A little girl stared wide-eyed from the Boeing 777 that had carried her across
the wide Pacific Ocean back to her beginnings in China. At just a few days
shy of her seventh birthday, she took in the landscape below with an air of innocent
indifference. Her main concern was that the city seemed so big and she felt so
small. What if she didn’t like China or China’s food?
Heritage or motherland tours, long associated with Korean adoptions, are beginning
to gain in popularity with China adoptive families. As our children grow, they
will doubtlessly begin to engage us in deeper conversation, pepper us with
questions about their time in the orphanage, and ask what type of area they
are from.
Heritage tours can provide a supportive environment in which to explore these
questions and feelings surrounding adoption. Lotus Travel, long known for its
outstanding reputation in assisting adoptive families with travel arrangements to
China and other destinations in SE Asia, has recently developed new itineraries and
activities for families ready to make the journey back to their child’s homeland.
The staff of Lotus Travel recognizes that heritage tours cannot be a “one size fits
all” product. With this in mind, Heritage Discovery tours have been designed to
allow for customization according to the preferences of each family or
travel group. This freedom gives families the ability to choose many different
options when planning a visit to China, including pre-arranged group tours and independent family tours. They focus on the special interests of adoption travel specialists, who have designed tour itineraries to include cities that families request the most.
Tours typically begin with a visit to China’s capital city, Beijing, and later end in Guangzhou. Guangzhou makes a good ending point for the tours, not only because it is a convenient gateway to the United States, but also because a stay in Guangzhou typically marks the end of the adoption process in China for families.
Families can expect to be enchanted by all that China has to offer in the specially-planned activities that have been integrated into each city’s itinerary. Activities allow children to use their creative talents during various craft projects, such as Chinese painting or calligraphy. They are able to engage in some physical activities as well, while flying kites in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Families will work up an appetite while climbing the Great Wall for storytelling and a picnic.
Only your family can determine when the timing is right for a return visit to your child’s homeland. With the assistance of the knowledgeable staff at Lotus Travel, families receive the best possible service, professionally designed itineraries, and fun-filled activities certain to provide them with a lifetime of special memories.
Oh, and what was the impression of that same little girl at the end of her visit?
A few days later, the little girl was leaning from a public bus window
in south central China, taking in all that she could of the sights, sounds, and
smells of her first home as the city slid by in a blurry, dusty, noisy cacophony.
An inner understanding of her humble beginnings seemed to empower her with a
feeling of complete trust and a sense of belonging. Tears filled her eyes as she
realized that the next day would be her last in her birthplace for some time
to come.
