Friday, August 31, 2007
25 hours of straight travel
We made it…… 25 hours of straight travel, but we made it. Let me offer a quick recap. We had a decent drive to the airport but engaging our driver was interesting. Minh, are wonderful friend and trusting Dillon International, Inc. guide, arranged for a driver to pick us up at 4:00 p.m. in the lobby. We got out the front door and all the Taxi drivers started signaling/waving to us. (Refrain using your sense of hospitality…don’t wave back) The very nice door man was trying to figure out how come we were saying that we were leaving, standing there with all our bags, and yet didn’t want a cab.
We were trying to explain that someone was coming to pick us up, but we did not know who. A man dressed in all black walks up and asks us if we need a ride. We say no and that someone was coming to pick us up. He said he would take us to the airport at no charge. We told him someone from Dillon International arranged a driver for us. He again said he would take us at no charge. The doorman entered the conversation and we figured out that this driver was sent to pick someone up and take them to the airport, but he did not know who, nor did he know how many people he was to pick up. He just knew that the trip to the airport had already been paid and that he was driving a 7 passenger vehicle.
The saving grace was that Minh mentioned that the driver would be in a 7 passenger vehicle…..so we said okay. It was odd not knowing for sure if this was really our driver, or if some wealthy businessman and his family were left standing at the curb. Well, if that was really the case, hopefully they caught a ride with our “real” driver. All we knew for sure, was that some stranger with a 7 passenger vehicle was willing to take us to the airport for free…..so off we went. We did discuss on the ride how it seemed that this driver was taking a much different and off the beaten path to the airport. It turns out he was bypassing rush hour traffic or something and we actually arrived at the airport a little sooner than we expected.
We have decided that we have extreme mixed feelings about the Hong Kong airport. On one hand it is very nice and modern. On the other hand, the security really stinks. In Hong Kong you have to go through security even though you have not left the secure part of the airport. While going through this security screening, (x-ray and metal detector), they did not take our bottled water that we had stocked up before we left the Somerset. (Hanoi didn’t take our water either). Things are going well…..we give our tickets and boarding passes and are heading down the tunnel to get on the plane. We then find more security and they are only searching bags and they are searching every bag by hand. It is here that they take our water and Tricia gets really pissed. She was about to mix up a bottle so Lucy could make it through the pressure changes during take off. The lady behind us had just purchased a bottle of water right outside the boarding gate. She was even more irate then Tricia.
Tricia complained to the flight crew right when she got on the plane and they brought her a BIG bottle of Evian…..ooh fancy! The crew was very nice. We had bulkhead seating so we could have an airplane bassinette. This was nice, but it locks you in your seat so you either have to climb over or under to make it to the bathroom or stretch your legs. The worst part for me was that the bulkhead seats were not as wide as the rest of the plane (smaller by 1.5 to 2 inches.) This is not a problem if you are of Asian descent, but it creates a huge problem if you have a huge bottom. I was literally wedged into the seat. This is extremely bad for a couple of reasons. First, this creates circulation problems in your legs and they are now advertising the importance of keeping the blood flowing so you don’t get clots and keel over! Secondly this wedgie per se was not good because I become claustrophobic if I can’t move freely. Obviously I survived, but my hips are really sore today. Other than having a fat bottom things pertaining to the flight went very smoothly and we finally got to see Spiderman 3.
Things went well at Immigration, but it does take a while when you are bringing in a new permanent resident into the USA. They are very nice, but don’t get impatient with them (they will be finished when they are finished). We were patient but some people were not. Who in their right mind gets impatient with immigration? It’s not smart to get upset with the officer that is processing your new immigrant paperwork…..someone actually kept going up to the officers and asking, “Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?
In LAX you have to physically leave the International portion of the airport and walk outside for about 100 yards to reach the domestic terminal. When we went through security again they found two bottles of water that Hong Kong missed (makes you wonder about the security of flights out of Hong Kong). It was nice to find these bottles of water because they allowed us to keep one unopened bottle to mix baby formula.
Our fights into Dallas and into Tulsa were uneventful, but to keep on par for the course, we arrived in Tulsa about 15 minutes early. Lucy was met at the airport by her brother Cooper, all four of her grandparents and other family and friends including Jynger and Rebecca from Dillon International. Everyone was excited except for Lucy…though she had been awake for the previous 3 hours, she fell asleep just before we landed in Tulsa and was out like a light and missed the homecoming.
This is all for now, but there will be more to come!
Peace, Kirk
We were trying to explain that someone was coming to pick us up, but we did not know who. A man dressed in all black walks up and asks us if we need a ride. We say no and that someone was coming to pick us up. He said he would take us to the airport at no charge. We told him someone from Dillon International arranged a driver for us. He again said he would take us at no charge. The doorman entered the conversation and we figured out that this driver was sent to pick someone up and take them to the airport, but he did not know who, nor did he know how many people he was to pick up. He just knew that the trip to the airport had already been paid and that he was driving a 7 passenger vehicle.
The saving grace was that Minh mentioned that the driver would be in a 7 passenger vehicle…..so we said okay. It was odd not knowing for sure if this was really our driver, or if some wealthy businessman and his family were left standing at the curb. Well, if that was really the case, hopefully they caught a ride with our “real” driver. All we knew for sure, was that some stranger with a 7 passenger vehicle was willing to take us to the airport for free…..so off we went. We did discuss on the ride how it seemed that this driver was taking a much different and off the beaten path to the airport. It turns out he was bypassing rush hour traffic or something and we actually arrived at the airport a little sooner than we expected.
We have decided that we have extreme mixed feelings about the Hong Kong airport. On one hand it is very nice and modern. On the other hand, the security really stinks. In Hong Kong you have to go through security even though you have not left the secure part of the airport. While going through this security screening, (x-ray and metal detector), they did not take our bottled water that we had stocked up before we left the Somerset. (Hanoi didn’t take our water either). Things are going well…..we give our tickets and boarding passes and are heading down the tunnel to get on the plane. We then find more security and they are only searching bags and they are searching every bag by hand. It is here that they take our water and Tricia gets really pissed. She was about to mix up a bottle so Lucy could make it through the pressure changes during take off. The lady behind us had just purchased a bottle of water right outside the boarding gate. She was even more irate then Tricia.
Tricia complained to the flight crew right when she got on the plane and they brought her a BIG bottle of Evian…..ooh fancy! The crew was very nice. We had bulkhead seating so we could have an airplane bassinette. This was nice, but it locks you in your seat so you either have to climb over or under to make it to the bathroom or stretch your legs. The worst part for me was that the bulkhead seats were not as wide as the rest of the plane (smaller by 1.5 to 2 inches.) This is not a problem if you are of Asian descent, but it creates a huge problem if you have a huge bottom. I was literally wedged into the seat. This is extremely bad for a couple of reasons. First, this creates circulation problems in your legs and they are now advertising the importance of keeping the blood flowing so you don’t get clots and keel over! Secondly this wedgie per se was not good because I become claustrophobic if I can’t move freely. Obviously I survived, but my hips are really sore today. Other than having a fat bottom things pertaining to the flight went very smoothly and we finally got to see Spiderman 3.
Things went well at Immigration, but it does take a while when you are bringing in a new permanent resident into the USA. They are very nice, but don’t get impatient with them (they will be finished when they are finished). We were patient but some people were not. Who in their right mind gets impatient with immigration? It’s not smart to get upset with the officer that is processing your new immigrant paperwork…..someone actually kept going up to the officers and asking, “Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?
In LAX you have to physically leave the International portion of the airport and walk outside for about 100 yards to reach the domestic terminal. When we went through security again they found two bottles of water that Hong Kong missed (makes you wonder about the security of flights out of Hong Kong). It was nice to find these bottles of water because they allowed us to keep one unopened bottle to mix baby formula.
Our fights into Dallas and into Tulsa were uneventful, but to keep on par for the course, we arrived in Tulsa about 15 minutes early. Lucy was met at the airport by her brother Cooper, all four of her grandparents and other family and friends including Jynger and Rebecca from Dillon International. Everyone was excited except for Lucy…though she had been awake for the previous 3 hours, she fell asleep just before we landed in Tulsa and was out like a light and missed the homecoming.
This is all for now, but there will be more to come!
Peace, Kirk
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Last Words From Vietnam
This will be our last blog until be get home. We talked to Cooper this morning and, as you can imagine, he is extremely excited that we will be home on Thursday morning.
We are scurrying around the apartment trying to figure out how best to pack everything (broken gifts are not much fun). Our cell phones are charging as well as our iPods. Lucy is watching the Discovery Channel and learning how to prepare a Taoist funeral in Hong Kong….you never know when such information will come in handy.
We have been told that we have to be checked out of our apartment by noon and we don’t leave for the airport until 4:00 p.m. Maybe we’ll drag our bags around Ha Noi and look for that vegetarian restaurant we ate at last night…..that should kill enough time (oops, is it okay to kill time when talking about vegetarian stuff?) Maybe we’ll just have some Pringles…you can always find Pringles in Vietnam.
We’ll I must wrap this up and finish packing.
Tricia and I want to express our heart felt thanks for all of the support and prayers we have received during this venture. We ask that you continue your prayers as we transition into all the changes that we will certainly face when we get home…..it will be some journey.
Peace, Kirk
We are scurrying around the apartment trying to figure out how best to pack everything (broken gifts are not much fun). Our cell phones are charging as well as our iPods. Lucy is watching the Discovery Channel and learning how to prepare a Taoist funeral in Hong Kong….you never know when such information will come in handy.
We have been told that we have to be checked out of our apartment by noon and we don’t leave for the airport until 4:00 p.m. Maybe we’ll drag our bags around Ha Noi and look for that vegetarian restaurant we ate at last night…..that should kill enough time (oops, is it okay to kill time when talking about vegetarian stuff?) Maybe we’ll just have some Pringles…you can always find Pringles in Vietnam.
We’ll I must wrap this up and finish packing.
Tricia and I want to express our heart felt thanks for all of the support and prayers we have received during this venture. We ask that you continue your prayers as we transition into all the changes that we will certainly face when we get home…..it will be some journey.
Peace, Kirk
It's a Home Run....Going....Going.....Gone!
Speaking of the Olympics….. it’s going to be a marathon on the way home and at one point, time will even stand still. We leave Hanoi for Hong Kong at 7:10p.m. on Wednesday, August 29th. We leave Hong Kong for L.A. at 11:35p.m. on Wednesday, August 29th. We arrive in L.A. on Wednesday, August 29th, at 9:50p.m…..we actually arrive in L.A. 1 hour and 45 minutes before we leave Hong Kong……Isn’t that how Superman saved Lois Lane’s life?.......as the world turns!
After arriving in L.A. at 9:50p.m., and squeaking through Customs and Immigration, we leave for Dallas on Thursday, August 30 at 1:00a.m. This jaunt gets us into Dallas at 5:50a.m. giving us time to catch our 6:55 a.m. flight back home, which arrives in Green Country at 8:00a.m. This puts us at the baggage claim hugging Cooper around 8:10a.m. on Thursday morning, August 30th!
(note to Cooper: Let your teacher know that you won’t be in School on Thursday.)
We really wanted to leave today, but we feel very blessed to have seats on tomorrow’s flights.
The family we had to leave behind in Ho Chi Minh City caught up with us today. We went with them to the Temple of Literature. It is the oldest University in Vietnam dating back to 1010. Google “Ha Noi Temple of Literature” and you’ll see much of what we experienced in person. After that, Laura & Joe (our long lost friends), took us on a wild goose chase to find this Vegetarian restaurant she heard about. I think there should be a rule that Vegetarians should not be able to lead wild goose chases. The good news is that we worked up a really good appetite before we found it. Even better news is that it was an excellent dining experience.
Well……It’s time for a good nights sleep. We have a really long day tomorrow. I’m sure it will feel like the clock will be standing still…..oh yea, it will.
Peace, Kirk
After arriving in L.A. at 9:50p.m., and squeaking through Customs and Immigration, we leave for Dallas on Thursday, August 30 at 1:00a.m. This jaunt gets us into Dallas at 5:50a.m. giving us time to catch our 6:55 a.m. flight back home, which arrives in Green Country at 8:00a.m. This puts us at the baggage claim hugging Cooper around 8:10a.m. on Thursday morning, August 30th!
(note to Cooper: Let your teacher know that you won’t be in School on Thursday.)
We really wanted to leave today, but we feel very blessed to have seats on tomorrow’s flights.
The family we had to leave behind in Ho Chi Minh City caught up with us today. We went with them to the Temple of Literature. It is the oldest University in Vietnam dating back to 1010. Google “Ha Noi Temple of Literature” and you’ll see much of what we experienced in person. After that, Laura & Joe (our long lost friends), took us on a wild goose chase to find this Vegetarian restaurant she heard about. I think there should be a rule that Vegetarians should not be able to lead wild goose chases. The good news is that we worked up a really good appetite before we found it. Even better news is that it was an excellent dining experience.
Well……It’s time for a good nights sleep. We have a really long day tomorrow. I’m sure it will feel like the clock will be standing still…..oh yea, it will.
Peace, Kirk
Monday, August 27, 2007
Olympics Bound
Minh, our friend and guide, was almost speechless. We must be breaking all kind of speed records! Send us to the Olympics….we’re going for gold.
Our interview went well….so well that they gave us Lucy’s VISA on the spot and we don’t have to go back tomorrow afternoon as expected. What does this mean you ask? This means I’m currently doing everything I can to get on an airplane and get back to those I love.
This is great news, but…..we don’t yet know about flights. If our gold medal performance holds up, we’ll be home in a blink of an eye. However we have all watched the Olympics and witnessed the most talented favorite go down hard! We are not counting our chickens until they hatch…..and if they don’t hatch, we’ll make scrambled eggs and enjoy breakfast.
We took Lucy to the international health clinic this afternoon. It was good news. No major ear infection, just a very irritated ear canal. Nothing a little Tylenol won’t fix. This was the best $75.00 we have spent. You can’t put a price on peace of mind.
Someone call my travel agent and kick him in gear so we can get home!
Peace, Kirk
Our interview went well….so well that they gave us Lucy’s VISA on the spot and we don’t have to go back tomorrow afternoon as expected. What does this mean you ask? This means I’m currently doing everything I can to get on an airplane and get back to those I love.
This is great news, but…..we don’t yet know about flights. If our gold medal performance holds up, we’ll be home in a blink of an eye. However we have all watched the Olympics and witnessed the most talented favorite go down hard! We are not counting our chickens until they hatch…..and if they don’t hatch, we’ll make scrambled eggs and enjoy breakfast.
We took Lucy to the international health clinic this afternoon. It was good news. No major ear infection, just a very irritated ear canal. Nothing a little Tylenol won’t fix. This was the best $75.00 we have spent. You can’t put a price on peace of mind.
Someone call my travel agent and kick him in gear so we can get home!
Peace, Kirk
Sunday, August 26, 2007
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Note to self……
Don’t forget to put the electric converter on the plug before you plug in the camera docking station. If you forget, it will blow all the breakers in the entire apartment and someone from the maintenance crew will have to come and fix it.
Even more important….if you forget and plug it in without the power converter it will blow the circuits in the camera docking station and you won’t be able to download any more pictures to the blog. This will upset your family members and friends back home and you will have to reveal to them that you “blew it”…. literally.
I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words…..now you are stuck with just words.
Peace, Kirk
Don’t forget to put the electric converter on the plug before you plug in the camera docking station. If you forget, it will blow all the breakers in the entire apartment and someone from the maintenance crew will have to come and fix it.
Even more important….if you forget and plug it in without the power converter it will blow the circuits in the camera docking station and you won’t be able to download any more pictures to the blog. This will upset your family members and friends back home and you will have to reveal to them that you “blew it”…. literally.
I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words…..now you are stuck with just words.
Peace, Kirk
Interview Day
This morning we got to chime in to a family reunion that was going on at our house……Both sets of Grandparents, God Grandparents, and the Coopster. Lucy was on her best behavior which was good. We didn’t want the family to know that she is a wild child (no not really). We hope everything continues to go smoothly and quickly…..we are really missing those we love back home.
This afternoon we go to the U.S. Consulate here in Ha Noi for Lucy’s VISA interview. I hope they only ask her easy questions seeing how she is only 7 months old and doesn’t speech English, or Vietnamese for that matter. (she smiles in English however) We should get her VISA tomorrow afternoon and then we can try to change our flights to get back home as soon as possible.
For those of you who are history buffs, our “hotel” is located on the same land as the
“Ha Noi Hilton”. Part of the historic prison still exists as a museum mostly to honor the Vietnamese who were imprisoned here by the French. The portion of the prison that housed American prisoners of war was torn down to build the Ha Noi towers which houses the “hotel” where we are staying.
Peace, Kirk
This afternoon we go to the U.S. Consulate here in Ha Noi for Lucy’s VISA interview. I hope they only ask her easy questions seeing how she is only 7 months old and doesn’t speech English, or Vietnamese for that matter. (she smiles in English however) We should get her VISA tomorrow afternoon and then we can try to change our flights to get back home as soon as possible.
For those of you who are history buffs, our “hotel” is located on the same land as the
“Ha Noi Hilton”. Part of the historic prison still exists as a museum mostly to honor the Vietnamese who were imprisoned here by the French. The portion of the prison that housed American prisoners of war was torn down to build the Ha Noi towers which houses the “hotel” where we are staying.
Peace, Kirk
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Bumpy Ride
Yesterday was an emotional doozy…….we had to say goodbye to Joe, Laura, and Molly. For those of you that understand the term “people” you’ll understand when I say, it hard to leave behind some of our people. They’re good folk. It was also nice for the rest of us “seasoned” parents to be able to share our trivial baby knowledge with them; seeing how they are first time parents with no other resources from which to draw. But like I said, they’re good folk so they will do great. (It’s us seasoned folk who need the help!)
Minh, our guide, gave us great instructions so our trip through the airport was uneventful. Lucy had a great first flight. We almost gave her “take off” bottle too early, but she had enough formula to get her up to cruising altitude. Now Tricia on the other hand had a little rougher time in the air. We experienced some radical turbulence (I don’t usually use the term radical, but it seems to fit when describing turbulence). It’s needless to say, Tricia is not a turbulence fan and especially the time it felt like we dropped about 500 ft. in a split second. Things equaled out in the landing which was so smooth that I couldn’t even tell we had touched down, but then again….it could have been the beer on top of the Dramamine.
In Hanoi we were met by a driver. The funny thing was that he was driving a huge tour bus. So we had 1 driver, 4 adults, and 2 infants on a huge tour bus on the 55 minute drive to the hotel. Our hotel experience has been very different here in Hanoi than back at the REX in Ho Chi Minh City. We are staying at the Somerset, which is not a hotel but a serviced residence. A serviced residence is an apartment. We are staying in a two bedroom, two bath, living room, dining room, and full kitchen. This may sound great, but I would rather be back at the REX. This apartment has a lot of great stuff, but stuff we don’t need. The REX was more like a basic suite which fit our needs much better.
One of the things we miss the most about the REX is the complimentary breakfast buffet. It was excellent and became our favorite meal of the day. When you stay in a serviced residence you don’t get a complimentary breakfast buffet and for that matter you don’t get anything complimentary except for a couple bottles of water which is great for teeth brushing, taking morning meds, and giving morning bottles. The REX gave us bottled water as well.
Here at the Somerset you can get just about anything you want, you just have to pay for it and the prices are more what I would expect back in the USA. The Somerset is where the wealthy business people stay when they bring their families on business trips. If I were here on business with my whole family and were staying for an extended period of time, this would be perfect.
Well, I have to go pay 162,100VND per day to get the internet turned on so I can post this blog and talk to Cooper after he makes it home from a weekend with his Gram and Papa. Oh and if you were wondering, the Wi-fi internet connection at the REX was complimentary. Sorry if I sound cranky, but I skipped breakfast this morning.
Peace, Kirk
PS. On the way to pay for internet service we stopped at Jaspas, the restaurant on the 4th floor, for lunch and they had FREE Wi-Fi. Yea Jaspas!! I hope they are open early.
Minh, our guide, gave us great instructions so our trip through the airport was uneventful. Lucy had a great first flight. We almost gave her “take off” bottle too early, but she had enough formula to get her up to cruising altitude. Now Tricia on the other hand had a little rougher time in the air. We experienced some radical turbulence (I don’t usually use the term radical, but it seems to fit when describing turbulence). It’s needless to say, Tricia is not a turbulence fan and especially the time it felt like we dropped about 500 ft. in a split second. Things equaled out in the landing which was so smooth that I couldn’t even tell we had touched down, but then again….it could have been the beer on top of the Dramamine.
In Hanoi we were met by a driver. The funny thing was that he was driving a huge tour bus. So we had 1 driver, 4 adults, and 2 infants on a huge tour bus on the 55 minute drive to the hotel. Our hotel experience has been very different here in Hanoi than back at the REX in Ho Chi Minh City. We are staying at the Somerset, which is not a hotel but a serviced residence. A serviced residence is an apartment. We are staying in a two bedroom, two bath, living room, dining room, and full kitchen. This may sound great, but I would rather be back at the REX. This apartment has a lot of great stuff, but stuff we don’t need. The REX was more like a basic suite which fit our needs much better.
One of the things we miss the most about the REX is the complimentary breakfast buffet. It was excellent and became our favorite meal of the day. When you stay in a serviced residence you don’t get a complimentary breakfast buffet and for that matter you don’t get anything complimentary except for a couple bottles of water which is great for teeth brushing, taking morning meds, and giving morning bottles. The REX gave us bottled water as well.
Here at the Somerset you can get just about anything you want, you just have to pay for it and the prices are more what I would expect back in the USA. The Somerset is where the wealthy business people stay when they bring their families on business trips. If I were here on business with my whole family and were staying for an extended period of time, this would be perfect.
Well, I have to go pay 162,100VND per day to get the internet turned on so I can post this blog and talk to Cooper after he makes it home from a weekend with his Gram and Papa. Oh and if you were wondering, the Wi-fi internet connection at the REX was complimentary. Sorry if I sound cranky, but I skipped breakfast this morning.
Peace, Kirk
PS. On the way to pay for internet service we stopped at Jaspas, the restaurant on the 4th floor, for lunch and they had FREE Wi-Fi. Yea Jaspas!! I hope they are open early.
Friday, August 24, 2007
thoughts of the day
Tell today I picked up Lucy’s Vietnamese passport and we are set to fly to Hanoi tomorrow afternoon. The sad news for us is that one the families had a glitch and will not be traveling with us. Tricia and I really enjoy their company, so this is a real bummer. There is a chance that we might see them in Hanoi before we leave to head home.
I bought a manly backpack to use as my diaper bag (nice north face knockoff for 130,000 Dong…..that’s less than 9 bucks and I didn’t even haggle). Now don’t get me wrong…there is nothing wrong with the pink quilted bag that we were given as a gift….Tricia loves it. I on the other hand am not a big fan of pink or quilted bags, so when I had a chance to purchase a great backpack for less than nine dollars I jumped on it.
When the men got back from our outing to the passport office and my awesome backpack purchase I found Tricia and Lucy in the Lobby of THE REX HOTEL where we are staying. Apparently Tricia felt the construction worker with the jackhammer outside our room was a problem, as well as the dust that filled the hallway. So I did the husbandly thing and got the hotel to give us a not so jack hammery room. This was really not a problem since I said the magic words….sleeping baby. You have to remember that the Vietnamese people have an over active love for babies. I do find it interesting however that no one has ever tried to take Lucy from me. What! Do I really look that scary? I’m only 6’1” tall, weigh in at a measly 255 pounds, and have a “wooly” face……I’m a nice guy, really I am.
Our time here in Vietnam has really been great. The people here are so friendly and they carry with them a sense of peace that I have not experienced anywhere before. I have not felt unsafe or uncomfortable during the entire trip…even in the traffic. With this said, I did have a sobering moment today while out shopping. In one of the shops there were some old US military items, mainly compasses and things of that nature, but there were also old dog tags. Though this was sobering, it did not compare to the empty feeling I experienced when I came across several High School class rings from the United States dated 1963 and 1964. For me, these ghosts from the past should teach us something, as should the sense of peace I feel among my daughter’s people.
And on a lighter note: While shopping, I picked up a really cool “Happy Buddha”. I think every Episcopal Priest needs a really cool “Happy Buddha”, but as many of you know, I’m not your average priest!
Well the girls and I are off to Hanoi tomorrow, so we’ll see what the North has in store for us.
Peace…..Kirk
I bought a manly backpack to use as my diaper bag (nice north face knockoff for 130,000 Dong…..that’s less than 9 bucks and I didn’t even haggle). Now don’t get me wrong…there is nothing wrong with the pink quilted bag that we were given as a gift….Tricia loves it. I on the other hand am not a big fan of pink or quilted bags, so when I had a chance to purchase a great backpack for less than nine dollars I jumped on it.
When the men got back from our outing to the passport office and my awesome backpack purchase I found Tricia and Lucy in the Lobby of THE REX HOTEL where we are staying. Apparently Tricia felt the construction worker with the jackhammer outside our room was a problem, as well as the dust that filled the hallway. So I did the husbandly thing and got the hotel to give us a not so jack hammery room. This was really not a problem since I said the magic words….sleeping baby. You have to remember that the Vietnamese people have an over active love for babies. I do find it interesting however that no one has ever tried to take Lucy from me. What! Do I really look that scary? I’m only 6’1” tall, weigh in at a measly 255 pounds, and have a “wooly” face……I’m a nice guy, really I am.
Our time here in Vietnam has really been great. The people here are so friendly and they carry with them a sense of peace that I have not experienced anywhere before. I have not felt unsafe or uncomfortable during the entire trip…even in the traffic. With this said, I did have a sobering moment today while out shopping. In one of the shops there were some old US military items, mainly compasses and things of that nature, but there were also old dog tags. Though this was sobering, it did not compare to the empty feeling I experienced when I came across several High School class rings from the United States dated 1963 and 1964. For me, these ghosts from the past should teach us something, as should the sense of peace I feel among my daughter’s people.
And on a lighter note: While shopping, I picked up a really cool “Happy Buddha”. I think every Episcopal Priest needs a really cool “Happy Buddha”, but as many of you know, I’m not your average priest!
Well the girls and I are off to Hanoi tomorrow, so we’ll see what the North has in store for us.
Peace…..Kirk
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
no nap for me, thank you very much
About the wooly hiney…you must not know Tricia very well…..okay, okay, I’m just kidding and you’re right! I should never joke around when it comes to a girl's hiney (wooly or not….ha ha.)
Things are still ahead of schedule. We were notified that our request for the Hanoi interview on Monday was approved. What this means is if all systems stay up and running we should have Lucy’s VISA on Tuesday, which means we can travel home after that. We shall see…….
On the other hand, we could just stay here in Vietnam…… Runaway! Runaway!
On a Lucy note: She is a pro at staying awake. I remember how Austin fought sleep and how Cooper fought sleep, but Lucy….she’s a champ! I can’t help but wonder if her formula is caffeinated. Nothing keeps you up like a good cup of Joe! Speaking of Java, Vietnamese coffee is really good.
While the husbands were off paying for airline tickets to Hanoi, Tricia took Lucy out this morning for her first shopping trip. She, Lucy, came home with a cool new sun hat and a “Nuk” string. The “Nuk” string will prove to be a lifesaver, since Lucy is a thumb sucker. You see over here, thumb sucking is a bad thing and strangers of all kinds will come by, remove her thumb, tell us not to let her do that, and then they stroll off leaving Lucy upset and her parents in a confused state of mind. The “Nuk” is the key to success (and less shame) and the “Nuk” string….well it’s a little tool from paradise.
We'll see what tomorrow brings!
Peace, Kirk
Things are still ahead of schedule. We were notified that our request for the Hanoi interview on Monday was approved. What this means is if all systems stay up and running we should have Lucy’s VISA on Tuesday, which means we can travel home after that. We shall see…….
On the other hand, we could just stay here in Vietnam…… Runaway! Runaway!
On a Lucy note: She is a pro at staying awake. I remember how Austin fought sleep and how Cooper fought sleep, but Lucy….she’s a champ! I can’t help but wonder if her formula is caffeinated. Nothing keeps you up like a good cup of Joe! Speaking of Java, Vietnamese coffee is really good.
While the husbands were off paying for airline tickets to Hanoi, Tricia took Lucy out this morning for her first shopping trip. She, Lucy, came home with a cool new sun hat and a “Nuk” string. The “Nuk” string will prove to be a lifesaver, since Lucy is a thumb sucker. You see over here, thumb sucking is a bad thing and strangers of all kinds will come by, remove her thumb, tell us not to let her do that, and then they stroll off leaving Lucy upset and her parents in a confused state of mind. The “Nuk” is the key to success (and less shame) and the “Nuk” string….well it’s a little tool from paradise.
We'll see what tomorrow brings!
Peace, Kirk
more info from Ho Chi Minh City
Kirk Here….
Well it has been another great day. First we (the men) got up and went for shots…oops, I mean went to sign some papers for the kid’s passports. Then we (everyone) went to the American Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to be interviewed in conjunction for Lucy’s Visa. This was interesting….we were told to study up on all known details pertaining to Lucy and details pertaining to the adoption process so far. The lady doing the interviewing was very nice and normally in D.C. and was only here for two weeks. It wasn’t her normal job so the questions were new to her too. Things she did ask us where things we did not know, like what day a particular document was sent in and approved. Well all our documents went through our agency first, so we don’t know what day they actually were submitted. And of course then there was me…..heck I don’t know! Tricia has been doing all the paperwork. I just sign here and sign there…making sure I sign correctly with my full name and that I get the proper date on everything….really I have just been no more than a sheep following the woolly hiney in front of me.
Well we survived the interview, but it turns out that offices “system” is down, so everything has to run through Bangkok, so we’ll see what happens when it comes time to actually get Lucy’s Visa, which of course will be in Hanoi.
After surviving the interview at Ft. Knox we went to lunch at this great restaurant. Well it was a restaurant, but not your typical one. There are waiters, but the cooks are street venders that surround the restaurant. It was great and of course cheap. I had the grilled crab, it was good, but I won’t get it again. The meat sticks to the shell. I’m used to the meat sliding out of the shell. Though it was good, it was hard to eat. I should have had the spicy squid that Joe got……maybe next time. Oh…. Tricia had beef noodle soup which she said was really good and the fruit shake she had was awesome. Lucy had a nice bottle and then got taken away by the waiter. For those of you that don’t know, the people here will just come up and try to take your baby. It happens all the time. They aren’t trying to steal the babies, they just love babies. Everyone loves babies…it doesn’t matter how old/young or what gender they are. Everyone comes up and just starts playing with the babies. Now just imagine 3 sets of Americans traveling together with Vietnamese babies….everywhere we go we are the main attraction.
After lunch we went to the hospital to get the babies their Visa health check. The doctor says that Lucy just has an upper respiratory infection and not pneumonia. This was a relief to her parents. Lucy weighed in at 6.5 kg (6.5 kilogram = 14.33 pounds). I was going to let you do the math, but I’m in a good mood, so I let the internet conversion chart do it for you. (Okay….baby Jordan back home is smaller but not for long I’d bet) Lucy got the go ahead to get her Visa, so now it just a waiting game. Tomorrow, Minh, our host, will book our flights to Hanoi and we will pick up Lucy’s passport on Friday.
Currently we are ahead of schedule and if everything continues without a hitch, we could be back in the states as early as next weekend. But don’t get your hopes up. We are living in the moment, going with the flow, and just being. Being is good….you should try it. So for the rest of the evening we are just going to be.
For those of you who are headed this way…..don’t rely on SKYPE and especially for SKYPE OUT. It’s cheap to call home if it works, but so far, it has hardly worked at all. Computer to computer still works, but it has horrible background noise, so we can hardly hear Cooper, but we can see him which makes life a little easier. I just set up a “phone out” through Yahoo Messenger. It has worked to make one call so far with okay performance….I’ll let you know what I think about it after a trial or two.
Peace, Kirk
Well it has been another great day. First we (the men) got up and went for shots…oops, I mean went to sign some papers for the kid’s passports. Then we (everyone) went to the American Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to be interviewed in conjunction for Lucy’s Visa. This was interesting….we were told to study up on all known details pertaining to Lucy and details pertaining to the adoption process so far. The lady doing the interviewing was very nice and normally in D.C. and was only here for two weeks. It wasn’t her normal job so the questions were new to her too. Things she did ask us where things we did not know, like what day a particular document was sent in and approved. Well all our documents went through our agency first, so we don’t know what day they actually were submitted. And of course then there was me…..heck I don’t know! Tricia has been doing all the paperwork. I just sign here and sign there…making sure I sign correctly with my full name and that I get the proper date on everything….really I have just been no more than a sheep following the woolly hiney in front of me.
Well we survived the interview, but it turns out that offices “system” is down, so everything has to run through Bangkok, so we’ll see what happens when it comes time to actually get Lucy’s Visa, which of course will be in Hanoi.
After surviving the interview at Ft. Knox we went to lunch at this great restaurant. Well it was a restaurant, but not your typical one. There are waiters, but the cooks are street venders that surround the restaurant. It was great and of course cheap. I had the grilled crab, it was good, but I won’t get it again. The meat sticks to the shell. I’m used to the meat sliding out of the shell. Though it was good, it was hard to eat. I should have had the spicy squid that Joe got……maybe next time. Oh…. Tricia had beef noodle soup which she said was really good and the fruit shake she had was awesome. Lucy had a nice bottle and then got taken away by the waiter. For those of you that don’t know, the people here will just come up and try to take your baby. It happens all the time. They aren’t trying to steal the babies, they just love babies. Everyone loves babies…it doesn’t matter how old/young or what gender they are. Everyone comes up and just starts playing with the babies. Now just imagine 3 sets of Americans traveling together with Vietnamese babies….everywhere we go we are the main attraction.
After lunch we went to the hospital to get the babies their Visa health check. The doctor says that Lucy just has an upper respiratory infection and not pneumonia. This was a relief to her parents. Lucy weighed in at 6.5 kg (6.5 kilogram = 14.33 pounds). I was going to let you do the math, but I’m in a good mood, so I let the internet conversion chart do it for you. (Okay….baby Jordan back home is smaller but not for long I’d bet) Lucy got the go ahead to get her Visa, so now it just a waiting game. Tomorrow, Minh, our host, will book our flights to Hanoi and we will pick up Lucy’s passport on Friday.
Currently we are ahead of schedule and if everything continues without a hitch, we could be back in the states as early as next weekend. But don’t get your hopes up. We are living in the moment, going with the flow, and just being. Being is good….you should try it. So for the rest of the evening we are just going to be.
For those of you who are headed this way…..don’t rely on SKYPE and especially for SKYPE OUT. It’s cheap to call home if it works, but so far, it has hardly worked at all. Computer to computer still works, but it has horrible background noise, so we can hardly hear Cooper, but we can see him which makes life a little easier. I just set up a “phone out” through Yahoo Messenger. It has worked to make one call so far with okay performance….I’ll let you know what I think about it after a trial or two.
Peace, Kirk
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
another day
It’s Kirk again and thanks for the Kudos.
The night went well. Lucy loved the softness of the bed comforter and the carpet for that matter. She woke up around 1:30 for a bottle and then she played for a short while before falling back to sleep. The funniest thing is that Lucy, in her sleep, patted Tricia’s face most of the night and even at times took a death grip hold on her nose. Lucy is testing her mother out to see if she’s a keeper.
Prior to bed Lucy got her first bath, or a least her first bath with Tricia. I was out of the room at that point, but Tricia said Lucy loved her bath and that they had a great time. This morning we had breakfast and Lucy had to take her “cocktail” meds for her lungs. We have to crush up all these pills and we felt like an apothecary. Before getting on the bus for the 6 hour ride back to Ho Chi Minh City, Cooper was able to see his sister via webcam. He was very excited, as were we. We were also able to SKYPE OUT some phone calls to Lucy’s grandparents. (we had problems with this a first, but SKYPE got us straightened out after a few emails of un-satisfaction)
The ride back went much faster than the ride there. The babies kept us entertained. We stopped again for lunch….I highly recommend the spring roles, however since skipping a meal the day before I could have used a double order.
Tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning the dads go off on their own to celebrate with shots. We decided that it would be evening if we were back home, so why not celebrate with some shots! Okay no shots, but the dads do have to go off to sign some papers somewhere and to pay $200,000 Dong. The Dong spends much faster the dollar. Yesterday we were Dong millionaires and today, well…….in other words, yesterday we had BIG Dong and today, not so much.
We will be staying here at the REX Hotel for the next week. We’ll leave for Hanoi on August 28th.
The night went well. Lucy loved the softness of the bed comforter and the carpet for that matter. She woke up around 1:30 for a bottle and then she played for a short while before falling back to sleep. The funniest thing is that Lucy, in her sleep, patted Tricia’s face most of the night and even at times took a death grip hold on her nose. Lucy is testing her mother out to see if she’s a keeper.
Prior to bed Lucy got her first bath, or a least her first bath with Tricia. I was out of the room at that point, but Tricia said Lucy loved her bath and that they had a great time. This morning we had breakfast and Lucy had to take her “cocktail” meds for her lungs. We have to crush up all these pills and we felt like an apothecary. Before getting on the bus for the 6 hour ride back to Ho Chi Minh City, Cooper was able to see his sister via webcam. He was very excited, as were we. We were also able to SKYPE OUT some phone calls to Lucy’s grandparents. (we had problems with this a first, but SKYPE got us straightened out after a few emails of un-satisfaction)
The ride back went much faster than the ride there. The babies kept us entertained. We stopped again for lunch….I highly recommend the spring roles, however since skipping a meal the day before I could have used a double order.
Tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning the dads go off on their own to celebrate with shots. We decided that it would be evening if we were back home, so why not celebrate with some shots! Okay no shots, but the dads do have to go off to sign some papers somewhere and to pay $200,000 Dong. The Dong spends much faster the dollar. Yesterday we were Dong millionaires and today, well…….in other words, yesterday we had BIG Dong and today, not so much.
We will be staying here at the REX Hotel for the next week. We’ll leave for Hanoi on August 28th.
Monday, August 20, 2007
introducing....
Hey…this is Kirk. The girls are asleep so I decided to catch up the blog. As you well know I have not written on the blog before now, so here I go!
Well…we have a new daughter…the adoption is complete. On August 20th, 2007, at 1:30 p.m. Nguyen Thi Tuong Vy became Lucy Vy Woodliff. Yes you read that correctly….Her name is Lucy and as for her middle name it is Vy, however we have decided to keep the Vietnamese pronunciation therefore Vy is pronounced Ve.
Lucy is a dainty little gal with big, BIG beautiful brown eyes. Due to the heat and high humidity levels here in her home country she seems to have perpetually bad hair days……poofy…really poofy. Being her father and all, I think it is rather cute, as does her mother. She, Lucy, has been a little sick, but is now being treated for a fever and her smokers cough. Okay, she does not really have smokers cough, though a cough none the less. Oh….did I mention that her big, BIG brown eyes sparkle and the she has a great smile.
Now that the baby announcement has been made, let me back track a bit. We left Ho Chi Minh City Sunday morning around 7:30 on a 20 passenger bus along with two other sets of now proud new parents. We stopped for lunch about half way through….we had rice with a side of rice and for dessert we had some rice. The only thing that would have been icing on the cake was if we could have had some rice milk with our meal. Okay we really did have more than just rice, but I don’t know what it was, so for now I’m sticking with rice.
During our travels, we got to see some amazing country side including about 8 different soil changes, some awesome rock formations, mountains and the South China Sea…..who would have thought that we would have experienced just as many terrain changes as we have back in Oklahoma (just not the same changes).
We arrived in the Ninh Thuan Province around 3:00 and took a 20 minute potty and stretch break at the hotel before heading over to the orphanage/center. The center was very nice, the staff were very friendly and the children were under great care. All the children no matter the age loved the raisins we brought with us to pass out to them. One of the neatest things we witnessed was the creativity and down home ingenuity of the elementary aged kids. We had brought with us a toddler toy……plastic multi-colored snap together chain like toy. You know the ones I’m talking about…they have been around since the invention of plastic. The older kids turned them into spinning tops, by winding them with string and whipping them out on the sidewalk like throwing a Frisbee or starting a pull mower. My explanation can’t do it justice…it was pretty nifty.
After a couple of hours we left the babies and went back to the hotel for dinner and bed. On Monday we awoke and went to the center again to spend a little time with the babies, as well as with the director of the center. (a little interview of sorts) We then left the center, came back to the hotel and decided to skip lunch in lue of swimming in the South China Sea. Yes…I really skipped lunch. We decided we could eat lunch any day, but if we were going to swim in the South China Sea it had to be now or never!
We made a good choice. After an hour of swimming and a quick shower, we headed back to the center to pick up the babies. We traveled with the babies and their primary care givers to the government building where we became new parents during the GNR (giving and receiving) ceremony; aka, gotcha day!)
After that we returned to the hotel for a couple of hours of alone time before having an interesting dinner with the director and staff from the center, as well as with some of the government officials who were present at the GNR ceremony.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00. We’ll catch up some more from there……Peace, Kirk
Well…we have a new daughter…the adoption is complete. On August 20th, 2007, at 1:30 p.m. Nguyen Thi Tuong Vy became Lucy Vy Woodliff. Yes you read that correctly….Her name is Lucy and as for her middle name it is Vy, however we have decided to keep the Vietnamese pronunciation therefore Vy is pronounced Ve.
Lucy is a dainty little gal with big, BIG beautiful brown eyes. Due to the heat and high humidity levels here in her home country she seems to have perpetually bad hair days……poofy…really poofy. Being her father and all, I think it is rather cute, as does her mother. She, Lucy, has been a little sick, but is now being treated for a fever and her smokers cough. Okay, she does not really have smokers cough, though a cough none the less. Oh….did I mention that her big, BIG brown eyes sparkle and the she has a great smile.
Now that the baby announcement has been made, let me back track a bit. We left Ho Chi Minh City Sunday morning around 7:30 on a 20 passenger bus along with two other sets of now proud new parents. We stopped for lunch about half way through….we had rice with a side of rice and for dessert we had some rice. The only thing that would have been icing on the cake was if we could have had some rice milk with our meal. Okay we really did have more than just rice, but I don’t know what it was, so for now I’m sticking with rice.
During our travels, we got to see some amazing country side including about 8 different soil changes, some awesome rock formations, mountains and the South China Sea…..who would have thought that we would have experienced just as many terrain changes as we have back in Oklahoma (just not the same changes).
We arrived in the Ninh Thuan Province around 3:00 and took a 20 minute potty and stretch break at the hotel before heading over to the orphanage/center. The center was very nice, the staff were very friendly and the children were under great care. All the children no matter the age loved the raisins we brought with us to pass out to them. One of the neatest things we witnessed was the creativity and down home ingenuity of the elementary aged kids. We had brought with us a toddler toy……plastic multi-colored snap together chain like toy. You know the ones I’m talking about…they have been around since the invention of plastic. The older kids turned them into spinning tops, by winding them with string and whipping them out on the sidewalk like throwing a Frisbee or starting a pull mower. My explanation can’t do it justice…it was pretty nifty.
After a couple of hours we left the babies and went back to the hotel for dinner and bed. On Monday we awoke and went to the center again to spend a little time with the babies, as well as with the director of the center. (a little interview of sorts) We then left the center, came back to the hotel and decided to skip lunch in lue of swimming in the South China Sea. Yes…I really skipped lunch. We decided we could eat lunch any day, but if we were going to swim in the South China Sea it had to be now or never!
We made a good choice. After an hour of swimming and a quick shower, we headed back to the center to pick up the babies. We traveled with the babies and their primary care givers to the government building where we became new parents during the GNR (giving and receiving) ceremony; aka, gotcha day!)
After that we returned to the hotel for a couple of hours of alone time before having an interesting dinner with the director and staff from the center, as well as with some of the government officials who were present at the GNR ceremony.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00. We’ll catch up some more from there……Peace, Kirk
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Fun Fun Fun
Yesterday was a blast! We got up early because we couldn't sleep so we Skyped home and talked to our little man. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to. We're still having some skype problems, but we've talked to home a few times so far. We went down to breakfast and let me tell you, Kirk was soooo adventurous. I think he intentionally ate the weirdest looking dishes they had, and let me tell you there were some very unusual things. We sat with a lovely couple from England who are traveling around SE Asia. We then went around the area of the Hotel. We got a bicycle taxi who took us all around. It was great! That is, if one completely put trust in his ability to manunver around all the scooters and buses. Crazy! I plan on taking a picture of the traffic because it really is an art to move around. The very cool thing is that people are so kind to each other in traffic. It's like a big dance. We went to a market, the War Remnants Museum, which is very moving and disturbing at the same time, around Notre Dame all over. It was great! We are leaving for Vy's province in thirty minutes so I've got to go!!!! More later....
Friday, August 17, 2007
we're here
What a trip so far! It started out with Kirk having a short conversation with Alice Cooper. Yes, that’s right Alice Cooper. I was sitting waiting for our first of four flights and Kirk went to go get something from the news shop. I saw Alice Cooper walking by and called Kirk since he was headed his way. Kirk actually said Hi to him and he stopped and asked where Kirk was going etc. He recommended getting a lot of magazines since we were going all the way to Vietnam. Our first two flights were uneventful, but delayed. We got to Los Angeles and decided to take it easy since we had several hours before our flight. We walked over to the international part of the airport and saw that our flight was… delayed, and it didn’t list a gate. There was a 11:50 flight to Hong Kong from the same airline, so we walked all the way to that gate to be told your flight is delayed until tomorrow morning. SO… we went to the airline counter and waited for an hour in line. We were treated nicely and the airline was very helpful. They gave us a hotel voucher, so we got to stay the night in LA and actually get a little sleep, and a nice free breakfast—not a horrible thing for a layover. I would recommend for those families who are traveling soon to think about getting to Vietnam two days before you are supposed to leave for the province. If this had happened and we hadn’t allowed for two days I don’t know how we would have gotten to the province on time. Just a thought… Hong Kong is gorgeous. We were just at the airport, but the view just from the airport is breathtaking.
P.S.We have been in Vietnam for a few hours now. We are both exhausted. The traffic is facinating-- which is about all we have seen so far! The Dillon staff greeted us at the airport and were so kind. Our room is nice. Those of you who have skyped--any hints for getting it to let you skype out?
P.S.We have been in Vietnam for a few hours now. We are both exhausted. The traffic is facinating-- which is about all we have seen so far! The Dillon staff greeted us at the airport and were so kind. Our room is nice. Those of you who have skyped--any hints for getting it to let you skype out?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
adios
Well we leave tomorrow to get our precious little girl. Please keep us in your prayers as well as our little guy who is staying at home with friends, family and pets. YEE HAW!!!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
5 days and counting
Well, I don't actually have much to say except that there is soooo much to get done. We are feeling a myriad of emotions right now, and prayers for sanity would be great! Soon we will have our little girl in our arms :)
Monday, August 06, 2007
travel
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. We've been swamped. We will be leaving for Vietnam on Wednesday, August 15th and will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City August 17th after four flight changes! We will be blogging while in Vietnam to keep everyone up to date. We will be there for two to three weeks. Pray for two!
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