Rest for the Weary

Well - - - quite a lot has happened since my last post!  On Friday morning (was that just yesterday?) we packed up and left Nanjing.  Drew was feeling better (Yay!), and I felt VERY ready to move on. 

Our hotel in Nanjing was nice, and of course it was a great place for us because that is where we met our Drew!  But very few people in Nanjing spoke English, even in the hotel.  We did not run into many other Americans at all, other than the other adoptive families that were with us.  We were quite a spectacle, and very much the center of attention everywhere we went.   Also, we were in the middle of a huge city, and it was hard to get around.  I was ready to be in Guangzhou, because we had heard they are more used to American travelers.  We were packed and ready to go by 10:00 Friday morning. We were scheduled to leave the hotel at 12:30 for the airport. Our plane was supposed to leave at 4:15. 

We took a few pictures of the hotel on the last day.  Despite the fact that there was no air conditioning, it really was a nice place to stay.

Drew in front of the fountain in the hotel

We took this one because Joe was so impressed with the types of cars in front of the hotel.  Drew just keep trying to throw his toy phone out the window of our room and hit one.

Joe and Drew on the staircase in the hotel

When we arrived at the Nanjing airport, we found that our gate was actually in the basement of the airport, and that we would be shuttled to our flight.  And that there was no air conditioning in there.   And there were so many people waiting that we could hardly find a place to sit down.  At the gate, there was a sign that said our flight was delayed, and rescheduled for "No Time."  Our guide had already left us because she could not cross through security into the terminal.  Apparently no one else in Nanjing speaks English.  

So we waited.  For hours.  Many other scheduled flights went through our gate, but ours continued to be delayed, rescheduled for "No Time."  When I showed my ticket to the attendant at the desk, she placed a call, and then said, "Sorry, your flight is scheduled for no time.  Please sit and rest a moment."  So we waited.  For hours.  A very nice girl in a pink jacket with very limited English explained to me that because of the trade fair in Guangzhou, the air traffic was congested, delaying flights.  Then we started to see some flights get cancelled.  Our appointment for the medical check was at 9:00 the next morning.  At least we had a few other families to share in our misery, but we were getting more than a little anxious.  I am not sure what would happen if we missed our medical check but we were pretty sure it could delay our flight home!

The Chinese people in the airport seemed to be getting very agitated.  Around 7:00, the airline brought the in-flight meal into the terminal.  So we ate.  And waited some more.  And it was hot.  Finally, a crowd of people gathered around the attendant, obviously irritated.  The attendant got on the phone with someone, and then made an announcement.  My friend in the pink jacket explained that we may leave around 9:00.  We finally got to board around 8:30.  Then we waited for an hour on the runway.  By that point all of the children, especially Drew, were extremely irritable.  He hadn't had his nap and it was past his bedtime.  He screamed on the plane.  Really loud.  For a long time.  He definitely has healthy lungs.

At about 9:40, we took off.  We arrived in Guangzhou at about 11:30.  We were so very happy to see our Holt guide, Joyce, at the airport.  We arrived at our hotel at around 1:00 this morning. There were some families that had flights scheduled from Nanjing after ours.  We saw them arriving this morning around 7:30 AM, so it certainly could have been worse.  I am so glad we did not spend the night in the Nanjing airport!  And even more thankful that we did make it in time for our medical appointment.

Our medical appointment was at 9:00 this morning.  It was quite miserable, as there were 60 families with screaming children in a very small, hot space.  It seems that most of the flights last night were delayed, so there were many tired families.  Here is a picture of Drew and Joe at the medical clinic.  His face pretty much sums up the last 48 hours. 

The good news is that the medical check is over, and as far as I know, everything went fine.  Our hotel here in Guangzhou is very nice.  Right now I am sitting in a lounge chair at the pool.  Drew is doing well, and is warming up to me a little more.  He is anxious when we are around strangers, but he is very happy in the hotel room.  We took him to a little playground here at the hotel.  I am pretty sure he has never been on a slide or a swing before.  It took him a while to understand it, but he realized it was a lot of fun!  And I am SO much happier to be one step closer to home!