** Adoption countdown: 1 day until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **
GUANGZHOU, China (Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, 4:30 p.m.) – Chickens and pigeons sat in cramped cages while residents sifted through buckets of live scorpions along a street in an open-air market about a 15-minute walk from our Guangzhou hotel.
A little farther down, the market opened into a wide street closed to vehicle traffic but open to pedestrians. There, department stores and fast-food restaurants were the rage.
Pam, Matthew and I eagerly took it in on our last full day in Guangzhou – the second-to-last day of the 17-day oversea excursion by Pam and me to adopt our son, Matthew Wu Di Cassreino.
Our trip officially ends when we arrive at the Jackson-Evers International Airport at 9:21 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18. But our journey as parents is only beginning with a 1-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter in our care.
Camryn, our daughter whom we adopted from China in April 2006, is incredibly excited about having a little brother. And thanks to the magic of Microsoft Messenger Live, Camryn, Pam’s family and my family have had a chance to see us in live steaming Internet video during video phone calls. They can’t wait to see Matthew in person.
But before that happens, Pam, Matthew and I took one last adventure in Chinese culture with a long, six-hour walk into town by ourselves. And it was more than enjoyable.
We began our trip passing by store after store selling traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals, ancient herbal remedies to solve everything from a fever to a cough.
Some bins sold dry sea horses, others dry starfish. I’m not exactly sure what they help solve.
Immediately following the medicinal remedies, some Guangzhou residents sold live animals and live seafood for people to prepare in meals: Live chickens, ducks, pigeons and several types of fish to name a few.
On one side of the street, Guangzhou residents on sifted through large buckets and bins of live scorpions. Others sold long bunches of dried snake skin.
Pam, Matthew and I ultimately wound up in a large pedestrian mall featuring store after store after store.
One two-story Kentucky Fried Chicken and two McDonald’s gave shoppers a chance to eat American food – it also gave us as chance to buy Matthew his first Happy Meal, although he was interested solely in french fries.
If you were a little more adventurous, a food court of sorts offered shoppers a taste of local cuisine – everything from fried dumplings and bowls of noodles to fried squid on a stick and deep-fried water bugs.
The local food vendors kind of reminded Pam and me of the night food market we saw in Beijing. Like that experience, we steered clear of the food – except for Pam, who had to try the frozen fruit-on-a-stick (which she pronounced as not as good as Beijing).
We ended our day at the Pearl and Jade Market, where we spent as good bit of time looking at jewelry and then a brief few minutes visiting a small Buddhist temple.
Now, it’s back to the hotel to ready for dinner and begin packing for the long trip home.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
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