A stroll in the park...

We went to the park this morning and we got to see real Chinese Culture. In the park, you will see mostly the older generation. They go to the park to relax, exercise, dance, play games, play music, practice martial arts, etc. We grabbed quite a bit of attention from the crowd. They were so intrigued with us and the fact that Rachel is our daughter. People would come up and try and talk to us to find out our story. The people were very friendly and would give us the "thumbs up" when they realize we are adopting Rachel and will be taking her to America. The Chinese kept telling me how beautiful Rachel was and that she is lovely. So very sweet. Even the children were intrigued. Rachel must have gotten her cheeks pinches a dozen times or more. She loved strolling in the park. Some parts of the park had rough stones, so the ride was a bit bumpy for Rachel. It was extremely hot morning. The sweat was pouring down our faces. The Chinese were dry as a bone. I'm guessing they are used to this heat. Guangzhou is supposed to be much worse. Wish I had brought more shorts instead of carpi's. LOL!

We leave for Guangzhou tomorrow which is where the adoption is finalized and where we get permission from the US Consulate to enter the United States with our daughter. The flight is only about an hour long. Hopefully our baggage isn't overweight or we will be paying so hefty fees! We will be staying at the White Swan Hotel which is a well-know hotel where adoptive families stay to finalize their adoption. We've heard nothing but great things about the hotel and we are looking forward to it. Although, each hotel has been wonderful and very accommodating. I can't believe we've been gone over a week now and still have 6 more days before we come home. I miss everyone, but the trip has been great and I'm not tired of it yet. I think the biggest challenge is trying to take care of your family out of hotel room. We have had an outside laundry service do our laundry. Now that, I can get use to! LOL. Speaking of laundry. Each family almost got taken advantage of with the laundry vendor we are using. The first day we got our laundry, a guy delivered it and told us how much. He told us that it cost $345 yuan which is a little over $50. I thought, wow that is expensive. If we have to keep paying that price for laundry, we will be broke by the end of the trip, especially since we only brought about 4 outfits each. You can get away wearing shorts twice, but with the heat, you feel gross by the end of the day. Anyway, another family who has 7 in their party cost them over $100. Kris, the mother of this family, ended up seeing Susan, our Facilitator, and asking her. Susan asked to see our receipt, but the laundry guy didn't give anyone a receipt. Well, that raised a red flag. The guy happened to be still on our floor and Susan asked him to see Kris's receipt. They totaled her bill wrong. I told Susan that I wanted her to look at our receipt too, but they guy didn't give us one. In the end, the guy apparently copied fake receipts and practically double charged each family member. Our laundry should have been only 200 yuan, about $28 US dollars. Susan called the manager and they were so embarrassed and ashamed. The guy was fired and the manager came the next morning to apologize to our entire group. The Chinese take it very personally when their own deceit other people. I told Susan that unfortunately all cultures have bad people, including America. Susan felt so horrible and kept apologizing to us. I think that is really the only time we were almost taken advantage of.

I would like to ask you to continue to pray for China and all those that were lost during the earthquake. This country is in mourning and they truly need our prayers. When you flip through the channels, all you see is the aftermath of the earthquake and it is truly devastating. I feel for those who lost children, parents, family and friends. This country will need faith, strength and courage to overcome such loss and tragedy.

Not sure when we will be able to blog again. We will be leaving our hotel around 11:00 AM to head to the airport. I'm sure we will be blogging again within two days or so. I hope you are enjoying the photos and following our journey. I truly love each message we have received. The prayers and support are priceless! I hope to continue hearing from you.

Blessings,

Dave, Sherry, Jake & Rachel