Home Sweet Home

Well we have been home now for about three days. Everybody is struggling to make the adjustment, me I think more than Clarke and Will. I forgot how physically challenging taking care of a little one can be. I hope to post some pictures later of Clarke and Will after we have had a little more time to settle in and then I will be closing the blog. Thank you so much everyone who posted or sent me an e-mail or let me know they were watching. Your support meant a lot while I was across the globe. It is so good to be back here in the hills of Tennessee.

The girls with their moms on the red couch. Eden Clarke later in the day on Wednesday before our consulate appointment. After the appointment it was a mad dash back to the hotel and then to the airport. A twelve hour flight to Los Angeles, a five hour layover in LA, a two hour flight to Dallas, then an hour later another flight from Dallas to Nashville. Arrived in Nashville at 8:40 a.m.

Everybody gets their picture made on the red couch at the White Swan Hotel before they leave for home. Here are some pictures of Annaka, Lucy, and Clarke on the infamous couch.

Just some things seen today. Another bride getting her wedding pictures made. Soldiers in the park? This was an area close to a children's school and a park where the locals gather. This morning I saw these soldiers doing formation? They were actually raising their guns and you could hear the click as they pulled the trigger. Obviously they weren't loaded, but it was very unnerving.

Banyan trees are everywhere. They are huge and quite beautiful. Their trunks look like a bundle of vines and something hangs from the branches which reminds me of Spanish moss. This tree shown here was growing at a severe angle. A concrete support has been fashioned to allow it to continue to stand.

Tuesday in Guangzhou

Today was pretty uneventful. Just more walking around the island, a brief trip over the bridge across the Pearl River for exploring, and the pool. Clarke has taken to the stroller. Here are a couple of pictures of her zonked out in the stroller. Tomorrow will be a week with Clarke. Tonight, Tuesday night, she did not cry when it was time for bed. Hallelujah! Just in time. I was worried about the plane ride home. I couldn't imagine disrupting the sleep of the other passengers on the 12 plus hour plane ride from Guangzhou to Los Angeles. Tomorrow is the oath ceremony where Clarke will become a U.S. Citizen. The other families in my group already have the visas necessary for their daughters to enter the U.S. Because of my delay in getting her, my adoption/administrative appointments have also been delayed. My guide is doing her level best to get Clarke's visa issued tomorrow. I am scheduled to leave Guangzhou at 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, China time, and arrive in Nashville at 8:40 a.m. on Thursday. I won't know until around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday if the visa has been issued. If not, I will receive it on Thursday, and leave Guangzhou on Friday. China Southern, my airline, doesn't fly out of Guangzhou on Thursday. Hopefully, this is my last post here in Guangzhou. But, if not, all is well.

Incense burning and people praying.

Six Banyan Tree Temple.

Monday in Guangzhou

Today the families in my group and Lee our guide went to the Six Banyan Tree Temple and a Chinese Folk Art Museum. The temple was very neat, but by the time we got to the museum it was too darned hot to care. This place is so hot, hot, hot. I never knew I could sweat so much. The Chinese don't seem to mind the heat.

At the temple we saw monks, several different Buddhas, and observed a group singing or chanting. It was very interesting. All of the Buddhas had an offering in front of them. Our guide said the public kept bringing offerings and the offerings were changed every day. One Buddha had an offering of oranges and orange soda. The soda cans were stacked in a neat little formation. Another Buddha had an offering of Coca-Cola.

We saw many people come to the front of the Buddha with incense and pray. Here are some pictures of the Buddhas, monks and other things I saw today.

Clarke continues to progress. She now will try to get down out of my lap and wander. She approached different tables at dinner tonight. I think she isn't as shy as I originally thought.

Wedding sightings have occurred every weekend that I've been here. Here is the happy bride, but she doesn't look so happy, off to the wedding party. One of the other families has seen a lot of model shoots here. I've seen one. She was Chinese, but tall and skinny, just like the American ones.

Another statue along the river. These dudes could just as well be Tennessee Hillbillies, don't you think.

Check out the size of the coy in the hotel. The hotel has a big waterfall and a coy pond right in the middle of the lobby.

Chivalry is not dead

Bicycles are everywhere. Frequently you see a man with his wife or girlfriend sitting on the back wheel of the bicycle. Sometimes you see a mother with her child. Walking and riding bicycles appears to be how the majority gets from point a to b. No wonder these folks are so skinny. I haven't seen more than one or two Chinese people who looked like they had too much around the middle.

Our feet and STARBUCKS!

Men playing a board game and the pavilion in the park.

People's Park in Guanghzou

Here are some pictures taken in People's Park on one of mine and Tea's excursions. We took the metro to get there which was an adventure in and of itself. People were dancing, playing some type of board game and roller blading. They were also looking at us like we were from outer space.

I have been trying for a week to upload a video of some dancers Tea and I happened upon in the People's Park in Guangzhou. Each time I tried I failed. I have tried once again and probably failed. I don't know if you can play it or not. It is pretty neat. If you can't play it, e-mail me and I'll try to send it by e-mail.

chinese dancers

streets of shamian island

Here are a few pictures just walking around the streets of Shamian Island in Guangzhou. Tea and I took a picture of our feet before we started exploring when we first got here. We were so excited to find a Starbucks. A bit of normalcy. Business isn't hopping at the local Starbucks. Just mostly us American types interested in coffee. Tea drinkers are the going thing here. At most every street you can find interesting statues. I am posting a few here.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif
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Will

Pictures of Will at his 8th birthday party this June. I miss him terribly.

At the pool

Today at lunch, Clarke enjoyed a book her Aunt Liz bought her.

more pictures of the playroom

The playroom is also an opportunity to meet other families who are adopting. Everybody eventually ends up at the White Swan. I've met three other single women who are also adopting. There are also special needs adoptions. I've met one five year old boy who is deaf being adopted by a family in Colorado. There are several children who have had cleft palate surgery who are here also being adopted.

Sunday in Guangzhou

Clarke and I had a lazy day. Last night went better and I hope it continues to improve. The crying didn't last as long and her sleep was more peaceful. A late breakfast, more shopping, a two hour nap and dinner with the Stimacs. We tried a Cantonese restaurant that had everything from pigeon, frog, chicken feet, and one dish called the secret treasure. No, I didn't care to find out what the secret was. I stuck to rice and vegetables. Usually a safe bet. After dinner we tried the pool. Clarke took to the water fine. She kept putting her face in it so we'll have her swimming in no time. Earlier in the day we checked out the swan room. It's a room where parents and children can enjoy some play time. Clarke would wander a few feet away and then come hurriedly back to me. So maybe the trust is building.

my travel group

My travel group as I've mentioned before consists of three families. Here are some pictures of the Wise family and their baby, Lucy, who is 9 months old, and the Stimac family and their baby, Annaka, who is 13 months old. Yesterday we all went to a shopping area in Guangzhou where you could find row after row of booths with about anything you could imagine to buy. A dollar is about 7.5 or so yuan, so the dollar goes a long way here. The pictures here though are of the families out to dinner with me on two separate occasions.

Guangzhou nightlife

With a baby in tow there's not much nightlife for me. But the view of the river at night is beautiful. Boats all lit up pass by, and buildings across the river from Shamian Island, where I'm staying, are also lit up. Here are some pictures across the river and of the boats passing by.