Guangzhou - Friday

We arrived Guangzhou Friday night our time. Grace was a trooper on her
first plane flight. She slept for about half the time. Our flight was
delayed, so it was almost 10:30 pm before we left the airport and 11:30 pm
before we got into our room. Grace was so wound up from all the excitement
that it was past midnight before she drifted off to sleep.

Guangzhou is a very different scene than Nanchang. You even notice it on
the drive from the airport. The roads are better and well landscaped. The
city is cleaner and more modern. At breakfast this morning another
difference was evident...the number of western adoptive families. There
mist have been 50 families which Chinese children eating their Cornflakes
and Cheerios. The hotel sits on the Pearl river and the view from the
hotel is quite beautiful.

Today was a big day for Grace. She had her picture taken for her U.S. Visa
and then her official immigration medical exam. Come to find out Friday is
a big arrival day in Guangzhou for adopting families. That means Saturday
morning is a big day for medical exams! All 50 famalies from breakfast
were crowded into a medical clinic that was built to hold about 10. Long
lines snaked through the halls with screaming babies being poked and proded
by doctors.

We had to wait for 2.5 hours to get through the process. Grace got a clean
bill of health so she passed her exam with flying colors. The last hurdle
was immunizations. Children are required to take up to 8 shots at a time.
Luckily, the clinic at Grace's orphanage had taken care of many of her
shots. She only needed three. She had a big smile on her face until the
first needle went in. Big screams and lots of tears throughout the
multiple sticks. Not sure who was hurting more from the shots, Grace or us.

Back at the hotel now and Grace is back to her happy self. She is an
amazing young lady,

Warm regards,

Frank & Christine