First day in Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou and we are so happy to be here. We are now one step closer to coming home. GZ is MUCH nicer, cleaner, better, than Nanchang. Our hotel is incredible. There is a Lexus and another luxury car show room in the hotel. It is a completely different world than Nanchang. Not to mention, there is a Starbucks right next door! Real coffee!!!! People speak much more English here and the city is very westernized. Not to mention, the driving is civilized. I need for everyone to get an idea of the driving in Nanchang. The city has over 4 million people and I only saw 2 stop lights. There are more bikes or scooters on the road than cars and nobody uses a crosswalk. Lanes are optional and using the other lane is not just for passing, it is for driving when no other cars are coming at you. So cars will just drive in the opposite lane and when a bus or car starts coming at you, you just squeeze back in the same going that directions. Signal use is rare and sidewalk use for scooters is apparently acceptable. So basically, it is a free for all of pedestrians, scooters, bikes, and automobiles and there isn't a seat belt or child restraint to be found. It is a complete nightmare. We only saw one accident and it was between two scooters. They were arguing in the street and we thought they were going to break out kung fu fighting. If I never go back to Nanchang or Jiangxi province again, that will be ok.
We completed the medical exam today and he got his picture for his visa. We got in late last night and he missed his morning nap today, so I am sure we will have a less than pleasant afternoon and evening. I am hoping to meet my friend Miao (one of the District 150 Mandarin teachers) and her family, as they are visiting GZ as well. We plan to take Gabe to the zoo/aquarium tomorrow. It was so nice to be reunited with our original big group today. The kids are all great. I am really glad that our entire group has special needs kids. We have really bonded with some of these people. It has been quite an experience and it is great to have others to go through it with.

I gotta run. We have to figure out what our adventure will be for today. We don't have a computer in our room at this hotel, so we may not be able to post as often. We will do the best we can. It is so nice to still be able to feel connected from so far away. Keep the prayers coming!

Brian, Ang and Gabe