Meeting Maggie - Part 7 - Next Three Days in Guangzhou
Sun., May 30, 1999 - The group was scheduled to take a tour in the morning. Neither Maggie nor I were feeling well, so we elected to stay in the hotel instead. Only about half of the group went on the tour, so we weren't the only ones who were not feeling up to par. Cecilia went on the tour and I gave her my camera to take pictures. They went to a Buddhist temple and then did some shopping. Cecilia came back with two silk outfits for Maggie.
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Maggie was pretty sick. I thought she might be running a fever, so I first tried taking her temperature under her armpit, but this made her really mad. Then, I tried the rectal method. I wished that Cecilia was there to coach me, as she is an experienced mom. I managed to determine that Maggie's fever was at least 102, maybe more. I didn't have the thermometer in long enough to know. Maggie certainly didn't approve of this procedure! I gave her some Tylenol. She slept a good part of the day.
Mon., May 31, 1999 - In the morning, we took the babies to have their visa pictures taken at a shop across from the White Swan. Maggie was not too sure if she would like this, so in the picture, her lower lip is sticking way out. It made the officers laugh when we presented her visa packet in the airport on the way home. They said "she looks mad!"
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After that we walked about 10 blocks to the clinic for the girls' medical exams. We brought our stroller, but didn't use it. The sidewalks were pretty rough and Maggie preferred to be carried. At the clinic we first stood in line to have the girls weighed, then stood in another line to have their ears, nose, and throat checked, and then stood in another line for the rest of the exam where they measured the babies height, listened to their chest and lungs, and felt their tummies. Maggie slept through about half of this last exam. The doctor looked at Maggie, her passport picture (same as referral picture), and her visa picture, to see if they matched. The next day our guide gave us the results of the exam in a sealed envelope that we were to bring to the American consulate.
After we got back to the hotel, we sat on the floor at the end of the hall and our guide helped us fill out the paperwork for the consulate interview. I was so feverish by this point that I felt delirious and could barely concentrate. When that was done, I went back to the room and got in bed. Cecilia entertained Maggie for the rest of the afternoon. While we were at the White Swan, Cecilia would take Maggie for stroller rides. This helped her to learn to tolerate the stroller. If I had been with them, she would have wanted me to pick her up.
Tues., June 1, 1999 - My consulate appointment was scheduled for 10:30 AM, along with another single mom. The rest of the group was scheduled for their appointments at 11:00. We first went to the cashier to pay our fees with traveler's checks. This might have been a little quicker if we had used cash. I brought about $1500 in traveler's checks and really didn't need them. But I guess it was a good safety measure, in case my cash had been lost or stolen. I always kept my valuables, cash, passport, and other important papers in the hotel safe when they were not needed.
Next we went to the waiting area. At the first desk, there were two Chinese women who scrutinized all our paperwork, checking the translation of the Chinese certificates. This step required a lot of paperwork and they looked at it very closely. There was something on Maggie's passport that they didn't like. We were fortunate that our agency was able to get the girls' American names on their adoption certificates as well as on their passports (on the "observations" page). In my case, the last three letters of my last name had been hand written rather than typed. They did not like this, but they let it slide. Other people had problems with the way their baby's American name was typed on the passport. In some cases the name was too long to fit, so it was abbreviated and thus the name change was not accepted.
Keith Ketterer was the official who interviewed us. The first mom to be interviewed started to cry with relief after she "passed" her interview. Then we all started to cry! I was next to be interviewed. I remember being asked if Maggie was the baby who was referred to me and whether anything had changed since my dossier had been sent to China. I had moved and so had to provide a homestudy addendum. Next I had to sign a document and raise my right hand and swear that I would have my daughter immunized within 30 days. On the way out, we took some pictures outside the consulate.
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Afterwards some of us met in the cocktail lounge at the White Swan to celebrate. I also met a friend of mine from Denver, who was there with another CCAI group that had just arrived. Maggie was due for a nap, so she was pretty fussy.
After Maggie's nap, I managed to do some shopping. I really didn't feel up to it, but I knew I would be glad I did it later. I ordered a chop for Maggie at an antique place where our guide said they did the best carvings. Then we went to the Shop on the Stairs and Sherry's Place. I got some silk pajamas and shoes for Maggie, some chopsticks, bracelets, bookmarks, and ornaments. I also bought a bunch of books, postcards, and papercuts at the book shop at the White Swan. I felt like my shopping was pretty random. I never bargained for anything or knew whether I was getting a good price. I didn't buy anything particularly expensive though, so I guess it didn't matter much. I just wanted to get my shopping done quickly so that I didn't come home empty handed. I did come home with quite a bit of leftover cash (I brought more than my agency said I needed), so that was a good thing too!
That evening we met in the hall to play with the babies. Kat from CCAI's Denver office was there with another group and we talked with her while the babies played. Afterwards, I began to pack for the trip home. Our hotel room was a disaster area by this time! In Changsha, I managed to stay fairly organized, but in Guangzhou, I just didn't have the energy to do it.