Today was day 12 of our journey in China. We awoke to a full day of activities, starting with pictures for all the families in our group from Bethany Christian Services. Each of the kids dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit for the photograph, which was quite neat to see--although Emeline did not seem to think too much of the idea, shedding some tears over the dress in one of the few times she has cried in the last 10 days--apparently she favored the lotus blossom dress over the butterfly print she wore.
After the photos, we got ready for the taking of the Oath of Citizenship at the American Consulate. The Consulate recently relocated from Shamian Island (where our hotel is located) to a new section of Guangzhou, which was very interesting to see with the many modern skyscrapers that had been built in recent years.
After some preliminary paperwork, one of the American Foreign Service Officers came out to speak to the 48 families at the Consulate for adoption purposes today. He did a very nice job explaining the role of the Consulate and administering the oath. While a very simple statement, I found the experience of the Oath of Citizenship moving and was really thankful for the blessing of being able to be here and to bring Emeline home to join our family.
Tommorrow, we do what we have been waiting a long time to do--pickup Emeline's Visa from the American Consulate and pack our suitcases to come home. The past 12 days have been quite an experience, but it is time to come home and we cannot wait to get there.
The pictures added today are one of Emeline in her dress, along with Karen and our friends from Grand Rapids, as well as view from our room on the 27th floor of the White Swan Hotel. The later overlooks Shamian Island where many foreign ligations had their Consulates 100 years ago. You can still see the buildings, which must have been something to see in their day.
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