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Process in Guangzhou: January 11-16
OUR FIVE-DAY stay
in Guangzhou was less structured than our time in Nanning,
which offered us more time to be out and about with
Sydney and to shop, shop, shop! The progression of more
to less structure exactly befitted our growing comfort
with our Chinese surroundings, so we welcomed the opportunity
to explore.
The White Swan Hotel
Among Chinese adoptive parents, The
White Swan Hotel has become legendary. Only a five-minute
walk from the U.S.
Consulate on ShaMian Island in Guangzhou, the hotel
houses nearly every American family adopting a child
from China. The area surrounding the hotel is filled
with tourist shops catering to the hoards of Americans
adopting Chinese babies, and we seemed to be among hundreds
of American families walking the streets in search of
the best deals. Restaurants on the island catered less
to Western tastes than the shops, although the cuisine
was worlds away from Nanning's offerings. The hotel
itself is a sumptuous five-star affair and certainly
enables more relaxation than the Majestic in Nanning.
All in all, the hotel was the perfect place to transition
from China to home.
ShaMian Island
 Originally
a British and French colonial outpost, the
island boasts an eclectic mix of old-world European
and modern Asain styling and architecture. We had few
opportunities to leave the island, but we realized that
the island is probably a retreat from the urban chaos
that Guangzhou has become. We enjoyed Western, Thai,
Cantonese, and other Chinese cuisine in and around the
island. We also enjoyed picking up Chinese trinkets
and clothes for Sydney, additional luggage (that's pretty
common), and gifts for friends and family. In addition
to the "traditional" tourist shops, we especially
enjoyed visiting "A Gift from China," a non-profit
store from which proceeds from all sales go toward supporting
orphans throughout China.
City Tour
 We
took one day to tour parts of Guangzhou. We visited
the famous  Chen
family shrine, which has been converted to a museum
of Cantonese and Chinese culture and arts. The Cultural
Revolution wiped out many such historical places and
artifacts, so visiting this complex was a real treat.
We also visited a crafts store for more shopping (of
course!). But the highlight of the tour was a visit
to the Six Banyan Tree Temple, where we toured for an
hour or so and had the opportunity to observe a traditional
Buddhist blessing.
Clinic and Consulate Visit
The purpose of visiting the clinic is primarily to acertain
the child's health for the American visa application.
The examination is cursory and quick. However, it is
among the easiest forms to complete, as the doctors
and the CCAI representatives fill out everything on
our behalf.
The conclusion of the child's visa
application is the oath of citizenship we take on our
child's behalf at the Consulate. This is the purpose
of the Consulate visit, and following the oath we received
Sydney's American visa and immigration papers. These
papers, when submitted to the immigration authorities
in Los Angeles, made Sydney an American citizen. The
oath is literally the final step in taking official
custody of the adopted child and making her an American
citizen. We celebrated the occasion in the hotel bar!
Red Sofa Picture
 The
White Swan Hotel lobby has several red sofas, and tradition
mandates that each group line their babies up on a sofa
and take a group picture. With 18 babies this proved
quite a feat, but we did take the picture and followed
the tradition. This was our last official act in China;
from that moment we worked on getting home.
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