Almost seems like I’m spamming you! Sorry!

I was barely awake at 6:30 am this morning when I got a message from Hans asking me to look at my email. I looked and PANG! I was awake!!!! Living my life in the……

The night train from Guiyang on the 15th arriving in Gulin on the 16th was canceled and the only other train was at 3:49 am – No way that was an alternative for us!

Hans had already looked at flight tickets and I started to search the internet.

Elong: 250 RMB + taxes/ person

Ctrip: 245 RMB + taxes/ person

China Travel Guide: 280 RMB + taxes/ person

There was a flight at 7 am with only one ticket left and one at 2:20 pm with 8 tickets left so I booked it right away!

I also booked one more night at the Starfish Foster home apartment!

I promise no updates the next couple of days! So……

Sometime things happens fast!

I was chatting with our friend Jet, who lives in Guiyang with her family and runs Starfish Foster home. We are going to visit them from the 11th of October. We booked a hotel 1 km from their home.  But now Starfish has a volunteer apartment in the same complex as they live in. It has 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and 2 bathrooms, a washing machine and a balcony with a view to Jet & Co. apartment.

So we canceled our hotel and are now going to live in a Chinese apartment. It feels good. We will come even closer to the Chinese way of life and China.

Jet and I met in 2008 on an Yahoo group for families with Children from Nanning. Our families met in 2009 first here then in The Netherlands and now we are meeting in the country that brought us together. The children, Linnea, Robin & Norah are all from China and they are getting good a English and can communicate more and more!

Once again I am so amazed of what adopting Linnea has given me – (besides the best daughter in the world!) friendship I never expected, experiences I never thought of during those 9 years of infertility!

I only find one word to describe it with: LOVE!

Here is some pictures of the apartment and the time table is updated!

And some photos from the Miao village we might visit with Jet and her family!

Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday I wrote that we were several month away and now we are almost there!!!

And I do feel that everything is under control.

• Presents bought
• Visa & Passport ready
• Tickets booked
• Interpreter booked for Nanning.  A young woman, Kelly, studding English at Nanning University.

During the next two weeks I have laundry and cleaning on the to do list. And of course, packing!

In the last couple of days I have added many new subscribers to the blog, and I want to welcome all of you.  Just remember we like to read your comments while in China! 🙂

Now we also have a list of homework for Linnea:

• 20-something  pages math
• 20 pages reading (Swedish)
• Write about 3 experiences from the trip (5 sentences each)
• Read 2 books and write about them (few sentences)
•  Speak English as much as possible
• A crossword

I’m sure this will be manageable, she has 3 helpers and a very long flight 😉

As you know I want to be able to write while in China, so I have been testing on a 7″ pad with and a rubber keybord. Now I’m using my iPad (10″) and my mom’s small bluethooth keyboard. I must say I prefer this second solution. Bigger screen and better keyboard.

To test publishing photos on the blog I took a picture of my iPad and keyboard so you can see what I talk about. The little pad is on the left.

I also want to tell you that we now have money enough for The Pig Project. All thanks to buyers of Mejoso Design Jewelry, my mother in law, my mother and a very good friend.

THANK YOU!!!

Yesterday I went to get a parcel at the post office. I thought it was shoes or books I had ordered.

It was books. It was Linnea’s favorite books. 10 of them. In the Chinese edition! And I didn’t understand a thing!

Well I had googled for Lassemaja’s Detektivbyrå by Martin Widmark translated into Chinese to give Li one of them.

What I found was a Swedish-Chinese organisation in Beijing selling some of them in their store…. in Beijing!!

Also I found an article from 2012 saying Martin Widmark and his publisher went to China to get the books translated.

Well I found a Facebook page for the books and asked there if they knew what had happened since 2012?

I got an email address to write to since they didn’t know!

I wrote about Linnea and Li and got the answer that they forwarded my email to a guy (Ludvig) who knew more!

Ludvig send me a link to the Chinese publisher’s homepage but I couldn’t find the books there, and I thought I might get time to look in Nanning.

In the parcel there was a note from Ludvig, sending his regards to Linnea and Li, and wishing us a nice trip!

What a surprise! What an amazing guy doing this for us, and for two girls he doesn’t know.

I have now promised him a photo of Li and Linnea when we give Li the books. What a gift! Thank you so much!

Below you see Linnea & Martin Widmark May 2013

29 days, 17 hours, 36 minutes

No wonder I feel a bit off, lost, confused and way off track! Today, on my mothers birthday, there is only one month left!

I have been emailing with 4 people in China and I really hope everything falls into place now.

Our interpreter Howard was unable to help us in Nanning but has introduces us to Kelly, who studies English at the university. So far so good! She seams nice and keen on helping us.

I have finally decided what to get the Li family, practical presents (paper, pens, tea) and we’ll buy it in Nanning. Also they will get some home made by me and Linnea, bracelets, Guangxi girl necklace, shawl – if I get them done – started knitting last night!

Henk, our friend in Guiyang emailed some photos from Guizhou & Guiyang of what we could experience while there and the butterflies in my stomach went wild! Look for your self:

Hongfu Temple in Qianling Hill Park, Guiyang.

Huangguoshu Waterfall

Country side village near Huangguoshu Waterfall

Weekend market in Guiyang

It is the 4th of July today and in 3 months we are off!

6 weeks to 3 months before departure you can apply for visa to China. So I have been filling the forms, 4 of them, collecting papers and finding out what we need.

Everything is almost ready. We need a passport photo each and to make some copies of Linnea’s old Swedish passport with her visa from 2012.

A lot has fallen into place during the last couple of weeks:

• We have booked the last flight: Nanning – Guiyang
• We have been in contact with Hope 4 Chinas Children and booked our visit to our sponsor girl Li on the 8th of October together with Matthew.
• We have arranged that Howard, the guy Jet & Henk had as guide in 2011 will be our guide/translator during our first week in Nanning.
• We have checked out the possibility of visiting the orphanage, but it was quite expensive to have a travel agency to arrange it  and the orphanage preferred that we met with the foster family our selves.
• We have been in contact with the foster family and foster dad will take time off from work and they are planning a schedule for us.

This is just so big that it is hard to believe! I feel so fortunate to being able to plan this trip and to have so many amazing people in our life!

So let the butterflies fly
In my stomach as if it was in the sky
This is a journey of love
Made possible by the Universe above

When we are staying at the Majestic there is a pool available and we have been told that you must wear a swim hat! So today I have ordered swim hats for all of us!

A blue one for Hans (Boring!!!)

A fish for Linnea (Children size)

Flowers for my mom

Splash pattern for me

A pink one for Linnea as an extra in junior size if the other one is to small.

And finally a photo of the pool (borrowed from the internet)