May 2, 2013: 7:30pm, Beijing

May 2, 2013:  7:30pm, Beijing

Our China adventure has officially begun!  After a long, yet relatively easy flight to Beijing, we are settling in nicely.  We arrived earlier than the rest of our travel group, so there a little confusion trying to meet up with them once they arrived.  Our guide was almost ready to give up on us and take the rest of the group to the hotel without us, thinking we had already gone there on our own!  The good news is, Eric and I are very seasoned travelers, so we weren’t fazed.  We would have found our way, but glad we met up with everyone!  Our guide is adorable…he was giving us tips and answering questions all the way to our hotel.  Glad we didn’t miss that!  It’s a beautiful feeling having four other couples on this journey with us.  It’s nice to look in their eyes, and know we are all in one way or another having the same experience.  It’s a truly indescribable feeling.  We are still learning everyone’s name and story, but it’s a connection unlike anything else.  So far we have learned everyone is adopting a little girl this trip.  I’m surprised there aren’t any little boys being adopted actually.  Couple #1 has two bio children, and their new daughter is 3 ½.  Couple #2 has three bio children, and their new daughter is five.  Couple #3 does not have any other children, and their new daughter is 3 and will be their only child.  Couple #4 has one bio daughter, age 4 who is also on this trip with us.  Their new daughter is 21 months old. At 17 months old, our little tiger is the baby of the group.   Looking forward to staying in touch with this group, even after we part ways in China. 

Its funny…Beijing is a huge, huge city, with thousands upon thousands of people living in it, and yet it feels surprisingly calm and easy going to us.  We were expecting it to feel a little more like Tokyo with bright flashy lights, or Times Square with crowds of people pushing their way from place to place, but instead, it actually reminds us a lot of Chicago in a way…very laid back city with walking trails amidst high rise buildings.  It is a very smoggy city, but other than that, it feels clean.  The streets are not littered with trash or filth at all, and the people we have encountered thus far have been gracious, kind, and friendly. We walked around tonight, and there is a wonderful energy that fills the streets.  A little girl on the back of a motorbike waved and smiled at us.  She continued waving and smiling even after we waved and smiled back.  It was a precious moment.  We feel very at home here, and look forward to the day when we can bring little tiger, Zia Mei back here.  The food is delicious, as expected.  Tonight we opted to eat in the hotel.  They were serving a buffet, and we were in heaven.   Funny side note:  when we were seated, our server stood over us while we decided.  Literally stood over us until we spoke to her.  She was super friendly, it was just funny.  Once we said, “buffet,” she smiled and moved on.  They served an incredibly spicy pork dish, so of course Eric was in love.  Looking forward to a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.