Temporary visa, problem solving and more police!!

Yesterday, Monday here, we ate a good breakfast. Morning is the best time for Sera since she has to rely on just us for her FOOD! She is happy and oh so cute!! She wants what ever we are eating. For example, she had a bit of her egg in her mouth and I cut a bite for myself. She pointed at my bite and wanted it too, even though her mouth was FULL :-) Yes.. I gave it to her!

After breakfast the guide I and had to go out to get a temporary visa from the papers we had done yesterday. We ended up in 2 more police stations and BACK in the park police station. My travel mates were out shoping and checking out the local sights... I was so jealous, but I would certainly rather go home! In one of the stations, Christina, my guide, and the poliece chief form the park left me in a waiting room. The security guard from the waiting room kept trying to make me leave. Sera was screaming for Chirstina and I was making no head way trying to explain why I was waiting! Finally Christina came back and we booked it over to another police office and got the temporary visas. Aubri was horrifed that every where we went it was horribly smoky. I was just glad that they gave me the papers!! Then when I thought the police man was taking us back to the hotel, we ended up back at the PARK!! Not somewhere I wanted to be again soon.... Evidently we needed a copy of the paper Christina had filled out yesterday and they had not kept a copy!! I just don't get the lack of technology use for business things and how everyone has the latest cell phone and entertainment technology....Poor thing, she had to re write it all again for the 3rd time!!! We finger printed it all again and I was sure we were going to get to leave then.... NOPE.

The police then took us out to lunch in the PARK!! I couldn't believe it! They were apologetic and said that if we ever wanted to come back all the rides etc.. would always be free for us and that we would have personal escorts for protection. Somehow, however much Aubri loves amusement parks, I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that I will ever return there of my own free will!! They piled the table in an individual group room in a restaurant in the park with all kinds of food! There was a large fish which gave Aubri the creeps and when she said she did not like it staring at her , they immediately removed it!

We did our best to try to eat what was served. Some was truly quite good. I have no idea what it was though..... I am getting better at the chopsticks, but I do think that is my new diet, just use chopsticks for whatever I eat! Or maybe I need to eat with people who clear their throats often and spit in the floor beside be often, ore eat with their mouthes open and have food falling out of them while I am eating..... Poor Chistina was thrown off by the 4 cats who kept coming in room begging for food. She did not notice the spitting because she was so afraid of the dirty cats who kept coming to closest to her! They really did seem to target siting by her! Aubri really loved the noodles and the vinegar that you are supposed to dip your food into. I liked it too! I just couldn't always pick my food back up out of it. I was doing good picking it off the plate in the center of the table!! Aubri will be telling her class about the family style eating I am sure. Our plates were smaller than teacup saucers and we each had a bowl of vinegar to dip the food in. 'Very diffierent and was a good experience! NOT what I would have wanted on my itinerary, but something to have experienced and have learned manydifferent things from we would normaly have never encountered. I guess that is a good thing in a way... Nothing is all black or white....

While we ate the POLICE were all touching and talking to Aubri and taking photos of her! The police chief kept asking if she could come home to his home to play with his son. He asked this over and over.... He took lots of photos of her! They discussed the abandoned babies they have left in the park and how they were happy YangYang would have a good life, and how they would find the tief and punish him....They did not seem to understand when I said I had forgiven him and hoped that he would learn make better choices with his life. Mostly they talked about Aubri.... One man asked if he could adopt her! They were all very kind and one of the men carried Sera for me when Christina was trying to fend off the requests for Aubri to leave with the police chief for the play date with his son. He did bring us back to the hotel and we said our thank yous and good byes...

'Very unusual time in the province.... I am hoping that GZ will be much calmer!!!

After all the police interactions, we went over our notarized adoption documents, receivd Sera's passport and then went to Walmart. I am leaving the huge/heavy suitcase I brought over with Christina and I bought a lighter smaller one. It may only make it home, but will be much easier for me to move around. She likes the big one and I am so glad that I can give it to her. She has been truly a Godsend! I also found a few legal VCD's and DVDs the kids will like. I hope I can get a CHEAP DVD player in GZ. I was not going to pay the price Walmart was asking! The DVD's were only a max of buck fifty a piece. Much different from home! I also found Andy an Ultra man! It is what he wanted and since I didn't shop anywere bu Walmart while here, I am very glad I found it for him! We then went to pick up laundry and out to eat.

At the dinner, Christina and I discussed what I will do when we leave on the plane. I am so grateful for her helping with Sera durring all this chaos, but Sera refuses to let me do anything for her when she can cry and get a Chinese face to do it for her. SO..... for dinner I was going to be the only person feeding her. OH, was she ever TICKED!!! She pouted and cried and the waitresses came to feed her!! I had to push them away, literally!! Christina explained to them what we were doing, but I know they think I am the parent from deep below.... Oh, well, I will never see them again! She refused completely to eat anything I offered her. When we were finished eating I kept offering Sera a bite. She would refuse and hit at me. So we got up to leave. WOW, was she even madder!! When I took her out of her chair to put her coat on she rolled and kicked all over the flor and we had to carry her out kicking and screaming! BUT when we got to the van and she saw Christina was not taking her, she reached for Aubri and sat quietly in her lap for the ride. I am truly ok with her not wanting me for the moment as long as she will go to one of us! It has to be so scary for her....

When we got to the hotel, she again wanted Christina, and screamed and screamed. Christina came up to the room and talked to her about what was going to happen. She screamed as Christina left, but just as quickly as she screamed, she quieted down and started taking off her clothes happily to take a bath!! After her bath, in which she actually called to me to help wash her, she happily ate a sausage and some fruit I gave her and drank some juice! She went to sleep by Aubri happily and has not fallen out of bed screaming at all ... She just woke up and is sitting there smiling holding her doll. She is put ot with me, but I do firmly believe that this will pass quickly! She is so precious!!

I am calling the Consulate this am in about an hour here and getting the ball rolling with the temporary passports. This will work out and we will get to leave!!