Thirty-four hours. That's how long it took Kari to get from one side of the world too the other. Unlike my mostly uneventful journey, Kari's trek included some, well, events. Getting up at 4AM to catch her connecting flight to Dulles was no big deal, but she knew the fun was beginning when she found herself seated next to a crotchety ex-insurance adjuster for the 13+ hour flight to Beijing. To give you an idea: after hearing all about the sorry state of American politics, culture, economy, etc., Kari was also given to understand that this gentleman's prostate surgery three years ago has had no adverse impact on his relationship with his Chinese girlfriend, if you know what he means.

So after bidding adieu to her traveling companion, Kari left the international terminal at the Beijing airport and entered China proper. There, she had a seven-hour layover in which to get accustomed to the disorienting absence of English, the lack of personal space, and the constant stares. This all pretty much creeped her out, but she got some comedic relief when a couple dozen 8-12 year olds, apparently on some kind of field trip, descended upon her not long before the flight to Nanning was about to leave. Eager to practice their English, they all took turns asking her the same questions over and over again: “How are you?”, “What is your name?”, etc. Of course, Kari was her naturally accommodating self so she kept up the conversation en route, as the kids fought over who would sit next to her on the plane. In the end, she actually autographed a dozen or so notebooks, two t-shirts, and a baseball cap.

Unfortunately, one of the kids sitting directly behind her was not feeling so well and made use of all the air sickness bags in the rows immediately surrounding his seat. Needless to say, Kari did not get any rest on the way to Nanning. Luckily, knowing that her flight would be arriving late, the agency scheduled the adoption for the afternoon. Hopefully she'll be able to rest and build some strength for the frenzied and full days ahead.

So, Kari is currently in Nanning, safe-and-sound, hopefully sleeping, and just a few hours away from meeting Christopher.

By the time Ben wakes up tomorrow, he will be a brother.