Today was the big day!
We went to the U.S. Consulate to apply for Evan’s visa to come
home. Evan cannot appreciate what this
will mean for his life. As you can see
from the photo, he is rather unimpressed, lol.
Helen (my wonderful guide here)
and I tried to get him to smile, but Evan wasn’t going to humor Mommy this
morning. I have figured out that three
things get an instant smile from Evan: food, drink, and T.V. How is that for a typical male?
In the Consulate’s Office, we reconvened with several
families who we met in Zhengzhou who were also finalizing their adoptions. It was great to see them again and the babies
looked so much better! It is amazing what one week of love, nutrition and
stimulation will do for a child. Evan
was also very happy to see them again.
He walked around waving at everyone with a big smile on his face. Several of the parents commented to me that
Evan had made huge improvements since Zhengzhou. Reflecting back to our last visit to the Civil
Affairs Office where he terrorized the toddlers in the play room while I tried
to sign papers, I had to agree! Evan was
MUCH calmer and he was careful not to knock over the little children.
The appointment was very quick and easy. An American woman gave a group talk to all
of us explaining what to expect. It was
comforting to hear several minutes of English spoken. I have to say this trip has been a reminder
to me of how difficult it must be to not speak English and try to make it in
the U.S. I can totally understand why
immigrants to our country surround themselves with people like themselves and
enjoy speaking their own language. It is
hard work to try to make yourself understood for the most basic needs and
communications. (The experience also
gives me an added sensitivity to Evan’s situation. He is picking up signs daily, and our
communication is improving – but of course he grows frustrated at times.)
All the parents had to stand and take an oath for our
children. Then we were called up one by
one to sign some papers. Then we were
done!
After the Consulate, our guide took us to Guandong
Museum. It had many wonderful exhibits
that we could not fully take in because Evan was being a grouch. He didn’t want
to walk around the museum and kept stonewalling. I know people were looking at me wondering,
“What is this American woman doing trying to drag this Chinese boy
around?” I was waiting for someone to
accuse me of trying to abduct him.
Thankfully, Helen’s presence seemed to assure onlookers that I wasn’t
some crazy lady who stole a boy so I could force him to have cultural
enrichment at the museum. Evan was
mostly impressed with the snack and drink vending, LOL. Some day, when the boys are older, I will
bring them back to China and we will revisit the museum. I did take some pictures of dinosaur fossils
for Benjamin! I know he would have LOVED
this part of the museum.
Back at the hotel, we got some snacks at 7/11, which Evan
thinks is the best thing in the world. I
let him pick out 3 or 4 snacks and a drink.
Then we go watch some “Pleasant Goat and the Big, Big Wolf,” which is
apparently the hottest children’s cartoon in China. Evan doesn’t like the super sweet stuff. He loves gum and cannot open a pack without
chewing every piece. The other snack he
favors is SEAWEED. God, it smells awful,
lol. It reminds me of the summers at my
Mom’s on Sabin’s Point when the seaweed would wash up on the shore and the
stench would permeate the stagnant summer air.
But Evan LOVES the stuff. It
comes in pressed sticks in little cellophane wrappers. There are several snack-packs in one main
package, and he eats every one of them in one sitting. Like it’s going out of style. I just don’t get it. But it is supposed to be healthy, I
guess.
We had dinner at Subway, which he enjoyed. It was next to a convenience/sundry shop and
I bought Evan some ice cream afterward.
On the walk back to the hotel, Evan dropped his ice cream on the
ground. He looked at me as if to say,
“Can I have it??” I made the sign for,
“Dirty!” and threw it in a trash can.
Evan’s eyes welled up with tears.
I quickly signed Mama will buy another ice cream and I got a BIG smile
and he even blew me a kiss! We have come
a loooong way. In general, I am getting
a lot more hugs and kisses now and he is really starting to understand that the
signs are a standard form of communication.
We bought another ice cream and went back to our room to relax and Skype
with Nanei and Ben. They are doing well,
but I can tell Ben is really missing me as much as I am missing him. We have one more full day in Guangzhou, then
we leave for Hong Kong on Saturday. We
have an overnight layover in HK, and then we leave for Chicago on Sunday. I am very ready to come home!
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