Guests of the State

Today was quite the day! We started with a visit to the Childrens’ Palace, which is a huge complex with everything from a sports arena to a small amusement park. The girls learned how to use a Chinese yo-yo (and were given one as a gift) and how to tie-dye. They took a couple of rides at the amusement park before we headed out to lunch.

After lunch, we drove about 45 minutes to the Summer Palace (where the Emperor spent his summers), but a thunderstorm started as soon as we got there, so we had to hurry through. I was a little upset about that because the last time we visited the Summer Palace, it was a freezing day in January and we didn’t enjoy it much then either. Maybe next time we’ll get better weather!

Speaking of which, except for today’s thunderstorm, the weather has been fantastic! We haven’t had much sunshine, but the temperature has stayed in the 20’s, so it has been great for sight-seeing. One of our biggest worries about coming in August was the weather. When my sister traveled in August to adopt my niece, it was brutally hot and I was a little stressed we would get that kind of weather as well. We’re expecting the provinces to be much hotter, but at least its not bad for the first week here.

When we arrived back at the hotel from the Summer Palace, the girls’ dresses were waiting so we all got ready quickly and headed off to our meeting with the Vice Director of Civil Affairs for China. He is the highest ranking official in charge of adoptions in China. We were brought to a press conference room where each family was seated together (they had name cards for each family). The girls all sat in the front row with the parents behind them. There was a photographer there and some other officials.

The Vice Director made a very nice speech and then presented each girl with a certificate and a stuffed Olympic character. The girls were all thrilled, to say the least – I think they felt a little like celebrities! The Vice Director then hosted a fantastic dinner at their offices. It was very elegant – we were quite impressed.

So far, this trip has been fantastic! Bridge of Love Adoption Services has taken really good care of us, and we could not be happier with their service. We are all having a wonderful time, and once we’re over this lingering jetlag, the trip will only get better! We’ve managed to keep Avery up tonight until 9:30, but Quin skipped out on the swimming because she could not keep her eyes open. She was asleep before 8 pm. Seeing as they were both up at 3 a.m., I’m a little surprised she made it that long! I’m hoping for a much later morning tomorrow – keeping my fingers crossed!