TAIWAN!!!

On Monday night of this week, we found out that we could book our travel to Taiwan.  We had two hurried, frantic days of packing, booking travel and hotels, then on Thursday morning at 6:15 a.m., we departed Nashville on the biggest adventure of our lives.  Not only are we meeting our daughter later today, neither of us have ever traveled internationally, so when we decided to do something, we decided to go big, or go home!  After so many months of waiting, it is hard to believe it is finally here and TONIGHT, I will be holding my daughter as she (hopefully) sleeps!  This are the moments we have been longing for.  This is what life is about.  Taking giant leaps of faith and gaining experiences and memories that will last into eternity.  This child is so loved by the people here in Taiwan who have cared for her since she was born last January at only 1.5 lbs, 12.5 inches long, 26 weeks gestation.  The nurses at the hospital NICU where she was for the first three months of life, the baby center where she has lived, cared for by nannies, the missionary couple who run the crisis pregnancy center, her birthmom who willingly chose to give her a chance to have a better life, and all those who will be touched by our adoption story are head over heels in love with this baby girl.  As her mom, I am honored and amazed that God has chosen us to be her earthly parents.  I have blogged before about wanting to know how Mary felt as she carried Jesus during advent...I am just starting to see how many our baby has already touched, just with her amazing survival story, and how many more she will impact in her precious lifetime. 

Traveling in Asia has been eye-opening to say the least.  We flew from Chicago into the Shanghai, China airport and wow!  We were required to claim our luggage and then re-check in, so we entered the country legally for five hours, then had to 'check-out' again and we never left the airport.  Made me appreciate the freedoms we have in the US so much.  One of our suitcases had ripped, so we had the unexpected expense of buying a suitcase.  You can imagine how much it cost due to having to buy it in an airport--it was quite expensive.  But we didn't really have a choice.  So, I sat right down in the middle of the airport and switched everything from the broken bag to the new! 
On our long flight, we were able to watch the plane's positioning.  We flew from Chicago up over Canada, Alaska, Siberia, the Arctic Ocean, etc.  It was so cool to watch where we were.  The temperature at one point over Siberia was reading negative 97 degrees farenheit.  We chased the sunset all day on our flight.  It never really got dark until the international date line, then all of a sudden, the sun started to rise again.  It was bright and we even had to keep the shades closed over the Siberian Mountains.   

I had never been as tired as I was when we arrived in Taipei.  I have never been a fan of flying, and normally I am so anxious on planes that I can't sleep.  But when we finally took off from Shanghai at about 10 p.m. local time, I actually slept through take-off.  I didn't even know we were in the air when I woke up with drool on my shirt!  The plane for that 1.5 hr flight was the largest I had ever been on.  We also were served a full meal on that short flight!  I had some things I wasn't exactly sure what they were, but it was good!  When we got to Taipei, the taxi ride from the airport to our hotel would have been much scarier if we weren't so tired.  As Justin put it "turn signals and lanes are more of a suggestion here than a law." 

We slept for about 6.5 hours, which was incredible, considering the hard as rocks bed.  It felt great!  Amazing how sleep can change your whole perspective.  We ate breakfast at our hotel and it was very interesting.  We found bacon and eggs, but also baked beans and pasta with tomato sauce?!  The fresh fruit has been SO good (pineapple, dragon fruit, honeydew).  We have had the experience of money exchange, as well as trying to connect to the internet when it is in another language. 

We are sitting in the local Taipei airport now, waiting to check in for our flight to Taitung.  We will be meeting our daughter in about 3 hours!  Hope to blog more about our trip as we have internet connection.  Prayers appreciated!

Comments

  1. brittneeDecember 31, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Yeah, I am so happy for you and Justin. The joy has just turned a new page in this new year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne B.January 3, 2012 at 11:16 AM

    Just saw that you have been in Taiwan!! What an incredible way to begin 2012!!! Prayers for a smooth continuation of your journey and can't wait to see pictures of your new little daughter - in your arms!! Praise God!!!

    ReplyDelete

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