We will be seeing a lot of Brynn's birth country on our trip. By the time it is over, we will have traveled from one end of China to the other. Our agency books all of our in-China transportation and accommodations. It is our responsibility to book our round trip tickets there and back. We start our our journey by flying into Beijing.
Once we land in Beijing we will meet up with our agency representative and our travel group. We will spend a couple of days in Beijing catching up on sleep, adjusting to the new time zone, and sightseeing. From Beijing, each family will fly to their child's province. For us, that will be the Henan Province. We will stay in the capital city, Zhengzhou, at the Crowne Plaza.
What is so exciting about this leg of our journey is that we will get Brynn here! On about day 3 of our trip (which will probably be our 1st or 2nd day in the Henan Province) all of the families will go to a meeting place (usually a ball room or conference room at the hotel). It is then that the nannies will bring the babies in and call our names one family at a time to get our babies. This is called "Gotcha Day". Gotcha Day is a very special day in the adoption world, one we will celebrate every year. It marks the day that Brynn joins our family. From this moment on, Brynn will be our girl. We will spend about 6 days here. It will be spent doing paperwork, touring, bonding, and getting Brynn's passport.
Our next stop will be Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the capital city of the Guangdong Province. It is southern China's largest city and key transportation hub and trading port, located on the Pearl River which is navigable to the South China Sea. In Guangzhou we will be staying at either the White Swan or the Victory hotel.
Every family comes to Guangzhou on their last leg of the journey. It is here that Brynn will get her physical exam and visa. We will have our swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate. We will raise our right hand and repeat an oath on Brynn's behalf. This ceremony will make it official. As soon as Brynn Ai Xin steps foot on US soil, she will be declared a citizen of the United States of America. We will spend about 6 days in Guangzhou before we head HOME!!!
By the end of the trip, we will have spent 14-16 days in China. Below is a map of our journey. 1) Fly into Beijing 2) Zhengzhou 3) Guangzhou.
I already can't wait to be home, and we haven't even left yet! We are praying for a safe, smooth trip!
2 comments:
I'm very excited for your family. This is an amazing way to grow your family. Congratulations!
Wow! Talk about world travelers!! I'm sure it will be very exciting and I know that you just can't wait to be home with your sweet girl in your arms! =) Praying for you all!
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