by Emily Straut
Earlier this year, I had the incredible privilege of taking part in CCAI’s Hunan Province Heritage Tour.
Little kid always asking where I came from…
Parents said “tummy mom” was far far away and that we’d visit someday when I’m older…
Always been in the back of my mind…
This lifelong dream to visit my birth country was beginning to actually happen this time last year. Itinerary, visa applications, packing lists, purchase of some new travel equipment, etc.
The flights there were excruciatingly long.
DAY ONE
On the first day, our local guide for Beijing greeted us and picked us up from the airport, and we traveled seamlessly to our hotel. The hotel was grandiose and beautiful! Lots of window shopping; Alice was very helpful with the currency exchange. My parents and I wandered around the strip of shops across the street that evening and settled at a restaurant that sold kebabs.
DAY TWO
The next day, we woke up bright and early to visit the Great Wall and a nearby Jade factory. The ride to and actual hike of the Great Wall were both wonderful. The pass that we went to (Juyongguan) was quiet and remote. I hiked up a couple of fortresses on my own and wished that I could climb the wall forever. The view was unparalleled and left me in a state of complete awe – the old, old architecture, the mountains that stretched endlessly across the landscape in every direction, and the famed wall that outlined those long stretches of mountains before me. I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and wonder. After taking hundreds of photos, none of which seemed to do the view justice, I traipsed back down the wall towards my parents and our guide.
After we had wandered about the base of the site and poked around in some of the gift shops, we headed back to the car to go to the jade factory and eat lunch. I stared out the window the entire drive, desperately trying to commit every detail of the area, the wall, and our journey to memory. The jade factory was vast and expansive in a manner that mirrored the wall. The jade factory guide was very humorous and accompanied us through the entire store, showcasing their beautiful earrings, pendants, statues, earrings, rings, and figurines and graciously answering question after question we had about all things jade. I bought some earrings but unfortunately lost one of the gemstones somewhere along the rest of my journey. I still have both earrings and proudly display them on my trinket shelf at home. Our lunch was delicious, and there was enough food to feed the city. The wait staff even brought us french fries, which we all thought was quite humorous – it’s funny how people want to make Americans feel at home. They weren’t half bad, actually! After lunch, we made our way back to our hotel. It was only late afternoon, so we had plenty of time to explore the area. My parents and I didn’t want to squander a single minute of our trip, so we wandered along the strip of stores across the hotel. We bought snacks and then continued our walk by visiting some public parks, watching the locals exercise, and puttering around the nearby neighborhoods. We ate dinner at the kebab place across from where we ate when we first arrived and then went to bed early since we anxiously anticipated another busy day.
DAY THREE
On day three, we traveled to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Nobody tells you just how significant these landmarks are, and even if you did know their size, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate their scale until you’re standing in the middle of them. It took hours for us to saunter through the square and the city, marveling at fountains, portraits, grand gates, towering statues, adorned royal quarters, and endless gardens with colossal scholars’ rocks and trees with winding branches.
That evening, we returned to the Beijing airport to fly to Changsha. The flight was relatively short, and I’ll never forget the bright red, neon characters at the gate of the airport terminal that gleamed and greeted us once we landed. Our new local guide, Amy, picked us up and drove through the capital to our hotel. The lampposts and gates that lined the streets were ornamented with big, red, luminous knots. I was, once again, gazing out of the car window in a desperate attempt to commit everything that I was seeing and smelling and hearing and feeling to memory. We got settled at our hotel and promptly went to bed.
DAY FOUR
On day four, we drove about one hour south from Changsha to Zhuzhou, where I was found and lived for the first eight months of my life. I had anticipated this trip my entire life but wasn’t sure what to make of it or do with myself when it was happening. My mom kept asking if I was okay throughout our drive to Zhuzhou, and I kept assuring her I was. We arrived at the Zhuzhou Children Social Welfare Institute and were greeted by the director and several other employees. On the left wall near the entrance was a massive board of pictures and names of current caregivers at the institute. My mom scanned it and very quickly identified the woman who was taking care of me before my adoption. She pointed this out to everybody, and the director called her, and she was on her way to have lunch with us. We toured the orphanage, saw its playground, cafeteria, and living quarters, and even met some of the kids. The employees also graciously offered my family and me to view my original adoption documents and ask whatever questions had been burning in the back of my mind for the past 22 years. They also gifted me some embroidered artwork and a map of the province. I was floored by everybody’s kindness, understanding, and generosity. My nanny arrived, and we went to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Amy helped us communicate with her and the rest of the staff and translate documents. I really wish that I had studied more Mandarin before my trip! After lunch, our newly-formed crew offered to show me my finding spot and the original orphanage I lived in.
