In her sister’s apartment there is a kitchen and a table in the main room along with a bedroom and the same set up for a washroom. They definitely share their spaces and make use of the air conditioning.

When we arrived, Xiu Hong produced some new hair ties and began to do Mei Mei’s hair. Of course, someone was a little jealous and soon had her hair done as well. 

Soon food began to arrive from the fourth floor and a not so "simple lunch" was offered along with some very refreshing, cold Tsingtao beer. It was all very relaxed and quite fun. The kids were all down on the fourth floor where they ate and played, supervised by the older girls. I was thinking how quickly Mei Mei adjusted to being there, running between the two apartments, when Xiu Hong commented that Mei Mei must remember being there given how she seemed to know where everything was.

After we ate, Xiu Hong produced a tea set and made tea for us in a very traditional manner. She stuffed the tiny pot with leaves and then proceeded to pour boiling water over them. As she poured the tea into tiny cups and then dumped the contents through the screened tray, she explained how she was just washing the leaves and warming the cups. The second pour was the best and the one to be consumed. It was all very fascinating and would have been great to get a picture of, but my camera battery died, hence the lack of pictures today.

We headed back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon and some down time. We then went up to the 24^th floor where there was a revolving restaurant for dinner. There was a huge buffet with a mix of both Eastern and Western food, a welcome change from our usual fare of traditional Chinese.

We were able to get a great view of Shenzhen and could see the ocean from where we were. The city is mainly flat with the odd small, vegetation covered mountain jutting out here and there. It is definitely picturesque, in places.

Once back in the hotel room, the kids piled into the tub for a great bubble bath. This was what I could see from where I was sitting at the desk composing this post. 

The see through shower/play room into the bath area makes for easy supervision. The plan is for an earlier night as we have a busy day planned for tomorrow.

Anna's Foster Mother - July 10

The day began with a move to a much more comfortable, cleaner and cooler hotel. Thank you to my wonderful husband for arranging it from halfway around the world.

Our first stop of the day was to the Bao’an Social Welfare Institute, where Anna spent a number of her early months. There were three women who took us on a tour, two of whom we had met before when we were there in early December of 2010. This was one of the two stops on our trip that I was worried about, but Mei Mei did amazingly well. I had spent the last ten days talking about how we were going to visit, but that she would be coming back to the hotel with me and then home to Daddy. I told stories about a Daddy, a big brother and big sister at home missing two little girls. I described an empty little girl’s room, that looked suspiciously like Anna’s, excited to have its owner back.

I think she got the hint that she was not staying, as was her worry previously.

We toured the building, seeing the school run by an American woman, as well as children and babies napping. It was difficult seeing children Anna and Amy’s age who did not have a family. The baby room was tough too, as Anna spent at least six months there before she went to her foster mother. I imagined her on the foam floor in the baby play room taking her first steps without a mommy or daddy to cheer her on. At least this SWI seemed to have money and toys for the children to play with. It could have been much worse.

We met two nannies who looked after Mei Mei when she was known as XinShuang and they seemed very excited to see her, especially one of them. She was just beaming and kissed her a number of times and when we left, there were tears glistening on her face. She kept on saying thank you for bringing her back and telling Bruce how much she had grown. If Anna had to be in an orphanage, I’m glad it was this one.

The SWI served us a simple lunch and, after some photos, we were on our way to the new hotel. The kids decided this was the best hotel yet, which it is, but mainly because they get their own room. I haven’t told them yet that I’d like to have a shower in their room tomorrow morning and they need to move out for a bit.

A nap was in order for the Littles before Anna’s foster mother, Xiu Hong, and her children came to our room. And, when they did, my second worry was diminished as well. Anna, of course, spent the first half an hour in my arms, but she slowly warmed up and eventually went to everyone. What was so reassuring was that Xiu Hong told me that Mei Mei did the same thing to her; Mei Mei wanted to be carried all the time and only she could hold her.

Xiu Hong arrived with her two foster daughters, who just happened to both be six. Amy was in her glory and the kids all had a blast playing with each other. She also brought her eleven year old son, her sixteen year old daughter as well as her sister and her niece. Her nineteen year old daughter, who spoke some English, joined us during dinner. I never got the chance to ask Bruce how the One Child Policy was skirted, but I will.

Xiu Hong also arrived bearing gifts in the form of two beautiful dresses for the girls. As well, she had bags of fresh lychees, small tree branches and leaves still attached, and a smaller sweeter version of a lychee, of which I was never sure of the name. Whatever it was, the kids loved them.

We were in the room looking at photos and chatting for about an hour before we headed down to the restaurant for dinner. Anna was so cute and insisted that she sit between "Old Mama" (me!) and "New Mama" (Xiu Hong). Technically, I think it should have been the other way around, but I let that go.

The six year olds had a wonderful time. I don’t think the two little girls knew what hit them, as they were both within four to six weeks of joining Xiu Hong’s family and had always lived in the SWI. One little girl would let out a little squeal of delight and clap her hands every time a dish was brought out, especially if there were flower garnishes. In the end, the girls stripped all the dishes of their garnishes and took the flowers home in take out containers. They were really adorable.

Mei Mei took a liking to heads – as in chicken and goose! Amy took the head of the chicken as a joke, but when she gave it to Anna and Anna started to actually eat it, I have to admit I was a little grossed out, especially when she started chewing around the eye. Yuck.

Dinner was fabulous. It was much more relaxed than Popo’s dinner and the smaller group made it easier to talk to people. What touched me the most was that Xiu Hong, again, seemed to genuinely care for Mei Mei. During dinner, I would catch her watching her with a little smile on her face. She would feed her and gently wipe her mouth. And watching her with her two six year olds was unlike most parents here and their abrupt ways. She would talk to them quietly, smile at them, and stroke their hair. As we were waving them off, Mei Mei called out "Bye Bye Mama" and Xiu Hong began to cry.