Friday, April 17, 2009

Where in the world is Lauren?



I thought I would post a map to show where in China Guizhou is. My new friend Holly who lives in Kaili, Guizhou wrote me a much appreciated, lengthy email, telling me all about Guizhou. She said the area that Lauren is in is very remote and mountainous, so remote that she recommended Dramamine if we were to go on the roads to her orphanage. Which by the way, CHI has said it is unlikely we will visit her orphanage. What will most likely happen (my assumption, not words from CHI) is she will be brought to us at a hotel in a major city near by. The nearest major city to Zhenfeng is hours and hours of driving per Holly. Wow, My Lauren is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by lush, tropical beauty.

Holly also said the area Lauren is in has not been hit by any of the recent earthquakes, but has experienced a major snow storm last winter.

Another cute note Holly added was Yu (in Lauren's Chinese name) often means "fish" in Chinese and that many Chinese call their children "little fish". The symbol of a little fish is meant to be a symbol of good luck in China.

Well, I'm off to plan and do as much as I can in preparation for leaving. Yes, I've just pulled out my suitcases and am packing travel items I bought today at Target such as travel Tide, etc. :) I also bought her a swimsuit for fun at the hotel pool and a little sundress I am thinking she may wear the day we go to court and she becomes legally ours. :)

Oh, and Ann wrote from Red Thread China..Lauren received her care package!

10 comments:

Mommy Spice said...

This is all so exciting!! We actually got to go to Spicy Girl's orphanage...but out of 4 orphanages represented in our group, only two groups got to visit their orphanages. I hope you get to go. It was very emotional, but I'm so glad we saw where our daughter spent her first 10 months.

S.Wise said...

I second Mommy Spice! This IS so exciting! I too hope that you get to go to her orphanage... I can only imagine how hard it would be to get to her orphanage....and what a drive!! She will be one tired little peanut when she arrives in your arms!

I love the meaning behind "Yu" in Lauren's Chinese name. ... you are starting to find out some pretty cool information!

Good luck with the packing! That is one thing that has me a little overwhelmed just thinking about it!!! Here's my two cents... have you ever used a boil coil? You can by them at REI. They are awesome in hotels where you want to boil your water in a cup or small container!! :) I used one in Asia and was hooked!!

Mommy Spice said...

Hey Mardi,

I remember worrying about the same thing. I'm almost positive I took my Bible. They never really went through our stuff. I'm sure you'll be fine taking it.

LucisMomma said...

She's gorgeous!

You will meet your bloved in Guiyang, where all the kids are brought. We met our Luci in our hotel's restaurant. We stayed in the Howard Johnson (a luxury hotel, not like HoJo's in the USA).

Excited for you!

susan, mom to Luci, now 3. Adopted in Aug 2005.

Terri said...

You are packing! Her orphanage area sounds gorgeous - SO different from AZ. Terri

Kayce said...

I am so happy that travel is coming soon!! I love all that you are finding on little fish Lauren! So cool!!

Anonymous said...

Our beautiful daugther, Justine, is from Guizhou. We are so proud of her birth region. It is an amazing remote area, and I dream of returning!!! It is a special place with very special people:)
We are so honored our daughter is from Guizhou!! cieslaks@mhtc.net

redmaryjanes said...

I am so happy for you! Very very exciting!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, you'll stay in Guiyang, and the babies will be taken there to meet you. And be prepared that it may happen earlier than you expect. We were not supposed to meet our girls until the morning after our arriving in Guiyang, though we met them that night - which was great really. Guizhou is so beautiful, take it all in. We got there right after the horrible snow storm of 2008 - shut the whole place down it did. Say, I know you'e quite busy - but would you be so kind as to pass along my name and email address to your friend Holly in Guizhou? My daughter is from there of course, and it would be so terrific to be in touch with someone there - it's so remote and you're very lucky to have found a contact to find out more about the province. I'm Shelly, my daugher is Amelia (Xia Xia), and email is sadylady5@yahoo.com. Congrats to you and happy travels in June. It's right around the corner.

redmaryjanes said...

Mardi,

We are going to start a project to sponsor some of the Amazima children.
And I would love to meet you in Uganda.