Medical exam

So this morning our entire travel group (7 families) walked from the hotel to the medical examination place.  All the children must undergo a medical exam prior to getting their US visa.  We anticipated that the wait would be very long but it wasn't too bad; I think we were there 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  In the exam room they have three stations- height, weight & temperature; ENT, and then medical surgery.  We breezed through the rooms getting her weighed, eyes tested, checked out by the doctor and then the hard part came- vaccinations.  Being a Hague adoption case we must get Claire's vaccinations caught up to date according to her age.  That means if her orphanage did not vaccinate her on schedule she would need to get ALL those shots at one time before getting a visa.  It is absolutely ridiculous and needs to be fixed but more noise needs to be made in Congress for that to happen.

 

We lucked out, Claire only needed 4 vaccines.  Another little boy in our travel group who is just under 2 had to get seven, YES, 7 shots. 
We couldn't believe it; she didn't cry at all when getting her 4 shots.  Either she has a very high pain threshold or is one tough cookie.  She had a TB test a couple of weeks ago but our guide said she would need to get another one.  The nurses got all fishy when getting the TB test ready and were saying something about it being "different" so Daddy went all berserk on them and grabbed her arm to contaminate the cleaned area and got our guide.  They got the doctor and after a bunch of back in forth in mandarin later, we won.  Score one for the mom and dad team; Claire didn't have to repeat her TB test because the one from two weeks ago was negative.

 

After the medical exam we let her play at playground for a long time to try and make up for the shots.  We grabbed some lunch at a deli shop and then came back to the room.  Claire was looking very tired and after the long night/ early morning combined with the trauma of the medical exam we figured she should lay down and take a nap.  Only one problem- she didn't want to.  She told me no and I insisted on yes.  She did do what I said but then got in bed and started crying for her grandma.  We held her and then distracted her with TV but when we turned it off she went back to sniffling.  I think she felt very crummy and wanted the one person she's had for the last 6 years, her nai nai.  We gave her another dose of Tylenol and within half an hour she was back to her spunky self. 

 

In the afternoon I went to our guide's room with the rest of the parents and filled out our visa paperwork for Claire; one more step done.

 

Later this evening we ventured off the little island into the main city and finally found "food on a stick."  We've been waiting 11 days to find that.  We walked around and around and finally ventured back to the hotel.  We are dog tired; as in "can't get out of the chair" tired. 

Tomorrow I am going on a shopping tour with our group.  We're going to ask Claire if she wants to go but if she doesn't she's going to hang out at the hotel with Dad instead.  I can now get to shutterfly so hopefully we'll find the energy to put some videos online tomorrow.

 

The picture of the bamboo scaffolding and ladder couldn't be passed up.  The island is under construction because they need to make it look pretty for the Asian Games being held here in the winter.  It is a nasty, nasty mess; then it rains and never dries so you walk around in soupy muddy puddles all day.  Our shoes are trashed after just one day.