Journey to China (cont'd)
Our hearts seem to be connected / as though linked with an invisible chain;
for when you laugh...I am happy / and when you hurt...I feel your pain.
I feel the need to guard and protect you / even when we're apart.
From the first time I held you in my arms, / I have held you in my heart.
We shopped (and bargained) for red silk shoes, a Chinese outfit for Faith, jeans for Rob, an embroidered silk robe for me and some shirts for Rob. Corinne bought robes for her girls, as well as our other two sisters. Next stop was the top floor, where the shops that sold jade and pearl were located. I bought a matching pale green jade bracelet and necklace for Faith when she turned sixteen and a bracelet for myself. Then, it was back to the bus and to the hotel. I was still feeling a little queasy, so we ate in the hotel restaurant-- won ton noodle soup for me again. Our group was organizing a trip to Pizza Hut, but we were too tired to go. It was another early night for us, after watching some tv.
October 14: I felt pretty nauseous when I woke up this morning. I could barely eat dry toast and tea for breakfast and, of course, being diabetic, I didn't have any choice-- I had to eat. I was really disappointed, but I knew there was no way I'd be able to go on the trip to the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace. Rob and Corinne took Faith with them and promised to take a lot of pictures and videotape. Corinne had been a huge help to us all through the trip, but never more so than when I was sick. I thanked God for the millionth time that my big sister was with us! I lay in bed, feeling pretty dizzy and light-headed. I knew I had to pick up some more gifts for people at home, so I got up and forced myself to go down to the hotel gift shop. I bought some cloisonne and jade ornaments and a jade bracelet and a statue of a fisherman for my mum. The shop clerk was lovely and polite. I wished I could speak Chinese so I could talk to her. All I could do was smile and say "Jie jie," a million times and try to remember to hand her my money with two hands. She wrapped everything I bought perfectly in tissue paper and put the small things in lovely embroidered gift bags with draw strings. I went back to my room and back to bed. I felt worse as the day went on, so I was glad I'd done my little bit of shopping in the morning. Rob, Corinne and Faith got back just after lunchtime. They decided they would skip the trip to the Summer Palace, which everyone told us was similar to the Temple of Heaven, and after Faith had her nap, they would go back to the Indoor Market by taxi to finish up our shopping. I asked them to get me two more jade bracelets for my sisters and another big suitcase so we'd be able to transport our treasures home. When they came home, we ordered from room service-- just dry toast for me-- and club sandwiches with french fries for Rob and Corinne. I was finally sick to my stomach in the night, so I felt a little better, but still not energeticenough to go anywhere.
October 15: I wasn't as nauseous this morning and I was able to eat a boiled egg and toast for breakfast. Corinne had been sick all night. She'd had such bad chills that she thought she had caught malaria. After she took some Immodium and it started working, she was okay. Although she was able to eat breakfast, neither of us was in great shape. Rob didn't want to leave us, in case we needed him, so we all decided we had to pass on the trips to the Foreign Book Store, an upperscale mall and the Lama Temple. Of the three, I was only upset about missing the Lama Temple. I'd really been looking forward to having Faith blessed by the monks there. It would have been a moment to treasure, but it just wasn't possible with Corinne and I still feeling so under the weather. We hung out at the hotel, did a little shopping at the Friendship Store close to our hotel and walked around the the hallways, with Faith in her stroller. Yulin always has a "last supper" with the entire travel group on that evening, with birthday cakes to celebrate the babies' "birth" into their new parents lives. Unfortunately, we couldn't even do that, so Yulin brought birthday cake and a lovely silver pendant for Faith to our room after she got back from the celebration.
We ordered from room service again and then spent the evening packing, because the next morning, we'd be leaving for the airport. I loved China-- it was a different world from Canada and absolutely amazing-- especially the monuments to its history and culture-- but as they say, there's no place like home. I wanted to hug and kiss Matthew, luxuriate in my own shower and sleep in my own bed. I could hardly wait for Faith to meet her nanna, papa, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and our very close and supportive friends. I made sure I put all my adoption paperwork, as well as the address and pictures Faith's foster mother had given us, in a file folder in my carry-on bag. I also made sure I had lots of diapers and several changes of clothing for Faith. Time for the last sleep in China and the long journey home.
October 16: Both Corinne and I felt better this morning. We ate boiled eggs and toast for breakfast, paid our hotel bill for room service and phone calls and assembled on the lobby steps for Yulin's traditional photograph of the entire travel group. I had already volunteered to write about our trip for the FOI newsletter and knew I'd be seeing the photos Yulin had taken over the two weeks we'd been together, in her next publication. After the photos, we piled on the bus for the last time and headed to the airport.