Wednesday, May 23, 2007

GOTCHA DAY---Happy Father's Day 2005!!!



Happy Father's day!!! Today is June 19,2005.....Gotcha Day for us as well!
The morning came and we were all excited!!! We ate breakfast, and were given the run down for the morning....Scott and Kimberli would be going to the orphange in Chongqing first to pick up their daughter Mia. When Lina and Joan got back with them, then the rest of us would head out to Fuling. We would be taking the bus for the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Fuling.
So we were all waiting anxiously for them to get back. They got back faster than we expected so Lina told us that we could leave for Fuling earlier than we thought. That was all she had to say to us!!! We all were ready to go and in the lobby waiting for her when she came down. As we were getting ready to go outside to get on the bus, we happened to see a crowd start to gather out front of the hotel. It was a wedding party arriving for their reception!!!! We all thought that was a neat thing to see as we headed out the door! We all stopped and watched and took pictures!!! It was simply beautiful, the bride and groom together just beaming!!!! So we then made it around the crowd that had gathered and laughed thinking if we just so happened to get into some pictures...they would spend the rest of their days trying to figure out who were the Americans that were in the pictures!
We then headed out for the beautiful ride to Fuling. We passed through some beautiful countryside. Your mind starts to race....wondering about the people there, the life that they have. There is a lot of farm land there in Fuling. Before coming to China, we read The Rivertown by Peter Hesler. What a wonderful book to read or get on tape from the Library for Fuling families!!! He makes the comment there that the ladies in Fuling are known to be some of the most beautiful in China! You see as you are going down the highway the farmers use every bit of land to grow crops. We saw corn growing on the side of the highway, in the mountain sides...everywhere. It was rich fertile soil. The grass was a beautiful rich dark green! The closer we got to Fuling, I started to recognize things from pictures that I had seen on a website for Fuling familes. I saw the bridge that took us into Fuling. By then...I sitting and staring out the window because I didn't want to miss a sight of Hope's beautiful homeland!!!
We then drove through town to head for the orphanage. Joan and Lina told us that we would have to walk down the hill because the bus driver would have to back the bus down the hill and he didn't think that we wanted to be on the bus when he did that. So off we go..unloading the bus! All of us toting gift bags for the caregivers in the orphange, things for our sweet babies, cameras, etc... Everyone that lives on that road knows what is going on when the bus pulls up!!! So we started to see the people that lived right near the orphange come outside to take a look at the people who have gotten off of the bus. We happen to see some children playing nearby so I snapped a few quick pictures. One of the adults that happen to be with them saw me take the picture and looked at me and held out her hand as if she wanted me to give her money for the picture. I didn't... Down the hill we went...not a long walk...to the gate of the Fuling Social Welfare Institute.

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