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.

our first city weekend

Over the weekend, John and Ching took us to Yang Ming hot springs, north of Taipei.  It was a WINDY drive on a narrow road with many switchbacks, men and women went their separate ways, Japanese style dress (birthday suit), mud baths and electric massage (pulses of electricity flowing into a small hot tub).  It was an Experience, with a capital E.  Our hosts have been so generous and accommodating.  They have a primary goal of exposing the kids they teach to the world and its citizenry…broaden horizons, and they walk the walk themselves.

This is my first time traveling in another country where I haven’t lived a cushy life with hotel amenities and familiar food etc…and it’s different!  Harder beds than usual, different cleanliness (and everyone who knows me, knows I don’t have very high standards), very different foods-obviously, and it’s just disorienting to not recognize anything with being surrounded by Chinese characters-more English in Taipei than Jhong Li. 

Sunday, I was ready for some familiarity, so we went to church (the first building we landed at in Jhong Li).   A former American missionary now married and going to school in Taiwan translated for us (thank you Malachi!).  It was a lovely testimony meeting and uplifting to sing in English along with everyone else in Chinese.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring Taipei…228 Memorial Park, Chiang Kai-shek statue, and the Botanical Gardens.

This is a rock garden where you try to walk along barefoot.

This is Longshan temple, a Buddhist temple in Taipei built in 1738.  

Adoption Update: We’re still working on being able to skype little number 3 who is in foster care as opposed to the older 2 children who are in an orphanage.  We cannot see them until the judge’s first ruling which will come… when it comes.  They are trying to find birth mom; it is unknown how many letters the judge will want sent out to find her.  We have our hopes that it can move along of course.  Meanwhile, we see so many little Taiwanese children and ask ourselves, “Is he 3", or "She looks 4” and we are amazed to think of what life will be like.  DIFFERENT but oh so fun!

Arrival

We've arrived!

This feels like the biggest adventure of my life.  We left Salt Lake Monday afternoon March 26, had a 9 hour layover in San Francisco and visited with friends of Tom's from college.  They fed us a great dinner and showed off all the amazing things they can grow in such a temperate climate...a fig tree, pomengranate, etc.   It was a convincing "move here" discussion with the exception of the close to a million dollar price tag of homes.  Also explored the Oakland Temple grounds and saw a beautiful view of the city.

They dropped us back at the airport, direct flight left at 1 am Tuesday and arrived 14 hours later at 5 am on Wednesday in Taipei.  We took a taxi to one of the two addresses I had written down...but, oops, it was the wrong one.  We were taken to the LDS church in Jhong Li, a suburb outside of Taipei and we had intended to go to the English school we'll be volunteering at. 

 So, with little Chinese on our part, no English on their part, some pointing and guesturing, our benefactor at the English school met us at the church and took us to his school.  It's a casual looking space with loads of magazines and books, a little like a small cafe.  It’s actually called DaDa school, and they teach 7-12 year olds English after school from about 4 until 8 or so.  

We are in an apartment that is 3 blocks from the school, right across from a park,

which is amazing because the city has an industrial feel, so we haven’t seen too much green space. 

We’ve been exploring a bit along with helping at the school also.  Ching asked me to teach a small class the day after we arrived, and I realized it’s been 15 years since I did this, although with church and kids, teaching is a constant thing.  I made a little game and linked it to the Iditarod; so far, the students have loved all things Alaska.  I brought Sam’s photo album of our AK experience—animals and snow and other such particulars and it’s at just the right level for elementary aged kids to enjoy.  Emma and Sam have jumped right in to learning Chinese and meeting 40 or so new kids, playing chess and soccer, braiding hair and listening to English recitations. 

Adoption update: We aren’t able to visit our own “to be” kids in the orphanage until after the judge’s first ruling, but we did get permission to skype the youngest who is in foster care.