August 1998

Fall Newsletter 1998

Marilyn is the second child that Glenn & Rosemary Irwin have adopted from China. Glen provided this trip report: 

We were ten families from across Canada, braving the heat of the Chinese summer to bring home our new daughters. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes we experienced, and the emotions we felt as we got to know our new children, will be remembered for the rest of our lives. It was a humid 32C when we landed in Beijing. Few could have imagined that, one week later, that same temperature would seem only pleasantly warm compared to the heat in the provincial capitals we visited! 

We received a warm welcome from Yulin’s extended family in the form of friendly smiles, chilled bottled water and an air conditioned bus. The next day we were off in three directions: six families to Hangzhou accompanied by Yulin’s sister Yufen and her niece “Daisy”; three families, including myself, to Nanchang accompanied by Yulin and her mother; and one family to Xi’an, guided by Yufen’s friend “Camilla”. The magic of cell phones kept us in touch. 

When we reunited in Beijing five days later, the Hangzhou families spoke of the beauty of West Lake, steamy temperatures and an excellent five-star hotel. In Nanchang, we had experienced scorching 39C weather, the Teng Wang Pavilion, and, when Sean fell ill, the incredible kindness and helpfulness of Yulin’s mother. And, thanks Camilla’s persistence, Michelle and Michel had seen every tourist attraction in Xi’an, in spite of having just adopted twins! But of course, conversation was mainly about our new daughters. 

In Beijing, Yulin juggled our itinerary based on the availability of appointments for the girls’ medicals. We hit the classic tourist spots and then some: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple, the Ming Tombs, the Great Wall. And we shopped (especially Fran and Bruno!). It was my second trip to China and I vowed I would buy all the things I regretted not buying before. I did, more or less, but still wish I’d bought more. 

Through all of this, Yulin looked after us, helped us to look after our daughters and got us through the maze of adoption and immigration procedures. An expert shopper herself, she directed us to the best buys and provided instruction on how to bargain to get the best prices. At the same time, she introduced us to the culture of our daughters’ birth-country, a gift that I hope will link them together and become a source of strength and pride as our daughters grow and take their places in Canadian society.