Day 2

We started off the day by going to a yoga class at Saigon Yoga. It was in a little alley off the street our hotel is on, Alley 10. The alley had some really nice residences in it too. The class was great. Ironically, Saigon Yoga is moving to the Somerset HCMC on June 14.

On the way to Yoga. Pedestrians are a complete afterthought. Even the sidewalks are filled with motorcycles.
In the afternoon we went to Ben Tranh market. The Lonely Planet describes the area as lively. That translates into crazy traffic and so much pollution that your eyes get blurry. Now I know why Visine was on a packing list that I got from D. It was very interesting. That's for sure. They have everything there from produce, seafood, coffee, tea, clothing, knock off handbags, bolts of silk cloth, fancy childrens outfits, cosmetics, "mobile" pedicure services - you name it. Not convinced I got the best deals as my bargaining skills need some improvement. The vendors put on such a good performance during negotiations. First it's complete shock - like that's an insulting price. Then when you strike a deal the expression turns to one of defeat or resignment - with a slight wince. You walk away feeling kind of good until you see the same thing for 1/2 the price you bought it for. The negotiations are always good natured though and it's all in good fun since we're only talking a few dollars.


Ben Tranh Market
After the market we went to the back packer area and had some dinner. I was bit worried but the food seems to be OK. (it's 4 in the morning right now - my clock is still not adjusted). I had a delicious coconut rice dish. They actually served it in a coconut. We're not eating any of the raw vegetable garnishes that come with the meal or any salads and bottled water with dinner only. No drinks with ice. Someone told us we could ask the restaurant to put the garnishes in boiling water then they would be OK to eat. We haven't tried it yet.
Tomorrow we meet with Loan - our agency rep here and go over the details of the BIG DAY on Wednesday.
To use some imagery from Star Trek to try to describe my headspace right now - I feel like I'm about to enter a worm hole that's going to take me into a new galaxy or different dimension. Maybe that's the 4 hours a night sleep talking though. We're so excited that we feel like excited little kids over it.

First Day or G&R -3

The trip here was thankfully uneventful. We left our house at 4:30 Friday morning and arrived at our hotel on Saturday midnight. Something like 36 hours travel time but it passed fairly quickly. Japan Airlines was really good. The service was fantastic with lots of nice hot towels and beverages.
Today we withdrew 4.8 million dongs from the bank. I just like how that sounds.
The traffic here is non-stop. It's a symphony of horns and cyclo/moped engines 24 hours a day. It's surprising but very few people were walking. The mopeds/cyclos are 4 deep in one lane.
We just explored a bit around the hotel today. A lot of stores were closed since it's Sunday. There are a lot of banks and coffee shops - actually more banks than coffee shops. Also a lot of the small side street are themed. Like one street had all sporting good stores and another had 1/2 block of vegetarian restaurants. To picture the weather, it's like the hottest and muggiest day in August where a 2 hr leisurely walk leaves you drenched in sweat.
We're quite comfortable at the Somerset Chancellor Court. It's a very nice hotel. The pool is lovely and there's even a little children's play room and a swing in the court yard.
For dinner we went to a Zen macrobiotic place where one of the locals, an American who's lived here for some years ordered for us. We had pumpkin soup, brown rice with tofu and veggies and buckwheat noodles with tofu and veggies. The whole meal was $7, including tip. It was close to the Notre Dame cathedral and we could hear the choir singing during part of our meal. I hope all of the spiritual forces during our meal keep us healthy.
The Giving and Receiving ceremony is still scheduled for Wednesday. I have a serious case of monkey mind where a gazillion thoughts are just zooming through my head.


Street food. Looks delicious but did not eat here.

Baby Shower

Mmmmm Cake

On Monday I was given a baby shower at work. It was really magic. Everyone was so generous. We got many many outfits, books, toys even a jolly jumper and such warm hearted wishes.
Throughout this whole process everyone has been supportive, excited and genuinely happy for us. We have met wonderful people through the user group and TDH and our family and friends have opened their hearts to us.
Even though there's a lot of preparation for this trip and even a bit of stress in involved it's a very happy time. It's all good.

We booked our tickets and one bag is packed

We are leaving Fri May 29 for Ho Chi Minh City. A few days over 3 months from the date of the proposal. It will take 26 hours to get there. We're flying to Chicago, Tokyo and then HCMC with Japan Air. Apparanty the baggage allowance is two bags per person at 23 kg each. God bless them.
The Giving and Receiving ceremony date is set for June 3. This is the day we make the 4 hour trip to the orphanage at Tra Vinh to meet our son and legally adopt him. What a day that will be.

Hoang Xuan's birth mother

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We received some documents from our agency, TDH last week. Among them was a form called Consent for Giving Up A Child. It names his birth mother. She is 28 years old. Her occupation is casual labour. Her circumstances are "My situation is very difficult and poor. I am unable to care for my child. It is an illegitimate child. I am never married". She signed the document with a fingerprint.
I am thinking about her a lot these days. What a heartbreaking situation. I know she did her best for him while she was carrying him. He was born at the Tra Vinh General Hospital. He's a healthy boy. I'm sure she loves him.
I wish her all the best. She gave me her child.

Advice from the Dalai Lama

This quote from the Dalai Lama has been particularly helpful to me during the long wait up to this point.

What irritates in the first place is that our wishes are not fulfilled. But remaining upset does nothing to help fulfill those wishes. So we neither fulfill our wishes nor regain our cheerfulness. This disconcerted state, from which anger can grow, is most dangerous. We should try never to let our happy frame of mind be disturbed. Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there is no reason to be unhappy.

Timelines

Whenever I read an adoption blog I'm always searching for dates to try to extrapolate them into my situation. So if you're interested here are some key dates but please keep in mind that circumstances change and situations are different. I believe that the repercussions of the US closure created about a year's extra wait time for us.

Homestudy started - March 2007
Homestudy finished - June 2007
Ontario approval - August 2007
Register with TDH(secondary waiting list - either gender) - May 2007
Dossier to Vietnam - October 2007
Proposal - Feb 24 2009
Travel date - TBA

If you're involved in this process you'll know there is oh so much more paperwork and approvals than I've listed here. I have to say so far the government forms have been the most challenging. Big surprise. Buy yourself lots of whiteout, file folders and yellow post it notes.