HALLELUJAH!  We are in Beijing!!  I am trying to keep my eyes open so I can see all the sights but they are so tired!  Both of our flights were delayed yesterday.  And then our 2nd flight got delayed even further because the toilets were backed up.  haha!  Darn those people that flush things down the toilet that shouldn't!  But thankfully they got it fixed before we took off.  I can't imagine only having 1 toilet for all of those people.  The plane was packed!!  We met 2 Bethany families on the flight.  We have a total of 11 families from Bethany making this trip with us.  I can't wait to meet all of them & hear their stories!  I don't want to complain about the ride but it was cramped!!  Imagine sitting in a box that is just big enough for you & then the person sitting in their box in front of you wants to lean back and sit in your lap.  haha!  I have to say though for all the changes & all the time zones & all the cramped-ness (is that a word?), Caylee was a trooper!  Quite honestly, I think she did better than me on the flight.  We tried to sleep and when we finally got all settled, all the lights came on & they fed us a sandwich.  Eh well...you gotta eat, right?! 

The paperwork doesn't stop.  We had to fill out a form for getting into the country & one to keep for when we leave the country.  I don't know why these forms freak me out so much but they do!  It's like those blasted buttons on the kiosk at the check in.  I'm so afraid that I am going to fill out something wrong and be hauled away.  Yes, I know it's silly but um..well..it's what I do.  ;)

 

I find myself wondering a lot about Alina.  I wonder what she's like.  I wonder if she is shy, I wonder if she is sassy.  I wonder what her laugh is like.  Will she even laugh with us or will she be scared of us?  I know the little girl that we meet that first day will not be the same little girl 3 months from now.  It's is going to be a gradual process of trust I'm sure.

 

We got in and were picked up by a Bethany representative.  We took a little less than an hour drive to our hotel.  The traffic here is crazy but what do you expect when you have 20 million people in one city?  The buses don't stop for bikes, the cars don't stop for buses and no one stops for pedestrians. It's beautiful though & we are so thankful to be here!!