James Lie: It's Official -- and Tomorrow we leave 10.22.08

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

It's Official -- and Tomorrow we leave 10.22.08

Hello all,

Apologies to everyone for not posting sooner. As expected, the whirlwind started as soon as we landed. Joe filled out loads of paperwork with our Guangzhou guide Lucy on Sunday. On Monday, we had the medical. Today we went sight seeing and then we had our consulate appointment. The consulate is on the 5th floor of a very nondescript building in a newer part of Guangzhou. Security was tight. We all walked up to a window so someone could match us to our passports then we all sweared that all of the information we provided was true and we heard a little speech about adoption and immigration from China.

Very nice, very noneventful considering the AMOUNT OF WORK AND WAIT it took to get that far. But alas, James's Chinese passport has a beautiful American visa in it. If all the flights go ok, when we land at JFK we will have to go through the immigrant line. That should be quite interesting.

SHaiman Island had been very nice. We always run into other adoptive families who are staying either in our hotel or another in this very nice part of Guangzhou. THere are lots of stores and shops that cater to adoptive families.

We have eaten every dinner here at Lucy's which has American food. It's been quite nice. And Yummy.

We did go to a garden this morning that was nice. But hot.

James is really a trip. He's VERY ACTIVE and can get quite wound up when he's not on schedule (like today due to consulate). His eating seems to be slowing so perhaps his other issues are coming out. He can be aggressive -- so I'll have to keep an eye on that part and work with him on it. I've learned gentle -- Wen Jo.

Either it's from being in an orphanage and being the tough guy on campus or from being 2 or all of the above.

So tomorrow is our travel day. We leave here at 5AM. That's 5pm your time. Our first flight is on Dragon Air operated by China Southern at 9:30AM from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. We are scheduled to land in Hong Kong at 10:15. Then we have the LLLLLLLLLLONG layover before the our 5:50 flight. Since we are leaving China technically when we leave Guangzhou (a hold over from British Colonialism), we will need to keep to the international part of the HOng Kong Airport. Here's hoping that the free Playstation store is operation and in the international zone.

Hong Kong is a very nice airport so I am looking forward to it in a sense. Everything is more western. Beijing and Chengdu were not western at all, Shaiman Island was more western, and Hong Kong more so.

It's been such an experience. Today, in the US eyes our adoption is official. That means China and the US both agree James is ours!. The next step is touch the ground at JFK and get through immigration. Then he's a citizen of the USA. WOOOOHOOO.

Our little fighter definitely still has cleft palate issues but it doesn't stop him. He just keeps going and going and he loves when Joseph gets him all wound up and they run through the halls of the hotel.

Well, I have to sign off for now. Jolie I am sorry I missed you!. I just got back to my blog today. Good luck tomorrow.

We love and miss all of you. If all goes well, we should arrive on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong on October 22, 2008 at 9pm. Don't try to figure out the timing -- it's too much with crossing the date line.

Take care, Kelly, Joe and Joseph

4 comments:

Unknown said...: 10.22.08! Congratulations!; October 21, 2008 at 9:39 AM
MicPhilly said...: I can't wait to see you!; October 21, 2008 at 10:11 AM
WriterChickNj said...: Hurray! Hurray!; October 21, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Kim said...: Congratulations!! It really is official now! It is all so amazing and so wonderful!
I'm so glad that the consulate appointment went smoothly.
Good luck with everything... the flights, the long layover and immigration. I can't wait to see all of you. I'll be thinking of all of you and wishing you luck. I really, really, really am so happy for all of you!

Lots of love!; October 21, 2008 at 4:10 PM

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About Chengdu

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, the most populous province in China (map). Sichuan means “Four Rivers,” referring to four of the more than 80 mighty rivers spilling across the province. There is much diversity in the Sichuan landscape - the east supports one of the densest rural populations in the world, the west rises in giant steps to the Tibetan plateau where green tea shifts to the Tibetan staple po cha (butter tea) and Confucianism shifts to Buddhism. In fact, Chengdu provides the main inland city access to Tibet.The remote mountains of Sichuan, bordering Gansu and Qinghai provinces, are the natural habitat of the giant panda, the shy animal that has become synonymous with China. Visitors gravitate to the Panda Breeding and Research Center located in Chengdu, which houses the world's only giant panda breeding and research center.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty (35-330 AD), the imperial court appointed an official to supervise the fast-growing brocade industry in Chengdu, which was then known as Jincheng, or Brocade Town. When it was discovered that the brocade turned brighter and fresher after being washed in a nearby river, the river was given the name Jin Jiang, or Brocade River.

Since ancient times, Chengu, which is surrounded by mountains in all directions, has tried to reach out to the outside world. As early as the third century, Chengdu had already opened the famous Southern Silk Road that started in the city and continued to the ocean. The earliest paper currency, Jiaozi (not the dumpling!), was first printed in Chengdu.

During the Five Dynasties era (907-960 A. D.), Chengdu was for a time the capital of China, and hibiscus was planted all along the city wall. Because of this, Chengdu became known as the City of Furong or Hibiscus. Today, flowers and trees grace the wide streets and the city’s many parks.
Agriculture and light industry are the mainstays of the region and brocade is still manufactured along with other textiles and handicrafts.

An old adage says China is the place for food, but Sichuan is the place for flavor. In Chengdu, visits can enjoy delectable Sichuan (often spelled Szechuan in the west) cuisine, the hot and spicy food known all over the world. Common preparation techniques in Szechuan cuisine include stir frying, steaming and braising, but a complete list would include more than 20 distinct techniques.

Sichuan pepper and chili pepper are some of the ingredients in two of the region’s signature dishes: MaPo DoFu, which is a spicy tofu with a meat sauce; and Gong Bao JiDing (known in the west as Kung Pao chicken) named after a Qing dynasty government official named Ding Baozhen who is said to have particularly enjoyed it. There are many conflicting stories about why Ding Baozhen favored the dish, including one that claims that a chef invented the finely chopped dish because Baozhen had bad teeth.

In Chengdu, chili is as common at mealtime as rice is across the rest of China. So is Sichuan pepper, known in Chinese as huājiāo (花椒; literally "flower pepper.”) Despite its name, Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper or chili peppers; it is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum.

Although many dishes live up to their spicy reputation, Sichuan cuisine also includes recipes that use little or no hot spices, including Tea Smoked Duck.

Despite its fiery cuisine, Sichuan is one of the most laid-back regions of China, where entire village populations lull about in teahouses, playing mahjong and gossiping. There is a saying that holds that the tea houses of Sichuan rank first in the world, while those in Chengdu rank first in Sichuan. Even in busy Chengdu, locals find time to shop, cook, eat, and spend hours relaxing and socializing in teahouses.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

It's Official -- and Tomorrow we leave 10.22.08

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