Our China Itinerary
[Note: Other than departure/arrive home days, this is in China time, 16 hours in the "future."]
October 30: Hubby and I fly out in the morning. We fly into the future!
October 31: We arrive in Nanchang in the evening. A guide will meet us at the airport and help us check into our hotel.
November 1: Gotcha Day!!! We will meet Baby for the first time at our hotel at 4:30; if we understand correctly, they will be bringing her directly to our room. We do not know if we will get to meet her foster mom. We will have a short time with whoever brings her to us, and then they leave her with us. Yes, just like that! We will spend the rest of the day getting to know her and calming her and hoping that we all get some sleep that night.
November 2: The next morning, we will fill out the paperwork at the local civil office. We will be getting our Adoption Certificate.
November 3-5: Free Time (waiting for Baby’s passport). We ended up with an extra day of free time since we got her on Sunday instead of Monday (no complaints!). We can sight-see, shop, and spend time with Baby. We also hope to visit her orphanage on one of the days!
November 6: We have some free time in the morning (ie. packing time) while the facilitator picks up Baby’s passport. Then we will fly to Guangzhou where the U.S. Consulate is.
November 7: Baby will have her medical exam. Since she is over 2 years, she will also be given a TB test.
November 8: We will visit Shamian Island. “The island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep. The island is the location of several hotels, a youth hostel, restaurants and tourist shops selling curios and souvenirs.”
November 9: Baby will have her TB test read. Please pray for negative results! Sometimes the immunizations that they give them can cause a false positive, which means a chest x-ray and possible delays.
November 10-11: Free Time. We got a Thursday consulate appointment instead of a Tuesday or Wednesday, so these extra two days are due to that. However, we preferred extra time waiting with her in China than another week before we could leave to get her!
November 12: We head to the U.S. Consulate, turn in the paperwork, and take the oath.
November 13: Our guide will pick up Baby’s visa packet. It is STRONGLY suggested that you wait 48 hours after the consulate appointment to fly home in case of delays.
November 14: We leave China and fly into the past. (Our flight itinerary makes it seem like we are on the plane only 3 hours. We wish!) We will make it into hometown VERY late that night! Home Sweet Home!
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