A little girl stares wide-eyed from the Boeing 777 that has carried her across
the wide Pacific Ocean, back to her beginnings in China. At just a few days
shy of her 7th birthday, she takes in the landscape below with an air of innocent
indifference. Her main concern is that the city seems so big and she feels so
small. What if she doesn'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 their 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 complete customization according to the preferences of each family or
travel group. This freedom gives families the ability to choose from many different
options when planning a visit back to China, including pre-arranged group tours,
independent family tours, the opportunity to create a private group,focus on the
special interests of Adoption travel specialists have designed the tour itineraries
to include cities that family's request 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 Guangzhou typically marks the end of the adoption
process in China for families. In between, families can expect to be enchanted by
all that China has to offer in the Specially planned activities have been integrated
into each city's itinerary to allow children to use their creative talents during
craft projects such as Chinese painting or calligraphy; engage in some physical
activities while flying kites in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and 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, but
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 your family 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 this same little girl, is leaning from a public bus window
in south central China, taking in all that she can of the sights, sounds, and
smells of her first home as the city slides by in a blurry, dusty, noisy cacophony.

An inner understanding of her humble beginnings seems to empower her with a
feeling of complete trust and a sense of belonging. Tears fill her eyes as she
realizes that the next day will be her last in her birthplace for some time
to come.

Credits: Kimberly Howarth