China 2000
China March 2000
I cannot find the first email home from China, so the first part of this is a recreation from memory with a few details added. Always a dangerous lane to drive! The second part is the actual second email I sent to family and friends from China after we had officially adopted Jade. Some setup of the times: I had been incarcerated in India from January 2000 to May 2000 on an assignment from a firm I won’t name because I wouldn’t want to embarrass PWC. The client was Reliance Industries, owned by Mukesh Ambani, the uber-rich Indian who later built the first ever billion dollar home in Mumbai. Google it. It is a super-ugly 27 floor building with outdoor gardens and a helipad. When we got travel instructions from China on the adoption of Jade, I had to make arrangements to get home to Dallas, get a Chinese Visa from the Chinese Consulate in Houston, and fly to China. By the time I was paroled from India, I had no spare time to make the Chinese-mandated travel date. The Reliance Refinery Manager decided I was critical to the consulting engagement and he called the airline and canceled my ticket from Mumbai to Dallas while I was in the air flying from Jamnagar to Mumbai! More details on that adventure in the India stories.
March 2000
In January 2000, the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs notified us that they had approved our application for adoption and had assigned a 13-month-old girl, Xi Cui Yan, to us! We had to sign and return the form stating we would accept her. I was on a long term assignment in India, so Dana forged my name!
I finally made it home to Dallas from Mumbai on March 14, 2000 to board a plane to Houston the next day, get my Chinese Visa, fly back to Dallas that afternoon, then join Dana and our daughter Rachel to board a plane on March 16 for flights to Los Angeles, then on to Hong Kong. We spent the night in Hong Kong and then flew on March 18 to Nanjing. There we met Linda, our Chinese facilitator/guide/translator provided by our USA adoption agency. We immediately boarded a train for Wuxi, China and ended up in the Sheraton in Wuxi late that night.
Early on March 19, the Wuxi Orphanage Director and a worker showed up at our hotel room with Xi Cui Yan (aka Jade)! The cutest little infant in all of China, probably the world! Lots of discussion between Linda and the Orphanage ladies about how Jade was dropped off anonymously at the orphanage up to what her favorite foods and sleeping habits were. They determined her to be about five days old when she was found, on December 10, 1998, so her birthday is established as December 5, 1998. Jade looked like the little brother bundled up from the cold in the movie “A Christmas Story.” When bullies pushed him down, the narrator said, “Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense.” Jade had on, from outer to inner, A full jumper, a button-up sweater, a pullover sweater with pants, and a Hello Kitty shirt with more pants. I guess it was easier than packing a bag; just put everything she owns on her! When we stripped her down to check her diaper, we realized she was a skinny infant and not the Pillsbury Dough Boy like our first impression!
We checked out of the hotel late that same morning. We had to get photos for Jade’s passport and for other legal documents. But those have to be processed in the provincial capital of Nanjing. Our train back to Nanjing wasn’t until evening, so Linda had arranged for us to see some of the sights of Wuxi. Lake Tai and the bridges over the Great Canal that connects to the lake were the most scenic. We also visited a pearl factory and a silk factory where we were separated from some of our cash. Jade was quiet the whole time, just taking in all the new sights since this was her first day outside the orphanage.
Finally we were dropped off at the train station for our trip back to Nanjing. Thank goodness Linda was with us – all tickets, instructions, and announcements were in Chinese. When the train arrival is announced, there is a five minute window to get from the waiting area to the announced track. This involves going down flights of stairs to the tunnel that goes under the tracks, selecting the right set of stairs up to the track with our train, all while carrying all luggage for four people for two weeks and a new infant. And in addition to our luggage, we had toys, diapers, and clothes for Jade along with gifts for all the Chinese officials we would be meeting with. Giving token gifts is a very cultural thing in China, primarily to weigh the luggage down even more for foreign visitors. Dana had Jade, Rachel had her luggage and I had Dana’s, Jade’s, and my luggage to haul up and down the stairs. While being timed! I thought this should be added as a new event in the 2000 Olympics.
Dana and Rachel had never been in a taxi with a suicidal driver. I think this is a requirement to operate a taxi in much of the world. Linda had arranged pickups in Wuxi, so going from the Nanjing train station to the hotel was the first international taxi ride they had experienced. If the windows had not been cracked open for air, they would have broken all, including the windshield, by sucking in all the air and creating a vacuum every time the taxi driver initiated a “maneuver.” His maneuvers included jumping the curb and driving into oncoming traffic when traffic on our side of the road was stopped or too congested to achieve speeds that would have made a German on the Audubon freak out. Jade was quiet, keenly observing all the new sights and sounds.
At some point between our first day and the start of the second, Jade decided she liked her new Mom, could tolerate her new Sister, but the weirdo Dad was completely unacceptable. If I held her, she would scream and reach for Dana. If Dana was not immediately available, then Rachel would do. I was persona non grata. This day, we had to take Jade’s fingerprints, probably to verify she didn’t have a criminal record, and file for her passport and complete the adoption request with the provincial registrar’s office. I probably forgot to mention that Nanjing is the capital of the Jiangsu Province in which Wuxi is located. And somewhere in between Wuxi and Nanjing, Jade lost a shoe, so we went shopping for new ones that squeaked and introduced her to KFC. She wasn’t that impressed with the food, but loved the hot chocolate. And the squeaky shoes. She would walk 3-4 steps, then stop and look down to see what was making all that noise. When there was no noise, she would take 3-4 more steps, then stop and look down. We had to carry her a lot or we would still be in China. When we realized we had actually been in one city more than 12 hours, we immediately jumped on a bus for Wuxi. In order to finalize the adoption, the Orphanage Director had to sign and the filing had to be in the same town as the orphanage.
So…on March 20, we find ourselves back in Wuxi at the Government Notary Office where Jade officially adopts us! And, realizing we were about to put roots down by standing in one place too long, returned via bus to Nanjing on March 21. But now we get a rest a few days while waiting on Jade’s passport that is expected on March 25. I bought a stroller, which was a completely new advent for Jade. One she did not like. We walked around Nanjing taking in the sights. The most impressive being the huge wall that surrounds the old city. From the top, there is a huge walkway where you can see most of the city. Maybe the wall wasn’t the most impressive sight after all. Back at our hotel, a 40 foot tall Ronald McDonald has been inflated on the grass lawn out front. Either there is some kind of franchisee or food management convention at the hotel or the city wall has done a poor job keeping out giant clown invaders.
On March 25, we get Jade’s passport and head to the airport and Guangzhou. Jade in the first week as a member of our family has experienced more forms of transportation than many Americans will in their lifetime; probably thinking she’s joined a band of vagabonds! Other items not covered in my second email following this is that in Guangzhou, we had to get Jade a physical and file for Jade’s visa to immigrate to America at the American Consulate. The Consulate gave us a large sealed manila envelope that we would hand unopened to the Immigration Officer in Los Angeles. We left for home on March 28, arriving the same day.
On thing Jade reminded me of when she read this as a draft last week, was the hired driver that picked us up in Guangzhou. Linda left us in Nanjing, so we were on our own. When we arrived in Guangzhou, a Chinese man approached us and tried to help us with our bags. I can be rather…let’s go with surly because I don’t want to use SOB…with unwanted solicitations. These can be in the in the dozens at some oversea locations with locals looking for foreign suckers to overcharge. But this guy took off after us and said, “Hey, I’m Ted, your driver; I’m not a bad guy! Linda sent me to meet you!” So from that point on, I had a song I made up to sing to Jade, usually when trying to get her to go to sleep. The Beatles had the audacity to rip it off with their version called “Hey Jude” using the exact same tune:
Hey Jade, now don’t you cry,
I’m your Daddy, and not a bad guy.
Remember to let me into your heart,
Then things will start to only get better…
Guangzhou was previously called Canton. But all you North Texans don’t get excited – there is no First Monday Flea Market here. To followup on my exploits in India. The unnamed firm I was employed by because I wouldn’t want to embarrass PWC, kept emailing and trying to contact me while I was in China, requesti ng my soonest return to India. So much for the promised family leave time. Three days after my return home with my new daughter, I jetted off to India yet again. While there I received a job offer from Santa Fe International, which merged and became GlobalSantaFe, which was acquired by Transocean. While not nearly as awesome as getting a new daughter, getting to resign from that unnamed firm (PWC) ranks pretty high. Plus the new job had the added benefit of lots of overseas travel to hazardous locations!
Guangzhou China – March 2000
Email #2 (As written 26 years prior)
Good News! I’ve been upgraded by Jade from axe-murderer to common thief. She is still not sure about me and still clings to Mama, but she now allows me to occupy the same room as her. She even allows me to feed her, but only after I introduced her to McDonald’s apple pie and Dryers ice cream. I did buy two apple pies, one for her and one for me, but after feeding her one, I bit into mine and she started crying until I fed that one to her as well! I hope to be further upgraded to drunken reprobate by the time we start the journey home tomorrow. Although the second leg of the flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles is evidently going to tear out at record speed. We actually land in LA one hour before we take off from Hong Kong on the same day! I need to check some news feeds and place some sports bets!
We were warned by several that have taken this route that the Chinese girls from the orphanages are not familiar with men and often the adoptive father is the first male they have ever been around. And, dressing up like Mama doesn’t fool Jade one bit. Not that I’ve tried.
It is great to have all the family in one place again. I wrote to Dana three weeks ago while Rachel was in Paris on spring break with her school and asked if she realized she had one daughter in Paris, France, another daughter in Wuxi, China, a husband incarcerated in Jamnagar, India while she was in Rowlett, Texas. We were like the British Empire in the old days with the sun never setting on the Shufflers. We occupied three continents and four countries with nuclear powers.
Jade is coming around. She will tolerate me when Mama’s not in sight, but will only play with me if she is within touching distance of Mama. The adoption was official on 3/20; the passport on 3/25 and we are just waiting for official approval of Immigration from the US Consulate here in Guangzhou. We had to pay the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Registrar, the PRC Orphanage, and the PRC legal fees in US Dollars. And none of that used stuff. It had to be crisp new $100 bills. Then we show up at the US Consulate and they want their fees to be paid in PRC Yuans. Evidently, it is the case of “in the other guy’s currency we trust!”
Another flashback to how old I am. Not long ago, Dana and I were discussing LPs and Albums when Rachel (15 years old) asked “What is an LP?” Now in Guangzhou, we can get canned Coca Colas and Dr. Peppers with the old removable pull tab. Remember how we would all rip those off and drop them in the can – at least those of us not so uncouth as to drop them on the ground? We had a coach in high school that put a sack taped to the drink machine in the field house for the tabs. His wife did crafts and they were great to attach the back of her artwork as a hanging ring. Once again, Congress stepped in to save us from ourselves. The drink manufacturers had to stop making the removable tab. I’m not sure if the reason was the impact on the environment from those that threw the tab to the ground or the death of voters who swallowed the tab they had pulled off and dropped in the can. Back to the present, Rachel popped one of these removable pull tabs and commented “Oh great, the tab didn’t work – it didn’t swing inward.” I took the can and removed the tab. She stared at it and then commented “that’s just not right.”
Have you ever noticed, if your luck is like mine, that every time you get in a short line, the guy in front of you is evidently trying to refinance his home, his car, and file for bankruptcy at the same time? It seems like I have had this non-stop except I haven’t been near a bank line, but lines at customs or immigration at airports or train stations since January. I have a theory that India or China would have beat Columbus to the Americas by several hundred years, but their explorers were stuck in the insane exit lines at immigration and customs. I had also determined the reason that the cartoon comics use various symbols to portray bad language. It started off as actual Chinese words uttered by people growing old in the line snaking around the US Consulate in Guangzhou!
Ironically, US Today on Friday had an article about a reporter following President Clinton through India. He commented on the still gross inefficiencies but the drastic improvements in official stamps from his last trip to India 15 years ago. At that time he had to stand in 12 lines and either have his passport, ticket, or boarding pass stamped. This time it was only four. When I was trying to escape from India to return to the USA to get my Chinese visa so we could travel here to get Jade, I remember finally getting a seat on the Delta flight after the (Insert Chinese characters here!) client representative I had worked with for the last three months cancelled my ticket. I finally got Delta to reissue it, but it took a lot of explaining. So I ended up with a boarding pass, but less than one hour to clear immigration and customs. I rounded the corner and saw about 400 Indians standing in the line and thought “OH (Insert capital Chinese characters here!) I’m not going to make it. Well, I did make it with several seconds to spare! Of course I also sacrificed several years off my life in stress while the idiots in front of me were trying to refinance their house, car, and declare bankruptcy. But looking back, having a beautiful new daughter that considers me an escaped convict makes it all worthwhile!
Hope everyone gets to come see Jade (and us) soon!
And dim sum,
Keith