Travel plans are underway. We are only responsible for booking our flights to and from China. All of the rest of the trip is handled through our agency. We have our flights booked and are waiting for the details regarding our time in China. We do know that we will fly out of our local airport and connect in Chicago with our flight to China. Our first stop is Beijing where we will spend a few days with some friends, see a few sites in the area, and most importantly, recover some from jet lag.
From there we head to Shanghai where we will finally meet our daughter. Once we meet her, she will be with us for the rest of the trip. Our time as a family of two is coming to an end very soon. We will be in Shanghai for about a week. While we are there we will complete the Chinese paperwork for the adoption and getting her passport.
From Shanghai we head to Guangzhou. This is where the US consulate is located. All adoptive families from the US must go through Guangzhou. During our week there Brooke will have a physical and TB screening, we will process the US paperwork so that when she arrives in Chicago she becomes a US citizen, participate in an interview at the consulate and receive her VISA. After this is done we will head to Hong Kong.
We have decided to spend an extra day in Hong Kong before flying home. We will spend that day at Disney. It is a small Disney park but will give us the chance to relax, have some fun with Brooke and get tired out before the long flight home.
At each city we will have days that are filled with official adoption proceedings and other days when we are waiting for something to get done. On those days we will get to see China and explore the area. I’m sure we will have a lot of stories to tell when we get home.
Please pray for:
- Brooke as she goes through so many changes in her life over the next month.
- Safety as we travel.
- All the details of the trip to be done easily.
- Dennis and Ellen as we get ready to travel and as we help Brooke through her transition into our family.
Congrats!! I just checked and figured out you guys got TA--WOOHOO!!!
ReplyDeleteYay! So when will you be in Shanghai? My sister-in-law is there. She's lived there for the last six years. Do you want me to see if she or any of her fellow teachers from the US might be available as tour guides at any point while you're there?
ReplyDeleteHey guys! Praying for you. I pray that God will give you both wisdom for every situation and that Brooke will be able to adapt to her new life. Believe she will make many friends quickly. Do you know many families with girls her age? You must be sooooo excited. We are all so excited for you all.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your upcoming travel. I saw where you were trying to figure out what to take. We took playing cards, downloaded Disney movies onto our laptop and iPads, colors, coloring books, plain paper, and a AG doll like her sisters. We found out there se loved to jump rope and thankfully we were able to purchase one in China. Another family brought there daughter a iPod nano with music on it. I did use her last measurements to calculate her sizes so I could take some clothes. If you have anymore questions, please email me.
ReplyDeleteHi! My name is Juliette and we "spoke" on the Shanghai adoption group. We re also adopting through Gladney...we are adopting Pin Pin. I love your blog and am so happy for your family!!!
ReplyDelete