Wuhan

Sunday 1/12/14

It is hard to believe that I am currently in the same town as Teagen.  Mind you, it is an extremely large town (11 million) but my heart stops each time I see a little girl with long ponytails. 

I arrived here in Wuhan 24 hours after I left home on Friday morning.  With the time change, it was nearly midnight when I got to the hotel.  This was good as I was very tired.

Today is a free day as I adjust to the time difference and wait to meet Teagen. This morning I had breakfast at the hotel, did some unpacking and calculus grading.

I did venture out briefly to check out the nearby area.  The hotel is located just off a very busy street.  There is fortunately a smaller road so it was safe for walking.  There were quite a few small shops, most of them vendors selling food directly to people on the street.  There was also one restaurant with tables.  I didn’t go too far as I am a bit intimidated to be out and about by myself.  I was relieved to see that some of the signs are in English so it reduced the chance that I will get lost!

Tomorrow morning the agency facilitator picks me up at 9:20 and then I get Teagen. He said that a social worker who did monthly visits with Teagen and her foster family will be bringing her.  This will give me a chance to get more information from someone who knows at least a bit about her personality and likes.  There is no chance of meeting her foster family. This is disappointing, but what I expected.

Teagen comes back here with me right away, though we do have to return on Tuesday morning to do more paperwork and apply for her passport.  We have to wait in Wuhan until she gets her passport.  We’ll fly to Guanzhou on Friday, where I look forward to meeting up with other CHSFS families.