Just a few hours now.

It's 5:30am in Harbin China.  The temperature outside is 3 degrees F!  As in F-ing cold!  While we were in Taiwan the temperature was mostly in the low 60s.  Wendy's family all thought I was nuts venturing out without a jacket.  Yesterday when we arrived at the airport in Harbin there was no jetway, so we all walked down the steps onto the tarmac.  At that point I still didn't have my coat on.  It was quite brisk!  I looked at Wendy's mom bundled up like the kid in A Christmas Story and could tell she was worried about my lack of protection from the elements, so I relented much to her relief and finally put on my coat.


As we walked into the terminal there was a television crew conducting interviews.  As it turns out our flight was the first regularly scheduled commercial flight directly from Taipei to Harbin. So, it was kind of a big deal.  I was interviewed in English for Chinese television.  Wendy, my wife, and Chief Photographer of the Brunk Media Services global media empire stood watching, mouth agape, with the complete certainty that I was about to say something that would spark an international incident.  She was so shocked at what was happening she didn't take a picture.  The only reason I agreed to be interviewed was that I thought it would make a funny photo.  She is SO FIRED when we get home!  


Harbin is - I don't know that I have a frame of reference to compare it to anything.  It's cold, certainly.  It's crowded.  It's dirty in the way you might expect of a large cold, crowded, industrial place.  Preparations are underway for the Harbin International Ice Festival. It start in a few weeks, so everywhere you look you see large blocks of ice being used as building blocks for immense ice structures / sculptures.  


We went to Wal-Mart last night to pick up a few things.  I don't really like going to Wal-Mart in the United States.  In Harbin, Wal-Mart is extra crowded - maybe because it's Christmas shopping season complete with decorations and music.  I think it is sad that we have exported the very worst part of Christmas to China.


Our guide will be picking us up at 9:30am.  We'll be taken to the Social Welfare Institute office.  There we will meet Sophia.  The mix of excited anticipation and nervous energy is nearly overwhelming.  


Just a few hours now.  I feel like we've been her parents for months.  Now it's time to meet our daughter.