Wednesday I felt some better, but not enough for me to say I felt great. Mom also started her antibiotic, deciding she probably has a sinus infection too. We both have a fever. This is so much fun!
Thankfully there wasn't much that needed to be done. Since it was our last full day in China, there was a little bit of shopping to be done, and the boys were wanting one last shot at the playground, so we did a little bit of both. Afterwards we went by a deli and got a few things for lunch in the room.
Shortly after, we met up with the rest of our group to head over to the Consulate. Basically, this is where we get the paperwork that allows us to take our children home. The Chinese adoption was complete, but the US has to grant a visa to get the child into the country. While we waited for the oath taking ceremony to begin, we sat around chatting and watching other adoptive families. I realized that this was one of those weird moments that is hard to put into words. Here we all were, on the other side of the world, isolated from the rest of our families, and adoption was the thing that brought us all there together. Being on Shamian Island is kind of this surreal place where reality is suspended. Everyone knows why you are there (and there aren't that many of you), and half of the people around you are a part of an adoptive family. Once again, I am having trouble expressing myself, but suffice it to say that it was so nice to just exist there as a family, after sticking out like a sore thumb in Jiangsu, and before coming home to real life.
The ceremony was brief, and then we had to fill out a survey that we think they were using to determine how many people have switched to the special needs program. We also had to show photocopies of all of our passports to prove who we were. And that was that. Kate got her visa and we went back to the hotel.
We had dinner as a group at a Cantonese restaurant a block from the hotel. The food was good, but this sinus thing has affected my appetite, so I didn't eat much.
It is also hard to describe my feelings about China. I have loved my time in all of the cities. It has been beautiful and strange and most importantly, the place I met my daughter. I love trying to speak the language and eat the food and find my way around a new place. I have loved meeting new people and seeing how wonderful they are. And I love daily maid service and the omelet stations in the hotels!
But I am sick, and it is hard to enjoy something when you are sick. And I really miss clean water. I can't believe how much that affects what I can eat and how I brush my teeth and all sorts of things. Thankfully bottled water is really cheap, but the boys and I miss tomatoes! And apples!
I wonder what Kate will think of America. I wonder if she thinks all we do is live in hotels and eat at restaurants. Only time will tell...
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