What I did find interesting was at the hotels, we’ve stayed at didn’t have bidets but instead shower hoses next to the toilet. I wonder if this is more cost effective than a bidet or if these hotels felt the hose was more practical.
Enough about the bathrooms today is d-day. We have a 2PM appointment, a 1:30PM pick up time to take us to the US Embassy for the visa interview. With Layla’s visa in hand, we would be free to leave the country ASAP. There is a chance we could get the visas back the same day. I hope we do. I’m feeling antsy
This trip is the culmination of my lifelong dream to adopt, granted I’m not in China or Guatemala as I thought I would be, but I’m some place better, the place where my daughter was born. Yet while my dream is being fulfilled, this trip is neither a vacation nor a complete business trip, it’s something in between. I wonder if it’s that something in between that’s making me want to go home ASAP. Or is it that I feel like I’m still living a dream since my whole family isn’t together. I miss my babies. I miss my bed. I miss being able to drink the shower water if I want to. I miss tap water.
I miss being able to choose to eat something other than steamed rice or fried rice. Though points for me for taking more chances with my meals then I could have ever imagined. I lived it up by having Cantonese fried rice at the buffet at the Saigon airport. I even had some no named snack that tasted like Cheetos, except without the cheese, at the Indian restaurant, along with my steamed rice.
I came to Vietnam with 14 bags of Ramen noodles, beef and chicken, 12 packages of delicious fruit snacks, and 12 tuna and crackers on the go. While the tuna isn’t as great as my own, I have to say these little packages of tuna and crackers really hit the spot. And fruit in a plastic container has never tasted so good. Only this morning have I had to open a package of noodles and sadly there were a disaster. I couldn’t find the seasoning package nor did the hot water thermos get the water piping hot so I ended up with slow cooking Ramen with absolutely no taste to them. Can you say, delicious? Though I did make Layla eat a few to tie us over until after the embassy appointment.
Nancy, the old pro with 3 China adoptions under her belt, told us to expect anything. She had been to visa appointments where she was asked questions one on one by the Embassy interviewer and others where she signed her name on the dotted line and that was that. I’m praying for a simple visa appointment, but better to be safe than sorry. I was actually a few minutes late meeting everyone in the lobby because as I was walking out of my hotel room, I thought what if they ask me about travel arrangements back home so I quickly and frantically tore up the room looking for my travel itinerary, which I had conveniently had put in the same envelope as my copy of the dossier I had had on my person since leaving LA Christmas night. With the itinerary found and my phone ringing, I went downstairs to meet the group and off we went.
Part of me was still expecting to see tons of adoptive parents as we went inside the Embassy, housed in a very ordinary looking office building, but that wasn’t how it was. There was no one in the office except for us. No one. We stood in line to pay the visa free. And unlike, most places the US Embassy seems to take every credit card. I still don’t understand why American Express isn’t widely accepted over here. Did they not see the commercials? Do they not know the slogan, “Don’t leave home without it.”? I love AE, ever since they saved me when I left all my travelers cheques in London and easily replaced them when I landed in Malta. Who in the world would have thought AE would have an office in Valetta, Malta? But I digress, we paid our fees then sat down for a minute. A nice woman from the Bay area, who has worked at the Embassy for two years but was due to complete her assignment shortly (isn’t it amazing what three families can find out in a short period of time?) called me up first.
Layla and I armed with our dossier were ready and walked up the window, and like Jory’s finalization hearing it was a big letdown. I was asked to double check addresses and spellings on a few sheets of paper. I was asked to sign my name a few times. Then I was asked if I would have Layla immunized when I came back to the states, which I replied, “Yes.” Another signature and I was told the visa would be ready between 4:30 – 5PM. This was it?!?!
Part of me was joyous and ecstatic that I didn’t have to hand over any paperwork that had been lost. Or clarify any answers on my paperwork. But another part of me was sort of bothered. Did this woman know how long it took me to make a complete copy of my dossier? Not one, but two copies because I had to leave a complete copy with my trusted and dear friend, Ellen, just in case mine was stolen or spontaneously combusted. Did she know that after driving over 70 miles round trip on Good Friday 2007 to get everything authenticated and notarized, I just made three photocopies of everything and threw them in an envelope because I was so over seeing any more paperwork and because I had to meet Mel for the 5PM showing of The Grindhouse? It took days to weed through all those copies and make three complete dossiers and now they could all be burnt. (Ellen, you can shred or burn the copy I gave you, please. Thank you, wonderful friend.) Oh well, que sera, sera. So I let those feelings go and sort of worried about if Todd G, the greatest travel agent ever, could find me an available seat out of Hanoi ASAP.
You can't take pictures at the Embassy, but either Lisa or Nancy was able to get this one before we were told and saw the posted signs.
Flight - EVA Airways Corporation (BR) - 15 Thursday, December 25, 2008
Flight 15 Non-stop
Class of Service: Economy Class (M)
EVA Airways Corporation Confirmation Numbers: CE2R3D
Depart: Los Angeles Intl Arpt (LAX)
10:50 PM
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Arrive: Taiwan Taoyuan Intl Arpt (TPE)
TAIPEI 5:40 AM
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Flight - EVA Airways Corporation (BR) - 391 Saturday, December 27, 2008
Flight 391 Non-stop
Class of Service: Economy Class (L)
EVA Airways Corporation Confirmation Numbers: CE2R3D
Depart: Taiwan Taoyuan Intl Arpt (TPE)
TAIPEI 9:10 AM
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Arrive: Tan Son Nhut Arpt (SGN)
HO CHI MINH CITY 11:35 AM
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Leg One of the journey.
Flight - EVA Airways Corporation (BR) - 398 Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Flight 398 Non-stop
Class of Service: Economy Class (L)
EVA Airways Corporation Confirmation Numbers: CE2R3D
Depart: Noibai Arpt (HAN)
HANOI 12:35 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Arrive: Taiwan Taoyuan Intl Arpt (TPE), Terminal 2
TAIPEI 4:05 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Equipment: Douglas MD-90 Flying Time: 2:30
Meal Service: Meal
In-Flight Services: Non-smoking
Flight - EVA Airways Corporation (BR) - 16 Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Flight 16 Non-stop
Class of Service: Economy Class (M)
EVA Airways Corporation Confirmation Numbers: CE2R3D
Depart: Taiwan Taoyuan Intl Arpt (TPE),Terminal 2
TAIPEI 11:55 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Arrive: Los Angeles Intl Arpt (LAX), Terminal B
7:15 PM
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Equipment: Boeing 777-300 Flying Time: 11:20
Meal Service: Meal
In-Flight Services: Non-smoking
Todd came through in a big way and got us out the day after we got Layla's passport. And Eva came through in a big way and put us on a flight that left Taipei only 2 hours after we arrived. YIIPPEEE!!!!
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