Arrival in Hefei, Anhui

We awoke at 3am at Beijing's Poly Plaza hotel in order to have our checked luggage ready for the porters to take to the airport....and I use the word "awoke" lightly! STILL not sleeping!! I fall fast asleep only to wake up 1.5 hours later thinking I had been asleep for hours!!! I think it is adrenaline and it is gonna be hell when it stops!!

We left the hotel at 515a for our 715a flight to Hefei (rhymes with buffet) with our group of 4 families plus some of the other families that are going on to other provinces. In just a few short days, we have all learned each other's names and stories...it's remarkable to be sharing this with so many wonderful people. We certainly tackled the highlights of Beijing in the 48 hours we were there. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to see if again when it is green and warm....maybe in 40 years or so!

The flight on Air China to Hefei (Anhui's provincial capital) seemed to take about 2 minutes compared to the Chicago-Beijing flight but it was only an hour and a half. You could tell right away we were not in Kansas anymore!! The smog here is just as bad as Beijing and it is gray all over. It is still a huge city by our standards but not considered to be large by China standards. The luggage popped right up and we were on our way with our guide, Michelle, in charge. Soo very thankful for her.

The Holiday Inn Hefei Downtown is pretty nice. The views are disappointing because we overlook the Yellow River which is actually sorta green. The old buildings look like dirty 1900 industrial factories; they may very well be. But we are thrilled with the soft beds and the purified drinking water in the bathroom. My hands are raw from using Purell for 4 days, so this purified water is a luxury because I can wash my hands with soap again! There was a stroller and a crib in our room and Tricia's room is right across the hall. We checked out the indoor swimming pool, the fitness room, the playground and a 24 hour noodle restaurant (ask Garrett about his spicy meat pasta noodles)! We think we will be just fine here this week!

I tried to lay down for a nap at about 1030a to no avail. But it was nice to just relax. It feels like I am coming down from my 4 day adrenaline rush, which might be the thing I need to sleep tonight. Julee worked on her journal and I unpacked some of Chelsee's things in preparation for Gotcha Day tomorrow. Michelle had our last piece of original paperwork from the CCAA for us; the Letter of Approval to Travel (TA). We had to make copies of this and also of my visa page on my passport now that it has been stamped. With these two papers and the original Power of Attorney from home, I will be able to prove that I am the parent intending to adopt little Miss Lu Fu Mei. Gotcha Day is all about the child - not paperwork! I will sign one piece of paper tomorrow that says I have permission to keep this child overnight. Then on the following day, March 3, I will sign lots of legal, formal adoption papers.

Our whole group took a 10 minute walk to the nearby shopping area. It is busy with people and merchants not unlike some of the streets in New York's Chinatown. If we had never been to NYC, this would all be too overwhelming...there are sooo many people here. It still is quieter than I imagined but we are being stared at every where we go. Being in the minority is always sobering. The kids especially are fascinated by the stares...Julee says she is not sure she loves it or hates it.

Michelle gave us some important advice for tomorrow's Gotcha Day: Try to be calm so your baby will be more calm. And no matter what, it will all be ok! I still can not believe that at 1030a tomorrow morning (9:30p Sunday night in SC), I will be meeting my little girl. Julee has been calling today "Big Sis Eve" and I asked her if it feels like Christmas Eve and she replied, "Better!"






Air China from Beijing to Hefei





On a clear day in Hefei...



...you can not see forever