A Different World

Guangzhou feels very different than Beijing and Changchun. It is warm and green....the people speak Cantonese....and the roads seem to be a bit safer.  Where we were getting stares from locals up in Jilin, we are among many adoptive families here at the hotel. It's a completely different experience.  (I still need to get some photos of the area around our hotel.)

Yesterday our Holt group met after breakfast and took a bus to the medical clinic.  That was an experience.   The building seemed nice, but there was just a mass of people trying to get their new children through 4 different stations--photos, height/weight, general exam, and ears/nose/throat.   This is what the hallway looked like:

Fun times.

The ENT doctor knew from his medical forms that Elliott is deaf, so she needed to confirm that, I suppose.   Her method....take a colorful squeaky toy and squeak it quickly in front of each ear, passing it in front of Elliott's face.   He followed it with his eyes as it was swiped in front of him, so we are wondering if the kind doctor took that as evidence that he can actually hear.

In the afternoon, one parent from each family had to meet to make sure all our paperwork for the consulate is in order.  Our Holt (adoption agency) and Lotus (travel company) guides were there, so we discussed possible outings for the remainder of the week.  Last night we walked down the street from the hotel and ate dinner with Laurie and Kenyon and their adorable Joya.

Today most of the families in our group took a bus with our Lotus guide to Shamian Island to do some shopping.   It was a gorgeous morning

Tonight we will be going to a Cantonese restaurant with our entire group.  Tomorrow we are opting to go with several other families to the Safari Park so Elliott can see some pandas and giraffes.

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