Six weeks to go...

Six weeks today we will be on a plane and in the final hours of our long flight to China. The excitement is mounting!

So it seemed a perfect day to have a get-together to meet up with our travel group ... all were there except Kim, Damian and Sophie from California (kind of a long commute) and the Presleys from Ottawa - we missed them all so took a few pictures to share our day.

Hanging out in Al & Flo's party room...

As the adults from seven families chatted, ate, reviewed itineraries, packing lists, chatted and ate some more, the kids watched movies and made crafts (thanks AM and Julia for the lovely earrings!) ate popcorn and laughed.

What a good looking bunch... ;-)

The party today made the trip much more real and we look forward to travelling together and arriving at our destinations in Hong Kong and Beijing on March 7th...the full group will join up in Guilin on March 10th.

Woohoo!

Where family is found...

I like the idea of the word homeland.

For me it evokes a place that is more than where someone came from, more than just a geographical location. And when I went googling my way through the internet to see if there was a comparative word in Mandarin, I found one that seems to mean more than just country. Well, two words really, as the word is formed from two chinese characters...

The term guó jiā is made up of two characters: 國家. The first character 國 (guó) means "country” or “state.” The second character 家 (jiā) means “home” or “family.”

As the translation explained, the single character 國 (guó) can be used when referring to countries, but guó jiā seems to emphasize that a country is also a homeland where family is found.

Love this.

The perfect addition to our blog banner.

Postscript: My wonderful Chinese colleague informed me that there is a word that is another option for homeland. It is gù xiāng 故乡 ...this means native place or birth place.

Ready, Set...

I am usually NOT a boxing day shopper.

Today, though, we had to dash to the mall to exchange a pair of boots and after successfully managing that transaction, the girls and I suddenly found ourselves facing a luggage store. Well, we needed new suitcases for China, so in we went. Wow! Great, great deal, all luggage was discounted and if you bought a second piece, it was 1/2 off! Ta-dah, our luggage for the trip was now arranged.

And THEN, on the way out of the mall, we passed a display of the Canadian Olympic wear (which we had wanted to get) and IT was on sale.

Well, enough said.

Thompsons are outfitted and ready for travel! Bring on March 2010!

The Wonderful MaRui

10 years ago this March - exactly - MaRui was our very first guide in China.

It was MaRui who led us though the intricacies of adoption during a time that is incredibly intense and emotional. She is now indelibly connected to our family because she was not only our guide, but our support, friend and the source of constant, gentle reassurance.

Imagine our joy when MaRui was our guide again during our 2007 Homeland tour. During that wonderful trip, the Presley family (travelling with us again this March) and I spoke to MaRui about the possibility of customizing a trip the next time around, with her knowledge and expertise in the lead.

Having recently changed travel agencies, MaRui was now in a position to help us plan our trip as well as accompany us as our main guide. Our tour actually involves 3 different itineraries as some families will start in Hong Kong, some in Beijing and a few of the group will head off on a side trip to the Huangshan mountains. MaRui helped us plan it all and ensure that no detail was overlooked.

Bryanna and Cassidy are thrilled to be able to spend time with her again - MaRui is in large part responsible for how they feel about China.

Woohoo - 3 months to go!

Our Hong Kong Itinerary

Saturday March 6	Leave Toronto Cross International Dateline, Lose one day
Sunday March 7	Arrive Hong Kong Local guide escorts us to hotel. Eat. Collapse.
Monday March 8	Take tram to The Peak, and tour Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry to see the city from the water
Tuesday March 9	Take Ngong Ping cable car to see the Tian Tan Buddha
Wednesday March 10	Visit Flower Market Street and Bird Garden Catch evening flight to Guilin
Thursday March 11	Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill and Piled Silk Hill Evening visit to see fishermen using cormorant birds to catch fish by torchlight
Friday March 12	All day cruise on the Li River followed by evening flight to Chengdu
Saturday March 13	Day trip to see the Leshan Buddha, largest in the world
Sunday March 14	Day trip to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Bifengxia Hold and play with the pandas
Monday March 15	Visit JinLi ancient street and Shu embroidery Depart early afternoon for Hefei
Tuesday March 16	Explore Hefei and visit local school
Wednesday March 17	Tour local villages and countryside
Thursday March 18	Morning flight to Shanghai Free day
Friday March 19	Bund Sightseeing Tunnel and boat ride followed by visit to YuYuan Gardens and Market in afternoon Acrobat Show in the evening
Saturday March 20	Visit and climb 367 steps to the top of the Lupu Bridge Nanjing Road (Shopping District!) in the afternoon
Sunday March 21	Free Day and then evening flight home!

The Journey Home

Ni Hao! Here the Thompsons go again!

In March 2007, the girls and I and my parents returned to China for our first homeland tour - a journey to re-introduce the girls to the wonderful country, culture and people that are their heritage. That trip, an organized tour taken with our adoption agency, was fantastic. We enjoyed every moment as we travelled from Beijing to Xi'an, to Anhui province and then Shanghai. The girls, especially, loved the whole experience and we promised that we would return again as soon as we could.

However, even I am surprised that our return to China is happening already!

This trip will be a little different though...for the last year we have worked with MaRui, our favourite guide from two previous trips to China, to customize our very own itinerary in order to do some things and visit some areas of China that we have never seen before. From Hong Kong, to the mountains of Guilin (see the photo in the right sidebar) to Chengdu and the world-famous Panda reserve, then back to the girls' home province and on to Shanghai to do and see some things we missed on the last adventure, it's going to be an exciting ride! To add to the pleasure, not only are my parents joining us, but so is my sister (who was there in the very beginning of our journey to Bryanna), my brother-in-law and 6 year old niece, my 17 year old god-daughter (in all the ways that matter), and friends from both our adoption group families ~ 25 people in all, including 9 children and 3 teenagers!

So now, after a full year of planning, the trip is only 3 months away - I cannot believe it. The flights are booked, the itinerary is confirmed and even our tour fees are paid!

As we count down the days to departure (Saturday, March 6th!), I'll try and update the blog with interesting tidbits and stories about our adventure. I'll post the Thompson itinerary next.

And if you are interested in looking back at our last trip, feel free to browse our first blog here.

Thanks for coming along on our journey home.