Sue's journey

My Journey in Vietnam has come to an end.
Evie and I arrived home safely on Thursday evening despite the raging snow storm and horrendous traffic you all had to deal with here in Boston.  The trip was virtually uneventful after what we had been through the last 3 months.
We had a little delay in Hanoi, when it became necessary to explain to the Immigration officer why my Visa had expired.  Nga assisted me in talking to the officials and after paying them a $33 fine I was allowed to go.
Evie loved her first class plane ride home.  The flight attendants loved her and couldn't have been more helpful to me along the way.  In fact everyone was very helpful.  Many people helped me with my bags, gave me words of congratulations and entertained the baby on occasion. 
We are both a bit exhausted.  She has slept a big part of today and i just awoke from and hour nap.  WE have also had some visitors.  Evie is handling that o.k. but of course after spending so much time alone with me you can only imagine how bonded we have become.  She has started to let others hold her....if and only if I am close by.  She loved her cousins today.  They were a big hit playing peek a boo and "so big" with her.  She also seems to be quite attracted to men and will more easily let them hold her.  The car seat experiences have yet to be pleasant.  She can't seem to understand why mommy can't hold her on her lap anymore while riding in the car.  She felt the same way when i strapped her in her high chair at first, but then realized she was going to be fed and therefore tolerated the confinement. 
We will spend the week settling into our home, resting, unpacking and visiting all of our friends.
We will also have a little time to prepare for the best Christmas ever!!! We are home with our family and it is a joy to share with all of them my daughter.  I couldn't have asked for a better present then to be given her Visa and sent on my way.

Thank you all for you continued support of my journey. It certainly wasn't what I had been expecting, but it was the best journey of my life.  I have always wanted to be a mom and nothing could have kept me from Evelyn......she is my sweet little girl and I would have fought to the end to bring her home. I am glad I didn't have to continue fighting any longer.....but believe me I wasn't leaving Vietnam without her.    Some day I will share with her all of the memories we shared there. I have many, many pictures to show her and lots of stories to tell.  THis blog will become a lasting documentation of this journey and your comments will become part of the story!!

This will be our last entry, but certainly not the end of my journey.  The next chapter of my life with my daughter can now begin and I am hopeful it will be less dramatic than it has been but not less magical!!!

Good bye from Concord!!

love,
Sue and Evelyn

Guess What???

I AM COMING HOME WITH EVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning while having my breakfast with Evie in the hotel cafeteria, the hotel desk clerk brought me the phone.
It was An.....she was already crying so I hoped it was good news!!!  It was!!! She could barely get the words out.
She was on her way here to pick up the last few documents needed for the Visa and for Evie's passport to get the official stamp put in.  WE will go to the Embassy later to pay and tomorrow they will issue it to us late in the afternoon.
As of right now, I plan to be on a plane at 8:00 tomorrow night...putting me in Boston on Thurs. evening.

I was crying like a fool in the lobby, holding Evie tight and telling her we were going home.  The hotel staff seemed as excited over the news as I was.  They understood that my tears were filled with joy!!!  I continued to hold Evie tight for about 3 min. more in the lobby, told them all how happy I was and then headed to my room to call mom and dad!
As I got to my room I noticed two sets of mens shoes outside my door.  The engineers were in my room working on the airconditioning system.  I thought to myself....Ok...I guess they will wonder why I am crying on the phone..but oh well!!! I am too happy to let  a couple of strangers keep me from calling home!!!
It was such a relief, and a moment filled with such happiness to tell my mom,,"We are coming home!!""  I am not sure who was crying more!!  I heard her say to my dad through the tears,  "SHe's coming home!!""  
I know that this ordeal has been so hard on my family and I was thrilled to finally be able to say it is coming to an end!!
I then of course had to call Jo-ann.  At first I got the answering machine....I kept saying, "answer to phone you guys, answer the phone...it's me!"  Mackenzie answered and when I told her I was coming home she said, "yeah...I'll get mom.""  I don't think JO-ann stopped screaming for about 2 mins......again it was such a joy to finally be able to tell her I was on my way.  She was so loud she said she woke up Andrew....but I am so glad she did because I wanted him to know the good news also. 
We have a busy day ahead of us.  I am doing laundry as I type, I will have to go to the market one last time to get some food for Evie for the trip home, I will begin packing, we have to go to the Embassy and we are going out to dinner with An and Nga!!!  It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to them...but as An said yesterday,  "she loves us so much she knows we have to head to America"   

I will write again later.  Right now I might need to get in the shower to make it through the day!!!

Thank you all for your support and love.  WE can't wait to see everyone again and to be able to actually talk to you in person!.
I will do my best to keep up the blog as we travel....there are computers in all the airports so I will try to log on and update you as our trip continues!!
Love to everyone,
Sue and Evie

Hi....
Evie and I have just returned from a late night out.  We went out to dinner with our attorney and two representatives from the other agency he works for.  We went to the SEN restaurant.  It was quite the experience.
The beginning of the night was a bit worrisome....first Evelyn cried when the two representatives, Martin and Kim tried to hold her ...and I mean really cried. It was now already 7:00 and she hadn't eaten any dinner yet and she didn't know either one of them.  I could have predicted this would be her reaction, but here in Vietnam you want to be polite to people and if they want to hold the baby (even i you know she is going to cry) you politely let them learn for themselves!!!
The next part of our adventure was the taxi ride.  It appeared to me that the driver didn't really know where he was going due to the slowness of his driving on one particular street.  Then it became very apparent he was lost when he turned the taxi around on a very busy 2lane (maybe 3 lane) highway...or at least a what is called a highway here in Hanoi.  In actuality it is about the width of a two way street in America but there are cars, trucks, buses and motor bikes going along in any which lane.  It is quite amusing how the double line means nothing over here.  So finally, i realize the cab driver or the rep. or maybe both are calling the restaurant for directions and we eventually make it down what I would call an alleyway.  At the end of the "alley" are many people, bright lights, a man selling balloons and approx. 10 cabs or so. It looks as if there is a party going on.  I soon learn that this is the restaurant.
It was a very large, open air place with long tables. It had the feel of Durgin Park....everyone sits with everyone and it is loud and busy!!  It was a buffet style restaurant.  We were seated at the end of a long table, asked what we would like for drinks and then ushered over to the huge variety of food.  I was so pleased to see that the food was labled in both Vietnamese and English.  I picked out several salad type dishes, some sauteed green beans with prawns, grilled prawns and soup to start with. I knew Evelyn would like the soup and the rest looked interesting to me. I stayed clear of the eel, the goat meat and snails!!  MY first course was delicious and before I knew it more food was placed in front of me. Martin and Kim took it upon themselves to get me food.  Eveyln continued to sample a few things...spring rolls and fish sauteed with mushrooms and beef. SHe would have tried more but mommy drew the line on the clams with hot pepper sauce and the fish and glass noodles!!  She even wanted to get her hands on the chopsticks.
The next thing I knew...dessert had come.  A very large plate of fruit, creme de caramel, sweet black beans, donuts, and some other fruit in sugar.  I was so surprised with the black beans.  Martin said that they only had them in Vietnam and that I had to try them.  Well, they were outstanding. I asked how to make them and will attempt them when I get home.  It might take me a while to perfect the right amount of sugar...but I don't think it will be too hard.

All in all it was a wonderful evening. A late one....Evie finally fell asleep on my shoulder at about 9:15 or so.  I figured it didn't matter if she was up late or not given the fact she was up every hour last night.  But....she seems to be fast asleep at this point. She didn't even wake up as I took her out of her carrier, took off her jacket, changed her diaper and laid her into her bed.  Maybe she needs more nights out to help her sleep!!  She certainly loved the excitement and was a very good little girl through the whole event.  
I am hopeful that this will turn out to be one of our very last Vietnamese meals in Hanoi and one of our very last experiences before heading home.  It would certainly be a nice way to end it.

Good morning to everyone,
American Christmas carols now greet us every morning and afternoon in the hotel lobby.  This morning it was a version of Jingle bells and Dreaming of a White Christmas. It is a little flavor of home for me and a little glimpse into what is in store for Evie back in the states.  She now wants to touch all the ornaments on the tree and it is quite a challenge to keep her from grabbing them.

For those of you hoping I will get a picture of the gecko...it has been quite amusing. I now sneak into the kitchen, turn on the camera and then and only then do I turn on the light.  The light and a little noise make him scurry up the wall back to his hiding place.  One can only hope I won't have to do this long before I catch him or that no one sees me trying to sneak up on a very tiny little animal. 

Not sure if I have described this before, but not only are people usually fishing in our lake thye are also harvesting small plants. Yesterday and the day before, I was shocked to see people very far out in the water holding baskets.  The baskets must float on the surface and they must either be excellent swimmers or the baskets are bouyant enuough to support them in the water also???  I am not quite sure how it works.  I noticed one of the individuals was actually picked up in the deeper water by a motor boat.  I believe what they are harvesting water cress plants, but others may be fishing in this manner.  It is an amazing sight.  The ingenuity of this culture is amazing.  They seem to have developed all types of coping skills to make their lives work without all the material objects and modern technology we are accustomed to.  Also yesterday, four men were working on the side of our buidling near our sliding glass door to the outside.  THey spent the entire day drilling into the concrete to make a whole for the wiring of a surveilence camera.  They climbed up the railing of my balcony, shimmied up onto the awning and then used a scafolding system on top of that. THey were extremely agile and excellent climbers.  It took them the better part of the day but by the end they had drilled a 6-7ft length line for the wiring, installed the wires, connected the camera and then cemented up the hole.  Evie thought it was great to watch although the noise of the drilling made it impossible for her to have an afternoon nap.  So...at 6:00 last night and without any dinner she went to sleep for the night.  Of course she woke a few times for a bottle but she never fully woke up to eat. 

Not sure what today will bring. I think we will primarily stay around the hotel....maybe travel out for an early dinner??
The weather is funny today. It is sunny one minute and then overcast another. I am not sure if we are expecting rain, but when it does come it can be very heavy.  I hate to chance being out in it!  I will wait and see.
I hear you are all having snow again.  We can't wait to get back to a little NE weather and yes...I do have some warm clothes for Evie to wear when she gets off the plane. I am not sure why, but I brought with me a one piece fleece outfit for her. I guess I thought it might get a little chilly??!!  So she is all set. I will just throw that over the clothes she wears on the flight.
Here's to hoping it will be sometime next week!

Ok...I'm off to begin my 14th book! Evie is napping and i am ready for a rest.

Hi..just a quick note to all the gecko fans.
I saw our pet in the kitchen this afternoon. Of course I wasn't expecting him so I didn 't have my camera.
I am wondering if the one on the wall the other night was a playmate??  It doesn't seem like he could have gotten back inot the kitchen without me seeing him...but what do I know about how gecko's move and how they get into such strange small places. 

I now have my camera ready...it is sitting on the kitchen counter.  I will try my best!!
At least gecko hunting will keep me busy for yet another weekend here in Hanoi.
We didn't hear anything today, so looks like we are here for another few days.

I will let you know how the picture taking goes!
Sue

Hi..Evie is still sleeping, I have opened all my email and even taken a shower all ready this morning so I thought I would just answer a few blog questions:

1.  Colin...I am not sure if people celebrate Hanukah here. I heard that in Ho Chi Minh City there is a Jewish temple so I imagine that people there do celebrate.  Christmas is only celebrated by some people here. It is not such a big holiday. There big holiday is Tet. It is in Feb. or March and is the beginning of a new year!!  I am hoping to celebrate it with Evie...maybe you and Grace and John could come???
2. For all of you hoping I get a picture of the gecko....let's hope he shows up soon. I have not seen him since his appearance on the wall.  I will keep my eye out for him in the kitchen and will have the camera ready. I would love to be able to show you all his color.
3. Evie is sleeping a little better these days!!!!!!
4. No news yet!!! 

xo
Sue and Evie
p.s. I will probably write again later today!!

This morning Evie and I got to watch as the hotel staff decorated a Christmas tree in the lobby.
It was so nice to share with her this experience.  The tree is very large (although artificial) and very bright with white lights and a star on the top.  The hung lots of gold and red ornaments, as well as small santa clauses and poinsettas.
The head of housekeeping gave Evleyn one of the small Santas and we learned that in Vietnamese Santa is called,
Om Zi No en  ( spelled phonetically, I am sure not correctly).  It was such a joyous little part of our day.   Everyone seemed to sense how special this was for me and for Evelyn. I plan on taking a few pictures by the tree later!!!

Soon I hope to put up a small  christmas tree in our own home!! 
xo
Sue and Evie

As Government officials debate the fate of my near future, Evleyn and I tried to enjoy our day.
It was beautiful here today. A very clear, crisp 80 degrees with a little breeze. I decided not to waste the day, but to enjoy what will hopefully be the last of our good weather until Spring in NE.
We went to Hoan Kiem Lake for a walk and then lunch at the garden restaraunt on the lake.  It was very pleasant.  The walk only takes about 1/2 hr. but with Evelyn in my arms it take a little longer due to her wiggling around to see all the sights and to stop for all the people who want to see her.  Today was no different than most others.  People asked me how old she was and if she was Vietnamese.  One very kind gentleman told me how lucky she was...and then tried to ask me to make his day a lucky one by me purchasing the postcards and books he was peddling.  I told him I had been there for 3 months and had everything I needed by now.  He of course tried to remind me that if I did buy something it would be a lucky day for him.  Luck is very important to the people here.  I have heard that they try to look at the calendar to predict the lucky days and then schedule important event s on those days.
The next person to try and peddle something to us was a pregnant woman.  She was selling t-shirts. Of course she began the conversation by asking how old Evelyn was and then she asked me how long I had been there. I of course told her 3 months and she answered back, "oh yes..I think I have seen you before"  I realized I had definately been here too long when the peddlars on the street are beginning to recognize me.  She mentioned that I looked tired and wouldn't I like to sit down and talk to her for a bit....then she hit me with the t-shirts she was selling.  I declined politely and thanked her for asking about the baby.  It is very interesting to notice that most of the people peddling postcards, t-shirts and travel books are able to converse with you in some basic English. I wonder if it is essential to them making any money??  or have they just picked it up from the people they are selling to?? or are they well educated but can't find jobs in this poor economy?? 
The next gentleman we talked to was our cab driver.  He knew quite a bit of English.  He asked where Evelyn was from (which province) and then told me how lucky she was to be heading off to a good life in America.  I told him I was lucky also to have such a wonderful daughter to bring home with me!  He asked if I would tell her about Vietnam and would I return here with her some day. I said of course to both although the latter is hard to think about at this point.  He thanked me for being so kind to one of their babies and mentioned that there were so many children in need of a family.    I complimented him on his English. This embarrassed him a bit and he tried to downplay his ability. I told him it was much better than my Vietnamese.  He asked if I would be learning the language so that I could share it with my daughter. I mentioned how hard that would be for me, but said some day I might look into it for the baby.
He seemed pleased to hear me tell him I would share the culture with her and that she would grow up knowing where she was from.
All in all....it was a very pleasant day.  The people of Vietnam continue to be very polite, kind and caring.  Americans could probably take a lesson in social graces from this culture.  Someone mentioned to me that in Asian countries, politeness is so very important given the vast numbers of people living in such close quarters.  I had to agree with this theory and particulary notice it on the road.  Many Boston drivers could take some etiquette lessons from the drivers here. They negotiate extrememly crowded streets with just a polite beep of the horn. 

Evelyn fell asleep early tonight practically while eating her dinner at 7:00. I am hoping the fresh air and good food will keep her sleeping for the night!!!   and maybe, just maybe we will wake up to hear we will be coming home soon.
I have been told that a decision in my case should come by the end of the week!!

Sue

I will begin tonight with a few updates:
1. I have not seen the gecko since the other nights adventure on the wall. I am thinking he found his way out the sliding glass door.  Hopefully he will return soon and I will try to get a picture of him. I didn't think quickly enough the other evenign to do that, but wil try to do that next time i see him.
2. We took a walk around our usual lake area. It was very pleasant, but I think some men were making fun of me somehow??  They were very kind at first. Said hello to the baby and smiled. They asked me a question..in Veitnamese of course....and I had no idea what they were asking. They did point to Evie and then to me so I thought maybe they wanted to know if I was her mom?? I am not sure but then one of them continued to say one specific word and they were all giggling. I just smiled, said I don't understand and then walked off saying good bye.  I do think it was harmless fun, but I sure wish I knew what it was they were saying!
3. I am getting pretty good with chopsticks. I might even be able to feed SAl with chopsticks when I return home.
I havve gotten to the point where i can pick up large or small items and rice is no longer a problem. Of course there are moments when I fumble like someone who hasn't done this their whole lives...but I have  much improved.
4.It is chillier..maybe in the low 70's. I have been told it will get in the 60's and maybe even the 50's as this month progresses. I am thinking that if I don't leave soon, I am going to have to invest in a pair of jeans and a sweater.
5.  And last but not least,  I have not heard any news today.  The agency rep., An, told me she used to think that the American Gov. respected it citizens and that the Embassy was there to help individuals. She also said she thought that Americans were very professional and worked very hard. She is not so sure anymore.  The experience I am having with the USCIS and the Embassy has changed her mind.


So tomorrow is another day....and we will contiue to hope that news will come soon and that my bags will be packed.
I am ready to make the 27hr. trip home....I am probably more than ready.

Sue and Evie