12/27 Reflections on our journey

We have a few days left here in Guangzhou before we pack up for the long journey home.
Jen is doing very well and we are begin to learn more about her as her personality is emerging.
She continues to be a thoughtful child and is expressing affection toward us on her own. Now that she has made the initial adjustment to us, we are learning to make the adjustment of being parents. Out of necessity, our initial relationship to her has been almost like playmates since we have so many barriers to cross. Besides great fun, activities like pillowfighting have been great ice breakers that have enabled us to show affection and relate to Jen at a very basic level. Ambushing Kristy with pillows after she emerges from the bathroom always gets a huge grin from Jen. Now we are transitioning to the more traditional roles of parenting -- setting boundaries and setting the groundrules for life. The situation has put a lot of expectations on Jen -- we are in public constantly to eat, to shop, for adoption procedures, etc. She has behaved spectacularly but it will be nice to finally be home where she can just be a little girl without so many burdens placed upon her. There we expect to see yet another side of her.

You may wonder what one does in Guangzhou for two weeks. The actual adoption procedures here require less than a few hours stretched out over 3 or 4 days. Once we got Jen, we had to return to the adoption offices for some very brief paperwork to finalize her adoption. After a quick trip to a health clinic for a routine check of vital signs, etc. we went to another office to receive her adoption decree. Ever since then, our guide has handled the remaining issues which pertain to obtaining a passport for Jen and a visa from the US Consulate. We'll make a trip tomorrow to the consulate for Jen's sake and then we are free to leave China.

In between those required procedures, we have shopped and shopped, shopped and shopped some more...did I mention shopping? Not that we have bought that much but it is what one does to pass the time. Not that I am complaining because sometimes I go shopping on my own -- I enjoy just being here and experiencing life here. Guangzhou is the mandatory stop for all US citizens who are bringing home adopted children. With 7,000+ children headed to the US each year, that means some 7,000 families pass this way with money and time to spend as they wait. As a result, an entire cottage industry surrounding adoption has sprung up in this little corner of Guangzhou --- perhaps 10 blocks long and 5 blocks wide. Shops and more shops of baby clothes, Chinese arts and crafts, luggage, laundry services and various stores support the flow of Americans and others who come and go. Most storekeepers speak some English and they are eager to show you their wares. Buying is a game of haggling and those who enjoy haggling would enjoy the game here. Guangzhou is not a tourist destination for Westerners so by and large, if you are in this quarter and are American, you are here to adopt a baby. Shop clerks want to know your child's name, home province, age, etc. Most presume that Jen was adopted years ago and that we have returned for seconds. Many speak to her and comment on her beautiful looks.
I guess I am partial but I think cuteness and beauty is a special gift that God has given to these little babies and children.

During our time, we have seen a few museums, visited the zoo and saw a beautiful mountainside garden (Yun Tai Gardens, I think). The highlight of the zoo was the giant panda who was eating bamboo. The gardens were beautiful -- worth a visit to anyone who comes, I think. Otherwise we have been studying English in the room. Jen has also been doing paint by numbers, a simple needlepoint for beginners and watching Doraemon and Tom & Jerry (popular here).

Each day has been about the same with respect to our schedule. We have a final day today of shopping before we try to pack tomorrow. We have met some nice American families from all over who are adopting as well. The hotel buffet is the gathering ground for families and I would say on any given day that 1/2 of the people we see there are Americans. This is a 5 star hotel of 25+ stories. In terms of total Americans here at any given time it is hard to say. We are seeing maybe 20 families at breakfast. They come and go as they arrive from the provinces with their bundles of joy and then fly out to the States. It is an amazing thing. We have been here long enough now to see an almost complete turnover of families.

I'll post again this morning. Pictures are still a problem -- I am sorry. I so wanted to post them and will try again before we leave.