Monday, January 29, 2007

This next encounter just proves how small the world really is these days. We headed down to breakfast this morning but soon discovered we forgot Becca's bib (yesterday without the bib was painfully messy.) So, after getting seated at a table and getting Becca her congee, I headed back to the room to look for the bib. On the elevator trip back down, I said hello to an adoptive family. They had a strong southern accent, so I asked what state they're from, and the father said Georgia. Hmm, my interest perked up a bit and so I pushed it a little further and asked where in Georgia. The man told me that they live in Augusta - okay, so I don't really know anybody in Augusta; now I don't really care anymore. But then he went on to say, "But I grew up in middle Georgia." Ah, I was interested again. "Where in Georgia?" I asked. "Milledgeville," he said. Not believing him, I said, "Milledgeville, Georgia?" and he said, "Yes." Wow! But it gets better. I went back to the table and told Angie, "Hey remember these names, Grady and Frances Torrance, so I can report their names in Becca's journal. They're some grandparents of an adoptive family I just met and they live in Milledgeville, Georgia." I quickly learned that Grady was Angie's economics professor. We met and took a photo with the family and Frances told us that she had been Pop Strickland's Deacon.

After a rushed breakfast, because Becca decided to catch up on sleep this morning, we walked with our group to the Health Care Center of Guandong International Travel for the children's medical examinations. On the way there, a young man asked Angie if he could talk with her to practice his English. He asked her where she was from and what were her hobbies. He told her that he had taught himself English using American movies and music. His name was James, after LeBron James, the professional basketball player.

The girls all did quite well during the medical exams. There was a special area for adoptive children. The examinations reminded me of my high school group physical. The children were whisked through 3 permanent stations. These stations consisted of "ENT", "Medical and Surgical", and "Height, Weight, Temperature." Becca really did well - she cried during the medical and weight portions but not her ear, nose and throat examination. The actual examination took less than 3 minutes. I didn't have a chance to talk with the physicians as a colleague because they were very busy. I also didn't get the details on Becca's examination (with the exception that she weighs 17 lbs) as I was documenting the event with my camera - the one physician even voluntarily re-measured Becca's head circumference so that I could get the photo. Becca is the youngest and smallest of our group of girls.

After a short break, we all headed over to some marketplace by taxi to search for pearl and jade bargains. Angie was totally overwhelmed as this marketplace was beyond huge - it was like we were in Las Vegas all over again (Angie was so overwhelmed in Vegas she wouldn't come out of the room for a few days). I thought the Mall of America was big, but this place seemed to trump it. We have heard so much about the Pearl and Jade Markets. For some reason, I had it in my head that we would go to this nice, aesthetically pleasing market with fountains, fish in the ponds and music softly playing in the background by musicians dressed in the ancient garb. Oh no, this was a New York City style market! Hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands of little shops selling every piece of jewelry imaginable. The place was 6 stories high, with 2 large atriums, a connecting corridor, and stores layered behind each other. You could easily get lost in the maze. I personally had a lot of fun, but Angie hated it.

But, we were on a quest for our child's gift for when she is older and we succeeded in obtaining it. Our guide sent us to the best, highest quality pearl store and we purchased a pearl necklace, matching earrings and 2 matching bracelets (and didn't break the bank.) We hope to give them to her on her wedding day or when she enters the convent - these are her choices (I'll tell her when she's about 16 - just kidding.)