Sunday was our free day and we were originally scheduled to go to church. I was really looking forward to being in a Chinese church, but our guide strongly suggested that we skip it due to the ages of our kids. They do not have nursery (and we would never leave them in a nursery) so we would have had to keep the girls quiet and still for an hour and half. While we were all a bit bummed that we would not get that experience, it was for the best.
Instead we visited a wholesale jewelry market, specifically fresh water pearls. Our guide taught us how to tell fake from real pearls and brought us to her favorite vendor. It is Chinese tradition to give pearls to daughters at their wedding, so I was really happy to be able to go look for pearls for both Maggie and Macy. After much talking, deciding and bargaining, all the girls left happy and loaded with beautiful pearls...and the husbands left with lighter pockets :)
Another Chinese tradition is passing on jade. Jade is a beautiful stone in variant green shades that is prevalent in Chinese art and culture. It is said to bring a blessing to whatever it touches. A jade bracelet would be passed down from mother to daughter and so forth. A grandmother would wear her mother's and than pass it on to her own daughter (or daughter in law) when she cam or age or married. The daughter would pass it on to her daughter and so forth. I saw these bracelets on many women of all ages. I was really hoping to get one to pass on to Maggie, but the ones I looked at at the mall were very expensive. I told our guide that I loved her bracelet and she asked the pearl lady if she had any jade bracelets. Her husband was a jade dealer in the building across the street. She had a few that she had on clearance and I was able to pick one out for a great price. The bracelets are meant to have a tight fit, so when the one that I liked didn't fit, the lady behind the corner grabbed a plastic bag, slid it over my hand and jammed that bracelet right down. It fit! I was a bit nervous it would not come off, but the same bag was put back on, and just reversed the motion. Success!
Our next stop was at the Shamian Island, a small area that was formally a colonel European developed area. It used to be the hub for all adoptions in China, where families would stay on the island and all government visa and medical checks took place. Now it is mainly a tourist area, filled with statues.
It is really beautiful, but felt more like a European area than China. We took pictures with the statues and enjoyed our lunch at Lucy's, a popular restaurant among adoptees. At one point, it was one of the few non-Chinese restaurants around. I enjoyed having an actual cold Dt. Coke and Maggie and her little friend, Lucy got to hang out together.
We headed back for naps and attempted to swim again. It was also not successful. We got dinner down the street with the other families and Maggie was feeling right at home!
How does this sound for dinner? Any takers?
Monday morning was our big Consulate day! We were prepped multiple times about this appointment and all the many rules and regulations. We COULD NOT be late, we could not bring in ANYTHING, we must not do this or that... I felt a bit nervous for this was our very last, final step in our adoption. (Or so I thought. Turns out there is still a LOT of paper work when you return home.)
We got ready, with our Marriott black bag that we were told we MUST bring and stood in line to enter the U.S Consulate.
I was surprised how good it felt to be on U.S soil in a foreign country. We were greeted with friendly smiles and walked into a cool, air conditioned room that looked just like a DMV. The Adoption agent was funny and friendly and instantly had all the adoptive parents at ease. We did a group pledge before a guy behind a glass window and waited for our number. We chatted with other American families about China and our experiences and just enjoyed being able to understand everything and everyone! Bonus, they had clean western-style toilets!!! With a changing table! Trust me, you don't want to use public Chinese restrooms. It is a bring-your-own-tp squatty or no seat on the western-style type thing. Due to bad plumbing, most use the wastebasket to throw away their tp...so it never smells nice.
We were almost the last family to go through the interview and it was a fun, easy experience. I am not sure why were were prepped for such a serious thing, but it really ended up being a fun, happy experience! Maggie was now our daughter in the eyes of China, the International Hague conventions, Internationally and in the United States of America. It was a wonderful feeling!
Ryan went with our guide to an underground grocery store while I hung out with Maggie at a local coffee shop and then it was back to the hotel for lunch and naps. We opted out of the swimming time, since Maggie hated it and she seemed to get a rash from the chlorine.
We met with the other family who was traveling with us and their 3 year old and had pizza. It was a nice change of pace to eat some pizza after days of noodles and Chinese food!
We picked up a some water from 7-11 and headed home for the night. Does the food look a little different from 7-11 in the US?
Two more tourist days and then we are heading home!
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