Hello sub tropic Guangzhou

Shi Yu did great on the flight! She slept the whole time.  Holy cow! I have never been in the sub tropics before and want quite expecting the heat and humidity. We Americans quickly began melting lol.I had learned in Zhengzhou to forget trying to wear make up or spending time on my hair that ended up a frizzy mess. But thus was a whole new level. We were met by the adoption guides and thankfully given water as soon as we got in the bus. As usual while on the bus the guides gave us the run down of all the meetings and appointments we would be attending. Our goal here was to attain Shi Yu's visa. We would need to take an oath that we would take care of jet and she would need a physical and tb test (hate that part). It took for ever to get to the hotel even though it was close the traffic as usual was horrid. This hotel was very nice. But as usual we were warned to be careful. Especially the men because there are many women there that were lets say, making a living. Because of my knees (which by now had become destroyed) we weren't looking at doing a lot of walking. Shi Yu had really come out of her shell and was becoming a very happy little girl. She was secondarily a daddys girl. As a matter of fact she only wanted Daddy. I think she was overwhelmed at having 2 people suddenly fusing over her. I decided to step back and give her some space. After a day or so this seemed to really work. She began reaching out for me and accepted me as her Mom. What a relief for Daddy who was getting pretty worn out lol. Thank goodness for the stroller (that she loved) the adoption reps were able to get in Zhengzhou.  Guangzhou was very busy as the country was days away from celebrating their moon cake holiday. It is very big there, almost like or Christmas. Families sit outside and admire the moon while sharing with one another and saying prayers. It is also a time of gift giving. The moon cake is then enjoyed. There were moon cake signs everywhere and huge lines of people buying them. I had tasted the moon cake at my brothers before we left (it does come in different flavors). It is a little bland and not as sweet compared to most American treats but I have come to learn that China doesn't throw a bunch of sugar into things to sweeten them. They tend to use sweet vegetables, beans, etc. it its so much healthier and not hard to get used to. The cake is round and about one inch thick. It is more like pie crust then cake with a thick filing in it.
The day came for all of the families to get on the bus for the childrens required physicals.  There was a line down the street waiting to get into the hospital. We were going to a different section so the only wait we had was for the doctors to get organized. There were 4 areas each child had to visit. Ear nose and throat, general exam, vision, and the tb test. Each parent just went to each section when there was an opening. It didn't take long. The wrist party was the tb test. They don't let the parents in. Shi Yu's seemed to take forever and we could heart her screaming. Our guide explained that it is sometimes hard for the doctor to find a vein. We knew that thank you. What we don't know is why we have spent a week binding with or child and getting her to trust us only to let strangers pull her away and do painful things! I thought Dan was going to cry or burst in the room to rescue her. Thank goodness when they returned her! The worst was over! A couple days later we went to the consulate and Swype or oath to love, provide, and protect Shi Yu. It was very anti climactic. Then they checked all of or paperwork and gave us Shi Yu's visa so we could bring her home! Thank you lord! Tomorrow we would be coming home! I couldn't wait to chime home to our country where I could understand people and easily handle normal situations like going somewhere, shopping for the baby, etc.. And most of all I couldn't wait for Shi Yu to finally be where she belonged!