We made it past another hurdle. Kelley is now officially adopted in the eyes of the US Government. She is still a Chinese citizen until she reaches a US Port of Entry aka Chicago, IL on Friday afternoon. We got up early today to have an early breakfast and quick Skype before our US Consulate appointment. During our Skype call we found out that Kimmy isn't feeling well. She has a fever, sore throat and will be staying home from school on Tuesday. She was in the picture, but didn't talk much. Kelley was wide awake and touched her a few times on the screen and laughed. I hope she feels better! Dan & I are doing our best to fight off a runny nose caused by a cold or allergies. Neither of us have a fever, thank goodness!
We met Lucia in the lobby and headed to the Consulate. Inside the van, I realized I forgot all the paperwork in the room, so had to run back. We still made it there on time. The lines were super long...mostly for Chinese citizens to get a VISA to come to the US. We were able to bypass them and go right to the adoption line. We passed security and went to an area where about 10 families met together for an 8:30 appointment. We recognized two or three families that are staying in our hotel. We met a new family from Colorado that will be taking the same flight back from Hong Kong to Chicago. We all stood and took an oath that all of the information was accurate and true. Then the kids were allowed to play while we waited our turn to go up individually. There was a minor typo in our paperwork (eat vs east on her abandonment decree) that could have been a problem, but they didn't catch it. The whole process was over in about 30 minutes and we were on our way out.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Six Banyon Tree Buddhist Temple. Dan through a coin into the blessing pot and wished for a quiet plane trip back. Let's pray it works! We saw a temple of Buddha past, present & future. While we were talking, Kelley kneeled down and prayed to Buddha. I'm not sure if she repeated what she saw others doing or if she really knew what to do. We also saw the Buddha of Mercy. Those are the two most common Buddhas at the 300 year old temple.
We took another little shopping/strolling trip and ended up at McDonalds for lunch and then back to the room to practice English. The traffic has picked up some and the hotel is hopping because the trade show started today. We learned that it last three weeks: 1st week heavy manufacturing, 2nd week light consumer goods & 3rd week is textile, clothing & fashion. It is held twice a year in April & October and is the largest trade show in China. It is held at an expo center on an island on the Pearl River, by the high end of town. We saw the expo center at a distance from the evening cruise.
At 5:40 we met Lucia in the lobby and headed out to the Pearl River Cruise. We were leaving at rush hour, so she said it might be a little crazy. Which it was; but I think drivers were crazier in Taiyuan. We made it to the boat in plenty of time and cruised up and down the Pearl River. They served a buffet dinner of traditional Chinese foods; Kelley loved the dim-sum and sweet corn. Dan was happy! We saw the tallest TV tower at 600 meters, including the mast. We saw the stadium where they held the Asian Games in 2010. We saw a dragon boat, Lucy's and the White Swan Hotel among other attractions. The ship also had a little magic-fun show for the kids, which had everybody laughing. The weather was beautiful, with a cool, soft breeze and almost a full moon. The boat is similar to the Jet Express and has three levels. Kelley enjoyed standing in the back and watching the lights. Dan was happy again and is planning a summer trip to Kelley's Island next year.
Kelley did pretty good today (better than sick Kimmy). A few times she thought about tears, but held them back. She was ready for bed tonight as soon as we arrived at the hotel. Tomorrow afternoon we will receive her Chinese passport with VISA to travel to USA and then we will jump in to a van to take us to the airport hotel. It is about a 3-1/2 to 4 hour ride. I hate changing hotels rooms again, but it is the easiest way out. It looks like the typhoon that is coming in will be north of Hong Kong, so we should be OK. One day closer to home!
No comments:
Post a Comment