Grace Finds a Home

This morning we hailed a taxi in front of the hotel and took a ride to the Kiddie Amusement Park. We spent an hour or two on the train, the monorail, the cars on rails, and the carousel. Grace loved all of it except the ride that looked like a bee. It's one of those that goes around and up and down. It was a little too much of a thrill for her. You can see from the pictures above that after she got off she tried real hard to be brave and not cry. Big brother Bradley coached her through it quite admirably. The real thrill ride however, was the taxi ride home. We drove through the Quingping Market where we were yesterday. In this place there seems to be a lack of rules governing the road. Who has the right of way? I conclude it's whoever gets there first. In the market, there are bicycle rickshaws, men with hand trucks, and pedestrians carrying huge sacks all vying for a strip of pavement about ten feet wide. Pedestrians and automobiles seem to come from all directions and they play chicken for the right of way. Our taxi driver was a stoic. I was observing all kinds of drama and confusion through my part of the windshield; our driver however, seemed nonplussed by it all. He was as calm and peaceful as though he was taking a nap in a hammock under a palm tree. The good news is, we got back to the hotel safely.

Helen, our facilitator came by our room today with some documents she had just received on our behalf. The most important of these was issued by the Guangzhou Notary Public Office. It is a certificate that indicates Grace's eligibility for adoption. It simply says: "This is to certify that Zhong Minjun, female, was born on November 30, 2004. Her birthplace and natural parents are unknown." These words make it possible for us to take her home. We are more than happy to claim her.

Another document she brought us today was a letter from Grace's orphanage. It tells about her daily schedule: When she wakes up, when she takes a bath, what she usually eats, and what she likes to play with. The most interesting part to us was the part I quote below (without any grammar corrections):

I think she can already tell that we are proud to have her as a part of our family.

Until the next post...

Rick, Kathy, Bradley, and Grace (Junjun)