Aug 4

We are truly on the countdown now!

 

Today was the consulate appointment for the adoption agency rep to take our documents to the consulate and get everything ready for our 'oath swearing ceremony' and visa issuance, scheduled for tomorrow.  A par for the course there was a potential problem issue with my paperwork...one of the adoption papers from Lanzhou had my old California address on it and the consulate would generally not allow any mistake.  But on Monday the adoption agency rep said that she had worked it out, but ended that assurance with: "lets hope they don't change their mind tomorrow."  What???!!  Anyway, I haven't heard anything for sure still, but it is 4:30, the appointment was this morning, and I think if there was a problem, she would have contacted me by now...at least I would hope so!

 

Today we went to a Buddhist Temple...the Six Banyan Tree temple.  It is the only tourist type outing planned for Guangzhou so I decided we would go.  It was pretty nice to do...just the weather as our only enemy.  There is a little 'ceremony' performed by a monk where they bless the babies.  I think culturally it is a nice event to do.

 

After we got back we went to lunch with Monica, Eric, Spencer and Sabrina (our friends from New York that we met earlier in Beijing).  We decided to try the Cantonese restaurant.  Overall since being here on Shamian Island we've just eaten American food, room service or ramen noodles in the room.  I thought it might be nice to have a Cantonese meal..however most of the menu was not particularly appetizing.  We ended up with one good dish, one acceptable dish, one edible dish and one slimy inedible choice.  Not too bad, I guess.  The most daring thing we tried...swan.  It was o.k.  Not something I'd choose again, but sounds impressive to have tried.

 

Since lunch we've just been at the room...trying to rest.  And, I learned that tomorrow I have to switch rooms...for just my last night.  What a pain.  There is some kind of maintenance thing they are going to do and there will be no air conditioning in this part of the building.  It will be worth moving for that!  Actually, it might be good, because I can basically get packed up tonight and tomorrow and then have the morning on Thursday to do any last minute shopping.  And then we will be heading home!!! Even though I dread the plane rides....I am sooooooo ready and so is Emma.  RJ is just going with the flow...but only because he doesn't know how much fun it is going to be to be home with grandma and grandpa and aunt Jan, Austen, the girls, the Campbells and everyone else who is going to just adore him like we do!