Guangzhou

Dec. 16

We left the Dolton Hotel in Changsha about 11:00am. Packing, long bus ride to airport, luggage lugging and check-in, passport and security checks, airport waiting room, crowded flight, more luggage-lugging, then another long bus ride to hotel in Guangzhou made for a long day, but the 18 little girls and their traveling parties handled it pretty doggone well – even better than that. Then we opened our room curtains to this stunning view -- wow. This is the Pearl River, fourth largest (longest?) river in China. Lots of river traffic – barges, ferries, then, later, party, dinner, and touring boats. Also, after dark, a light show with spotlights projecting from numerous spots on both sides of the river.

The White Swan Hotel is on the banks of Shamian Island, an island created, if I heard the story correctly, when various foreign interests settled this part of the city, then cut a canal to create the island. At one time the American Consulate was here, which made this the adoption headquarters hotel. The last bit of paperwork is to get Malia’s US visa from the consulate.

Guangshou was formerly known as Canton (pre-1949) and has a population of 10 million people – largest city in south China. Will tell you more about the city as we learn more.

Dec. 17.

I went out for a walk about daybreak. There’s a riverside park next to the hotel and a lot of people were out for their morning exercise/meditation. Fascinating. That’s a practice we should adopt. I was tempted to join a group with an instructor, but I held back. Did a few leg stretches, though, just to get in the spirit.

Speaking of spirit, I saw a church across the street from the hotel and Susie and I went back to attend the service at 930am. The church is called the Shamian Chapel of Guangdong Christianity (Guangdong is the province we’re in) and is Church of Christ affiliated. Even though you don’t understand the language, the ritual and hymns are familiar enough, particularly the music, that the experience is meaningful.

The congregational hymns were To God Be the Glory, Trust and Obey, and one I’ve forgotten, all sung with enthusiasm. The church was full, I’d guess around 250 people, and a large proportion was young, so that was exciting. Just the opposite from what we had observed in New Zealand, if that’s a meaningful comparison. The choir sang Amazing Grace and that gave me a lump in my throat. The offertory was O Come, Immanuel, done impressively by the church pianist. It all made for a nice and memorable experience.

The preacher was a personable young man. He acknowledged the non-Chinese in the congregation and said a word (English) of welcome and invited us to later Bible study that was in English and Chinese. The sermon was on the Submission of Mary. The Chinese rendition of Mary is pretty close to Malia, so we could identify with that.

Sunday afternoon we lunched at one of the local legends: Lucy’s, with an international menu. Our international selections: cheeseburger, French fries, quesadilla, burritos, mashed potatoes, and spring rolls. Also did a little shopping and strolling. Here’s a statue – one of many in the area – of three generations of Chinese women:

I think all Chinese adoptions come through Guangzhou and many or most stay at the White Swan (below), so the hotel is full of adopting families and kids. And, the nearby shops are designed to cater to this clientele, too.

And now, SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Today is Malia’s first birthday. The two CCAI hosts here brought Malia a birthday cake. Very thoughtful and greatly appreciated. Malia and we enjoyed it quite a lot.


As Susie said, What a difference a year makes! Malia was found outside a government office building a year ago tomorrow. She was taken to the orphanage and doctors there estimated that she had been born the day before. Now, she’s on her way to grow up in a loving home in Colorado. Wow!

Well, enough for now. There are some tours and lots of free time scheduled the next four days, so we’ll be in touch.

Cheers.

Rob and Susie