Travel Changes, Good Wishes & a Poem

We found out yesterday that our adoption agency has made some sweeping changes to the way they are handling their clients’ travel. Originally, we were going to be responsible for booking our own flights from the United States to China, but they were going to handle just about everything else: booking our hotel, getting us a guide, and our in-country travel. We would have sent them a large payment towards estimated traveling costs ahead of time and then once all the booking was complete, we would have paid the difference or been sent a refund.

Now, we will have to be in direct contact with a woman in Beijing (at BOCITS – Beijing Oriental Century International Travel Service) ourselves. We will be responsible for getting everything arranged. We will also be sending payment directly to BOCITS.

I don’t fully understand the reasons for the change, but it is expected that this change will make things smoother and perhaps quicker. Apparently, some clients have been concerned about prepaying estimated travel costs as well.

I, myself, am a bit nervous about being responsible for booking all of our own stuff. I found comfort in knowing that someone with so much experience was going to be handling it. I plan to continue keeping up with other adoptive families on my Yahoo groups and see how this works for them. Hopefully, I’ll get some good pointers on what and what not to do.

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I haven’t started putting the scrapbook pages together for the book that goes with Shaling’s “Good Wishes” quilt yet, but I will soon. Last night, I laminated the last few cards that I’ve received. I bought an inexpensive laminating machine a couple of months ago and it works great. I think that laminating all of the cards before putting them in her book will help preserve it. Thanks to my Aunt Betty (who laminated her own cards) for the idea!

If you contributed a square to the quilt, but have not yet gotten your “wish card” into me, please try and do so by the end of October. Just take an index card, attach a scrap of your fabric to it and then write a favorite quote, Bible verse, music lyric, or simply a personal message to Shaling.

I’m quite pleased with the variety of fabric and good wishes she’s received.

We had to make a change with the quilt. Brock’s Great Aunt Annabelle is no longer up to doing the quilting. I cannot thank Brock’s mom Nancy enough. She finished sewing all of the squares together and attached the backing to the quilt, but not the binding. The quilt is now in the hands of my Aunt Ann, who has been a God send and also has my eternal gratefulness. She will finish the quilt (hasn’t decided yet whether to stitch or tie it). Additionally, she has all of the extra quilt squares and hopes to make a matching pillow and also a doll blanket to go with an American Girl doll that Brock’s parents have purchased for Shaling.

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Finally, I leave you today with a poem that really spoke to me. It was written by Tim, who is adopting Star, a 9-year-old girl in the same welfare district as Shaling. I believe he wrote it in honor of another family in one of our Yahoo groups, who is adopting a little girl named Autumn. Tim perfectly reflects many of the feelings I am experiencing as I become more and more anxious to get my arms around my little girl. Note: Baba is Chinese for “Dad”.

Autumn

Autumn comes,
I see your face.
The miles separate us.
I yearn to hold you.

You do not know me,
I know you from afar.
Your sweetness captured my heart,
Would that we would never part.

We came together from different paths,
Our lives meet, we travel together,
Hand in hand for awhile,
Then we part our separate ways.

You will always be a part of me,
I will always be a part of you.
Though death take me,
I love you my children.

Baba

Tim - 9.21.10