Still In Guangzhou

Now I understand why all of the adoption blogs seem to have so few posts from Guangzhou. There isn't a whole lot to do here except wait for your paperwork, visit the tourist shops, and take your baby to the hotel clinic to be treated for what is referred to around here as "orphanage cough."

They mixed up a couple of medicines and herbal remedies for us and I think I offended them because I kept asking what they were putting in there. I just wanted to know what I was medicating my child with.

He has also been having trouble with diarrhea (too much information, I know). The doctor kept insisiting, "No bananas!" We were curious about this because it is the opposite of what we've always heard. "I know you eat bananas in the U.S. to help with diarrhea but in China it makes it worse." She could see I was skeptical so she continued: "When you get home you can give him bananas, but not now because he is still in China!"

I'm thinking, how does the banana know?

We also visited a nasty zoo yesterday. I don't mean to be so negative, but the animals were skinny and sickly, many of them chained up. We even watched a lion hacking something up. What really did it for me, though, was the enormous rats scurrying around. Note to future adoptive parents: skip the zoo!

The city of Guangzhou is a little bit depressing to me. Other families actually talk about it being cleaner than the provinces they adopted from and it's definitely not the worst poverty I've ever seen. Still, it bothers me because I keep thinking about my baby being left in a box on streets like these.

The island where we are staying is actually pretty nice. It is a quaint mixture of Europe and China and all weekend we have seen wedding pictures being taken in its picturesque parks.

All of the shop owners were very eager to invite us to church. We attended the English service and found it to be a warm and vibrant church which was packed to standing room only with people listening outside the door.

We have met many other adoptive families here from all over the U.S. and Europe. I find it very funny that even on the other side of the world people are asking Phil if he is a Mormon. He just has that wholesome look, I guess. I'm going to get him a T-shirt that says: "I'm not a Mormon - I'm just a nice guy."