Guangzhou

On Saturday we shook the pollution of Nanning off our shoes and headed for Guangzhou. I think the hotel and Nanning had to be downgraded a star after we vacated our room. Tobey had his first plane trip and smiled and nodded his head to show his approval of the view from above. He had been asking about the plane every since he met us. We had a few tray table and seat belt skirmishes but Mom won. It was an hour long trip with children peering over the seats, under the seats, and out the window. A whirlwind of activity. Both children promptly fell asleep as we taxied around the runway after landing. Tabitha, seasoned traveler that she is, was able to sleep on my shoulder as I carried her through the airport. Tobey had to walk since his BaBa had to carry all the backpacks.

On route to the White Swan our bus emitted the unmistakable odor of burning engine parts and then quit running. Right in the middle of six lanes of traffic, we unloaded our suitcases and children and climbed aboard the replacement bus. The rest of the trip to the hotel was quite boring in comparison, thankfully.

The White Swan was a familiar but welcome sight as it actually earns its stars. You still can’t drink the water but it is sumptuously decorated with elegant antiques, which, are for sale for those of you who haven’t spent your entire life savings and retirement fund on adoption. It is situated on an island, Shamian Island, in the Pearl River. The streets are pleasant, clean, and lined with well-kept parks. Many tourists pass through here, which means we are less a rarity and can walk the streets without drawing crowds or stares. Most locals speak English and many people here will strike up conversations with you.

I spent Saturday night writhing about on the bathroom floor and was a ghost of myself all Sunday. Finally, Monday, I joined the living once again. We went to the clinic today for Tobey’s physical. It was utter mayhem as about 40 adoptive families and their screaming children gathered in a small room for their turns at the check-up stations. First a doctor checked Tobey over, then he was weighed and measured. The next station checked his ears and throat and finally his vision was checked. I guess he passed all tests, none of the medical personnel spoke English or at least did not communicate with us. Our guide said everything was fine.

This afternoon we went to a traditional Chinese dry goods market. It was extremely interesting to say the least. I’ll post some pictures. We saw dried snakes, lizards, starfish, fungi, deer bones, various plants, other seafoods, and many other unidentified items. For some reason, all the vendors wanted to sell me a little box of saffron. What does one do with saffron, anyway? There was even a pet store with cute puppies and dog clothes, beds, and so forth. There were a couple of big dogs in cages that were not affiliated with the pet store and I didn’t have the heart to ask why they were there.

The kids are doing great but when we get back someone needs to meet me at the airport with a vat of Ritalin and a dart gun for administration and, oh yeah, a diet Coke for me (without that nasty lemon flavor and lots of ice, please.) Better bring a sedative for George, too. Our boy is WILD. I’m hoping he will settle down once we get him home but right now he will not obey even when told in Mandarin. He has spells where he yells or laughs manically at the top of his lungs and moves from one bad behavior to the next. He seems to loose all control of his actions and laughs at us when we try to correct him. We have made some inroads, in that we can get him to sit in a chair or at least stand by the table in the restaurants. At first we had to chase him down and return him to his seat every five minutes. Part of the China Adoption Diet and Exercise Plan.

Back home when I looked at Tobey’s sweet little face, I prepared myself for maybe a sad, withdrawn little boy, some tears and crying, or an angry combative child with temper tantrums. Or maybe even a combination of all the above. I did not imagine a willful, mischievous child so full of life that he is bursting at the seams. And a child who has absolutely no self-control and no concept of discipline or at least none that shows. He does seem to have a good self image (that of Emperor of all the World) and good coping skills. He told Ming Ming that his new MaMa loves him very much and that his new parents are very rich. At least he has the first half right.