Our Hong Kong Adoption Trip
February 5-12, 2001
Two years ago, in the May 1999 issue of HI FAMILIES (Holt's bi-monthly magazine) in the "Some Children Wait Section", I remember seeing an absolutely adorable little boy, then about 2 yrs old, who had a list of special needs that seemed to grow the more I read.. I remember thinking "What an adorable little boy--but those special needs, I don't know. I sure hope they find a family for him." Two months later, we returned home from Seoul, Korea with our new son, Nicholas, then 28-1/2 months old. Patty, who managed the program we eventually ended up adopting through, had just returned from a trip to HK and called and told me she found the "perfect little boy for your family". No way were we ready to even begin to THINK about another adoption..But we promised, if we felt led, we'd consider and pray about it... Imagine my surprise in November 1999 when we finally agree to think and pray about another adoption and saw the photos of the little boy Patty felt would be "perfect" for our family--to find out he was the very little boy whose special need we weren't so sure about... God surely has a sense of humor! During a trip to Hong Kong in November, 1999 on vacation with Kate and Emilee, we got to meet Nathanael and it was confirmed in our hearts we should start his adoption. We had our homestudy updated late December 1999, received INS approval in March 2000, our paperwork went to HK Social Welfare Dept in June 2000, we received family approval in August 2000 and child match approval in Sepember 2000, and the order from the High Court of HK in November 2000.......
After a nearly 2 month delay due to an inability to get enough airline tickets (holidays, Chinese New Year, etc), Stephen, Justin, Kate, Emilee and I boarded yet another Northwest Airlines flight departing Minot, ND at 5:15 am on February 5, 2001 on our way to Hong Kong to FINALLY pick up Nathanael!
That morning had started off somewhat hectic.. When we arrived at the Minot airport (only 1.6 miles from our house), we dropped our car off in all day parking as Glynn stayed at home (sleeping of course) since someone had to be there with Kerrie, Nick and Jenna. When we got to the ticket counter, I realized that my credit cards WERE NOT IN MY TRAVEL WALLET!!!!!!!! I panicked. I had checked everything the night before and all of our passports, our tickets, Nathanael's tickets, travelers' checks AND credit cards were there, but I couldn't find them that morning. I had "just" enough to make it cash-wise for the entire trip, having decided to pay cash for as much as we could and keep the credit card for "insurance". I tried calling home to see if Glynn could answer and race down with the cc's... Momentarily I thought I'd drive home quickly to get the cards but then I thought I'd have to waste time looking... Glynn didn't answer and I later found out that the phone which is in the hallway outside the bedroom had NOT been returned and thus he never heard any of the phones ringing downstairs... I just had to get on that plane and DO IT... Figured we'd worry about it later.
We arrived at the Minneapolis knowing we faced a six-hour layover... Finally got ahold of Glynn and also Patty. We made arrangements to have Glynn fedex the credit cards to a locale in HK where we would be able to pick them up... SO I knew I'd have to be a bit more careful cash-wise for a couple days, but I also knew the cards would arrive in time!! THANK YOU!!! I later, in making myself think this through during our MSP layover, remembered that morning I'd gone down in the basement to use our copy machine to photocopy our passports and credit card and, in placing the cards back in the travel wallet, neglected to remember that the wallet had fallen of the table the copy machine was on and in my haste to get out the door on time to make it to the airport, didn't check to see that they were STILL in there. As it was, it worked out--the cards were fedexed to HK and arrived JUST the day I need them, Friday!!
I was almost looking forward to getting on that 12 hour, 45 minute flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo, Japan because I was SO tired, frazzled from worrying about the credit cards and I'd only had 2 hours of "sleep" the night before.. Emilee, 5-1/2, did so well on the flight--she's been to Hong Kong before (November 1999) and international travel is nothing new. Stephen, Justin, and Kate have all been overseas before at least 3 times each, so they're very experienced travelers...
We landed in Hong Kong right on time at app. 10:00 pm February 6 and were greeted by a wonderful friend, Les Whittle, whom we'd met during our two China adoption processes.. Les accompanied us back to our hotel, the YMCA Salisbury. This is the same hotel Stephen and I had stayed in some 5 yrs earlier when on our way into Nanchang, Jiangxi to pick Emilee up (then just 7 months old).. Additionally, we spent one night there on the way back from Guangzhou, where we'd received Emilee's visa, before departing for home.. We had been at the YMCA Salisbury the night of February 7, 1996 and here we were, February 6, 2001, some 5 yrs later... When we were there 5 yrs ago it never, ever occurred to me that we'd be back in Hong Kong adopting, much less a FIFTH adoption!!
The next day we got up, had breakfast and then walked up to Holt International's Hong Kong offices to visit with Les, OT, Jessie, Jonas--staff members for the office there. After visiting for a bit and making some plans, we walked back to the Salisbury as we knew Vivian, our Mothers Choice social worker, was going to bring Nathanael by...
We were standing in the lobby when we saw Vivian walk in with Nathanael!!! He had just been on a field trip with some other children from Mothers Choice and was carrying a bag of candy and treats he'd help pick out to share with us... He kept peeking over the edge of the bag, but was not in the least bit fearful of us! The social work team at Mothers Choice had done a fabulous job preparing Nathanael, ever since October, 2000, for his adoption by our family... We were just delighted to FINALLY see this handsome, wonderful little boy in person after so long...
That day we visited Mothers Choice, went up to Victoria Peak, ate lunch at the wonderful "Peak Cafe"--this is a fabulous restaurant where you can sit outside to eat and have a fabulous, glorious view of the harbor below.. WELL worth the price!! We always try to eat here whenever we come back. We did some shopping at the Peak Galleria and then went and visited Ping Yee, a 6-1/2-year-old hearing-impaired girl who was at Caritas..
Thursday was more shopping and sightseeing, then we went to Mothers Choice for Nathanael's "going away" party. Never have I seen a little boy so loved... Many of the volunteers and staff were there, as well as all his friends from Wee Care. We were presented with his "life book" and also with a memory book. This memory book had photos of several people, volunteers and staff alike, who had been important in Nathanael's life--they shared their memories of him, wishes and prayers for the future, some shared email addresses and all... It brought a tear to the eye to know how much our little boy was cared for prior to joining our family!
We had Nathanael the first time the evening of February 8 and he did SO WELL... He and Emilee had fun playing around and he slept very well that night... It was so exciting to finally have him with us!!!
Friday morning we took two subways, a train and a taxi into the New Territories, to visit the staff of the pediatric orthopedic surgery unit of , Prince of Wales Hospital , the hospital where Nathanael was born, where he lived the first 14 months of his life prior to coming to Mothers Choice and where he had his numerous surgeries. The staff there wanted to meet the family adopting Nathanael, and I also had a chance to visit and consult with Dr. Ng, the surgeon who repaired Nathanael's club foot. Stephen, our oldest son, went around with the charge nurse of the unit and found out about some of the children who were there in the hospital. Some of these children had been hospitalized for months. It was a real treat to meet some more people who had been instrumental in Nathanael's early days... Later that day, while Stephen and Justin stayed with a tired Nathanael and Emilee, Kate and I took the ferry and a cab over to Mothers Choice to meet with Nathanael's PT, OT and the nurse and get some recommendations and have our questions answered.
We ate out at Planet Hollywood that night and did some MORE shopping!!
Saturday found us getting to meet some Holt families who were there at the Salisbury for orientation, prior to going into Nanning to pick their children up, which was a real treat, and then we went to Stanley Market with Les & Vivienne and Vivian from Mothers Choice. Kate bargained her way through Stanley Market and we had a great time eating lunch at a small, Italian-type eatery where you had an easy view of the bay... We ate at the buffet dinner at the Salisbury and had a spectacular night-time view of Victoria Harbor.
Sunday morning we attended worship services at Evangelical Community Church , the church we always attend when we're in Hong Kong. We feel very much at home at this church, which meets in the ballroom of the Salisbury, and which has a wonderful mix of Filipino, Chinese, and American, British, Canadian and other European expats. It reminds me very much of our church back home here in Minot, First Baptist.
After church, we said our good-bye's to Les and Vivienne while we enjoyed some coffee and tea with other ECC members, did some more shopping and then got ready to move to the Regal Airport Hotel. Our flight home to Minot left at 8:30 am the next morning, and it really was more prudent to stay at the Regal as it's attached right TO the airport!! Vivian from MC arranged for a mini-bus to pick us and our gear up. It was about $100 US, which is what it would have cost for us to hire two taxi cabs...
The next morning we had breakfast at the fabulous Regal buffet, hurriedly got our gear together and went in and checked in at the Northwest counter. My three teens had a difficult time saying good-bye to Vivian, who had been absolutely and completely WONDERFUL.. Mothers Choice staff takes such good care of families when they travel--we lack for absolutely NOTHING.
It wore me out getting 5 children and myself quickly through passport control and on to the waiting area, but we made it. Nathanael did VERY well on the flights.. He had a couple crying jags when he started missing all his friends from Wee Care at Mothers Choice, but bless his heart, he really held up and was a good boy and traveler.
Clearing customs/immigration at Minneapolis was pretty even keel, though we waited what seemed to be a LONG time compared to the other 4 times we adopted (customs was in Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis, Los Angeles those times)... FINALLY got through that and had the neat opportunity of visiting with Peg Studaker of Children's Home Society of Minnesota (click on the "waiting international children" program link if you want more info about adopting waiting Korean children--CHSM can work with families in all 50 states for this program), the agency we used to adopt Nicholas from Korea some 20 months previous. Peg really went to bat for us in getting us approved to adopt Nicholas and we'll always be grateful to her. It was fun finally putting a face with a name I'd come to know so well!!
We landed back in Minot at 2:55 pm on Monday, February 12. At the airport was Glynn with Kerrie, Nicholas and Jenna in tow; the Carlson family, friends from church who have a son, Daniel, from China; Bonnie Stroud, another friend from church; Bryan Breding, also from church, and Pastor Merrill Hoots, our associate pastor at First Baptist. Pastor Hoots has a niece, Kadie, adopted from China!! Nathanael went right up to Glynn, gave him a hug and said "Hello Daddy" which really got to everyone! Then Pastor Hoots led us all in prayer right there at the airport and we were on our way home.. FINALLY and at last!
To adopt in Hong Kong is a dream come true.. We love Hong Kong and really do feel it's a "second home". We have so many dear friends there, and even more so now that we have Nathanael... Hong Kong is in our hearts and always will be--can't wait to go back!!!! We are grateful to the wonderful, dear folks at Mothers Choice , who cared so lovingly for our Nathanael from the age of 14 months until he left to join our family at the age of 3 yrs., 10 months. As our oldest son, Stephen, said, "Mothers Choice is a happy place".. Many thanks to Helen and Don Stephens for making Mothers Choice what it is, to our social worker and Nathanael's, the wonderful Vivian Ip--truly an angel on earth if there ever was, to Karen Mok, Nathanael's caregiver who loved him so much, Clement and Peon, Mothers Choice volunteers who loved our Nathanael deeply and to all the other myriad of people, volunteers and staff alike, who bring so much to Mothers Choice and who loved and cared for Nathanael. He is what he is due in a large part to all these people! A triple amt of thanks to Patty McLaughlin! Not only is she a dear and close friend of some 6-1/2 yrs now and fellow China-adoptive mom, but she's the one who first told us about our Nathanael.!! And lastly, thanks to the Lord Jesus, Who made all this possible... We have an absolutely terrific little boy.. Nathanael is amazing...!!
This is a photo of Nathanael his first night with us, the evening of February 8, 2001--isn't he adorable?!!!!
This is a view of Central taken from our seats on the Star Ferry, coming over from the Kowloon side of HK.. I love this view--it's especially spectacular at night.
We took this photo when we were at Causeway Bay after we had dinner at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. These are houseboats and people live on them!
This is a view going up Victoria Peak in the Peak Tram...one activity I never get tired of each time I go to Hong Kong!! In fact, we did it twice this last trip!
Here's all of us, Stephen, Justin, Kate, Emilee, Nathanael and I taken in front of the dancing waterfountain at Peak Galleria, atop Victoria Peak.
Emilee, 5-1/2, and Nathanael, 3 yrs. 10 mo., taken in our room at the YMCA Salisbury Hotel, Kowloon, HK--these two hit it off asap.. I am so glad we brought Emilee with. She was a big help with her new brother!
Love this photo of Emilee and Nathanael taken on the Friday we were in HK--they were going to take naps while Kate and I traveled back to Mothers Choice to meet with his PT, OT and nurse...
We took this photo of Justin and Nathanael on top of Victoria Peak...
Emilee, Nathanael and mom on top of Victoria Peak.
Here's a shot of Nathanael during his going away party at Mothers Choice--and two people who were VERY important to Nathanael--Clement & Peon. Clement is an officer with the HK immigration dept and Peon is a registered nurse at Prince of Wales Hospital. These two dear people were always with Nathanael before, during and after his many hospitalizations and often took him on outings. They call Nathanael every Saturday morning from Hong Kong, at our request and encouragement, to speak to him in Cantonese. Nathanael is bilingual and we don't want him to lose that gift of knowing two languages.
I took this photo of Nathanael sitting on the top of a double decker bus on our way back from Stanley Market...
This photo was taken in the Admiralty area of HK Island..we had just finished having a treat at Starbuck's, Nathanael with Stephen...
Kate, 14 and Nathanael in our hotel room, YMCA Salisbury, Kowloon, Hong Kong (this was Kate's 3rd time to visit HK in 3 yrs!!).
A photo of Vivian, Nathanael's social worker!! She is amazing!
An outside view of the playground area at Mothers Choice..Justin on the right and to the left is Emilee (side view) with Nathanael in the Little Tykes car, along with a volunteer. Mothers Choice is located in an absolutely astounding area--Mid Levels.. Just a stone's throw away from the playground you can watch the Peak Tram go up and down...
Here is Nathanael with some staff at Mothers Choice...all superb people..
These great graphics courtesy of "Cute Country Graphics".
Some graphics courtesy of A Touch of Country 
This weather gadget courtesty of Wunderground.com!