Krueger Adoption Trip: Opening Up

Today in Guangzhou we went on tour for a few hours with the group. Our first stop was a Buddhist temple featuring a 17 story pagoda and several statues of Buddha. People light incense and leave gifts (typically fruit) for the Buddhas. People also left bottled water, which made us realize just how bad the water in Guangzhou is – even Buddha can’t drink it.

Next we visited the Chen House – a local art gallery/museum. There were many beautiful displays and some artists were working on site. We had some calligraphy done. Our last stop was a jade and porcelain gallery. We were a little nervous bringing so many kids in there – one vase cost $50,000!

The afternoon was mostly free, other than some paperwork to prepare for our consulate appointment on Tuesday. We went out for lunch and had lots of family play time. Susan really opened up to everyone today and showed more of her fun and spunky personality. She let us put her in the stroller and she even walked around quite a bit. We got her some squeaky shoes (popular in China) that squeak with every step, and she was certainly proud of that.

Lotus Pagoda at Buddhist Temple

Last night’s sleep was the best yet – only one crying session early on. We’re very thankful for that. We’re also thankful for this southern (tropical) Chinese climate. It’s a nice change from the cold of Beijing and Zhengzhou. It’s prettier here with more vegetation, including beautiful large banyan trees.