Orientation Day

Today we woke up from a very long and well needed sleep. I’d say about 14 hours worth. After all that walking and the long plane flight, we needed some shut eye.

It was a fun filled day starting with a 9.00 orientation. Holt has this orientation to help the group better understand what we are to do and what to expect in the coming days. It was quite informative. The Holt leader, Les, did tease us with the fact they had more information about our children! He then proceeded with the orientation. (Details about the orientation for those interested will have to wait until we get home!) The exciting part was the child information.

We received a beautiful red book that has new photos of our child along with an updated itinerary. The latest scoop on Linda is that she is being treated for heat rash. Many of the babies were since the weather has been so hot in the province. The picture says it all. (This is a picture of a picture, so the quality is a bit low.) Linda has cream on her face and they CUT HER HAIR! Oh nooooooooooo! At least that will grow back! ;-) Of the babies from the same orphanage, Linda is the monster of the bunch. She looks very healthy and the report says she has had at least one cold and a fever. Sounds like a normal child to me. As for her size, she is bigger than a child that was born in April! They must be feeding her well.

After the orientation we had a very nice lunch with the group. It was a dim sum setup with the classic dishes; orange chicken, Kung pao shrimp, and a beef dish. Once we finished lunch and had a chance to prepare, we went on a group outing. First stop was Tiananmen Square. This place can hold 1 million people. Tourists from everywhere were visiting. We ran into two people walking together. He was from Switzerland, and she from Beijing. They first met in Australia.

We regrouped after about 20 minutes to head off to the Temple of Heaven. Originally build in 1492 the temple was burned down 3 times all by “natural causes” i.e. lightning. The temple is built without nails and no supporting internal structure. This was quite a beautiful building along with the surrounding park.

The day wrapped up with a nice dinner, our last alone (OMG!), before our big trip tomorrow. We meet Linda tomorrow approximately 16.00, which is Monday 1am PDT. We are so excited and a bundle of nerves. The next time you read we will be proud parents of Linda!

Good night!