This is the seventh installment in a series of columns I am devoting to the adoption journey my wife, Claudette, and I started in 2005. Hank Bond, publisher and editor of the Greenup Beacon, asked that we share our story with you. Maybe you have an interest in adoption or know someone who does. If so, I hope this information is helpful.

Our next entry in “Our Journey to Josie Claire Siyan Hapney” website, dated January 28, 2007, is titled “Day II in Beijing and off to Nanjing!”

“Thanks to all of you who have posted to our guest book. I hope everyone does so. We will be burning the entire website onto a CD for Josie to see when she is older. Claudette and I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers, notes in the guest book, and emails you have sent us prior to and while we are in China.”

“We had another very busy day.  It's 7:43 p.m. and we are extremely exhausted!  We're not just tired, we're exhausted.  So, once I'm finished uploading some photos highlighting some of the events during our second day in Beijing, we are going to sleep!  Then we will wake up around 7 a.m., get ready, have breakfast in our new hotel (we'll tell you more about it later), and then make the 30-minute trip to meet our daughter--Josie Claire Siyan Hapney--for the very first time!” 

“Please continue to keep Josie and us in your prayers.  We want her transition from the only home she's ever known--the Social Welfare Institute--to her forever home to be a smooth one, which will bring lots of love and happiness to Josie's life.”

“After we had breakfast early this morning, we visited Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City.  It was amazing to see it.  I'd say we walked at least 2-3 miles at a very fast pace to get through the extensive Forbidden City. We then left for the airport, where all of the families (in our travel group) parted ways.  Some went to provinces with other families in our group.  However, Claudette and I are the only couple from our larger group to visit Nanjing (in the Jiangsu province), where we'll get Josie tomorrow.”

“We had lunch with a couple of families and Mable (our guide).  Most of this smaller group ate Chinese, while a couple of families (including Claudette and me) thoroughly enjoyed the Colonel's famous recipe (KFC)!  The combo meals came with a chicken sandwich (dark meat only), hot wings, and a "salad" of some sort that contained corn, cucumbers, carrots, and mayo.  It was a different twist to KFC, but good!”

“Getting through the airport in Beijing was a ton of fun (I type that sarcastically!).  People were running here and there and wouldn't hesitate to run over you if need be.  We also had fun trying to get our luggage (and that of two other families) on a very small elevator to make our way downstairs for lunch.  I told some of the others I'd give anything to have a DVD of us doing that!  The doors to the elevator had no black "strip" (or sensor) on them to push to prevent the doors from closing.  So they would close very quickly.  We were engaged in teamwork at its very best and finally made the journey downstairs with all of our luggage.”

“After lunch, we boarded our flight from Beijing to Nanjing (the capital of Josie's province--Jiangsu).  The plane was a bit smaller than the one we took from Columbus to Chicago, and boy was it a tight fit for my legs.  Many things are much smaller in China, including the bus steps (I keep overstepping every time I get on and off), the coffee cups (I had five cups this morning at breakfast), the space between seats on the planes, and the food portions.”

“As we're getting on the plane, another American couple spoke to us.  We chatted for a while with them as we were making our way up the steps to the plane.  We took a very crowded bus, on which you stand and hold on for dear life, from the airport terminal to the plane and then walked up steps like the president of the U.S. walks up and down when he flies wherever he goes on Air Force One (that's a first for me, as I've flown a lot in the past).” 

“After our flight, we met up with the couple once again, and found out the woman is someone Claudette has e-mailed several times, exchanging experiences about adopting a daughter from Jiangsu province!  She and her husband are very nice.  We may see them tomorrow morning when we get Josie and they get their daughter.  Their daughter has a heart problem, but the doctor who examined her recently stated everything is just fine (an answer to prayer)!”

We developed a close relationship with this couple and their daughter. They are Richard, Antinette, and Hadley Johnson. We are thankful they are forever an important part of our journey to China. We keep in touch to this day.

“We met ‘John,’ our tour guide while we are in Nanjing, at the airport.  He and our driver (we're riding around in a very nice mini-van) loaded our luggage and took us to an authentic Chinese restaurant that is part of the Chinese Naval Academy (I don't know the exact title of it).  The food was wonderful!  We enjoyed (on the Lazy Susan again) pork ribs soup (with corn on the cob pieces and turnips), beef with onions and green and red peppers, rice, some sort of green leafy cooked vegetable (it was wonderful, too), rice noodles with fried egg and green onions, Coca Cola, and green tea (with raw leaves sitting at the bottom).  I truly enjoyed it; it was very flavorful.  I think Claudette did as well (well, I'm not positive she'll ever be hooked on Chinese food).”

“Once we finished dinner, we made our way to our hotel.  It is the nicest hotel in which we have ever been.  I mean it is just gorgeous!  Our guide said it is the nicest hotel in Nanjing.  He said none of the others come close.  I'll shoot some photos tomorrow and post them then.  I'm too tired to do so tonight.”

“I noticed our guide chatting in Chinese with the young woman behind the front desk.  Come to find out, ‘John’ (I don't know if that's his real name or not; sometimes they take an American name so it's easier on Americans to state their name) had us upgraded to the biggest room in the place!  It's huge!  And the bed is like two king size beds in one!  Josie will have plenty of room to sleep with Mommy and Daddy tomorrow night.  And she'll have plenty of room to play in the room.  We also have access to the health club, swimming pool, etc.  I wonder how Josie would react to a swimming pool?  Everybody is waiting on us hand and foot!  We feel like royalty (no joke)!”

“I'll leave you with some photos taken today and will post more tomorrow, including photos of Josie Claire Siyan Hapney!  Thanks again for following our Journey to Josie!”

Terry L. Hapney, Jr., Ph.D., is a professor in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University, and an eastern Greenup County native. He may be reached at hapney@marshall.edu.



This is the Great Hall of the People--the seat of the Chinese legislature. It has vast auditorium and banquet halls that are open for part of the day, except when the National People's Congress is in session.

Forbidden City is the very heart of Beijing. It is China's most magnificent architectural complex, completed in 1420. This is just a small piece of what you'll see if you visit Forbidden City. Twenty-four emperors ruled China for nearly 500 years from Forbidden City. It was called FC because common people were not allowed there, until the palace was opened to the public in 1949.

Terry and Claudette Hapney stop for a photo in front of Tian-an Men--where Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949, from this Ming dynasty gate, where his huge portrait still remains. Note the woman to the left of Terry. She followed our group around all day trying to sell us numerous items. One has to be very careful purchasing items in this manner; it's possible to end up with counterfeit currency when receiving your item(s) and change back.