Here was our INS schedule:

INS Itinerary
Date	Time	Activity	Where
11/2/1997	5:00 PM	Check into White Swan	White Swan
11/3/1997	9:00 AM	Medical Exam	Public Health Office
11/4/1997	9:00 AM	INS Interview	Consulate
11/5/1997	1:00 PM	Pick up Emma's Visa	Consulate
11/5/1997	3:00 PM	Review documents with Holt	White Swan

The first activity, the medical exam, took place at the Guangzhou Public Health Center. It was VERY crowded, but Holt managed to get us through the mess pretty quickly. Emma was first examined by a doctor who simply felt her abdomen, extremities, neck etc. Next we went to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who did the tongue depressor, ear exam, eye thing, then sent us to the immunization room.

We were in Guangzhou when it became a requirement that each child receive needed immunizations in Guangzhou. We were nervous about this, having heard some horror stories, but it was not a problem. Carolyn is a nurse and she found the conditions and the process to be quite acceptable. U.S. serums, steril, packaged needles, etc. Very clean. Emma, however, wasn't so crazy about getting stuck.

I waited outside (too crowded to wait in the Immunization room). Within minutes out came Carolyn and a screaming Emma. She got three shots and didn't like it one bit. It took us a few minutes to get her calmed down, but she finally did and we spent the rest of the morning walking around beautiful Guangzhou.

Our appointment on Tuesday at the U.S. Consulate was held in the "infant" room. All of us waited together for our turn at the interview table. There were plenty of toys for the children to occupy themselves with while we waited. When it came our turn, we walked to the table with Emma and sat down. The (American) woman who conducted the interview asked is a few questions but mostly just made pleasant conversation and sent us on our way. When it was done, we weren't really sure what we had just done. Whatever.

The next day we got Emma's U.S. Visa, the document you guard with your life. The actual Visa is sealed inside an envelope with a coversheet stapled to the package. Don't get curious and open it. It must make it unopened to the U.S. Immigration officials in your port of entry into the United States with the coversheet still attached. If it has been opened or looks tampered with you are not allowed entry back into the states and you must go back to Guangzhou to get a new one - all at your expense. If you could just pack it away and not have to handle it until it is needed in the U.S., it wouldn't be so bad. However, there are a couple occasions leaving China when you have to hand it over to the Chinese customs people. I never took my eyes off it and told Carolyn that when it was out, be sure to keep Emma at least her arm's distance away from it!

Once we had this document in possesion, we were essentially done. Later that day, we met with Barbara, our Holt Rep, and reviewed and organized all our documents in preparation for our trip home. When everything was in order, I packed it away in a portfolio I had brought and left it alone until we needed it again on our deprature from China. As everyone was getting ready to go home, we were getting packed for our trip to Beijing. Having traveled all the way to China, there was no way we were going to leave without seeing the Great Wall. We had three wonderful days seeing the sights before leaving home. You can read more about our trip to Beijing in our China Travel Log.