Where Will We Go?

Among the many questions we've been getting since our LSC are where will we go in China and how long will we stay?  The trip usually takes 14 days.

We will spend the first few days in Beijing sightseeing and adjusting to the time change (14 hours ahead of CDT) before we have Sofie to care for.  We will get to see the Great Wall, as well as Summer Palace, Forbidden City (if you haven't seen "The Last Emperor", watch it and you will see how amazing this place is!) and of course all of the Olympic venue sites.  We have the option of skipping this portion of the trip and were a bit torn because it would mean going straight to Inner Mongolia and Sofie.  But, we don't know if or when we will make it back to China and think it is important to visit and document as much of Sofie's country of birth as possible.  Not to mention recovering from the 18 hours on planes to get there!  We'd like to be able to visit the New Day Foster Home while we are there and perhaps deliver some bottles and/or formula to them.  We are going to see if we can arrange that.

After Beijing we will fly or take the train to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.  Hohhot is the capital of the province and is where all of the adoption paperwork will be completed.  We will have time to explore, shop and see the sights in between our appointments.

We may be able to travel to Bayannur to visit the orphanage where Sofie was brought to when she was two weeks old and lived in for the first six months of her life.  We are also hoping we will have the opportunity to meet the foster parents she has lived with for the past two and a half years.  Many of the Inner Mongolia families we have connected with have met the foster family, so it looks like a good possibility for us.

Next we will head down to the coast to Guangzhou, which is where all of the U.S. immigration appointments are handled.  Sofie will need a medical exam and this is when they will administer any of the immunizations required by the US that she may not have already had.   There will be a visa appointment (adoption paperwork and Sofie's passport submitted) the next day and then an adoption ceremony and oath taking the day following that.  The day after that is when we will receive her passport back with her visa and paperwork required to enter the U.S.

Our agency routes their families through Hong Kong to fly home.  We can either fly there or take the train from Guangzhou.  Most families spend a night there before departing for home, but some choose to grab a late flight as soon as they finish up their appointment at the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  My cousin Stacey and her family live in Hong Kong so we may stay a day or two to visit.

We are looking forward to seeing a diverse variety of sights while in China.  But the most important part of this trip will be meeting our daughter and spending plenty of time bonding with her, which we are eagerly awaiting!