June 20, 2006 Medical Exam and Red Couch Photo Day!!
Today Amy had her medical exam for her Visa. After breakfast (which did I mention is incredible at the White Swan?) We met our guide, Grace, at 9am and walked 10 minutes to the Health Clinic. Each child adopted from China must have a physical before being granted admission to the US. Amy cooperated just fine, in fact seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing. She had her visa photo taken first, then was measured and weighed and had her eyes, ears, throat, nose and blood pressure checked. She passed with flying colors except for her eye exam which indicated, as we had suspected, she needs glasses. A fact she is not too thrilled about. We will tackle that issue when we get home.
After the medical we tackled the consulate paperwork, inventoried all our documents to be sure we had everything necessary for Amy's visa. Grace will take everything to the initial appointment. We only need to attend the swearing in ceremony. Much different than Emily when we had to go to the consulate twice.
After the paperwork, we had lunch at the Deli just outside the hotel. This is a great place for lunch and very reasonable. Also great for ice cream!!
After lunch it was back to the hotel for the Red Couch photos. For those who do not know, it is a tradition for US Families to have photos taken on the Red Couch at the White Swan with their travel group. First we did individual family photos and then all the babies (6) were placed on the couch for the group shot. Amy wanted nothing to do with joining the babies. We have discovered Amy is not exactly baby crazy. She managed to explain to us that the babies in the orphanage cried a lot and kept her awake at night.
After the photo session it was off to the pool for Dad and the girls and a bit more shopping for me.
A side note for those waiting to travel. When you get to GZ, have you laundry done at Jennifer's instead of the hotel. It costs about 1/4 as much as the hotel and they did a great job!
For dinner we decided to try our luck at a local Chinese restaurant. We weren't quite sure what we were ordering and relied on Amy for suggestions! Everything was very good and we had a lot of fun!
Dad decided to take the girls to the arcade after dinner. The girls played a mean game of air hockey together, but the rest of the video games were a bit to old for them.
We are getting anxious to come home. While we really love China and the wonderful people here, 2 weeks in a hotel get a bit old and cramped.
Hugs to all our family and friends - we miss you!!
Debbie, Ken, Emily and Amy
Red couch photo
Which is easier? Herding cats or a great family photo!
