Wed, Feb 27, Consulate appt

Today our CA was at 10:30 am. Connie took all of our paperwork for us. One of us had to stay in the room from 10:30 until Connie called - Mary stayed since she has done all the paperwork and John/Jeremy went out for a walk and to drop off some laundry. Connie called at 12:15 with the "all clear" and that we officially passed the CA - that means the US has approved Jeremy to enter the US and be granted his visa.

When Jeremy and John returned to the hotel, Jeremy asked for a spoon of peanut butter - something Mary had brought with us and she had given him a bit the other day. He ate 3 spoons full, Grace, and loved it!! Soooo, we went cheap for lunch by getting some bread at 7/11 across the street and ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch ..... unfortunately Jeremy wasn't as enamored with the sandwich as he was with just eating it plain.

Most of us met in a conference room at 1pm for a birthday party for Sebastian - he turned 6 on the 13th of February. I'm not sure he actually knew what was happening, but when Connie and Jeremy sang him Happy Birthday in chinese, he smiled broadly. We all ate cake - chinese version - and blew blowers.

At 2:30 we all piled into a bus and went to a "pearl factory" - 7 story mall of shops selling mostly jewelry, pearls and a sundry other items. After that we went to stroll on a "walking street" - which is essentially an outdoor mall of sorts - lots of stores, restaurants, food shops on a long street that has been blocked off from vehicles of any sort. It is nice not to have to worry about cars, mopeds or bikes beeping at you while you walk down a sidewalk (yes cars on the sidewalk). We couldn't figure out how, whenever we go to these places, they are always mobbed -I mean this was a Wednesday afternoon, non-holiday and the place was still packed. Don't these folks ever work?? Jeremy finally found a pair of sunglasses and a "watch" - I wanted it to be digital, but when he found one in the shape of an airplane that clips on your clothes, he was set!

We stayed at the walking street for dinner at Papa Johns - very good - and taxied home (everyone else went home by bus). We took a stroll around for a bit - checking on some granite etchings in progress and walked around the White Swan lobby, too.

Home, again, home again, jiggity jig ..... hotel that is. Our legs are tired and we are headed for bed. Tomorrow is our oath at the US consulate and then pack, pack, pack ...... cuz we will be headed home on Friday .... yipppee!! We are soooo ready.





On the walking street, posing in a rickshaw, sporting his new shades!

Good night!!

Mary and John