Xiao has arrived!

I picked Xiao up from SJO yesterday afternoon. She arrived at Terminal C, which is typically much easier to deal with than A....but, SJO is doing alot of new construction, the short term parking was in a different place, and it was like Mr. Toad's wild ride following all the signs to get around! I decided to just keep circling by the arrivals near baggage claim, driving slowly with my left hand on the wheel and holding up a name sign with my right. After making 8 complete cycles and getting told to "keep moving" by the airport staff, I still didn't see her and started to get worried. I finally asked a man that was waiting if he knew about her flight and the man told me it had gotten in about 45 minutes ago and everyone was already gone! I asked him if he had seen a young Chinese gal and thankfully, he had! She was in the baggage claim office, because her two bags didn't arrive from Seattle! Oh dear.

After speaking with Xiao briefly, she asked me for help. So, I drove to the parking lot, parked the car, and came back to deal with the baggage claim issue.
We then drove home. She commented about how great the weather was here......it is very hot in China right now...and San Jose weather happens to be just perfect this week.....in the low 80's.

Ashley and I cooked together last night. I roasted a turkey...and Ashley made stuffing and mashed potatoes...Thanksgiving in August......and a good meal for Xiao's first in America.

Alaska Airlines delivered Xiao's luggage about 9 pm last night, which was a tremendous relief for her...and for me! Xiao looks to be about a size zero....and I definitely didn't have anything that would fit her!

We all had dinner around 9 pm last night...and about 10 pm, we all retired. Long day for Xiao, as it was really about 11 am the next morning in China!

Xiao is 22 yrs old. This is her first trip outside of China and the first time she will be living away from her parents. Nevertheless, she is very mature and certainly handled everything well so far. She does speak some English, but is definitely not fluent, and communicating exactly what we mean or she means takes effort. We will not be learning Chinese while she is here, but she most definitely WILL learn English!

She will probably rest and relax today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday), I will take her to National University to show her where it is and check in. Then, I will help her get a SS card and open a checking account at a local bank.

This is quite an adventure.....a first for me....but, it seems to be a good time in life to try this out. New ventures are always good for the soul.

More to come......