Possibly the Final Post from China

This may be my last post from China.  We have had an amazing trip but we are anxious to get home to sleep in our own beds and do some laundry.  We are also feeling the need to get back into some kind of routine; it will help everyone.

On Monday we went shopping at the big seven story mall.  There is a whole floor of pearl wholesalers and we bought Maia a string to give to her on her wedding day.  Darryl also bought me a new piece of jade, which I love.  What a great husband.

On Tuesday we went to the consulate and took our oath of adoption and filed the final paperwork for Maia's visa to the US.  It was quick but meaningful.

Then we went out to Shamian Island to do some more shopping.  The island really caters to adoptive families, with lots of little shops full of Chinese souvenirs.  We bought quite a few things for very little money.  Ethan got something really cool, but I'll wait until we are home to tell you about it.

Today was the trip to the Guangzhou zoo.  It's very different from US zoos; we were able to get very close to the animals.  There are two pandas there and we got lots of great pictures.  We also went to a "Sea World" style show with dolphins and a seal. It was really fun.

Unfortunately on my way out of the water show my ankle turned and I fell flat on my face.  Now I have a very bruised and skinned knee as well as a swollen ankle. Good thing we are going home in less than 48 hours, as walking is difficult. I plan to take a tylenol pm to get to sleep tonight but don't know how I will feel in the morning.

We all really liked the zoo in spite of my little episode, and Maia was really excited the whole day.  She is having so many new experiences, it is really fun watch.

This seems like a good day to post some of the funny things we have seen on our trip.  We have had fun taking pictures of signs where the meaning is lost in translation.

Okay, this one was over the urinal in a public bathroom.  We think it means, "hey guys, be civilized!  Step closer!"

This one was on the door of the WC on the train.  You couldn't use it while the train was stopped because the toilets were basically just a hole that opened onto the track.....you get the picture.

Um. Yeah.

Over the treadmills at RT Mart.

Really, I have no idea.

Clear enough.

We think this one means no parkour.  Not sure.

Okay, this one is my favorite.  Darryl bought a traditional Chinese flute and this was the description.  I especially like the parts about moldy and mange.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.  The next time I write it will probably be from home.

With our friends the Wessels, who we met in Nanchang.

Our guide in Nanchang, Mary.

In the lobby at the Garden.

Ethan.  I think he might be striding.  That's against the sign.

Girls in their new qi paos.

Yes, they are strange.  This was when I left them on their own for a little while.  You see how much they need me.

The Canton Tower.  We saw this on the river cruise on Monday night.  Our guide says it is the tallest tower in the world.  I'm not sure she is right, but it is really, really tall.  The only thing I have to compare it to is the Space Needle, and the Canton Tower is three times taller than the Space Needle.  You just can't imagine or tell from the picture how big it is.  And the thing that was most amazing to me was that it didn't exist when we were here six years ago.

These girls were all in our group and got to be good friends over the week.  They are going to miss each other.

Ethan tried on this jacket.  He looks Mahvelous.

Panda!

At the water show, right before my little accident.

White tiger at the zoo.

Lights! Camera! ...Quiet On the Set?

Well, we are finally in Guangzhou.  It's funny; in some ways it seems like our time in Nanchang just flew by, and in other ways it seems we were there forever.  A lot happened in six days.  We are all a little emotionally exhausted from all the changes in the last week in our family.  Things have gotten a little out of control a couple of times, with crying and huge swinging emotions.  All to be expected but tiring.

Guangzhou, in many ways, is not like being in China at all.  It is a very cosmopolitan city.  We see lots of people from all over the world here, and no one stares much because they are used to foreigners.  We are staying at the most incredible hotel, The Garden.  You just can't imagine how lavish this place is....kind of out of our league.  We are really enjoying it though!  Probably the last time we will ever stay in so fancy a place, so we are making the most of it.

The weather here is really wonderful.  Today it was in the mid-80s and it should be in the 70s for the rest of the week.  Humid, though.  It will be hard to go back to what must be winter weather by now.

Our last couple days in Nanchang were quiet.  On Thursday we spent some time just exploring the shops.  We went to the RT Mart--kind of like a Wal-Mart--and bought the girls some small toys and Ethan a remote control helicopter.  Unfortunately when we got it back to our hotel room it didn't work, so we trudged all the way back and used our rudimentary Chinese to get it exchanged for a new one.  Actually we were pretty proud of ourselves for that accomplishment!

Thursday evening our guide Mary took us to the "new city" to see a really beautiful fountain and light show.  Everyone really enjoyed it, and we discovered that more than anything Maia wants to have a pair of roller skates.  There were people everywhere on roller blades.  It's about all she has talked about since then!  I have promised her I will get her some when we get home.

Friday we stayed in our room most of the day packing and catching up on homework, and checked out and headed to the airport at 3:00.

We were nervous about how Maia would like the airplane, but we shouldn't have been.  She loved it!  She had a couple of sad moments when she realized we weren't headed home yet, but got over it quickly.

We arrived here around 8 pm on Friday night.  Today was spent mostly at the medical clinic.  All adopted children have to undergo an exam before receiving their visas to go to the US.  Unfortunately Maia's was a little more involved because of her age.  She had to have both a TB test and a female exam.  She was pretty shut down during the whole thing.  She talks so much when she is with us, but when she comes to something that makes her nervous she gets this blank look on her face and acts like she can't hear anything anyone is saying to her, and she doesn't respond at all when asked any questions.  I think the doctors thought she is very cognitively delayed, which obviously to us isn't true at all.  Poor thing, it's a coping mechanism, but it isn't helping her at all.  When we get home we have two days of doctor appointments at Children's in Seattle, and I told them to have an interpreter for us, but if she shuts down we won't get anything accomplished at all.  Please pray that we will be able to make her understand that she needs to cooperate.

This afternoon I spent two hours with our guides and six other families doing the paperwork needed for the consulate.  Our guides are amazingly organized and made it easy for us.

This evening we went out on our own for the first time in this city and found a restaurant full of locals that was very good, and bought ice cream bars at 7-11.  Now we are just hanging out and relaxing.  We are excited that tomorrow morning we get to go to the International Fellowship with the other families in our group.  Then tomorrow is pretty free, and we are going shopping on Monday after Maia's TB test is read at the clinic.

We can't believe she has been our daughter for a week already!  The adjustment is going to be long but we can't imagine life without her!

Technical difficulties

Ethan and the girls

...uh-huh

At the fountain show

At The Garden

Ready for take-off!

Purple girls