Saturdays in the Park!

We've been back in Hanoi, enjoying a relaxing and quiet time with David this week.  So what have we been doing to fill our days lately?  Here's a list of some of the highlights:

• Took a walk through the Old Quarter and a tour of a Hanoi tube house.  It was so interesting to see the simple furnishings and kitchen that a family of six uses for their daily living.  The house is at 87 Ma May Street, and admission is a whopping 5,000 dong (about 30 cents!)  Go spend your wad and see it - we recommend it highly to better understand Vietnamese daily life.
• Made a trip out for groceries and laundry.  Grocery stores are not at every major intersection here in Hanoi the way they are at home, so it's a real excursion to get normal chores done.  The laundry was sooooo worth it though - only $15 to wash and fold a large suitcase worth of stuff!  Wish we could figure out how to import that one to the U.S. - I'd bring it just for you, Shelly and Sheila! :)
• Took a long walk all the way around Hoan Kiem Lake on Saturday night.  There were so many families out, eating ice cream, playing badminton, enjoying the cooler weather, as it had rained that afternoon.  David slept peacefully in his carrier the entire time.  What a beautiful evening!
• Had a fantastic Italian dinner at Leone d'Oro's across from the Opera House, courtesy of the Clines' suggestion!
• Enjoyed a night out for Bill to hear the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra at the Hanoi Opera House - my birthday gift to him!  Besides, any time that you can hear the Symphony for $12/ticket, you just gotta go!
• Took a long taxi ride around town to see some different parts of the city and to go to a very modern Hanoi shopping mall.  We had a great time looking at all the clothing and fashion that is trendy here, but our very favorite part was the appliance store.  Bill loved the big t.v.'s (of course, it's a guy thing) and Paula was amazed by the tiny kitchen appliances.  Most Vietnamese do not have any refrigeration in their homes.  The wealthiest have a fridge that is about 24" wide by about 4 feet tall.  Most Vietnamese cook outdoors on a homemade stove/grill (made often from a large coffee can or a clay flower pot and fired with either wood kindling or charcoal).  The wealthiest Vietnamese go to the appliance store and buy either a single flat hot plate or a small wok-style electric skillet and perhaps a rice cooker.  That's about it! :)  Definitely not the typical HGTV dream kitchen, but it seems to work amazingly well here!
• Went for dinner with some new friends at the Green Tangerine Restaurant on Hang Be Street.  Wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere, wonderful conversation!  Thanks Heather and Paul for a great evening!  By the way, their sweet Dylan is also from the Vinh Long orphanage, and they had their G&R just a few days after ours!

We've posted some more photo highlights below.  Of course, our favorite times have been spent just playing with David and enjoying his happy smile.  You may notice in the close-up photo that he has quite a little rash on his face right now.  We saw a Western Doctor this week, and she believes it is a reaction to the strong medicine that we had to use to treat his scabies.  He continues to amaze us, though, by smiling and cooing despite all the polka dots! :)  

We'll be heading home in just two days!  We have loved our time here in Vietnam, and now we are so excited and ready to introduce David to big brother Will and the rest of the family!  Don't be surprised if we don't post again for a bit; we will be too busy just being a happy family having a Happy 4th of July at home!

Hanoi Highlights

Visa - it's exactly where we want to be! :)

Today was a really big day for us!  We got ourselves all dressed up and went to the U.S. Embassy.  We paid our fees and had a very cursory (like 2 minutes) interview with an Immigration Officer.  Bill gave an official sworn statement as the primary petitioner that all the papers presented were true and correct to the best of his knowledge.  The officer then stamped a little claim check, not at all unlike a car valet receipt, and told us that David's Visa would be ready any time after 4:30 p.m.  Just like that, it was finished!  The process of adopting is not a short trip, so it seems a little surreal to have David in hand, let alone all of his papers necessary to return to the U.S.

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Now we get to sit back and relax - literally.  On the wise counsel of our adoption agency, we had previously booked our return flight to leave on July 2 and land on July 3, allowing us plenty of time for any hiccups along the way.  God has been so gracious that our entire process has been accomplished without any paperwork issues, so we are finished a few days early.  We are not planning to change our flights though.  Instead, we are going to take it easy and enjoy the beauty of Hanoi, the air-conditioning and great care of the Hilton, and get to know our son.

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We're also going to let him get to know us.  You see, his little world is one big ball of changes right now.  After all, he had lived his entire young life in a kind and caring but very rural orphanage.  Suddenly, these two smiling faces (a.k.a., Bill and me) pick him up and whisk him into a world of cities, scooters, sights and sounds.  David has been an absolute trooper, hanging pretty tough despite all the changes.  The extra few days of quiet will do him a lot of good though, before we ask a huge task of him as we load him onto an airplane for 8,600 miles and 12 time zones!  (Hopefully, sitting close to us on the planes won't be a huge task for our fellow fliers!)  

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Thank you all for your prayers and support for us during this entire multi-year process.  Please continue to pray us all the way home.  We ask that you would pray for David's health right now - he has a nasty case of scabies that causes skin issues for him.  He is also working hard to adjust to life on Western formula and baby food, so pray for his little tummy to stay well.  Pray for wisdom for us as parents as we are trying to learn his schedule and world and to help him feel safe and secure with us.  

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I've posted some first-week highlight photos below.  Sorry it took so long to get them on the blog.  Our internet is much slower here, our eyes are a bit bleary from being awake nights with an infant, and our hands are more full taking care of our new son!  Most of all, though, our hearts have grown to hold even more love for another sweet boy! :)  Praise be to God, from Whom all blessings flow!

Meeting David!

Back in Saigon with our Son!

So sorry we have been blog-delinquent!  You see, our lives changed dramatically on Thursday morning when David became our son!  He's been our son in our hearts for so long, and now, our dream has come true and he is our son legally in the eyes of Vietnam.  

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How do you describe David?  Words can hardly contain all the joy he is already bringing to us.  If I were to sum it up in one phrase, he is a tiny little ball of happiness!  Tiny definitely describes him physically; though almost 9 months old, he weighs 13.5 lb.  He is wearing the 6-months clothes that I brought for him and they are about twice as big as he is! :)  We're rolling sleeves and pantlegs bigtime! :)  Although he is tiny, he is just about the happiest kid I've seen in awhile.  He loves to be held and snuggled, and he already lights up like a Christmas Tree every time he sees Bill or me.  Literally, this morning I was greeted like a soldier coming home from war after I returned from taking a 10-minute shower! :)  

David's size doesn't in any way relate to his development either; though he's so tiny, he can roll over both directions, sit up, and crawl across the room.  If his Momma wasn't dressing him in oversized clothes, he could crawl across the room in about 20 seconds, but the extra padding seems to slow him down a bit! :)  He is also babbling a lot and seems to have some important things to tell us, judging by the way he raises his eyebrows and bobs his head when he talks.  I hauled American toys 8,600 miles over here, and of course, his favorite things to play with are the cardboard boxes his bottles came in and the vinyl bag I use to store his bottles! :)  Typical kid!

We are enjoying a quiet weekend here in Saigon now that all of our paperwork and doctor's visit are finished.  What a blessing too - the paperwork in the U.S. was tedious, but it's a little exhausting with a baby in tow that wants to be held constantly!  For you soon-to-travel families, make sure to bring a baby carrier - it's worth every penny you spend on it! :)  David falls asleep well in his too, so it's a good way to start naptimes.

Monday afternoon, we will fly to Hanoi.  We expect to be there a week, finishing David's paperwork at the U.S. Embassy and getting final approval to bring this boy home!  If all goes well, David will be an American citizen when we land back in the U.S. just in time for the Fourth of July! :)  Hot dogs, burgers, BBQ, ice cream, and apple pie for everyone, I say! (Can you tell we've eaten a lot of Vietnamese food this past month?  I love the food here, but boy will my Dad's brisket be a treat as well!  Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder!)

Will, we miss you, but are so, so glad that you are having fun in Oklahoma.  Enjoy your trips to the pool and all the outings.  Can't wait to see your Indiana Jones Legos!  I know you will especially enjoy Grandparent Palooza next weekend - four grandparents (plus Ron & Gaile, almost surrogates as well!) and one kid!  Let the spoiling begin! :)  

Xin Chao from Saigon!

"Xin Chao" is Vietnamese for "Hello", so Hello from Saigon! :)  We are settled in at the Rex hotel now here in Saigon.  The first part of our trip is finished, and now we begin the grand finale - meeting David and bringing him home!  

The flight from Hoi An/Danang to Saigon is only one hour, but it feels as though you have travelled to a whole new world.  Saigon feels like a very large American city, but Bill & I can't agree which one it is most like.  Bill says Saigon reminds him of New York, with all the hustle and bustle and the fact that it never slows down much at night.  I think of the Las Vegas strip a little here, with all the neon lights and a bit of glitz.  Saigon is the most Western of all the cities in Vietnam, with a melting pot of architecture, restaurants, and people.  We seemed to be the only Americans in the other parts of Vietnam.  In Saigon, on the other hand, we are one of many, and we were able to have spaghetti, pizza, and Diet Coke today for lunch.  I even bought Maybelline lipstick yesterday at the mall across the street from our hotel.  Having experienced several parts of Vietnam, I have to say though, that what you gain in convenience in Saigon, you lose a bit in culture and charm.  Saigon's new, it's modern, it's sleek - it's just a little low on history and beauty compared with other parts of the country.

On Saturday when we arrived here, we toured the downtown area a little bit and saw some of the beautiful buildings here.  We went by the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post office, and the local market here.  We had intended to tour Reunification Palace on Sunday, but it was closed due to the funeral of a previous Vietnamese Prime Minister.  Instead, we went to Saigon's Chinatown and saw the throngs of cheap products that you can buy there.  We also enjoyed wandering through some of the interesting shops and galleries in downtown.  Sunday night, Bill & I had dinner on a boat cruise on the Saigon River, which runs adjacent to the downtown area.  It was a great view of the lights of the city and a great way to finish our touring time.

Tomorrow, we will head down to Vinh Long and Can Tho.  Vinh Long is a small, rural town without Western hotels or restaurants safe for the tummy, so we'll stay in Can Tho across the river.  Can Tho is the fourth largest city in the country (after Saigon, Hanoi, and Danang).  The other three adoption families here right now all have children at the Can Tho orphanage, so we'll be able to spend some of the evenings with them.  We'll ferry back and forth across the river to visit the orphanage until David's G&R ceremony on Thursday morning.  If all goes smoothly, we will travel back to Saigon with David on Thursday afternoon and fly to Hanoi on Monday, June 23.  

Next post:  David! :)

The Charm of Hoi An

A View of Hue

Hue and Hoi An - Part 2

Hoi An
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Note to readers: I posted these blogs about Hue and Hoi An at the same time. Sorry for the delay, we have had limited internet access. Start with the one below about Hue, then move on to this one!
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We drove from Hue to Hoi An, crossing the mountains at Hai Van Pass – literally translated Pass of the Ocean Clouds. The road is the Vietnamese Route 1 – interestingly, the same as the other side of the Pacific along the California coastline. The road winds along the coast, through rice patties with views of the ocean and little fishing villages beyond. You pass the little town of Lang Co, where we stopped for a break and took pictures of the aquariums of fresh seafood where you can pick and eat! They have prawns here that are as long as from my hand to my elbow! Past Lang Co, we headed up the pass across the mountains. The road is lush and pretty, with greenery growing everywhere – very tropical. For those of you wondering, I did great despite my tendency towards carsickness, probably because you only drive about 20 mph max and because my Mom and Leigh B. have been praying for my tummy! J Seriously, the road is lovely and in good condition, although it is very steep (8% grade) and filled with switchbacks and hairpin curves. We enjoyed the drive during the day, but I kept thinking how scary it must’ve been for the U.S. military that defended it during the War – literally, every turn was a spot for ambush from the Viet Kong. Even today, it’s probably pretty hairy when it’s wet, as indicated by the number of altars along the way built to the god of not dying in a car crash!
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After the pass, we reached Danang – today a bustling industrial town and major seaport, during the War a large base for US operations and the well-known China Beach. If Hue is a picture of Vietnam’s past, Danang may be its future – tons of industrial factories making everything from LG washing machines to Crocs shoes. The beach is also a skyline of tower cranes right now, building resorts as far as you can see. Some of the travel magazines call Danang “the next Hawaii” and I understand why, because there are high-rise beachfront resorts and condos, as well as ultra-luxurious spa-type lush resorts being built everywhere. Twenty years ago, the land along the beachfront from Danang to Hoi An (about 20 miles) was so worthless that it was only used as cemeteries – nothing grew and everything flooded there. Now, it’s a tourism goldmine!
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There’s good reason for all the building, because the beach is gorgeous. It reminded Bill & me of the Florida panhandle – wide, white beaches, blue ocean with low surf great for swimming, jet-skiing and fishing. It is even better here, though, because there are mountain views as well. Amazingly pretty!
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Hoi An is charming. The people here are craftsmen – very talented at all sorts of handcrafts. We stopped at a marble factory, where they carve ornate marble and jade sculptures. We toured a ceramics village, where clay is still mixed by feet (stomping to soften and mix it, sort of like old-time wine production) and then pottery is formed and fired. Very pretty people, but very, very poor – the mechanized production of dishes and steel cookware has left them almost penniless, and it shows. A highlight for us was to stop at a silk factory, where we toured to see all the way from the silkworms through the production of the silk, the huge rooms of looms, and then the finished fabric. We splurged on some handmade, custom clothing there – Bill bought silk shirts and had a suit and a blazer made, I had two silk blouses and two skirts made. (The highest-quality, hand-made, silk blouse with gorgeous embroidery cost me $30 – what a deal!)
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Hoi An was an ancient seaport, and it feels like a melting pot here. We walked the town (no cars allowed in town) and saw a Japanese-style covered bridge, a Chinese clan meeting house, and a 400-year-old typical Hoi An Vietnamese home. Really neat! Just like in most of Vietnam, the front of each house is a shop or restaurant, selling anything from handmade jewelry to clothes to paintings. The back of the house and the second story are where the family lives. Most Vietnamese still sleep on a bamboo mat, although many put the mat on a solid wood bed frame now instead of on the ground – still not our cushy American beds! Most Vietnamese also still cook behind their homes unless it rains, often on a wood-fired small stove. Propane is available, but is still pretty expensive, so they try to save money and cook over wood fire instead.
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Even though the cooking is simple, the food is incredible – really the best we’ve had so far in Vietnam. Hoi An specializes in rice vermicelli noodles, often served stir-fried with a sauce of peanuts, lime juice, chilies, and soy sauce. They’re topped with pork or shrimp, bamboo sprouts, and lots of mint and cilantro. Tasty! My favorite here is the wontons – a large wonton (like 4-inches square) deep fried crispy and served with diced vegetables on top. So good! Will would love it here because they always serve the fried wontons with the meals – he calls them “Chinese Chips” when we order take-out at home, and they are his favorite part of the meal! The first night, we had dinner at a lovely restaurant on their outdoor patio under a bamboo-thatched roof. A few minutes into dinner, a huge thunderstorm came up, but we stayed totally dry, enjoying our dinner while listening to the rain on the roof and enjoying the coolness the rain brings – really a wonderful evening!
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We also went for a walk on the beach, Bill swam in the ocean just to say he’d done the beach on both sides of the Pacific, I sat under a bamboo-thatched umbrella and sipped fruit juice – all included with our hotel room! Like I said, it’s the next Hawaii! :) I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful the flowers are on our hotel grounds, so I’ll post pictures instead. Let’s just say, there are so many flowers here and they put them everywhere – on the bed, on the bathroom counter, even in the toilets! :)
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Later today, we will drive back to Danang and fly to Saigon. We will tour there for a couple of days, and then meet up with our Dillon group to go see David! :) We had a special surprise, as many of the Dillon families received their travel approvals this week, including our dear friends from OKC, Mai & Chad. They are meeting us Monday in Saigon, and we are thrilled! :) Their son is in Can Tho, where we will spend our nights, across the Mekong River from where David is in Vinh Long. My heart already races at the idea that we are maybe 4-5 days from meeting him for the first time!
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Off to catch our flight to Saigon! More to come soon!

Hue and Hoi An - Part 1

Hue and Hoi An
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Hue and Hoi An are smaller Vietnamese cities, lying closer to the center of the country. Though they are only maybe 50-60 miles apart, they are almost two different worlds.
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Hue is the old imperial city, where the last kings of Vietnam lived. In the early-1800’s, the king of Vietnam moved the capital of the country from Hanoi to Hue, to a more central geography for better control of the entire country and to be farther away from the threat of Chinese invasion. The past still looms large in Hue, and most of the tourist sites relate to the king. We toured the remains of the imperial palace and stood on the top of the wall where the king would address all of the people. We also toured the tomb of Ming Mang – considered one of the fairest and best of the Vietnamese kings. It’s not a tomb in the way we think as Americans; rather, it is a beautiful acreage, with ornate gardens and several buildings all surrounded by a high stone wall. King Ming Mang was said to have had 500 wives and 142 children (at least, though with 500 wives, how could you really keep track!). When he died, all of his wives and children moved to the tomb site to live out the rest of their lives. Although one of his sons became the new king, keeping all the jealous brothers, sisters, and mothers nearby evidently was not an option!
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Hue is also linked to the past in another strong way. It is the closest significantly-sized city to the heart of the fighting of the Vietnam War. We took a boat ride a couple of miles up the river from Hue, and we were only maybe 20 miles from the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and could still see remnants of the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the mountain in front of us. There are reminders of the war all around Hue – concrete bunkers, old military bunkhouses, and lots of stories of the war. It’s amazing how close we were to it all – only 15-20 miles from Quan Tri, maybe 50 miles from the border to Laos. Our guide was 8 years old when Saigon fell, and he remembers much about the war. Hue was strongly sympathetic to the South and very allied to the American forces there, so life was hard for them after the war ended. Although the area seems to have a good future with lots of industry and manufacturing building nearby and promising tourism with the Imperial and military sites, the past will always be near in Hue.
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The Hue festival was going on while we were in town. The city was at its prettiest, with silk lotus flowers and lanterns hung in all the trees. Hue is cut in half by the Perfume River, and the heart of town lies along its banks. There were huge silk lotus flowers (bigger than a boat) floating in the river that lit up at night. The bridges across the river were all lit up as well – really enchanting, especially looking down from our 12th floor hotel room. The festival was a week of music and dance troupes from around the world. There were also boat races during the day, where teams of paddlers (think crew in a Vietnamese bamboo boat!) would race on the river. Each village could submit one team to race, and the winners received $500 U.S. and a pig! There were lots of people sitting on the shore watching the races when we took our boat tour up the Perfume River.
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Hoi An is next!