Day 10: Lazy and Lonely

Wednesday, Dec. 27th. Nothing to do today. We're both feeling a little lonely and ready to go home. Today we just laid around the room, watched a movie, played pool in the game room

On our way back down the street from the Thai restaurant, some American woman stopped us on the street and started talking to us like we're old friends. "Oh, wow, how are you all doing? I haven't had a chance to see your baby yet. Oh, she's darling...." Kelsey: "Who was that?" Bob: "I have no idea." The baby adoption sub-culture here is surreal.

We were warned to haggle and bargain at all the shops. We've gotten pretty good at it. But, wow! It is so exhausting to shop. You spend time shopping the whole store and take your items to the shop keeper then start the haggling, over everything. It can take another 15 or 20 minutes. When you finally get it for just over half of their starting price, you still feel you paid twice what any self-respecting Chinese would have paid. (Actually, most of the stuff for sale around the hotel no self-respecting Chinese would buy at any price.)

Yesterday at the clinic I realized for the first time that I really am Keira's father. All of the documents we've been filling out for nearly two years have said things like "Parents Unknown" "Place of Birth Unknown," "Father Unknown." At the clinic there was another form which asked about father's name and place of birth. I left it blank. When Amy was reviewing the form she pointed out that I missed a section. I told her "Father is unknown." She looked at me and said, "No, you're the father!" I hit me. Wow.