Why are we here again?

Thanks to all for your kind birthday wishes. After breakfast we started the day with our first step in the adoption process here - an orientation meeting (why are we here again? Oh yeah). We met up with the Holt staff and other families who are here adopting. There are 6 families here - 22 people (and a 7th who must have adopted before, as they are going straight to their provence. We received information about the culture and people of China, the process over the next 2 weeks, and the children we are about to adopt.

After the meeting we had lunch together. There were 2 of our little band with birthday's on the 16th (the other being a grandmother in a family from Chicago). The Holt staff ordered a cake for us (though Chinese tradition is noodles, for longevity - which I would take as well).

After lunch we headed off as a group of a tour of Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City. It was a bright, sunny, hot day in Beijing - so this was a bright sunny hot tour. I've also become accustomed to the pace of 1 guide and the 5 of us, not one guide and the 22 of us - so things slowed down a bit. There are also 20m people in Beijing, and they all decided to visit the Forbidden City with us.

It wasn't quite that bad. You can't really capture the size and grandure of this place in photography because it is broken up by so many courtyards. I mean, first you go through the Tianman Square gate (which you think is the gate to the city), but your just in a walled courtyard - then a false gate and courtyard to entrap attacking enemies - then you start to get into the place. After a series of gates and courtyards you start to get to the main areas in the center. It's all very huge and confusing.

The thing that was the most surprising to me was the area where the emperor lived. I mean, it was kind of small and cramped, not big and grand like I thought an emperor would have. It was probably a lot better than the average commoner, but still, it wasn't much.

After the tour we went to another silk factory - one of the Holt staff me the best deal, a beer for 5 RMB. That's less than a buck. We chatted a couple of guys who were in a group from Norway who had arrived by train across Russia and Mongolia. What an adventure.

After we got back and took group pics, Allie wanted to find the hospital where MeiLi had surgery - so we went to the concierge to ask - and it turned out not to be that far away. She, Emmi and I hired a cab (now we're breaking out on our own again - the driver was not English speaking - so we just had Allie to translate). After a false start and a lot of confusion we eventually found it and took pics so MeiLi would have them later. The driver was really, really nice and helpful - an hour riding around in his car cost about $5. We ordered pizza for my birthday dinner, and found another cake in our room - don't know if it was the hotel, Lotus, Holt or one of you, but thanks just the same.

We started packing, but not very seriously, we leave for Changchun this morning - tomorrow we get her.