Thursday, February 23, 2006

We are now on the final leg of the adoption process... we made it to Guangzhou, Guangdong which for those not in the know, is where the US Consulate is and where we obtain WenYan's visa to the USA. It is late and we are tired and have to get up early tomorrow for the medical exam so this will be short and sweet or as short and sweet as I can be.

The most exciting thing today was WenYan's first airplane ride. She was very excited as our guide kept telling us all day how excited she was. We were a little worried she would be scared but when Michael tried to explain how much he has flown and how it is safe, she indicated that she had not even considered being scared, she was just really excited and kind of gave him that dismissive look of hers like don't be silly (which we have seen often.. usually when she thinks we are not doing something the right way as she is pretty precise and observant). I was also worried about how she would feel to leave Hunan province and her home behind but that girl is ready to go, she wasn't sad at all. I made sure our guide explained to her that when she lands in the US she will become an American citizen and she knew about that and was excited and happy about that fact.. whew, what a relief! It was sad to say goodbye to our good friend and guide Mr. Jacky Wang. We really connected with him and we plan on staying in touch through email and msn messenger. What a great thing we have gained this trip.. a real friend in China! I think at first he was a little concerned what we may be like.. this American family who expected to visit not one but two orphanages during one adoption trip but we won him over I think. : ) He loves to talk and we love to talk so we got along really well. WenYan asked if he could come home with us. We would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone traveling to Changsha and our driver was just the best. He could out-chicken a bus like no one else we have ever seen! I love driving in China.. it is an e-ticket ride all of its own. (for those old timers who remember when you had tickets at Disneyland)

The biggest change in Guangzhou is the weather. We left a cold, rainy, dreary place after not seeing the sun since we left Hong Kong over a week ago and landed in a balmy, warm place with a light breeze. We didn't have time for dinner due to our flight so after we were all checked in we started walking around Shamian Island, and ended up at Lucy's where we liked to go last time for a bit of American food. We think WenYan really likes french fries because she eagerly took some from mommy's plate without being coaxed. She really likes the White Swan hotel and the waterfall in the lobby impressed her quite a bit I think. She is pretty nonchalant about things but her eyes got really big and she made a big wow sign. The best look was when they handed us 3 little folders with our room keys and her name was printed out on one of them.. she has her own room key. That really made her happy! Right now she is acting like a real teenager.. trying to delay going to bed!! Hmmm.. where could she have learned that behavior?

Last time when we left Changsha, I was really sad, but this time I am happy to know that it is possible to return so instead of saying goodbye, we said so long for now.

Okay Amy & Trevor.. no tearjerker message from us today, you can pay for your own kleenex!

Susan, Michael and WenYan