October 2003

Everything we did in China was all so different and exciting compared to Toronto. The most exciting and different part was becoming a sister. When you get the baby it’s really hectic. You are in the lobby of the hotel and all of these nurses start running at you yelling out names. For me it took about 3 days to get used to having a sister but once you get used to it you feel like your sister has been there forever.

Rachel Winer

Nanjing, October 2003

It was our second time, and once again Yulin and her family were the masters of organization. We met the rest of our group for breakfast in Shanghai, and were soon on the bus to Nanjing. Today was the day we would receive our new daughters. But first, there was the little matter of a 3 ½ hour bus journey. Michael, our guide, was very knowledgeable. He kept us all interested with tidbits of information about life in China, while our four-year-old daughter entertained everyone (I hope they agree!) with her repertoire of songs.

Maria and Eric received their little Mia almost immediately. For the rest of us, it was lunch, after which we were told to gather in the lobby of the hotel. We waited excitedly (and nervously) trying to guess from which direction the babies would come. Then, all of a sudden, in a flurry of activity, someone ran in with a baby, then another, then another, then our’s! Within 5 minutes, we all had our new additions. Our lives had now changed forever.

Most of the paperwork was done in Nanjing over the next few days. Between notaries and government offices, visits were arranged to places such as the Yangtze River Bridge and the old city wall. King George, who fancied himself as a bit of an opera singer, took over as our guide. And as for his jokes….! Oh, and did I mention the food? By the time we got to Beijing, it was as though Fu Min had always been our daughter. And I think I can say that for all nine families and their new daughters. In Beijing, we met up with Eileen and her mother, who had gone to Guangdong to pick up their new addition, Genelle.

Faye, our Beijing guide was terrific. The real purpose of visiting Beijing was to obtain Canadian immigration documents, it was everything else that made it so memorable. The Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City and a local acrobatics show were some of the sightseeing highlights. Beijing has some fantastic shopping, and Yulin is a master, organizing visits to Silk Alley, a pearl market, a silk factory and various indoor markets. Some of the places even know her personally! Bargaining is the name of the game. So with baby in one hand and wallet in the other, it became a mission to see how low some of the vendors would go. Reports of a 500 Yuan price tag coming down to a mere 80 Yuan were not uncommon! Oh, and did I mention the food?

It was with mixed emotions that we said goodbye to China. We were starting to almost feel a part of it. It was (and always will be) our daughters’ homeland. It is a huge country with a wealth of culture and traditions. It is a country where you can have a four course dinner for an amount of money that would bearly buy two cups of coffee in the Starbucks next door. We had had a wonderful experience, met new friends, helped each other, but now it was over and time to start our lives again back home.

A big thank you to Yulin, as well as to her sister Yufen and her brother for their organizational abilitites and for giving us all that valuable sense of security.

Adrian Holland