Day Twelve in China

 

4/15/2013
I can't believe we have been here for almost two weeks! We went for Leah's US Consulate appointment today along with four of the other Bethany families. We couldn't take pictures, so we did it in the lobby afterward. There wasn't much to do, actually, we just had to say an oath that everything we had written or told them was the truth, then we had to turn in her paperwork to get her visa and immigration papers. We were all very excited to have all of our paperwork completed! Now we just wait for Shiyan to pick up everything for us tomorrow.

Well, how do you ride on the bus?

Lots of fisherman and observers.

Beautiful streets on Shaiman Island

After our appointment, we went back and picked up the other 3 families, and started off to visit Shaiman Island. This is the place Bethany families usually stay, as the famous White Swan Hotel is on this island. The hotel is currently completely under renovation, however, so no one is able to stay there at this time. Completely under renovation means totally covered in a giant green tarp, and surrounded by bamboo scaffolding. The island was a nice place to visit. It had previously been a British controlled island, so the buildings look very colonial in style. There are garden streets and cobblestone walkways and streets. It's a very pretty place. There were people playing hacky sack and others taking music lessons. There were many men fishing for fish and turtles for the local markets and restaurants. We enjoyed lunch with our group at Lucy's, and then took to the local shops. We first went to A Gift From China, a local not-for-profit that supports the orphanages in China, and the to Jenny's, a Chinese Christian shop owner, to support their shops first. We then visited some other shops to practice our bargaining skills and get some good deals. It was a lot of fun, and we could have stayed longer if our bus wasn't leaving. Leah did really well today! She even walked around the Consulate office and played with some of the toys there. The others in our group were amazed because it was the first time they had seen her walk around. We were just excited to see her be a little more trusting. She even looked at Naomi for a brief moment today!

The closest Adam will get to a sword!  :-)

Well, we must have found lots of good deals during our time here in China, because after we went back to the hotel I started parking and even with our new suitcase we still needed to pack our two carry ons (which we were hoping to not need). I finally got most everything packed, so we called the boys and tried to finish up as much food from the room as we could. We get to sleep in tomorrow, and then in the afternoon we leave Guangzhou! Yay! It's hard to believe we will be starting our journey home!