Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Today we ventured off Shamian Island into the city of Guangzhou . We took a hotel shuttle bus to the shopping district. It was quite an experience. So many shops, so many people, so many unique food stands. We were in search of good deals on pearls. We found one area with multiple levels of venders. It was difficult to find anyone that spoke English. We then walked down the street and passed through a door that led to a huge mall. We walked through the mall and found shop after shop of jewelry. We were starting to feel like it was a maze and we would never find our way out. We made our purchases and traced our steps back to the main hub. We stopped at McDonalds for French fries. They were OK but still tasted Chinese. Tia loved the fries.

Speaking of food, notice the picture of the fried critters. We walked down a street of food venders and I could hardly believe some of the choices. I’ve heard about it but it is really something to experience. We were not adventurous enough to taste any of it. Actually, I turned around and went back before Shawn did. I had seen enough to satisfy my curiosity. Tia loved sitting in the stroller and taking in the sights. She is quite the little traveler. She loves the different sights to look at while we walk around. Kassidy enjoys pushing the stroller.

Today was a very important day because we went to the US Consulate to take an oath. They called each family up individually to give us paperwork. They then had us all stand up together, raise our right hand and promise to care for our newly adopted children. Tia is now ours according to the US government. Several days ago we finalized the paperwork with China . When I look at her smile and see the changes in her this last week I am so thankful to China for allowing this precious child to be adopted. She has so many opportunities ahead of her. Each day she looks at us and realizes that we are still here and she is staying with us. It really is priceless! The trip has caused us to grow as a family in more than just number. Each of us will be forever changed by witnessing God’s plan unfold for each of these children. Our experience here is one that we will carry with us in our hearts. We will always teach Tia to be proud of her heritage.

We are looking forward to coming home and we have two more nights of sleep at the White Swan before our long travel day.