Arrival

Our host child went through nearly 36 hours of travel before landing in Nashville, TN really late on Thursday night, December 17, 2015. 

There were 26 kids participating in the program. They flew from Guangzhou to Beijing and then split up. A group flew to New York, and a group flew to LA. Some families picked up their host children in LA, but a group of 5 got on yet another plane to come to our part of the country. 

The whole group in Guangzhou

Our guy is in the black vest. Clearly, he is not happy about the fact he has to get on ANOTHER flight!

We were so nervous! We didn't know how we would communicate, or how he would feel after traveling for so long. We had a total of 4 translators with us to ask any last minute questions or give last minute directions before driving another 3 hours to our home. You could feel the excitement the moment our group spotted them. 

The Nashville group is ready!!!

Check out the excitement here.

The first time we met him. What a doll!

He came right to us and you could tell he was nervous. We had the translator tell him a few things about our drive, our house, and what to expect when he got home. We made sure he knew how happy we were to have him. After 5 minutes, you could tell he was already loosening up. We gave him a gift, and before opening it, he went to his backpack and took everything out... looking for the gift he brought for us. I thought that was sweet. 

The car ride home went great. We talked back and forth with the translate app. He got the giggles a few times when the translator did not work and said something completely ridiculous. I gave him a hot wheel book with a matching car, and he LOVED it. He wanted to study the pictures, and read all the words. He kept pointing at me to read it, but I didn't know how to read it so that he would understand it! After getting frustrated with my lack of technology knowledge, he took my phone, went to my translate app, scanned the words and then read it in Chinese. Alrighty then. I guess he has done that a time or two. After he would listen to it in Chinese, he would examine the car. For example, one section was about the wheels, so he took a good long look at the wheels to help him understand. Smart as a whip, I tell ya.

I packed a lunch for him. I have made that dreaded trip 3 times, and every time I have been starving once landing. He was excited to see the juice box, sandwich and goldfish crackers. But, before he ate... he opened up his backpack and shared his Chinese snacks with me. This boy! He is a doll.

We had to stop for a bathroom break. When we pulled in to the gas station, he started frantically trying to repack his bag (that he had emptied to feed me snacks...) and through the translator app we told him this was only the bathroom. His response "this is a long bathroom." He walked through the gas station with huge eyes, examining everything he walked past. 

When we were just 30 minutes from home, those little eyes rolled back in his head and he was OUT! He slept for about 20 minutes and then woke up in a sweat and looked like he was going to be sick. Through the app, he told me he was dizzy. We put the windows down and gave him water. He drank the entire bottle, and then said he was fine. We made it home without the pukies! He walked in the house and just took it all in. We showed him the room where he would be sleeping and he loved looking at everything on the shelves. I told him to brush his teeth and wash his hands... and then he snuggled up in bed. I couldn't believe it was that easy!

First impressions: brave, incredibly sweet, and SMART as a whip. He is fiercely independent, and clearly has excellent care in China. I can't wait to watch him blossom over the next 4 weeks!