Samuel had his medical check for the US Embassy early in the morning.  All of the American families come through Guangzhou for their Embassy appointments after their week in the capital of their child's province.  It is really nice to be able to meet other families, and there were several at the medical center.

The medical center was absolutely packed.  There was wall to wall people, literally in the building.  Some were American families and some were Chinese citizens..  The scene was bordering on chaos.  There were so many little ones just screaming in fear.  The process was like a factory assembly line.  The child sees the ENT for a hearing test.  Then they head to the general dr. who strips them down and checks them from head to toe.  No hand washing or gloves between patients Jim noticed.  Then on to the eye doctor and the grand finale... is a tb test with a needle.

Samuel did pretty well.  He got very quiet and was holding onto me for dear life and was just stroking my hair.  The general physician called in another doctor to listen to his heart, and they both said he still has a murmur, which isn't a surprise to us.  By the time Samuel was at the eye doctor he had pretty much checked out emotionally.  He wasn't crying, but he would not participate in the exam.  We know he can see well as he picks out his favorite little cartoon character in stores, but I think he was just beyond scared.

After the appointment we went back to our hotel to have a meeting and to go over our paperwork.

When that was over we stepped out to explore the island and walked upon a massive cloud of black  smoke.  Jim knew right away that something was on fire.  We went up the road and sure enough there was a huge fire in what looked like a shopping center.  The hole center was engulfed and flames and black smoke were sky high.  The fire dept was there, but their hoses were so weak you just knew it would be hours before there was any effect.  Thankfully, it seemed nobody was hurt, but we were shocked to see the people from the adjacent building standing on their balconies watching instead of evacuating. It all was handled so differently than it would have been handled in America, but it did get out out, and we didn't hear of any injuries, thank you Lord.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the island and just enjoying the beautiful weather and sweet Samuel.  He is such a fun and easy going little guy and has brought us so much love and laughter.  We can't wait to introduce him to the kids.  They are going to just love him to pieces.