01.07.2005 REFERRAL!!! 03.03.2005 Travel Plans! 03.11.2005 Arrived in Beijing 3.12.2005 More on Trip 3.12.2005 Touring Beijing 3.13.2005 Second Day Beijing 3.14.2005 We Have Maya! 3.15.2005 It's Official! 3.16.2005 Shop 'Til You Drop! 3,17.2005 AM Museum 3,17,2005 PM Mother's Love 3.18.2005 Nanning Zoo 3.19.2005 Green Mountain Park 3.20.2005 Paperwork, Park, & P 3.21.2005 Guangzhou 3.22.2005 Shop 'Til You Drop! 3.23.2005 Last Day in China! 3.23/24.2005 The Journey Home 3.24.05 DFW Homecoming Post or view Messages

What is it the old newsreel travelogs used to say? "As the sun sets on exotic Guangzhou, we say goodbye to China!" Well, we really will be saying goodbye to China tonight. Today when we shopped at Jordon's, a shop that caters to American adoptive families, Jordon talked to Zoe and said she was to remember that China was her "hometown," and that she had roots here. He told her she must come back when she is 18, with a knapsack on her back, to learn about her heritage. Zoe told him very seriously that she was going to Chinese school and would speak Chinese when she came back! Hopefully, we will all come back long before Zoe is 18! We went to the U.S Consulate today for the swearing-in ceremony, and that's the final step for issuance of Maya's visa. I'll pick it up from our guide's room at 3:30 this afternoon. We are to be in the lobby at 5:30 p.m. to head for the airport. Our flight leaves Guangzhou at 9:30 p.m., and will arrive in Los Angeles at 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday, the 23rd! (Yes, we arrive before we leave!). We stay the night, and leave LAX on Thursday at 12:50 p.m. on United Flight 492, arriving at DFW at 5:51 p.m. Hope we'll see you there! Before heading out for our visa appointment, we took two group pictures -- one, our entire travel group: The other was the ubiquitous "red couch" photo -- it's a tradition that the newly adopted girls get their photo taken on a red couch at the White Swan Hotel. And we fully met the tradition, including screaming girls, crying girls, escaping girls! Maya just sat there, a sea of calm, as chaos reigned around her! The red, white and blue dress Maya is wearing is the same one her sister Zoe wore for her visa appointment in 2001! We'll try to touch base when we get to Los Angeles. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a PEACEFUL flight! (Not much hope -- there are about 30 adoptive families on our flight!). The minute Maya passes through immigration in Los Angeles, she'll be a United States citizen! And then, we'll soon be home -- one adventure will be ending and another beginning. This page accessed 575 times