HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Maggie loves our new swimming pool and our cat, Dusty. Most of all, she loves her brother, Zachary. He has been a great help, and he loves his sister very much.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Home just a week and already it's Christmas. Maggie's transition has been amazing. She's right at home with us and doing well in learning English. She still doesn't understand the whole Santa thing, but she sure loved getting gifts! Of course for the rest of the Green family, she's the best Christmas present ever.

One More Post...

Okay, I know the previous post was supposed to be my last, but today we took pictures of all the kids in traditional Chinese attire, and it was just so cute I have to post again. Maggie was pretty freaked out because so many of the kids were crying. Soon she started crying herself. (You can see her head behind the couch as they tried to put her in the "formal" group shot.) Anyway, we did get some nice pics that I wanted to share.

A Morning Diversion

Yesterday we went on a morning excursion to the local botanical gardens. We rode a shuttle bus with the other families adopting through Harrah's International. It was nice to talk to other families who are also happy but tired. The gardens were fun and, best of all, got us out of the hotel room.

Today we'll do one last bit of shopping, take a group photo with the other families, and start packing up. Tomorrow we visit the U.S. Consulate and then leave for Hong Kong, where we'll stay overnight and then catch our flight to Newark then Houston. So this is my last post before we arrive home!!!!

Visiting an Ancient Temple

Saturday we went to the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, a Buddhist temple built in 537 A.D. during the Liang Dynasty. We watched Chinese visitors burn incense and even saw a Buddhist worship ceremony.
The streets were so busy after we were done touring the temple grounds that we couldn't catch a taxi, so we walked and took the subway instead. Very crowded!

It was good to get out for the afternoon, because being cooped up in the hotel is starting to make me a little crazy. Monday we may go to a botanical garden.

Maggie is learning lots of new English words and has discovered the joys of Sesame Street. (Thank goodness for my laptop!)

Shopping Day

Yesterday was a busy morning. After going through U.S. paperwork, our guide, Kathy, took us to a few good shopping areas. We toured the herbal medicine market where we saw dried seahorses, deer tails and bones, everything imaginable that could be cooked down to make a drink or soup.

Then we took Maggie through an area full of pets for sale. Actually, this part of the market used to be the place to buy live animals for cooking, but the SARS epidemic put an end to that.

Next, we went to a crowded retail area and ended up in the pearl market. We found some nice strands so that Maggie can have a necklace and earrings from her home city. (By the way, we learned today that Guangzhou is a city of 10 million people!)

We ate at a 3-story restaurant. This is fairly common in China, sort of like Kim Son in Houston. Each level has a different chef and a slightly different menu. Kathy ordered for us, and it was delicious. Maggie ate everything, of course.

We're just resting up this morning. We may visit a Buddhist temple this afternoon.

More Appointments!

Yesterday we went to a provincial office where Maggie's passport was issued. We saw an older girl from her orphanage, and Maggie seemed a little sad after we left. She perked right up after we got back to the hotel, though.

This girl can eat! We ordered her a huge adult entree of beef and rice noodles for lunch yesterday and almost couldn't drag her away from the table when she had eaten half of it. Today we were smarter and had the second half boxed to take back to the room for supper.

We've also shopped a bit. Nona Popo ("popo" means maternal grandmother) bough her a panda backpack that she was dying for. I bough her a pink Chinese dress.

Today we go to the doctor for a short physical. I'm tired and miss everyone. And let me tell you, the little bit of American-style food that we've sampled has been very amusing. You should try the Chinese version of pizza!