Meeting Birth Parents

Prior to travelling to Taiwan, the time available for us to make our arrangements was short.  We had to wait for Chung Yi (adoption agency) to give the green light for going.  We received word two weeks prior to the date assigned for picking up Maylee from the orphanage.  Immediately, airline tickets were booked, but the search for accommodations was a bit more problematic.  For Taipei, as soon as we searched for a room for two adults and two young children, nothing showed as available.  As a result, we fudged the search by requesting two rooms, each with two adults and one child, plus one room for one adult.  Then, once in our rooms at Taipei M Hotel, both children stayed with Rick and Christine in the largest room.  Housekeeping staff were aware of the arrangement, and no concerns were expressed by any hotel authorities.

When we searched for rooms in Tainan's hotels, we were surprised that options for a family of four including two small children existed, with Silks Place listed at the top of the results.  It was more expensive than our default price range, but the rooms looked spacious, it had a pool (Bo LOVES swimming) and a children's play area.  We booked it.  When we arrived yesterday (October 28), we were pleasantly surprised to find that everything about the hotel more than lived up to its online claims.  Before the trip began, we had been hoping to spend the last five or six days in the more picturesque south or east of Taiwan, close to a beach.  We had the same difficulties for those areas as for Taipei in finding suitable accommodations for a family with two young children, so we decided to book Silks Place in Tainan for the full second half of our trip.  That now seems to have been a wise decision.  Also, it gives a more continuous environment for Maylee's adjustment to her new life - only two moves for her instead of three or four before the big move to Canada.

Children's play area in Silks Place

Silks Place pool

Playground in park across the street from Silks Place

Fun in the playground

The main reason for coming to Tainan was to fulfill the wish of Maylee's birth parents to meet her adoptive family.  That meeting occurred today (October 29).  Irene, the social worker with Chung Yi, came from Taipei to accompany Christine, Rick, Bo and Maylee to the lunch meeting at a facility that had a children's play area.  Maylee's older sisters came to the meeting also.  The birth mother spoke very little English, and the birth father spoke none.  Irene translated when needed.  The mother said that she was very happy that Maylee was being adopted by Christine and Rick.

Adoptive family with birth family

Moving South

Yesterday (October 27) was for relaxing, laundry and running some errands. Maylee continues to warm to the members of this pilgrim group.

Reading a story with Grammy

Advising Grandma on smart phone use

Those who are old enough to remember the TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies, recall the family arriving in Beverly Hills with all of their earthly possessions piled high on their well used truck.  I fear that we gave that appearance today (October 28) on our move from Taipei to Tainan.

Outside Taipei Main Station

We went by high speed rail.  Moving all the luggage was the challenge.  In addition to the personal luggage of each traveller, Christine and Rick (".. we were being responsible parents") brought two car seats from home, which have not been used.  Also, they had to bring from home sufficient containers of Bo's prescription liquid food for all of the days of the trip - 75 containers would have been exactly the amount needed, but 15 more were included, "just in case".  Add to this the stroller for Bo and the large bag of Maylee's clothes, personal belongings, formula, diapers, etc.which the orphanage gave to Christine and Rick.

To get it all to the main train station, Rick and Marj went in a taxi with most of the luggage, completely filling the SUV, including any seats not used by the two passengers.  Christine, Maylee, Brenda, Bo and I walked to the station.

At the train platform

We were aware of a couple of Taiwan High Speed Rail realities: (1) there is no checked baggage; it all goes with you onto your assigned car, and (2) the train stops for only about 2 minutes before moving on again; the conductors are hyper-vigilant about keeping the train on schedule.  When the train arrived at the boarding platform, Christine, Maylee, Brenda, Bo and Marj got on first.  Rick got on next to start finding spots for the first of the large bags, intending to come back out to assist me in gathering the remaining bags.  Just as I was turning to motion the passengers behind to go past me, the elderly Taiwanese couple next in line generously motioned their offer to help.  The husband grabbed one large suitcase, and the wife took another, and they wheeled them onto the train as I gathered the remainders. Rick was able to stay on the train and pile luggage, and the train was able to stay on schedule.

The train trip was relaxing.  We had a warm boxed lunch purchased on the train - affordable and tasty.

Chicken, egg, rice, vegetables

It is nice to see that no flat, arable land is left to grow up as weeds or bushes; it's all planted with one crop or another.

Credit: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002039

Credit: http://goeatlove.blogspot.tw/

After a shuttle bus ride into downtown Tainan (with similar luggage handling challenges) and a bit of a walk from the drop-off point (thank goodness for wheels on suitcases), we arrived at our hotel.

Progress

Last evening (October 25), still concerned that Maylee wasn't drinking much at all, Christine decided to give Maylee pure pineapple juice in a cup to drink, thinking that the flavor might entice her.  It worked!

Christine was told by the orphanage staff on Monday that Maylee would drink a bottle of formula each morning prior to getting out of bed.  Christine tried giving a bottle of formula to her on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings with no success. Today (October 26), however, as Christine described it, "She took a whole bottle this morning!!  And she guzzled it!"  We are all smiling with relief.

Shyness is subsiding.  Maylee and Bo are not yet best buddies by any means, but neither are they foes.  This is a mutual observe and assess period that they have entered.  They sit a little closer to each other each day.  Yet, on Wednesday, Christine had been holding Maylee for quite a while, and Bo stood up, looked at Christine and pointed to the other bed in the room.  Mommy understood.  She laid Maylee down and moved over to the other bed.  Bo jumped up and laughed as he cuddled with her for a few minutes.

Content to sit somewhat close while watching cartoons.

At night, Christine and Rick have the room's two beds pushed together with one edge against one wall.  This makes a gigantic bed for all four of them.  Both Bo and Maylee are what you might call gymnastic sleepers, rolling, pushing, even climbing ...  Rick describes starting sleep with Bo on one side of him and Maylee on the other, but just the opposite when he awakes in the morning.

Nap time

In the year 2000, Marj and her husband visited Taiwan with Friendship Force International.  They were hosted by Robert and Wendy and their children here in Taipei.  This evening, Robert, Wendy, their daughter Linda, and her boyfriend Duke took Marj, Rick, Brenda and me to dinner at a nearby restaurant.  Lovely people and an enjoyable evening.  Christine initially planned to go, but Bo and Maylee needed to go to bed when the group was headed to the restaurant.

L to R: Wendy, Robert, Linda, Duke, Rick, Marj, Brenda, David

Bonding begins

The grandparents are on record as being available to help when needed during this trip. Not surprisingly, with two young children, each on a different sleep schedule, early mornings are times when some help is needed.

Bo is starting (not fully) to adjust his body clock to this part of the world.  On both of the past two mornings, the same routine: he woke at approximately 3:30 AM (October 24 and 25) after sleeping since suppertime the evening before.  When he awoke, he was full of energy and laughter.  Maylee was still asleep, so Rick took Bo to see if any of the grandparents happened to be awake; he tried Marj first, and she was.  They visited in her room for about an hour.

Shortly after 4:30 AM each morning, Rick and Bo tapped lightly on the door of David's and Brenda's door.  David was up, and Brenda was awake.  Bo wasn't showing any signs of drowsiness; after all, he had slept for more than 10 hours each night.  Rick fetched the supplies that we needed (diapers, stroller, etc.), and he went off to bed.

Bo enjoys "drawing".  He signs a desire for paper and pencil, shaping his hand as if holding a pencil and moving it in a circular fashion.  Drawing is one of his favorite quiet activities.  Some casual observers might call it sustained scribbling, but grandparents understand that there is an important artistic component. :-)

5:30 AM drawing time in Grammy's and Grampy's room

After semi-quiet activity in our room, prior to 6:00 AM each morning, Brenda and I took him in the stroller for walks around this part of the city.   He loves sightseeing or window shopping anywhere new, carefully observing while riding in the stroller.

For much of October 24 (yesterday), Maylee's first full day with Christine and Rick without any contact with the orphanage, Maylee was refusing most food and drink - a source of concern.  By sometime in the afternoon however, Christine had discovered that Maylee had a hankering for bananas, warm raisin buns (which Grampy had found at a nearby bakery) and a pork dumpling bun from a stall very nearby.  Additionally, on our long walk today (October 25), we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant, and Maylee consumed a good portion of the tuna from Christine's sandwich.  She has taken to guiding Christine's hand toward things that she is interested in tasting.  Her eating has turned a corner; her lack of drinking is still a concern.

On Tuesday, October 24, Christine, Rick, Bo and Maylee went to the Chung Yi agency head office (here in Taipei) where they were given all of the official documents related to Maylee and her adoption.

Maylee is making progress in feeling at ease with new people and new settings,  On her first evening with us, she hid her face much of the time.  Not so now.  She observes family members and has a smile for them when warranted.  There are times when she cries (infrequently), not always for obvious reasons.

Today (October 25), all of our group went on a long walk -- first to the Peace Park,

on toward the Presidential Office Building,

a stop at a restaurant for lunch, and then on to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.  The magnitude of this complex (grounds and building) is impressive!

National Theatre (also known as the National Opera House)

"Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness"

Immense central pedestrian throughfare; Bo sees a wide open space 

and wants to run.  He ran the full length of this.

The Memorial Hall (front covered with grey scaffolding).

National Concert Hall (on the other side of throughfare from the National Theatre)

Transition Day

Today (Monday, October 23), Christine, Rick and Bo traveled by high speed train to Kaohsiung, 362 kms south.  They were accompanied by Irene, a social worker with Chung-Yi Social Welfare Foundation (the Taiwanese adoption agency).  Maylee's orphanage, Taiwan Xi En, was their destination.

Waiting to meet Irene at Taipei Main Station

Bo LOVES trains. This train: top speed is 300 km/h.

At Taiwan Xi En - L to R: Irene, Christine with Maylee, Xi En staff.

Christine and Rick, in keeping with their training in all of their adoption courses, originally hoped that the transition for Maylee from orphanage to new family could be spread over a week or more, with Christine, Rick and Bo staying near the orphanage and visiting each day.  Prior to leaving Canada, Christine heard from Chung Yi (adoption agency) that the transition would happen all in one day.  It seems obvious that this is hardest on the child, but that was the decision.

Leaving Kaohsiung

By 7:30 PM, the newly enlarged family was back in Taipei.  Bo was asleep, and Maylee was really shy, especially with the new big bearded man (Grampy).

Adjusting

Bo is having some trouble adjusting his sleep schedule to being on this side of the planet.  Grampy picked him up from his parents room slightly before 6:00 AM this morning (October 22).  He had been awake and very active from 9:30 last night.  He is now sleeping in our room. His parents are now sleeping also.

We are in Taipei instead of Kaohsiung (at the request of Chung-Yi Social Welfare Foundation, the Taiwanese adoption agency).  We are all staying at the "Taipei M Hotel - Main Station", about four blocks from the city's main train station.  This part of downtown is showing its age but fascinating to view on foot.  Nearly all buildings have their second floor extended out to the edge of the street, making the sidewalk like a tunnel, open on the street side.

Our hotel doesn't have brewed coffee, only machines that 

create a kind of pseudo-coffee.  So, a three minute walk 

from our hotel: Starbucks.

Small shops line the sidewalks and alleys.  

This "Dumpling Bun" stall is one of our favorites.

Motor scooters outnumber automobiles in Taiwan, and they are driven aggressively!  At red lights, the scooters weave around cars and buses to be at the front of the line for the green light.  At the light change, they accelerate to approximately 80 kms per hour in a swarm.  In slower traffic, they zoom through narrow gaps between vehicles. They appear fearless, but statistics suggest that they shouldn't be --see Charting Taiwan’s Sea of Scooters and Scooters are Death Machines in Taiwan

http://thedailyviz.com/2016/07/30/charting-taiwans-sea-of-scooters/

Most alarmingly, when they are turning right at a red light with the crosswalk full of pedestrians, they see the smallest opening between people and charge through - no waiting for the crosswalk to clear.  It is mind boggling!

In the midst of densely packed buildings, shops and traffic, this part of the city (Zhongzheng District - and no doubt many other parts) has several large parks that appear well cared for and filled with trees, flowers, ponds, sculpture and interesting architecture.  A short walk from our hotel took us to the 2/28 Peace Park.

The 2/28 Massacre Monument

At the southwest corner of the park, with the
Presidential Office Building (previously known
as the Presidential Palace) in the background.

Heading to Taiwan

(Christine asked her father to create a blog about the trip to bring Maylee to her new home in Canada, so that friends and relatives could easily be updated on this stage of a life-long adventure.)

In the beginning, two and a half years ago, Christine received a phone call asking if she and Rick would be willing to adopt a certain little girl from an orphanage in Taiwan.  After some thoughtful consideration and prayers, they decided that they would do it.

Then, many months of applications, payments, paperwork, calls, emails, inquiries, waiting and waiting (this seems to be what international adoptions are made of).  Finally, the adoption of Maylee is materializing. She is now over three years old.

Christine, Rick and Bo, accompanied by Rick's mother Marj, left Edmonton in the evening on Friday, October 19. Christine's parents, Brenda and David, followed 11 hours later. The role of the grandparents is to help in whatever ways seem best for the adopting family.

Middle of the night, waiting for connecting flight at Vancouver Airport.