We flashed our passports to the guard at the front gate and he checked our name off of a list and we headed in. There were a lot of Chinese people lined up outside waiting to go in. I assume they were trying to get a visa to go to the US. That is just an assumption if anyone knows please correct me if I am wrong. Our guide took our picture out front and we had to leave our cell phone with her.
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In front of the US Consulate in Guangzhou
You are not allowed to take phones, cameras, bags, purses, or even watches inside the consulate. We headed in with our passports, paperwork in a clear folder and our gallon sized ziploc full of diapers and wipes. That is all we were permitted to bring in. We headed to the second floor and were instructed to go to a specific window and get a number. Our guide waited outside. They only permitted people in who were absolutely necessary...parents and adopted kids. We had a grandmother in our group and they would not let her come in. We took a number and sat down and played for a few minutes in the small play area they have set up in the adoption area. An American man gathered us all together (there were probably 10-15 families there) and we raised our right hand and swore all the paperwork we submitted and verbal information we shared about the adoption was true and accurate. Then they called each family's number and we went up to the window one by one. Aaron went so I am not exactly sure what they did. They took all of the paperwork our guide helped us gather earlier in the week and they will issue Hadley's visa and our guide will pick it up tomorrow afternoon. Aaron was fingerprinted on the digital fingerprint scanner and I overheard him swear to be telling the truth about everything and we were done. The whole process took about 30 minutes or so.
We got back to the hotel, fed Hadley a quick lunch (her new favorite food is cheese) and headed out to find lunch and some Chinese New Year decorations for our wonderful social worker, Sarah. We walked a little of the beaten path and ended up in a small, quaint little area of the city with adorable little shops. There was a shoe store that had great shoes. I tried on two different pairs that were so cute but neither fit. I am so disappointed. One pair was $5 and the other was $20. I would have loved to have taken home a couple pair of cheap shoes. We also found several baby and children's boutiques and bought a couple of cute things for the girls. Things were so affordable. I was shocked that the cute, boutique stores had such affordable stuff. I wish we had those prices in the US.
Our shopping outing on the streets of GZ
We wandered into Trust-Mart (just like a Walmart but even more stuff and more unorganized). We found a lot of Chinese New Year decorations to bring home. Two women in the checkout lane were pointing at our baskets, then looking at us and then laughing. We have about 20 different CNY decorations and a pack of 12 sets of chop sticks. They were amused that two Americans were purchasing all this stuff. Our suitcase is stuffed full of red and gold CNY stuff and I could hardly zip it. Then Aaron opened our backpack and found another stash of more CNY decor. I may have gone overboard but you know what they say..."When in China....buy everything you want because you won't be able to find it at home for that price." No one actually says that but it has been our philosophy this trip.
We are going on a dinner cruise tonight on the Pearl River with the rest of the families in our group. I am looking forward to it. You can see all of the buildings in the city lit up from the river. I will be sure to share some photos later.
Tomorrow morning we head to Shimian Island to do some shopping and have lunch. I have been told the island looks a lot like Savannah, Georgia with similar architecture and landscaping. It will be a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are shops that sell silk dresses and squeaky shoes so I am going to have to buy another suitcase to get back all the dresses and shoes I hope to purchase for the girls. We get Hadley's visa tomorrow afternoon and head to Hong Kong where we will spend the night before flying home Thursday morning.
I finally remembered to share pictures of our room for anyone who is interested.
Our bedroom with Hadley's crib
The bathroom has a window into the bedroom. There is a privacy curtain on that window that can be lowered. The bathtub and shower are in the same area (you have to enter the tub by standing in the shower if that makes sense. It made tub laundry very conveinent because I could splash and drip all over the floor and it went down the shower drain.
Sink area in bathroom. That back wall is a tile mosaic.
Double glass doors. The closer one goes to the shower the further goes to the toilet.
Our living room/sitting area
Living room from the opposite end
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