Cruel Coincidences

Ok, I admit it…I am sooo not being patient. Of all of the waiting periods thus far, waiting for our Travel Approval is the worst. Considering I’m a bit of a control freak (no laughing here, please), I’ve actually been extremely patient throughout, but now I’m losing it. Each day that passes without T.A. only increases my anxiety instead of pacifying it.

Many of our family and friends are anxious too and I’m asked numerous times every day such questions as “when are you going to China” and “have you got your daughter yet”, amongst others. I love that those who are close to us are so enthused and I don’t want them to stop asking questions or lose interest. However, the double-edged sword is that those questions sometimes also serve as a reminder to me that I don’t know and I’m frustrated about it.

One of the ways I deal with it is by keeping very B-U-S-Y in order to not dwell on the wait, China, Shaling, travel planning, etc. One of the many hats I wear is that of the Scholastic Bowl coach at Rochester High School. We had a match last night. One of the 3-part “Bonus” questions asked was about China, but just read further to see how specific this tiered question got.

Part 1 asked about a special administrative region in China that was once under British Rule. The answer was Hong Kong.
First Twinge of Pain: At this point, we expect that we will be flying into Hong Kong when we go to China.

Part 2 asked about another name for Guangzhou, which is the provincial capital of Guangdong province (which surrounds Hong Kong). The answer was Canton.
Second Twinge of Pain: Guangzhou is the city in which we will be spending our two weeks in China and the city in which we will meet and receive Shaling at the Civil Affairs Office.

Part 3 asked about a Guangdong city that was a small fishing village in the 1970s, but due to being designated a Special Economic Zone is the fastest growing city in China and now has nearly 9 million people. The answer was Shenzhen.
Final Stab of Pain: Shenzhen is Shaling’s hometown and where we believe she has lived for her entire 9 years of life.

Ugh! So much for keeping my mind off of waiting for T.A., eh?

Some of my adoption community friends tell me that instead of thinking of it as a cruel coincidence or mean joke, I should think of it as a message from God that my T.A. is truly close. I so hope they are right!