[KarenInCa]

Writer Held After 'Charter 08'

It's amazing how much we are entitled to take for granted.

[specialk4b]

Wow. Life is so different there.

[Lissa]

When we were picking up Lydia it wasn't too long after Katrina. Our guide Dennis and I got along really well and so he came to talk to me often and on one occassion he asked me about Katrina and if I lived near New Orleans and if I had seen the destruction. I told him no but that it was extensive and that there were still many homeless. He was asking me questions about it and I was answering them and then I said something critical about president Bush. His shock and discomfort became immediately apparent and he backed away from me quickly like he was afraid. I felt horrible. Not because I criticized our government, but because I caused someone I liked very much to feel like that. I'd forgotten until then I was in a communist country. After that I avoided anything even remotely political because I didn't want to make our hosts feel uncomfortable.

[MissyAmomChina]

Sort of along the same lines, and sort of not. My husband traveled without me to China. While he had a great time, around the end of the second week he was feeling a little homesick. In that moment, he said something like "You know, I really think this trip could be shortened to a week or so." I replied that it probably could. He then made a comment that there was a level of "industry" around the adoption trips referring to hotels, restaurants and shops and perhaps that's why China required a 2 week trip. It was our only semi-critical comment in any conversation and we were immediately disconnected as soon as it was said. We were very conscious to not say anything that could be construed as negative at all.

* Please note, we certainly understand the benefits of the trip and how many people love it etc.

[Lissa]

It's our government that takes so long, not the Chinese.

[KarenInCa]

WOW that's interesting Melissa. I know that some blogs are also blocked from being accessed in China.
If the title of the blog has any reference to anything that the government deems should be censored, the entire blog is blocked from complete access. We were very careful in deciding the name of our blog while we were traveling.

Lissa and I have a mutual friend who stayed in China with his wife and family for a year. I recall him saying that the government runs the residential electric/gas companies. He was a bit surprised to realize that all the heat was turned off for the year on a particular day in March. It's cut off in March for the southern part of China, and in April for the Northern part of China. Just cut off on the same day every year, till the next winter, regardless of any extenuating weather conditions.
I think that's why it's so important to Chinese people that the kids are bundled up and look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. We actually thought our daughter was at least 5 lbs heavier on Gotcha Day because of all the layers of clothes. I'm surprised she could actually move when we got her. And old ladies scowl if your child is not in at least 3 layers. Our daughter's socks were not knee highs (even though she wore pants) when we visited the orphanage, and our guide told us to make sure the pants were continually pulled down below her ankles. Lo and behold, as we were leaving the orphanage, a nanny scolded DH as she saw him pushing her in the stroller, because her ankles were showing. It was kind of funny watching him try to tell her that she was wearing 3 layers of clothes and that had to count for something!

On the other hand, when one of our in country flights was delayed, the airport officials announced a !0% money back for the flight, and put everyone that was to be on that flight in hotel rooms across the street from the airport, for the 4 hour lay over. Unheard of anywhere else in the world, I'm sure.

[MissyAmomChina]

Originally Posted by Lissa

It's our government that takes so long, not the Chinese.

I really don't think our country's requirements make the trip that long. If that were the case, why would we only have to be in Taiwan for 3 days?

[Lissa]

Taiwan is "friendly" as far as the US is concerned, China is not. We tend to slow things down for countries we don't see entirely eye to eye with. I'm not saying China does not have it's share of bureaucracy...just that we have our share too. I also never ran into corruption during our adoption from the Chinese whereas I did on the American side--enough to delay our bringing home Lydia. So admittedly, I have a small chip on my shoulder regarding the US Consulate.