March 5th, 2019 (Part 2)- A little more paperwork and a little free time

The day after Gotcha Day we all went back to the civil affairs office to finalize the rest of the adoption paperwork for Bin.  A couple of the people from the orphanage were there again and they were so happy to see Bin smiling and happy.  He remembered the building from the day before and entered with some trepidation but it was a different boy who entered today.  Bin and Abigail played while we finished the rest of the paperwork.  We weren’t there very long, and then we were off to the next stop to get his passport photo taken and then apply for his passport.  We were free for the rest of the day so Susan offered to take us through the scenic park by the hotel in the afternoon.  There was a large, beautiful lake with tons of seagulls in and around it, beautiful landscaping and traditional buildings.  We also went to a jewelry store that specialized in jade.  The kids had fun running along the lakefront and feeding the seagulls.  It was a relaxing day for all of us.  

The icing on the cake was that our luggage finally arrived at our hotel about 7:00pm after being without it for three days.  I was starting to have doubts that we’d ever see it again so it was real cause for celebration.  It was like Christmas for all of us, opening the luggage and pulling out our favorite things, promising to never take them for granted again. It was especially great for Bin because we were finally able to give him his new backpack, toys and clothes that we had bought for him in the states.