Yes, we are home

I haven't written recently I'm sorry.  As the countdown to take-off time and day nears, time always seems to speed up, leaving you with no time at all.

My last post was your Friday, our Saturday.  So that night, which was New Years Eve night, Family Reunion Night, we had a traditional 8 course meal with Cong Cong and the Manager, his wife and child from where we were staying.  It was a wonderful meal, and a bit sad to realize it was our last night in China.

We got back to our apartment at around 8:30.  I got the twins in bed, the older girls lounged, and I finished packing all the bits and pieces which I thought that I had gotten most of 3 days ago.  But, oh nooooo, it took me to 1:00 am to complete it all.  But on the good side, at midnight, we were able to see fireworks celebrating the New Year.  Morning came way too soon.  We were woken up by drums and music, celebrating down at the river.

We had breakfast, said goodbye to Cong Cong, she took an earlier flight, then went to finish up packing and bring 7 suitcases to the van to leave.  As we said goodbye to the General Manager and his wife, we realized what good friends they were.  Their daughter was around the same age as the twins, and they had become fast friends.  Maybe they can visit us this summer.  We hope so.

The travel to the airport, getting on the first flight, to disembarking to get on the next flight to disembarking in the USA  went fairly well.  But things were ripe for further problems or delays, because after the medical information was sent to the Consulate, they had flagged it by stapling my daughter's passport to an important brown envelope that shouldn't be open until immigration...  Have you ever tried to convince an airline check-in person, security, another check-in person, more security people,  etc.  NOT to detach the passport?  And in English?  Then I was told at the Consulate to hand carry the xray, and show it at immigration.  Xrays are HUGE and floppy!  Upon carrying everything else , I need to carry and keep track of an Xray?!?  And NOT bend it, sit on it, lose it?  Truly a task of coordination.

Then in the Seoul airport, I started chatting with a US immigration officer, and he looked at her passport and pointed to the bottom of the page, and it said that she tested positive on her TB test (but the xray was clear).  Oh great, I thought.  Then he said I would have to follow up with the Dept. of Health?  What?  Why, if she's clear?  How long is this going to take?  So with dread we got on the airplane to the USA.

  As we got off the airplane, I told everyone to be prepared for a long wait.  So in order not to get stuck in a long line, I got the girls in the 'go' position and we ran for it when we got off.  Ta Da, we were second in line!.  Then it was our turn, gulp...  We went up to the officer.  He was rather elderly.  And I looked and listened and by cracky, I think he's Chinese!  They more we talked I realized that he was enjoying us, and I was thinking, "Oh please, let him make this easy for us..."  He asked, "Was one of my daughters 14?"  I said, "In 4 days she will be, that's why we went to China so quickly."  He says, "Well in the computer, it says she is already 14".  I replied, "Please take a look at her passport."    He studied it, looked at the computer and looked back again, did about 5 minutes of checking.  Five minutes can be very long time you know.  Then said, "The computer says she's 14, so she will need fingerprints and a photo done."   AHHHHHH, 7:30 on a Sunday night, where will I find all that and how long will it take and will we ever get home before morning?  (It's an hour and a half drive from the airport).  He then asks my daughter (Deaf) to place her fingers on a green electronic pad.  I show her once, then her thumb.  She doe the same for the other hand.  He then directs her attention to a camera in front of him. and takes a picture.  Wowy Zowy, this is SO great.  Two minutes, and it was all done.  Oh yeah!

Well the Consulate always has massive amounts of paper to go through.  So 15 minutes pass, then 25, finally, 30.  He says everyone else but me and the 2 new daughters could go get the luggage.

I start to think ahead and make contingency plans, and who can I call at 8:00 Sunday night?  He walks us across the massive hall, to a room and asked us to sit until our names were called.  We sit, and in front of me is a very high desk with uniformed officers behind it.  Here we go again.
My dh doesn't know where we are, again, or what's happening.  Will we be here overnight, again?  I started getting out my cell phone as one of my daughters names was called.  We walk up, there is a paper, I wait.  I start kidding with him about his pronunciation of her name to calm me and distract him.
He tells her to sign it.  She does and he waves us to sit down.  But before I do I kid with him saying that the next name is really tough to say.  He takes this as a challenge.   He calls out my other daughter's name, he says the first name perfectly but not the second one which begins with a 'Q'.  So I compliment him on the first one and taught him how to say the Q in Chinese and how not to forget it.  I said, "Remember Qingdao Beer.  It's really good, and you'll never forget 'Q'' agin."   He laughed and had her sign a paper.  OK it's been about 20 minutes and dh hasn't a clue where we are...  Just then he's says we can leave.  Wait, did I hear right. leave?  YES!!!!

We run out to the baggage area, all the luggage had been gotten and our driver was waiting.  No looking at the xray, nothing about the Health Dept., all the worry about nothing.  Sometimes 'nothing' is good. We drive home, pull into the driveway and there is a wonderful 'Welcome Home" sign on the garage door.  Then we walk in and there's welcome home balloons everywhere, and 5 party blowers, and 5 cardboard cylinders that pop out huge amounts of sparkly confetti everywhere.  And since it is Valentines Day, there was a huge plate of homemade Valentine cookies!  AND a Welcome Home banner around the kitchen, and a hand written sign that said Welcome Home and listed everyone's name.  I mean how welcome can you feel.  How wonderful.  We traveled for 24 hours door to door, but the last burst of energy was found to celebrate.

But don't they still just look exhausted?

Stay tuned for first reactions to seeing their new home and rooms...