Group Pictures...

Tuesday Sept.11th

Today was mostly a free day except for meeting for group pictures. Unfortunately the China Hotel doesn't have anything like the infamous red couch of the White Swan Hotel so our group pictures we done on the lobby stairwell. It was a bit chaotic but we finally got a couple that were okay.

 

 The Foote Family

 

 

 

Our attempt at a couch picture

 

 

We stayed in the rest of the night and kept it low key. Tomorrow is a big day because we have our consulate appointment that makes Emily ours in the eyes of the United States. Two more days and we head home ;o)



Carrefour and Group Pictures...

Shopping...

Monday Sept. 10th

After the medical exam we went shopping with Ann from Red Thread. Josh Foote made the arrangements since both of us had used her services to deliver care packages to our daughters. Ann met us at the hotel and we took the subway to a wholesale mall.

The mall had 5 or 6 floors and was jam packed with all kinds of little shops from silk dresses to the kind of junk you get at your local Spencer's store here. We've never seen so many cell phone cover places! Ann got us some great deals on silk dresses for the girls.

Emily found a bouncey ball that lit up and had to have it ;o)

 



 

One pooped little girl!

 

After shopping we had a short meeting about departing Guangzhou and went with the entire group to dinner. About 30 of us piled into taxi's and went to Tequila's to enjoy a Mexican dinner.We had a good time chatting and getting to know everyone a little bit.

 

On the way back to catch a cab we saw the saddest thing. There were some severely disabled men laying in the middle of the sidewalk begging. They were so disabled, their bodies thin and twisted, it was obvious someone had to have put them there becasue they were not capable of getting there themselves. It broke my heart to see and yet again I was so grateful that Emily would never be in a position to be out on the street begging for her survival. China is a beautiful and strange place yet we find ourselves longing to be home and starting our new lives as a family of 3. Three more days and we start the trip  home.



Medical Exam...

Monday Sept. 10th

Today we went with the group to get all of the kids in the group their medical exams. The exam wasn't too bad, really wasn't much to it at all. There were 3 stations - one was to weigh and measure her. At the 2nd she got a general look over including listening to her heart and lungs. Finally, at the 3rd they checked her eyes, ears and nose. Combined it took about 20 minutes tops. We spent most of the time playing with the other kids and waiting for the rest of the group to get done.

Shamian Island - Part II

Sunday Sept. 9th

 

Outside Lucy's

 



 

Best purchase was the stroller, she loved it!

 

3 Generations of Chinese Women, this a famous sculpture

 



 

The Chinese love children

 

Emily playing with the puzzle of China we bought her on the Island

 



 

Some of our purchases; we saw the panda scroll painted ;o)

 

 

After our trip to the island we had a group meeting to work on our visa paperwork. I was shocked when I got there and there were 8 other families there in addition to us and the Footes. The Footes and us were the only families in the traditional program. The other 8 had been to Hunan and we all in the waiting child program. After our paperwork was done we decided to stay in for dinner and went to the hotel dinner buffet. I have to say there are some strange things on the buffet at night. Needless to say I ate noodles and rice again, lol.



Shamian Island...

Sunday Sept. 9th

Today is basically a free day so we decided that we would catch a cab to Shamian Island and do some shopping. Shamian Island was once used as a port for foreign trade between Guangzhou and Europe. The island itself is not large and is marked by colonial European buildings and tree lined streets. Bronze statues depicting colonial life are all over the island and in the park. At the park we saw older women playing mahjong and some gentlemen practicing swords. The park was peaceful and it seems like a lot of Chinese people go there to relax.

 There are a lot of shops although we had several shop owners tell us that business is not as good as it was when the White swan Hotel was open and the consulate was still there. At Susan’s the family that owned the business were especially nice. They made some fresh tea and invited us to have a cup with them which we did. We purchased some nice gifts and then went to Lucy’s for a break from the stifling heat. Lucy’s is a restaurant that serves Western food and seems to be quite the draw for adoptive families looking for a taste of home. We ran into several other families there and in various shops.

 

 

Leaving Nanchang...

Saturday Sept. 8th

Saturday Morning

Today we leave Nanchang and fly to Guangzhou. I'm glad we were able to see some of Emily's province and will miss our guide Evelyn. She has been amazing and so responsive to all our needs and questions.

Hopefully, Emily will do well on this short flight. It will be her first time on a plane and she has had a cold all week.

Saturday Evening
 
We are in Guangzhou and beginning the last leg of this trip. Emily did great on the flight here even though she slept for everything except the takeoff. Our new guide, Jocelyn, met us at the airport in a hotel bus to take us to our new hotel, the China Hotel.

This is the hotel where the bathroom and bedroom are separated by a glass wall which is kind of weird. Thankfully there is a screen that can be lowered so there is some privacy. The room here is smaller than the Crowne Plaza but it is not bad.

We have decided to stay in tonight and rest. Emily is busy exploring her new surroundings and I'm sure she thinks this is home. Poor kid doesn't realize that this is just another hotel room and that before we are "home" she will stay in yet a third hotel. She is doing better and better every day. Her personality has really started to come through and she is definitely a spicey little Nanchang girl!  

Tomorrow is a free day and we may catch a cab to Shamian Island.

 



Random Pictures...

  Crowne Plaza Lobby

 Lobby chandalier

 Play time!

 Love my yogurt drinks!

 Mini 'Bama fan

 She lvoes to point

Cuddle time ;o)



The Village - Part II...

Friday Sept. 7th

 

 

 This little guy was too shy to take the candy from us

 

 

Apartments across the river

 



 

Community water pump for dish washing

 

 

Rice paddies across the river

 

 

Men's Restroom

 

 

 

According to our guide most villages consist of one family and only a few people ever leave. It's hard not to wonder if Emily might have come from a place like this. If God had not given her to us, is this the kind of place she would have grown up in? The Chinese seem so matter of fact regarding their circumstances. Mostly they ignore us Americans as they are more concerned with getting through their daily lives. But when they see us with Chinese babies we get the thumbs up sign from people and are told how lucky our girls are. To them Emily has hit the jackpot; she is a lucky girl who will have a future full of plenty. It's hard not to feel for the people who live in this place. I wish that that these children would have better opportunities for their lives. It also gives me an enormous sense of gratitude for what we have. I am so grateful that we have been given the opportunity to be here and see some of the country that gave us Emily but I admit that I'm even more grateful to be able to take this little one back home.