September 21, 2006 Today was our last day in China. Unfortunately, because of the way the dates worked out, we didn't get to spend as much time in Guangzhou as some of the other groups, so there were some things that we just didn't get time to do, like go in swimming, and do some other exploring around the city. However, it also means that we get to go home a little bit sooner. Most importantly, today was the last part of the adoption process that is done here in China. Today, we went to the American Consulate to have the swearing in ceremony. Because of security, we were not allowed to take any pictures of either the inside or the outside of the building. About forty or fifty couples were herded into a room where they checked to make sure that each couple had the baby that they claimed to have. Then someone from the State Department explained that 1) we were not to open the packet of documents that they were giving us until we handed them to the Immigration official when we arrived in the US, and that 2)our children were not US citizens until their passports were stamped by this immigration official. Needless to say, we are guarding this packet with our lives. Most of the rest of the day was spent shopping and sight-seeing. We went with another into the main part of the city, and got a chance to see a little more daily life in China. Part of this was spent in a market place. One of the pictures you see below is of sea horses for sale, and another is for turtle shells. Don't ask me what people do with them--I really don't want to know the details. Later, Dusty and I took Mary Joyce to some of the more interesting places in the Hotel itself, such as the Koi pond, complete with waterfall. Since this is the last evening that we all will be here, this evening, most of the group got together for a pizza party in the hallway. We all had a good time, and we also discovered that Mary Joyce loves Macaroni and Cheese. This means that she will never starve to death while she is living in our house. We all said our goodbyes, and headed off to bed. Some of us, Dusty and I included, have to leave at 6:00 in the morning. We will fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, have a three hour layover, then fly to Chicago, where we will go through immigration (if we hit a snag, it will be there), and then to Atlanta. If all goes as planned, we will be touching down at 8:47 PM, on United Airlines, flight 0566. We will post again once we get back to Dawson on Saturday.   Dried Seahorses for Sale     Turtle Shells in the Marketplace   Koi Pond at the White Swan Hotel     Mommy and Mary Joyce   Daddy and Mary Joyce     Pizza Party in the Hallway   Yummy Mac and Cheese!     117b Dads and Babies     117b Moms and Babies (Plus a Grandma and a Big Brother)   Peek-a-Boo!             This page hosted by