First Day in Guangzhou

This is what we did today in Lydia’s version:

          First, we woke up and ate breakfast for breakfast I had noodles and cereal. Then we went to a hospital and Ruthie got a shot and her eyes checked. Also, the doctor asked my dad if Ruthie was smart and my dad said the people in the orphanage were saying she was smart plus she has been very smart. So, the doctor asked her 2 questions and said she was smart. Then we got Subway and sat outside for a picnic then Me and Ruthie fed some fishes. After that wet took a nap but I did not take a nap instead I listen to a book and wrote part of the blog.

When the alarm went off at 8am this morning, I really didn’t know what hit me! We had arrived at the hotel, checked in and found jammies and were in bed around 3am this morning. I really wasn’t feeling it this morning when we had to get up, but I pulled myself out of bed and took a shower and got dressed.

We headed down to breakfast, which was another buffet of endless choices. Lydia ate noodles with TONS of garlic on them. I could smell her across the elevator when we came back up to the room! There were plenty of other choices to eat that the rest of us got. There wasn’t a lot of time to spend eating, so we made our choices quick, ate and came back up to the room to finish getting ready.

At 10am, we met our guide in the lobby to take us to the medical appointment. I was pretty nervous that MeiMei would be sick on the way there, since it was the same time of day that it first and second happened the past few days. Brian was ready with a bag, just in case, but we made it the 20 minutes to the appointment without incident. 😊 Yeah! Thank you, Lord. This van has seats that ride a little higher, and I also gave her half a Bonine. I’m still a little nervous, but hopefully it doesn’t happen again! (She was fine on the plane – she slept the whole time.)

The medical appointment went pretty quickly. We only had to wait a few minutes for everything to start. Lydia, Brian, and MeiMei went in to the different exam rooms. In one of the rooms, the doctor asked Brian if she was smart. Brian said that her teachers at the orphanage said she was. The doctor said she would check, asked her 2 questions, and confirmed with Brian that she is, in actuality, smart! If only the people in America knew it only takes 2 questions…My job as a teacher would be much easier. 😊 One of the things that MeiMei had to have was a TB test. They wouldn’t let us go into the room for that. They give her a shot and depending on how that area looks tomorrow, we’ll know if there needs to be further testing. After that, she came out and I had to put pressure on the injection area for 5 minutes. I’m not sure what that is all about, but she did sit on my lap for a whole 5 minutes. I was feeding her candy, so that probably made me bearable too!

After the TB test, we headed back to the hotel. Our guide checked our paperwork and made sure we had everything, got copies of MeiMei’s passport for us, so we’re all set for our appointment at the consulate on Monday.

We decided to take a walk and find lunch. When we came back from the medical appointment, our guide pointed out where we could get some food, shop, etc. There was a Subway and Lydia thought that sounded good. So off we went to find Subway. Because of where the hotel is located, and the main clientele, this area caters to Westerners. There are many people who work in the stores and restaurants who know English and the menus are available in English too. I was surprised when I ordered the subs that I could do it in English. It was nice to be able to communicate a little more than was possible in Huhhot. Since we aren’t eating raw vegetables, the subs were a little sparse. Lydia enjoyed her favorite tuna, while the rest of us had meat and cheese with pickles and olives. We also stopped at 7 Eleven to get some drinks, chips, and of course, a little chocolate.

It’s so nice here in Guangzhou. It was in the 70s today, which feels like heaven to me. We decided to make a picnic of our lunch today. We’re staying at the Garden Hotel that is aptly named because of the garden in the back. There’s a huge koi pond, flowers, trees, waterfalls, and just a wonderful relaxing place. That’s where we ate our lunch. The girls loved watching the fish and they fed them a little extra of the bread from the sandwiches. The fish were piling on top of each other to get to the food. MeiMei LOVED watching them. We’re excited to take her to the safari park here, since she is so interested in the few animals we’ve seen.

After lunch, we thought a nap was in order since we had such a short night. I fell asleep right away, but I guess it took MeiMei a while to fall asleep. By the time the two of us woke up, it was after 5pm. Whoops!

MeiMei came to us wearing fashion boots, which look cute, but aren’t so great for walking in. We had seen an H&M across the street, so we thought we’d check and see if they had any shoes that might work better. They did have some clearance shoes for 20 RMB (about $3), so we got some shoes that will hopefully be a little more comfortable for her. She also wanted some hair clips with Hello Kitty. Lydia LOVED Hello Kitty when she came home. I just couldn’t resist, plus they were on clearance for about $1, so she has some new, cute barrettes to wear. We headed down the street to find some place for supper (even though it felt like we had just eaten lunch!). There was a place advertising noodles and rice. Of course, there aren’t any restaurants in China that serve noodles and rice, so we HAD to try it. I didn’t really care because I figured I wouldn’t eat anything anyway. It was a great little place with cheap eats that the girls liked a lot. Upon looking at the menu, I discovered that they had broccoli. You know I’ve been really wanting vegetables, so I order the broccoli. It was so good – and it’s not just me. Brian ate some and said it was the best broccoli that he’d tasted. I’m not sure what they did to it, but it was really good. I’m totally in favor of eating there again!

We also met another adoptive family that was eating there and staying in our hotel. In the lobby of the hotel, we ran into a few other families and found out where some good restaurants are, where the play room is and other good tips. We ended up going up to the play room to burn off a little energy. Another adoptive family was there with their 5 kids and Lydia and MeiMei played for a while.

We came back to the room and played hide-and-seek. This room is ridiculously big – 2 bathrooms, a bedroom, living room, office/workout room, and walk in closet, so it’s a little better place to find hiding places. They had fun doing that. MeiMei sat on the couch and counted before she went to find Lydia and me. She counted all the way to 100 in Chinese. I was so impressed, I almost came out of my hiding spot to tell her what a great job she did. We’ll definitely have to get that on video!

It was late, so we got the girls in bed and now it’s almost midnight and I’m typing this blog. We don’t have anything to do, except have the TB test checked tomorrow. If everything is good, that’s all that we need to do for that. We’re looking forward to sleeping in, if Lydia cooperates. 😊

Our Family

Subway in the Garden

Watching the fish

Who doesn't love noodles?

Mama would rather have broccoli!

More noodles!

MeiMei loves her Baba

Playroom

View from our 25th floor hotel room