I’ve been getting lots of emails, blog comments, and facebook messages with questions about our heritage tour. I’m working on the “Tips for Traveling with Young Children in China” post, but also wanted to ask for questions and put all the answers in one place.
So, what questions do you have, either about our heritage tour or taking your own trip in the future?
Lay ‘em on me and we’ll answer what we can. Quicklinks to each China trip post are in the sidebar at left if you need to see anything.
Cheers!
M3
Ree’s trip summary (for the first part of the trip):
(My Trip to China: I went to China and had lots of fun. First, I went to the Forbidden City and saw the Forbidden Palace. I even saw the emperor’s bedroom. Next, I went to the China Adoption Agency and the Jade factory. The Jade Factory had many kinds of Jade. Last, I went to the Great Wall of China and met the Pandas. The Great Wall of China was slippery. I saw the baby panda Oreo. As you can see I had an exciting vacation in China.)
Ro’s trip summary (for the first part of the trip)(it didn’t scan well):
(My Trip to China: On vacation, I went to China with Mama, Daddy, Ree, Bobby, and Jane. First, we explored the Forbidden City. It was really pretty with all the colors. Then, we went to the China adoption agency. We saw the files from the people who want to be parents. We saw the files from the babys who will be adopted too. Next, we went to a jade factory on the way to the great wall of China. We saw lots of things made out of jade. We bought 4 + 2 necklaces but wanted the pink that was too expensive for mama and daddy. We saw a gigantic cheetah statue that looked so big and real. Last, we saw the cutest baby pandas in Cheng Due. They were so cute and happy. As you can see, I learned a lot about China.)
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I love their observations. Ro uses detail well. I hope their teachers take advantage of the trip and ask lots of questions and engage the class in activities and discussions. Great learning opportunity.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Did you have the chance to visit the girls' SWI or foster family?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the pluses and minuses of a tour group? I love the idea of having other kids around to play with. But, getting on a plane every other day sounds like a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go again, will you go with a group again?
Thanks so much for sharing!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. Did the girls mind not celebrating Christmas this year? How were you guys allowed to visit the China adoption Agency? I think you mentioned in a previous post that it was rare to be able to visit.
ReplyDeleteHope it's not too personal...did the girls discuss their being from China and going back to see where they came from? Just wondering if visiting opens any doors for discussion about those kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I loved living vicariously through you and love that you are so adventurous; not sure I will have the energy (much less all of my mental faculties) by the time the girls are old enough to go, but you inspire me.
What organization did the tour? CCAI?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it opened up new questions or feelings regarding their own adoption story?
ReplyDeleteWas 12 days long enough?
I wanted to know how the girls did from an emotional perspective if you were willing or able to share any of that? I know of one child who was very curious and went back at a young age and was fine. Another had a very difficult time upon her return. Do you think it is better to take them back when they are the ages of Ro and Ree or do you plan to go again in a few years. We will only be able to go once I imagine. Thanks SO much! -Dale
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see what they took away from the trip. While similar they were different. Maybe to that it similar to their personalities.
ReplyDeleteThanks too for sharing too your trip! Looking forward to answers above. Would you choose winter again? And did you do it just so the girls would be out of school or Tubadad's schedule? Just looked SO cold. Would love to hear what you would do differently? Seems like it was overall fantastic!
ReplyDelete~Susan
Glad you documented your trip. I wanted to know more about your visit to the CC*** building. What were the blue tags hanging from the packages? Also what were the papers with the little photos of children in the top right corner, were they children waiting to be matched? Thank you in advance.
ReplyDeleteWhat kinds of electronic devices did you bring for distraction? A gazillion batteries. Any suggestions for what was most useful when packing.
ReplyDeleteAny information provided will be very helpful.
I did this tour in 2011 with my girls (6 and 8) at the time. We did it in the summer and it was insanely hot. Just how cold was it in the winter? I thought when we were there in the summer that the winter would be better, but now I'm not so sure. You all look pretty cold!
ReplyDeleteI want to take that trip with my daughter one day. It will have to wait till she is older (teens) because I need to save the money. You said they had the girls in groups according to age. Where the activities different according to age? Also, I might have missed this but what group did you travel with? Did the cost include all meals and travel? Where you happy with your guides and feel they did a good job with the girls? If you could do it all again, what would you do again and what would you do differently?
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing this!! BTW- I LOVE FOLLOWING YOUR TRIP!! Do you have any more pictures of the trip to post!?!?
Sharyn and LiLi
We are going in July- can't wait! On a very basic level, what equipment did you bring so you could blog in China? What cords, etc? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlso, we are thinking of skipping the Guilin portion to do the orphanage visit. Mae very strongly wants to do this. Did Guilin seem AMAZING or would you have been OK without it?
Also curious to see if anything emotional came up for the girls. Mae is already talking about it.
THanks M3!
I simply want to comment that you are so generous to continue to compose thoughtful messages when I know you are still in a jet-lag fog!
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your regular reports on an adventure we all were exceedingly grateful to participate in.
Living in Canada, I felt you were somewhat under clothed at the outset, but was happy to see you fought onward to deal with the elements, no matter how unsettling.
What a learning experience!
You set such wonderful examples as parents to your two delightful daughters.
And I still say: "More tuba."
~ Grammy Carol in Ottawa
What five adjectives best describe this experience?
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised you?
Hi, we took our 6 year old back at 4 and I want to go again in 2 years. Last time we did it independently. How did you find travelling with a group? Was it good for the girls? Did they bond with the other kids etc? We're not big tour people. Also, would a birth sibling be okay on the trip too? And also how cold at XMAS really???
ReplyDeleteSo are the girls learning the "Step Up to Writing" program at school? Awesome writing pieces that seem very telling of that writing program!
ReplyDelete:)
What fun to hear about your trip from the girl's perspective.
ReplyDelete