December 4

12.4.12

                This morning, we woke up earlier than usual. We had our consulate appointment with one other family; we were the only families in a group of 14 that had their appointment today.  I was surprised when we arrived at the consulate. It was only a temporary place; the new U.S. consulate was being built in Guangzhou. I was expecting it to look like they do in the Jason Bourne movies. That was not at all how it looked. We had to go up to the 4^th floor of this huge building.

                Mom and Dad had to take an oath, and then we had to wait for Gianna’s Chinese name to be called. Li Ye Yue is her name, but everybody says Yue Li Ye when they are calling her name. I sat down re-reading Woman Warrior because I have a huge test on it when I get back home. When they finished, we went back to the Hotel. Kirsten and Martin (the other family) wanted to go to Shamian Island for a little shopping. Mom and Dad thought it was a good idea.  Most people that have adopted a child stayed at the White Swan located in Shamian Island.  However, the White Swan is being renovated.  I loved walking around to the small stores! Mom and Dad liked it too. The shops were all amazing, but a lot of it was closed down. The White Swan Hotel was where most of their business came from. I bought a few things there, and went on my way. I didn’t bargain at all, I just couldn’t, knowing that these people may lose their shops if the White Swan does not open soon. We ate at Lucy’s Grill.  The food had an eastern and western flare.  The food was excellent.  We got mashed potatoes for Gianna and ended up having to order her another bowl because she loved them so much.  While there, we saw a license plate from Ohio hanging on the wall.  My mom had to take a picture!

                We left after a few hours to go back to the hotel. We rushed to take our showers and get dressed for the next big event—The Pearl River Cruise.  The cruise was about an hour and a half total.  They had a buffet for us there.  One of the Chicken dishes actually had a chicken head in it.  At that point, my mom decided that she wasn’t really hungry after all.  The scenery was phenomenal.  We stood on the upper level of the ship and took lots of beautiful pictures.  Once the boat docked, we headed back to the hotel.  We were incredibly tired.  Mom gave Gianna a bath, then it was off to bed for all of us.  It’s hard to believe we only have one more day here. 

                Love, Brittany and Momma