dates and changes and miracles

Tom is back in Taiwan for the final arrangements. Yeah!!! He met Han-han on Wednesday, we spent the night with him and miracles were worked on Thursday. As it was on paper, we get custody of the kids on June 18 in their home county and then didn't have an AIT appointment (US Immigration) until June 25, then maybe not get visas til 28th or 29th. YIKES....8 days with 3 small children in a hotel with a language barrier...I DON'T THINK SO! Everyone seemed slightly baffled by my concerns, but we went to AIT two days in a row, begged and pleaded (in the most polite gracious way, of course) and were able to get our appointment changed to Tuesday the 19th. So, on to arranging flights which is taking hours also since I'm on a different class of tickets etc. Bottom line, we should be able to fly out on the 20th IF a certain AIT computer machine works on Tuesday. So, pray for that!! There was a big party for Han-han when we got there Wednesday, so after it was over, we spent the evening with a mom and her 5 y/o daughter who was in the same orphanage as Han-han (she also fostered him on weekends for 6 months). It was a blast watching them together. This is a video of them running around in Taipei Main Station. He would NOT cooperate for a picture. GOTOVIDEO and another one of them singing--we haven't seen him much with other kids, so extra fun!! GOTOVIDEO

han-han eats ice

On certain days, I question the relative value of having come early to Taiwan...those days are the ones when flights have to be changed AGAIN because we have no final dates yet...visa, passport, change fees, space available?, and any other number of questions. Most days, I have been SO grateful we could do things this way, see the country, get to know people and culture and hopefully appreciate a little more where our little guys come from. No news on final ruling yet, passports are supposed to be done by today, medical next, but no indication of dates we'll be done.

(above, caregiver and her daughter with Han-han) Our visit with Han-han yesterday was just great. He's learning little bits of English: "more" for when we play airplane and fly him through the air. Because it was pouring rain, we didn't go to the park but hung around his house. We did a routine of pretending to go to sleep, then ride on my back to the living room, say hi to everyone, go back to the room, lock the door, hop off back, arrange blankets and then start it all over again...for at least 30 minutes.

We took him out to dinner--I think they must eat out a lot because I haven't seen much use of the kitchen. So Sam, Han-han and I set out for the food court. We passed by a decent looking pizza place and decided to stop there. The minute we sat down, I realized my brain had completely checked out. I was in a restaurant with a non-english speaking child with absolutely NO toys, books, etc to keep him busy.

Lucky for us (or unlucky as the case may be) we were right beside a "digital" mall with phones and computers to play games etc and those machines where you try to claw a stuffed animal out. Passed the time that way til the pizza was ready. He was perfectly happy with the pizza, trying to cut it with a knife and fork and holding it upside down, eating the crust end first.

Even better was eating ice. Pretty much nothing is served with ice (maybe some teas, which we generally don't get), so he used the fork to scoop out individual pieces of ice. It was like watching our Congolese friends see snow for the first time...pure entertainment for us and wonder for him. GOTOVIDEO I videotaped him, and once he had seen himself onscreen, he wanted to be recorded again and again, hamming it up more and more each time. A great night!!

more alike than different

Getting to know the kids has been eye opening in many ways. In preparation to adopt, we did various trainings and read books designed to open our eyes to possible behaviors or challenges kids might have. But what I have found thus far is that these kids are KIDS…more like all kids than different from them (recognizing that there is still room in the future for plenty of “challenges”).

Our visit with Han-han this last time was the first with just Sam, me and him--no translator or caregiver (who, incidentally, gave me a pack of Mentos to bribe him to obey, haha). We went to the park where he loved more and bigger bubbles. He spent at least 40 minutes going down the slide with a little toy cat, saying each time “I’m ready!” in Chinese. GOTOVIDEO He found my chapstick and loved it in typical 3 year old fashion, reapplying every fifteen minutes or so. He absolutely refused to let me take a picture when I was ready…it was his say all the way…he had too much to do and places to go…completely normal (I had forgotten about that).

One of the best of all was walking to get dinner. We were in the heart of Taipei, holding hands, when we walked by a largish pharmacy type store. He immediately stopped and went off in a string of Chinese, none of which I understood. I figured I had communicated pretty well that we were going to eat, but I was really curious what he was so decisive about, so Sam and I followed his lead. He climbed two flights of stairs and walked DIRECTLY to a toy concrete mixer and obviously said, “I want that.” No chinese needed to get that message loud and clear.

I knew there was potential for BIG breakdown, so I scooped him up and hurried out with him saying “boo yaow” over and over (no, no, no). We got out of the store in short order and thankfully he stayed relatively calm. Finally, at the end of the evening, when we got back to Han-han's apartment, Sam was hot and sweaty so he ran his hair under the faucet to cool off. Han-han promptly did the same thing, styling his hair just like Sam. He sure seemed like just your average (of course, average CHARMING ADORABLE) 3 year old. In the video, you can hear Han-han calling Sam gugga (older brother in Chinese). GOTOVIDEO

A separate but fun highlight to the day was that Bentleys (who we stayed with in Hong Kong) came to Taiwan, and we got to spend a few hours at the park with them. They were camping their way down the east coast of Taiwan and at the beginning of their journey. We haven’t had any friends come visit us here in Taiwan (not that they came to see us), but it was a fun outing nonetheless, to see familiar faces.

Our first visit with Han-han

Great week! We had a video chat with the older kids on Monday for the first time (after 2 failed attempts). They were bouncing off the walls with excitement, laughing and happy. I didn’t expect such fun; it seems clear that they have been prepared to become part of a family, from the names they called us to their enthusiasm to us being asked what their English names were. That was unexpected, so now we are feeling like we need to hurry along with that.

On Wednesday, we were able to finally visit Han-han in person. Many times while we’ve been in Taipei, I looked around at little boys thinking… he could be around somewhere, so it was ironic to meet the social workers at the train station and be taken LITERALLY one block from Taipei Main Station to where he lives. We have passed through there 20 times at least; at one point, I even considered spending a whole day IN the train station just to learn my way around and not get lost(I didn’t though…still confusing and disorienting…there are 4 underground “malls” and at least 3 different types of trains.)

When we arrived, he had just gotten up from a nap, and I was talking with a care provider and just watched and waited. I decided to hang back and see what would happen instead of the grand hellos and here I am. Within a few minutes, he pulled out his little bike and everyone laughed, sure he was showing off for us. After a time, we threw a ball around; I got out a few tops I had gotten in Daxi and he went back to those again and again trying to spin them like Sam. (NOTE: wish the pictures were better, but the video is fun...it's hard to live and record at the same time,haha). GOTOVIDEO

A few little hiccups with the language barrier, but he warmed up a lot and at one point came and sat beside me, sharing his crackers with me. He was a typical three year old in lots of ways…taking toys from Sam, getting frustrated when things didn’t work right, but he was charming and adorable, happy and curious. I knew we had a few hours, so I was asking questions while trying to play and interact.

Toward the end of our visit, we talked about his bedtime routine and went to his room to see how that went. There was a crib and a single bed, and after a few minutes of chatting, Han-han motioned for Sam and I to lay down on the bed. He turned the lights off, locked the door, and scrambled up and got right in the middle, pulling a mickey mouse blanket up over all 3 of us. He rearranged the blanket over and over and whispered happily, saying good night and laughing. It was some good family bonding! I can’t imagine how the visit could have gone any better.

five senses- taiwan

Adoption updateYesterday was supposed to be our first time skyping the older 2 kids in the orphanage, but I waited and waited, no call. So, hoping that gets ironed out. Meanwhile, Han-han is video chatting with Tom and Emma every other time and loves seeing Max chase the laser and hear piano music from Emma. It's something, right???

When we returned from Hong Kong, it was just Sam and I coming back to our home away from home. The shuttle bus dropped us near the train station, it was dark (but neon lights brightened things up), and as we were walking, we smelled that familiar odor that makes us think of night markets, a mix of stinky tofu and drainage water. Sam said brightly, "Smells like home," and I laughed out loud.

With a month behind us, we do feel attached and aware enough to see what makes Taiwan unique (at least in our eyes). As we walked to the apartment, we talked about all five senses...what reflects those here? Taste A great but simple dinner. At Dada, almost every meal is in a bowl, rice first, then two or three side dishes on top, always brightly colored vegetables, very beautiful and healthy.

Touch: A few things come to mind: the feel of chopsticks at every meal, smooth and clean,beautiful natural wood. smooth gray stones jutting out of the ground, designed to walk on barefoot, for one's health.

Sound: Our very first day in Taiwan, we arrived at 6 am, spent all day at Dada and crashed at 8 pm, hoping to go to sleep quickly. Unfortunately, there was constant music, the kind from the ice cream truck, that just wouldn't quit. Over the next few days, we learned that the trash truck comes daily and plays the same song over and over. To have your trash picked up, you must be standing in the street at the moment the truck drives by, to hand deliver it. I videotaped Mairead, a fellow volunteer from Ireland, taking out the trash so that it could be experienced by all. (Note the words Happiness Jungli on the side of the truck) GOTOVIDEO

(image from odditycentral.com) Another sound that was unexpected was the incredible sound of rainstorms in the middle of the night. Since we are on the top floor of the apartment building, we are awakened at least weekly by heavy driving downpours that feel as if they will penetrate the roof!

Smell: Unfortunately, this is the one that can only be described, not truly experienced. As mentioned before, the night market smell is a combination of stinky tofu and sewage. But there are some beautiful smells too: gardenias, one of my favorite flowers, grow well here. Dinner at Dada always smells heavenly.

And there is that special smell the morning after a heavy rain when we have gone hiking with John and Ching...the plants are lush, the air is moist, it feels like a tropical paradise.

Sight: Visually, Taiwan is busy and loud, clamoring for attention, a feeling of space filled to the brim with people, signs, characters. Neon signs literally stacked on top of one another on busy nights filled with scooters weaving in and out, chinese characters that mean something to everyone but us.

All in all, so much that is memorable and that makes taiwan its own unique place, our home for right now!

Cheung Sha beach in Hong Kong

Adoption update: We get to skype the older two kids in the orphanage starting this Friday...that is great news!! And Tom and Emma were able to video chat with Han-han yesterday from Anchorage, so he got to see his room and the dog. Sounds like the call went great!!

Saturday started off rainy, but by midday the sun was out and we went with the plan…go to the beach!! That involved a bus ride, a ferry ride, and another bus ride…fun journey with Sam and I, Bentleys and one other family.

Cheung Sha beach is on the south coast of Lantau Island, and it was lovely, uncrowded, lined with a few restaurants and a surf rental shop. There was a stream leading into the ocean with much tunnel and digging potential, clams to observe finding their way in the sand.

Sand found its way everywhere, and at the end of the day, the place cleared out fast when it started to rain. Imagine our surprise when we saw a black bull walking across the beach. It was completely surreal!!

Our last sight as we left to catch the bus was the most massive jellyfish I have ever seen! (toes in pictures to give an idea of scale!)

a great day!

the beach at Kenting

Kenting is a definite beach vacation playground in Taiwan. Millions visit yearly and we saw almost innumberable tour buses coming and going to sites throughout the southern tip of the island.

We awoke our first morning to a downpour, but Emma and Sam were insistent on going to the beach. They spent the morning in the rain and as the day passed, the rain diminished. As adults, our first thought with the rain, was what will we do on a beach vacation if it keeps raining, but that didn’t stop the kids in the least.

Sam, true to form, dug and swam, dug and swam and even made friends with Taiwanese teenagers in his tunneling exploits. He was noticeably happier the whole trip-he has always been our fish. We stayed in Nanwan (which means South Bay) a very small community a few miles from Kenting and were right across the street from the beach. The kids swam much of the day, and Tom relished taking pictures of the scene…the irony of a nuclear power plant pouring warm coolant discharge into the ocean at the edge of the beach where we swam.

In the evenings, we went to Kenting for the night market there…night markets have the feel of a really crowded county fair, complete with food stalls, vendors, games and performers.

We’ve been to quite a few in various towns and cities and they are lively spots, teeming with humanity. In Taipei last week, we experienced some kind of Buddhist/Taoist temple celebration complete with fireworks that never seemed to stop and billows of smoke that kept coming closer and closer to us . Kenting was very small scale just located on the main street and not too crowded since it was a weekday.

Our second day was the DAY of the SUNBURN. Too much time in the sun, sunscreen stolen, inside by lunchtime, but Sam and particularly Emma were both burned, so we stayed away from the beach for awhile. That evening we met Dutch tourists on the beach and found that Kenting has 2 beaches on either end that are open to the public, but a huge space in between that is closed for safety reasons.

Sam found a section of beach that bordered on an area where wild dogs supposedly roam. He was unnerved by that, but all the dogs we came across just looked like survivors.

Day three, we rented a scooter which turned out to be a great choice….easier to see the whole area quickly and get a better feel for the region. We had spent much time waiting for unreliable shuttle buses, so being in control of our transportation was better.

Tom carted us around to a national park and various coastal areas with landmarks and there were gorgeous views and charming spots.

Adoption Update: We were finally able to video chat with Han-han our first real day in Kenting. Considering language barriers and age limitations, it was relatively successful. Can you imagine a 3 year old being told that the faces on the computer screen will be his parents; he is in a foster home-he has a family in his own mind I’m sure. As a side note, we had been told that he hadn’t gotten our packages (sent in Feb and Apr), so we knew he didn’t have very much context about us since the missing package contained a picture album of our family. BUT, seeing that sweet face made it so much more real and was a moving experience for Tom and me.