US Consulate and Goodbye Guangzhou

Thursday morning at 8:30 am was our US Consulate appointment.  We gathered into a room with about 15 other families and took an oath on behalf of our children.  I teared up looking around the room while all the parents stood with their right hand in the air repeating after the consulate official.  Then we went to the window one family at a time and finished up our paperwork.  After the consulate we went back to the hotel and just hung around the hotel all day.  Katie went swimming and then played with her friend Samantha.  Julia and I took a nice long nap.  

Outside of the US Consulate.  No pictures allowed inside

Our new friends from Texas

Friday was our last day in Guangzhou.  We enjoyed our last day at the breakfast buffet.  Katie got her last bacon and ham omelette.  Everyday Katie ordered a bacon and ham omelette and the guy making them was always so miserable.  Same guy everyday.  We named him "The Angry Omelette Guy".  So of course I took my camera to the buffet to get a photo of him.  We had to wait for our guide to pick up the children's passports with their US visa inside so we could travel home.  They weren't going to be ready until 3pm.  We packed up the room and let me tell you that was not an easy task after spending 11 days in the hotel.  We checked out and left the hotel at 2:30 pm.  Our guide dropped us off at the train station and we went through security and customs.  At 3:45 pm our guide arrived back to the train station with the children's passports.  We said a hurried goodbye to our guide and got on the 4:14 pm train to Hong Kong.  We arrived in Hong Kong at 6:12 pm and took a bus with the 4 other families in our group to the Marriott Sky City Hotel.  We all went to dinner and then said goodbyes to each other.  One family is from Texas, one family from St Louis, and one from New York(this family will be with us on the flight home).  

Enjoy our last pictures from China.  We are getting on a flight from Hong Kong to Newark at 10:15 am China time.  See you in the STATES!

The Angry Omelette Guy

Our home in Guangzhou for 11 days

Our wonderful guide Kelly

Loading up the bus

At the train station

On the train

We made it to Hong Kong

Fun in the hotel room in Hong Kong

Good night!

What we have been up to the last 3 days...

Sunday we went to the Chen Family Temple.  It is very pretty with flowers and gardens.  They also had little shops for paintings and souvenirs.  

Then we were off to the Carrefour because we were out of diapers and snacks.  Needed to stock back up on cookies, chips, and crackers.  

Then dinner time.....more Chinese food!

Squeaky shoes...they squeak when she walks

Monday we went to The Six Banyan Tree Temple.  It is a Buddhist Temple.  According to our guide Buddhism is still the number one religion in China.  When we traveled to China to adopt Katie we visited this temple and had a Buddhist blessing of our family.  We wanted to do the same with Julia.  

 Rubbing Chinese money for luck and making a wish

Incense

This is where we had our family blessing.  One of the girls in our group got pictures with her camera of us getting blessed.

Then we walked through Lychee Bay Park

I've noticed so many dogs in public places off leashes and they stay with their owner. 

Out to dinner.  You guessed it.....Chinese food.

Then we stopped at 7-11 on the way home for ice cream.

Last night and tonight at the restaurants we went to the Chinese workers are very curious about us.  We attract a lot of attention going into the local Chinese restaurant.  Both nights at different restaurants the waiter and waitress picked Julia up and acted like they were going to walk away from us with her.  Both times Julia flipped.  Crying for me.  I'm not sure why the waiter and waitress did this but it sure felt good that she wanted her Mama.  

On Tuesday we went back to Shamain Island for some more shopping.  Two of the families that met back up with us in Guangzhou haven't been to Shamain yet so we got to tag along and shop again.  The shopping was great but it is so hot here.  Dan read the temp was going to be 88 degrees but with the humidity it was going to feel like 101.  That's how it has been everyday. We melt when we are outside. We have been spending most afternoons at the pool.  Katie will swim for hours.  A lot of the families that are adopting have been hanging by the pool in the afternoon.  It's nice spending time with other families like ours.  We have met so many nice people.  We took a taxi ride to THE ITALIAN RESTAURANT for dinner.  No chicken parm on the menu but I was able to get spaghetti bolognese.  Not the best I ever had but it sure was a nice change.  Katie got ravioli and Julia loved the ravioloi and my pasta.  After dinner we stopped at the Starbucks in our hotel and Dan, Katie, and Julia got dark chocolate cake for dessert.  Seems like all we do is eat.  I think that's why Julia likes us so much.

Julia at the breakfast buffet.  I could do a whole blog post on the breakfast buffet.  We are going to miss that every morning for sure.  

The girls walking along Shamain Island

Some people asked about The White Swan....it's wrapped in green in the background of this photo.  You can not go inside.  It was supposed to be done this year but according to our guide it is not going to be done this year.