The Garden Hotel

A few pictures from our hotel, to remember since I'm fairly sure we will never have the chance to stay in such a nice hotel again!

Lobby ceiling:

Front desk:

At a nearby park:

I'm not sure when I will have time to blog again, so this may be my last post before we arrive HOME! We'll see. Tomorrow we have a van ride to Hong Kong, where we will spend the night at a hotel and then take off first thing the next morning. We are so excited to see our kiddos and sleep in our own bed!

Pearl Market, Shamian Island, & Consulate Appointment

Yesterday was more shopping. Crazy shopping! We didn't have all that much time, the salespeople wouldn't leave you alone, and you were supposed to bargain. This is my nightmare shopping scenario :) But I did just go with it and have fun, and I think we got some really neat things to take home to remember Leah's homeland. We started by going to the pearl market, which was massive. Seven floors of jewelry shops! Thankfully our guide took us straight to one, and we all got to choose a strand of pearls to make into bracelets or necklaces.

Bags of pearls:

I did not get any pictures on Shamian Island at all -- it really was just crazy trying to get all the shopping done! We bought lots of things, like chopsticks and a traditional Chinese dress for Leah.

This morning we had our appointment at the US consulate. When we entered the consulate, there were huge lines of people waiting to get in, I assume for a visa to go to the US. Fortunately, we got to go right in and on up to the office for adoptions. We were in a group of families from our agency. Once we were all there, the parents had to stand up, raise their right hands, and take an oath. We all did it together, and it was hysterical because we could hardly understand what the guy was saying for us to repeat. It wasn't a language thing, it was just that the sound system wasn't great and he was speaking to us on a microphone through a glass window. We got most of it, but there was one phrase in particular that we all just mumbled back at him! Then we all went up to a window individually to give them a bunch of paperwork. Tomorrow, we should have Leah's visa! She is not officially a US citizen until we land on US soil, which for us will be at the Seattle airport.

Before going inside:

All done!

Lost a shoe, again (we brought ones that were too big!):

Sightseeing and Shopping in Guangzhou

Today we were very tourist-y! We are here in Guangzhou with quite a few Lifeline families. Our guide takes us all out together, so we have been having a blast getting to know them. I also love the "strength in numbers" aspect...we're all getting stared at together! This morning, we went to the Chen Family Temple, built in the late 1800s. It has been turned into a folk art museum. 

Entrance:

Courtyard:

This gentleman is painting with his hand, and his work is so detailed and gorgeous!

Water break:

I don't know what it is exactly, but I love the artwork that involved the angry-looking men:

These two are embroidery. Amazing!

Stone carving:

Roll Tide from China, y'all :)

Two Leahs together!

After that we went to a store that sold jade and nice porcelain. It was beautiful, but very expensive, so we just admired everything while Leah fell asleep.

I am looking forward to tomorrow -- the pearl market (I do plan to splurge a bit there!) and shopping/playing on Shamian Island. Stay tuned!

To Guangzhou

On Friday evening we left Chongqing and flew to Guangzhou. We got Leah's Chinese passport in Chongqing. We had to travel to Guangzhou because that is where the US consulate is located and where we will get her visa. Leah did beautifully on the airplane (better than her momma!). The flight was only two hours or so, but they gave us dinner. I don't consider myself to be a really picky person, but it was gross. We checked into our hotel, and were really impressed with how nice it is! Our room has a bedroom and a sitting area.

It was late when we got in, so we went right to sleep and then had to get up for Leah's medical appointment. They had to go through four stations: general checkup, ear/nose/throat check, height/weight/temperature, and the TB test blood draw. The clinic was very busy with tons of adoptive families! It was a little chaotic, but very sweet to see. Also, my medical parents will be interested (appalled?) to know that none of the medical staff wore gloves and I never saw them wash their hands! Yikes. Just like she has been this whole time, Leah went with the flow and was a champ. 

Waiting to get started:

We're all thrilled the blood draw is over!

Please pray that her TB test comes back negative. We should find out the result tomorrow. If it is positive, we would probably have to send Greg home and have me stay here for a while longer. They tell us that rarely happens!!

Sightseeing in Chongqing

Yesterday morning we went out to see a few sights in Chongqing. First was the Chongqing Zoo. We actually only saw the pandas and a tiger! The zoo also seemed to function as a park. There were lots of people gathering, and there was a small lake, lots of greenery and nice pathways. I can see why people would like to go there -- it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the big city!

At the entrance:

It hasn't taken Leah too long to warm up to Daddy:

Smiling grass:

Actually this close to a tiger -- no zoom:

We didn't have time to do much exploring, but here's an example of the beauty of the park within the zoo:

Chongqing sits at the meeting of two rivers, the Jialing and the Yangtze. Our next stop was to see the place where the two rivers meet.

Yangtze to the right, Jialing to the left:

Our final stop was to a 17th century structure, which I believe functioned as some kind of community center. There was a temple where we were told they worshipped the first emperor of China, and there were also areas described as "opera stages" and "coffee houses" (where of course they drank tea, not coffee!). We had a great guide take us through, and I absolutely loved seeing some of historical China.

Statue of the first emperor:

Nice juxtaposition -- in a 17th century structure with a view of a modern bridge over the Yangtze:

"Opera theater" (the stage is to the right in this picture):

Woodcarving and other excavated artifacts:

Our fabulous guide Michael took us all to a dumpling restaurant for lunch!

Leah has been doing very well. She comes alive in our hotel room, getting into everything and making lots of noise! When we go outside, I think she becomes quite overwhelmed because she basically shuts down. I empathize with her, because I don't like all the chaos either! Also, I am getting very tired of all the "looks." As I mentioned before, we stick out big-time, and now that we have a child with special needs with us, I really get the impression that many of the "looks" we get out in public are quite disapproving. In the gift shop at the community center, the lady asked us if we got to choose the child we adopted. When we said yes, she seemed surprised and asked quietly, "Did you get to see a picture before you came?" By no means do I fully understand the culture here, but it seems like there is no basis for understanding that people with special needs could be of value. This is not limited to Chinese culture of course, and I am 100% sure we will get some of "the look" back home as well, but it has been a reminder of the transformative nature of God's love.

We fly to Guangzhou tonight!