My "Gotcha Day"(我的“领养”日)

This week I will share about my first day with my new family.  Many American families call this day, "Gotcha Day" because it is the day they got a new family member.

这个星期，我将分享我的第一天和我的新家庭。许多美国家庭称这一天，“领养日”，因为这一天，他们得到了一个新的家庭成员。

I woke up that morning with feelings of sadness, excitement and nrevousness.  I got up out of bed and began straightening my things.  I said bye-bye to my bed. :-) Then I waited for my friends to go with me to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.  I knew that was the last time I would be eating breakfast with my friends.  My friends and teachers wished me well and said they would miss me. 

我今天早上醒来时,我的感觉是悲伤，兴奋和紧张。我起身下床，开始整理我的东西。（我和我的床说拜拜）然后，我的朋友和我一起去食堂吃早餐。我知道这是最后一次，我会和我的朋友吃早餐。我的朋友和老师说他们会想念我的。

I could only remember one other older boy being adopted since I had been there and he lived in a foster family and was only in the orphanage for about 1 month before leaving, so he was not a kid we all knew very well. Most of the children that I saw leave the orphanage with new families were much younger. My adoption day was the first time that my group of friends had to say good-bye to one of us. 

我只记得另外一个年龄较大的男孩被领养，因为他住在寄养家庭，他在孤儿院约1个月后离开了孤儿院，所以他不是一个孩子，我们都清楚地知道。 我看到了新的家庭，离开孤儿院的孩子们年轻得多。我的领养日是第一次，我的一群朋友说再见，我们中的一员。

When teacher Tan (assistant director) arrived to work that morning, she loaded me up in the van with three other young children who were also being adopted that day.  We drove 1 hour to the Civil Affairs office and went up the elevator to where I would meet my new family.

老师（副主任），早上到达福利院，她和我与其他三个年轻的孩子一起上了面包车。我们驱车1小时，到了公务员事务办公室，我们走上电梯，我就要看见了的新家庭了

We were there waiting for about 10 minutes before my parents walked in.  My family walked around the corner and saw me sitting at the counter.  I knew right away that it was my family because I had been given pictures before that day.  The first thing that raced through my mind was excitement. There I stood with my bag of belongings, ready to walk into my new life. In my bag were two shirts, a light jacket, a letter written to me from my foster uncle, a photo album full of pictures of my friends, an address book with their QQ addresses and several books that they allowed me to take. That is all I had of my old life.

我们在那里，等待约10分钟，我的家人来了，看到我坐在柜台。我立刻知道了，这是我的家庭，因为我有他们的照片。在我脑海中的第一件事情是兴奋。我站在那里和我的包里随身物品，准备一起走进我的新生活。在我的包里有，两件衬衫，一件薄外套，我的叔叔写给我的信，我有朋友的照片的相册，地址簿与自己的QQ地址和几本书。这是我有我原来的生活。

My new Dad took some pictures of me with my Mom and new little brother. 

我的新爸爸拍了一些照片，我，妈妈和新的小兄弟。

Then, the staff took us all to a back conference room to sign some papers.  There were several families in there getting their new children that day too. 

然后，工作人员带我们到后面的会议室签署一些文件。有几户人家也在那里领养。

One of the younger boys that was from our orphanage seemed scared with his new family, so I went to him and held him and helped him feel safer.  When it was time to go, I made sure he didn't see me leave because I didn't want him to come to me instead of his new family.

其中一个年轻的男孩，仿佛害怕他的新家庭，所以我去找他，抱着他，帮他感到更安全。当是走的时候，我确信他没有看到我离开，因为我不想让他到我这里来，而不是他新的家庭。

As we prepared to go, we said good-bye to Tan teacher and went with our guide, George back to the hotel.  We dropped off our things in the hotel room and then George took us to lunch.

当我们准备离开时，我们对谭老师说拜拜。我们跟乔治（翻译）回到酒店去了。我们放下我们的东西在酒店房间里，然后乔治把我们带到了饭店去吃午餐。

After lunch, we returned to the hotel and George assisted us as my Mom asked me to try on some clothes that she had brought for me. Luckily, most of them fit me! That didn't stop my mom from taking me clothes shopping anyway! (She loves to shop!)

午饭后，我们回到了酒店和乔治协助我们，我妈问我去试试，她给我带来了一些衣服。幸运的是，他们中的大部分适合我！这并没有阻止我的妈妈带我去逛街买衣服，反正！ （她喜欢购物！）

As I think back now on this big day of my life, after being home for 18 months with my family, I want to share some things with other older kids who might be more nervous or even scared to go with their new family.  I want them to know that getting a new family is not super scary.

  因为我觉得现在我的生活在这个大日子，为18个月，我的家人回家后，我想与大家分享一些东西，与其他年龄较大的孩子可能会更紧张，甚至害怕去与他们的新家庭。我想让他们知道，得到一个新的家庭不是超可怕的。

Those families are coming there because they love you and want you.  They want you to have fun in their family and have a good life.  I know it is not easy going with a family that does not understand you but it does get easier.  You will learn English faster than you think. You will make new friends.  American kids will like you.  I will post more later about what life in America is like. Stay tuned!

这些家庭都因为他们爱你，想你。他们希望你在他们的家庭和有乐趣，有很好的生活。我知道一个家庭，不理解你，这是不容易的，但它变得更容易。您将学习英语比你想象的更快。你会结交新朋友。美国的孩子会喜欢你。在美国的生活，就像我稍后会发布更多。敬请期待！ 

For me, one of the biggest lessons that I have learned since that day is that God loves us. I know now that God loves everyone.  You many not know what His plans are for you now, but you need to know that God loves you.  When I was in China, I did not know God, but He knew me.  He knew that I was meant to be Colin Rylands someday. My parents showed me a verse in the Bible that tells us this.  It was written a very long time ago. 
现在我知道，上帝爱每一个人。你不知道现在他的计划是给你的，但你需要知道神爱你。当我在中国，我不知道上帝，但他知道我。他知道，我的意思是科林·赖兰兹有一天。我的父母给我看一节经文在圣经中告诉我们这个。很长一段时间前写的。

It is Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord."Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

                                                                 这是耶利米书 29:11

                                                                   

         耶和华说：“我知道我向你们所怀的意念，是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念， 

         要叫你们末后有指望。     

This verse tells us that God has a plan for each of us.  God's plan for each of us is for good things.

I do not know what His plans are for my whole life, but I know that right now, He wants me to tell my story and for me to help other kids and their families.

这节经文告诉我们，上帝有一个计划给我们每个人。上帝的计划对我们每个人都是好的。
我不知道他的计划在我的整个生活，但我知道，现在，他要我告诉我的故事，去帮助其他孩子和他们的家庭。

Celebrating CNY as a Rylands

In my last blog I said I would talk about my first day as a member of the Rylands family.  But since Chinese New Year is today, I think I'll tell you how the Rylands family will be celebrating.

 

我在上次的博客里，我说我想谈谈我第一天的赖兰兹家族的一员。但是，由于中国的新年是今天，我想我会告诉你如何赖兰兹家庭将庆祝。

 

For the Chinese, CNY is the biggest national holiday they have. Family members gather together to celebrate, kind of like Thanksgiving or Easter here in the USA.  It is a spring festival with eating a lot of fish and other foods., watching TV shows with special performances of dancing, singing, comedy sketches and magicians.  When it gets dark in the evening, the family goes outside to watch super fireworks displays, similar to the 4th of July. The sky is filled with color in any direction you look. 

A tradition we had was that at midnight my Chinese family would eat dumplings.

 

对于中国，中国新年是中国最大的全国性的节日。家庭成员欢聚一堂，共同庆祝，就像美国感恩节，复活节等。这是一个在春天的节日，他们吃了很多的鱼和其他食品，观看电视节目（跳舞，唱歌，喜剧小品和魔术）在晚上天黑时，一家人去外面看的超级烟花汇演，像美国7月4日。天空是充满了色彩在任何方向看。

我们的传统是在午夜，中国家庭将吃饺子。

 

 

 

 

Every Chinese year is named after animals - mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep,  monkey, chicken, dog and pig. I was born in the year of the ox, which is probably why my Dad says I am so stubborn.   This is the year of the snake.

每一个中国人一年后，被命名为动物 - 鼠，牛，虎，兔，龙，蛇，马，羊，猴，鸡，狗，猪。我出生在牛年，这可能是为什么我爸爸说我很固执。2013年是蛇年。

 

 

 

It is important for Chinese children who are adopted to maintain their traditions from China. I am glad that my parents let us celebrate Chinese holidays because I would feel a little bit weird if they didn't. If they only wanted us to celebrate American holidays, I would feel like they didn't really like who I was or where I came from.

 

 

 

重要的是中国的孩子谁通过需要保持自己的传统，在中国。我很高兴，我的父母，和我一起庆祝中国的节日，如果他们没有，因为我会觉得有点怪怪的。如果他们只希望我庆祝美国的假期，我会觉得他们真的不喜欢我是谁，我从哪里来。

 

 

 

Because CNY is such an important holiday, we will be celebrated it by gathering with other adoptive families to eat lots of food, speak our native language and just having fun. 

 

由于中国新年是这样一个重要的节日，我们将庆祝它与其他收养家庭，吃大量的食物，说自己的母语，和玩。

 

 

 

A traditional gift for a Chinese child is a red envelope with some money.  The amount is different for every family.  When I was a kid, I used to use my money to rent books to read and for junk food.

 

传统给中国的孩子的礼物是一个红包里面是钱。每一个家庭给的钱数量是不同的。当我还是个孩子的时候，我曾经用我的钱租书阅读和买垃圾食品。

 

 My parents give each of us one dollar for each year of our lives. 

So, I received $15, Cameron got $11 and Tommy got $8 in his red envelope.

我的父母给我们每人1美元，如果你是9岁，你得到9美元，如果你是20岁，你得到20美元.
所以，我收到了15元，卡梅伦得到11美元，汤米得到了$8，和我们的红包。

 

Very soon, Cameron and Mom will travel to bring home our new brothers, Connor and Cooper. 

So, next year, they will have 5 red envelopes to fill!

很快，卡梅伦和妈妈去中国带回我们的新兄弟，康纳和库珀。
那么，明年，他们将有5个红信封，以填补！

 

Happy Chinese New Year!

中国新年快乐!