We Made It!

Wow!!   This has been quite a trip so far.   I can’t even begin to explain all that we have encountered so far, but we have finally arrived in Nanning safely.   Thank you for all your prayers!!   And thank you, God, for guiding us here!!

Just a few quick notes, we arrived in Guangzhou last night with a baby and two adults on our flight who had fevers.  (The people getting on board in the white HAZ-MAT-like attire to take our temperatures was like being in a futurist movie.)  Rumors started swirling within a matter of minutes and after being stuck on the plane for 45-minutes for the all the temperatures to be taken, passengers started saying they were going to quarantine the whole flight.  They wouldn’t let us in the gate and we had to stand outside the airplane for a little while and wait for a bus to get us, all the while most everyone was thinking we are getting quarantined.  Note to anyone traveling in the near future:  This is standard protocol.  They won’t let passengers from International flights arrive through the terminal – they are bussed to an area of the airport where you have to walk through the quarantine inspection and then straight into baggage claim and customs.  It all made sense in the end, but it just had everyone worried in the process because no one tells you anything.  But in the end, no quarantining!!  Woo hoo!!   Then, after we arrived, we had to get the airline to book us a hotel room since we missed our connecting flight.  They took us to an area of town where NO ONE spoke English and not one menu item was listed in English.  It was quite the experience.  But, we are here.  After a dinner of Oreos and bottled water, we are HERE!!!  

Other notes:  Leila has been such a trooper.  She has been a great travel companion.  And as much as we miss our sweet Mia, Nolan and I have looked at each other several times during this journey and said, “Can you even IMAGINE if we had to go through all this with our can’t stand/sit still, bundle of energy Mia?!?”   17-hour layovers, lines, lines and more lines, exhaustion, frustration, etc. etc.   It was a great decision to bring Leila with us and a very wise one to leave Mia in good care at home.  (Mom – Please give Mia big hugs from us and let her know we miss her SOOOOOOO much!!!!)

We leave in a little over an hour to go meet Da Xin.  Get this… we are going to have to wear masks to meet her.   Of all the things I have planned in my head over the last 9 months, I did not have a picture of us wearing medical masks to meet our daughter.  I may not be posting tonight.  All of our travel to get here has us all quite exhausting and we want to make sure she gets all our attention tonight. 

Signing off to go get ready to meet our new daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!