Tuesday is Consulate Day! The adoption is final on the Chinese side, but until the United States officicially declares that the adoption has been completed in accordance with the Hague Agreement regarding international adoption/child welfare, which both the United States and China have signed, Anna cannot legally immigrate. Once the US Consulate has reviewed everything, Anna will be issued an immigrate visa. The visa should be issued tomorrow, and then we are free to leave China. The law under which Anna is immigrating allow her to gain automatic United States citiznship on her entry into the country.
As of this writing, we have completed our trip to the Consulate -- no photos allowed! There were maybe 15 families there at the same time, all in the final steps of bringing their new children to the U.S. What blessing to see a room full of children who are no longer orphans! Most of the children I saw had some kind of special need, which is not surprising since non-special needs adoptions are at a virtual halt. The special needs represented were many -- limb differences, blind, cleft lip/palate, Hepatitis B+, and many others. The most special needs most of the children had, however, was the need for a family, and I was so proud of the Americans I saw opening their hearts and homes to children from all over the world. There were several families there who had children not only from China, but from the United States, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Ethiopia. There were so many beautiful families there on display, all showing that family is not only about DNA or even geography, but about love and commitment.
Later in the day, all the families in our travel group took a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The dinner was not so grand, and we were soaked with perspiration, but it was a fine way to end our day. We have many photos of that event because Amelia AiChun was the camera-holder.
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