China 101

We made it and as of today finally have Mac working with our internet access! Can someone please tell me an easy program for blog photos with Mac. We used Picasa with our PC and loved it. I don't really want iphoto, is that our only option? On to our life... (with hopes that photos can follow soon).
It got very hectic the closer it came to our departure from the US. Twenty four hours before our flight I began to really wonder if we could pull it together or not. Thankfully my family finished the things we left undone. I kept wanting to say that it was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I couldn't because it didn't hold a candle to what I went through on my journey to Abbey. Finally we were ready for take off (or we were leaving even if we were not ready). I thought of Donna from Double Happiness when we went through security at LAX. It is no small feat with a 3 year old and I just don't know how she did it with two. After that it was all downhill.
Our flight was wonderful. When I came the first time I used China Southern and it was very cramped and I had a migraine. This time we flew Cathay Pacific. The flight was 1/2 empty and we had bulk head seating. They gave us an extra empty seat. They had adorable children's meals and toys and since we left around midnight little miss fell fast asleep for 8 hrs. They had Playhouse Disney and Wiggles music. I even watched a movie for the first time since I got Abbey. It felt like first class even though it was economy, the stewardesses were outstanding. It was really one of the best flights I've ever had, maybe because I was prepared for the worst and then was pleasantly surprised.
We flew direct to HK and arrived at 5:30 a.m. (left on a Wednesday eve and arrived on a Friday morning). We then had a couple of hours to wait until Starbucks opened at 7 and then the ferry ticket counter at 8. Abbey was able to do some running around and watch an Einstien DVD. I also had some special Snow White items in our pack which were helpful. And hooray for the color wonder finger paints and safety scissors! I asked a lady near us for the correct time and she later joined us on our 9 o'clock ferry departure. She was visiting her family in China but lives in SF. We shared a lot of important values and it was definitely "meant to be". She helped us all along the next leg of our trip and got me through immigration and got porters to take all our luggage ( 4 sixty ot seventy pound bags). She was with us until we were greeted by the people who picked us us to take us to our apartment. It is so good to be "covered" every step of the way and we have a big thank you to all of you who joined in agreement for our travel adventure.
We arrived to our lovely apartment which has been prepared for us over the past several months. We managed to stay up all day but only held up till 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. the first few days, which led to waking up at 4:30 or 5:30 a.m. We are now on track with China time, I think it's much harder when you go back to the US. We had the next day off and I believe that's when we had the baptism by fire of shopping at Wal Mart on the weekend. Can you say overwhelming? We did get a lot of things we needed but were exhausted and suffering from the intense heat by the end of it. Sunday was our staff training which was excellent. Monday summer camp began and let me tell you, the three year old group that I had were not happy to part from their parents. It was quite a scene the first few days with all sorts of crying, throwing up, etc. Little Miss Abbey had been told for months that she would be in my class, only to find she was not. That did not go well at all and she did not stop crying the first two days. It tore my heart out and by day three I was in tears too, so changes were made and she joined my group. This was a tremendous improvement as I cannot stand seeing my happy girl so devastated. She is supposed to join another class next month, but I am hoping by then she will be comfortable with other staff and our surroundings. We will still be in close contact throughout the day. Right now I am only working 1/2 day so we go home after lunch and Abbey naps here with me. We are loving that. Our Chinese lunch at school is a work in progress for both of us. We can always get rice which is helpful, but it's all very new and different. It's hard to determine what the meat and vegetables are, but we are working on it. On Tuesday nights our friends go ice skating at a very nice mall and we had a great shopping improvement over Wal Mart. Jusco is a fabulous grocery store and I had a friend there to guide me through the process. It was actually nicer than my Vons store in the US. Abbey has been a real trooper in going with the flow and sticking with me. On the trip over I used what we called a "safey vest" (aka harness) to make sure I didn't lose her in crowds. Now I have a wrist to wrist elastic belt which is more comfortable for her. We also borrowed Donna's (Double Happiness) idea for id tags but to our own variation. I used a safety release velcro name tag necklace from Lakeshore and put photo's of Abbey and I together. I wanted it to be very clear that the two of us belong together. I gave all our contact info on the back and a neighbor in the states translated it all for me. I made several and it's a good thing because we've already lost one.
Next we had Paulette, Annalise, and Will come to stay with us. It was so wonderful to see the long awaited dream come true. Annalise is from one of the orphanages that we are working with so it was a very special connection. They came on Wednesday and stayed with us until Friday. Annalise was doing great, such a happy girl, and Paulette was immediately recruited to begin work at our school. She evaluated a few children and really helped give strategies to work with some special needs. My class was fortunate to have her come and do a activity with music and scarves. It was really fun for everyone. She is so gifted with children. We had a very fun Shabu Shabu hot pot dinner at our friend's home and all the children had lots of fun together. Lots of fresh ingredients (vegetables, meats, dumplings, and noodles) are set out and you pick what you want and put it in the boiling broth to cook and then fish it out and add spices and sauces. Very yummy and fun. It reminded me of fondue with the Swiss because you are cooking your food together as you eat. The next night Paulette and Will also treated us to a very nice dinner in the chic Shekou - I had to go for a burger and fries for a taste of home, and Abbey got some mac and cheese which of course made her very happy. Lots of people were out rollerblading and skate boarding (with those twisting jointed boards) and the wheels light up. Vendors were out with light up toys that you launch in the sky and spin on the ground and everyone was enjoying Starbucks, McDonalds, etc. I saw several Europeans and the reminders of home were comforting to experience again for a few hours. The next day it was time for P, A, & W to go. I was happy to see them head off to meet their family in the US and begin their new life. So thankful we can stay in close touch online.
So much more to share but have to go now. Global Girl and her mom visited us our first day at school, but it was so crazy that we couldn't really talk. I can't wait to read her blog and catch up. We had quite a day in Hong Kong on Saturday (8 am to midnight shopping excursion which will not be soon forgotten). Okay, hooray that we are now online and can share with you all!