Monday,
October 13, 2008
OFFICIAL MEDICAL EXAM
Today is the pre-visa medical exam which is also to include the
official picture for Anna Claire’s visa so we can come home. The
medical exam building was total chaos much like the Chinese
Wal-Mart. So many families with screaming babies. There were 3
stations set up: general exam. ENT, and measurements. As you can
imagine Anna didn’t like any part of this, first they had to
take her clothes off to examine her then try to listen to her
heart. I am sure the doctor couldn’t hear a thing except
screaming, but he did take us to another room with another
doctor who also listened to her heart. I am sure there is a huge
murmur and they wanted to make sure we knew about it. Then
height and weight we are not sure how much she weighed with all
the screaming and turning extremely blue I didn’t even ask or
care. It was very hot as most places don’t have air conditioning
and yes even I was sweating. Considering the masses of people
there it was a quick process. Once outside Anna caught her
breath and got in the stroller ready to ride around.
The medical exam building is on Shamian Island where the White
Swan hotel is located. This was about a 10 minute bus ride from
the hotel and the weather was nice. The island reminded us of
Charleston SC, (which we love), it is more laid back than the
area our hotel is in. There was also a lot of beautiful
landscaping and small shops all along the streets (very stroller
friendly). Mark was in heaven there was a huge Starbucks with a
large outdoor area with ceiling fans to sit and enjoy the
coffee. Mark is all about sitting on the porch and having some
good coffee. Shopping here is geared to american adoptive
parents. There are many small shops that carry a number of
souvenir items to purchase and bartering is acceptable. This
area of Guangzhou, which used to be known as Canton, was once
under British control and the architecture on Shamian Island is
very British colonial. Our new guide is from this area and he
explained the difference in cantonese cuisine verses other areas
of China. It seems the cantonese like their food as fresh as
possible with less heavy spicing. During our touring we came
upon several cantonese restaurants and sure enough in each lunch
was swimming around (or crawling) in large glass tanks. Just
make your pick and in a few minutes it will be on your plate! It
doesn’t get any fresher than that. They also seem to like
roasted pigeon as we watched through a window as one of the
cooks cut up the roasted birds, first the head came off and then
the body was split and the head was tucked back between the
legs, YUMMY! Makes me wonder what’s been in the Kung Pao
chicken. After a couple of hours of this and some shopping we
were back on the bus heading back to our hotel. The roads here
are interesting as they are stacked on top of each other.
Everything seems very crammed in unlike Beijing where it had
very wide roads and sprawling land space. Once back at the hotel
there is not much to report, just more napping, walking, and
eating. Anna Claire’s day ended much more pleasantly than it
began by falling asleep in the stroller while out walking. |
Anna Claire waiting for her medical exam
Chaos in the medical clinic
Walkway on Shamian Island
Badminton in the park |
