A year ago today, we embarked on a great adventure. We flew halfway around the world in pursuit of a dream. My husband told me, soon after meeting me, that he hoped to adopt someday. I always knew that he carried the picture of a little Korean girl from his church in his wallet. She was soon a student of his. Adoption had a place in his heart for a couple of decades.
When we first mentioned to family and friends that we were going to adopt, one of the first questions they asked was if we were going to HAVE to go to Vietnam. The answer was YES and we were looking forward to it! My mother-in-law thought we were nuts! Yes, leaving our other children for 2-3 weeks was scary. We weren’t sure if our parents could handle all of the shuttling of the kids. We worried about their schoolwork, especially with Abram. The 21 hours in a plane wasn’t our main concern. I always said that it would be an adventure for us. We are NOT fliers! It had been 20-30 years since either of us had flown and my husband had only flown across the country. I had at least crossed the Atlantic.
I remember the night before we left. I had finished the last bits of packing, later than we had hoped. The bags had been weighed. My husband would stand on a scale and then I would hand him the bag and I would read the number. We did that A LOT. It was amazing how fast the carry on with the laptop was overweight and how the large bag was easy to keep under the magic # of 50lbs. Once we were packed and the bags were stacked downstairs, the big issue was the kids. They had done very well in the last week of preparation. That night though, Abram was beginning to get a little nervous about us leaving. In the end, the kids and I ended up cuddling in Elizabeth’s bed to go to sleep. They knew that it was probably the last time they would see me for 2 weeks. It was a little unnerving, but we did OK with only a few tears from Abram. Elizabeth was being strong. She even heard us up and about in the morning came down to say Goodbye and give hugs and kisses. Turns out, she was the one that had a bigger issue with us being gone. She did OK in the end, but our parents soon learned that she needed to Skype with us without her brother bugging her.
The alarm went off around 3AM. We quickly jumped out of bed and were dressed. We looked out the window to see that my in-laws were still sitting in their car, waiting for us. We turned on the lights and waved them in. My father-in-law started to load the car and I went over things with my mother-in-law. Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. It was so quiet out. We used the GPS to show my father-in-law how it worked. We had a good many laughs as the GPS had NO idea about the new highway. It kept telling us to turn back onto the road and get out of the fields! We found the local airport, without a problem.
We went inside the terminal and stood in line to check-in. The worker told us to use the automated system. We had NO idea how it worked, so like the older couple behind us, we decided to just wait until he was able to help us. Good thing we did because the system had one of us going to Hanoi, while the other was getting off in Seoul! It was soon figured out and it was time to hand over our luggage to security. We were interested in seeing what was done with the bags, other than put them through the x-ray. The officer was NOT happy that we were watching him though. He was very gruff with us. We were the newbies that were fascinated with the process. I know…dorks! LOL
First security check and we were onto our flight. It was small plane and it was LOUD. Good thing it was a short flight to DC, about 45 minutes. We landed and it only took us a few minutes to figure out where we had to go next. It was still so early that the terminals were still fairly quiet. We walked down the long hallway that was the international terminal. We couldn’t find the Korean Airways counter though. Finally, after finding someone to ask, we were told where he thought we needed to be. He said that since they only flew out a few days a week, they shared a gate with other airlines. He said as it became closer to the departure time, Korean Air would put out their signs. After locating the gate, we went for breakfast of some great breakfast sandwiches and juice.
On a side note….I remember eating breakfast and feeling SO connected to my husband that day. We were a TEAM and we were going for our son! Just typing that makes me misty-eyed, a year later. I have told the APs that we traveled with that I think that trip was wonderful for us, as a couple. It was nice for it to be just us. We need to do that more often. While we had some concerns about the flights and the logistics of it all, that morning, I felt like we could tackle anything together!
After breakfast, we went back to the gate area and relaxed. Barry read the paper. I called home to see how the kids handled the morning. They did fine. My mother-in-law said Abram came down and asked if we had leaved. She told them we had and he was OK with it. I waited to call until I knew they would be in school. I paid for internet access and watched Grey’s Anatomy, posted on the blog, and checked in with an online group of GREAT friends (the Sugarplum Mommies).
Soon, the airline workers came to set up the gate and we went to check-in. Again there was an issue with the tickets! This time it was harder because all of the women spoke little to no English. They were helpful though. In the end, the issue was they were expecting Ha (Jacob) to be with us. We explained that we were going for him and he was only supposed to be on the return ticket. They were also very nice and rearranged our seats so we had 3 center seats and therefore, the extra space between us. The time (5 hours total) flew and before we knew it, we were boarding a 777 for a 14+ hour flight to Korea.
As I posted last year, the flight went VERY well. We flew Economy and were treated GREAT! There were lots of good food and snacks. The attendants were very nice and helpful. We each had our own personal movies and the great interactive screen that told us our speed, direction, and location as we crossed over the globe. It was cool to watch our progress! I read a little, watched most of 3 movies, and napped. I do remember looking at my watch after 6 hours or so and thinking, OH MY, we aren’t even halfway there yet! We did eventually land though.
We entered into a very modern terminal. The swine flu was a big issue and we had our temperatures taken. The interesting thing was that they also used an inferred camera to check the passengers’ body heat when entering the terminal. VERY cool! We also noted that a lot of the people we saw, mostly the Asians, were wearing masks over the mouths and noses. They were really taking the risk seriously. The terminal was VERY nice and very clean. It was full of high end shops and cool places to eat. After walking around a bit, we bought a couple of sodas (Coke products that were similar to ours, but still different) and sat at the gate. We ran into a businessman who was heading to Hanoi for his work for an energy company. He spoke of how excited he and his colleagues were because one of them was returning to Vietnam for the first time, after coming to America as a child. He said he traveled to Asia often, but was looking forward to this trip especially.
The 4+ hour flight to Hanoi went fairly well, but it was an older plane and not as comfortable. If I remember correctly, the food wasn’t as good either. Still lots of space though. I believe we had 5 bulkhead seats for ourselves. We napped, as the in-flight movie was BAD. This was the first issue I had with a flight. My ears would NOT pop on landing and I was in pain. Swallowing didn’t help, but I soon learned that a huge yawn does the trick EVERY time!
Landing in Hanoi was an experience….
I remember the night before we left. I had finished the last bits of packing, later than we had hoped. The bags had been weighed. My husband would stand on a scale and then I would hand him the bag and I would read the number. We did that A LOT. It was amazing how fast the carry on with the laptop was overweight and how the large bag was easy to keep under the magic # of 50lbs. Once we were packed and the bags were stacked downstairs, the big issue was the kids. They had done very well in the last week of preparation. That night though, Abram was beginning to get a little nervous about us leaving. In the end, the kids and I ended up cuddling in Elizabeth’s bed to go to sleep. They knew that it was probably the last time they would see me for 2 weeks. It was a little unnerving, but we did OK with only a few tears from Abram. Elizabeth was being strong. She even heard us up and about in the morning came down to say Goodbye and give hugs and kisses. Turns out, she was the one that had a bigger issue with us being gone. She did OK in the end, but our parents soon learned that she needed to Skype with us without her brother bugging her.
The alarm went off around 3AM. We quickly jumped out of bed and were dressed. We looked out the window to see that my in-laws were still sitting in their car, waiting for us. We turned on the lights and waved them in. My father-in-law started to load the car and I went over things with my mother-in-law. Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. It was so quiet out. We used the GPS to show my father-in-law how it worked. We had a good many laughs as the GPS had NO idea about the new highway. It kept telling us to turn back onto the road and get out of the fields! We found the local airport, without a problem.
We went inside the terminal and stood in line to check-in. The worker told us to use the automated system. We had NO idea how it worked, so like the older couple behind us, we decided to just wait until he was able to help us. Good thing we did because the system had one of us going to Hanoi, while the other was getting off in Seoul! It was soon figured out and it was time to hand over our luggage to security. We were interested in seeing what was done with the bags, other than put them through the x-ray. The officer was NOT happy that we were watching him though. He was very gruff with us. We were the newbies that were fascinated with the process. I know…dorks! LOL
First security check and we were onto our flight. It was small plane and it was LOUD. Good thing it was a short flight to DC, about 45 minutes. We landed and it only took us a few minutes to figure out where we had to go next. It was still so early that the terminals were still fairly quiet. We walked down the long hallway that was the international terminal. We couldn’t find the Korean Airways counter though. Finally, after finding someone to ask, we were told where he thought we needed to be. He said that since they only flew out a few days a week, they shared a gate with other airlines. He said as it became closer to the departure time, Korean Air would put out their signs. After locating the gate, we went for breakfast of some great breakfast sandwiches and juice.
On a side note….I remember eating breakfast and feeling SO connected to my husband that day. We were a TEAM and we were going for our son! Just typing that makes me misty-eyed, a year later. I have told the APs that we traveled with that I think that trip was wonderful for us, as a couple. It was nice for it to be just us. We need to do that more often. While we had some concerns about the flights and the logistics of it all, that morning, I felt like we could tackle anything together!
After breakfast, we went back to the gate area and relaxed. Barry read the paper. I called home to see how the kids handled the morning. They did fine. My mother-in-law said Abram came down and asked if we had leaved. She told them we had and he was OK with it. I waited to call until I knew they would be in school. I paid for internet access and watched Grey’s Anatomy, posted on the blog, and checked in with an online group of GREAT friends (the Sugarplum Mommies).
Soon, the airline workers came to set up the gate and we went to check-in. Again there was an issue with the tickets! This time it was harder because all of the women spoke little to no English. They were helpful though. In the end, the issue was they were expecting Ha (Jacob) to be with us. We explained that we were going for him and he was only supposed to be on the return ticket. They were also very nice and rearranged our seats so we had 3 center seats and therefore, the extra space between us. The time (5 hours total) flew and before we knew it, we were boarding a 777 for a 14+ hour flight to Korea.
As I posted last year, the flight went VERY well. We flew Economy and were treated GREAT! There were lots of good food and snacks. The attendants were very nice and helpful. We each had our own personal movies and the great interactive screen that told us our speed, direction, and location as we crossed over the globe. It was cool to watch our progress! I read a little, watched most of 3 movies, and napped. I do remember looking at my watch after 6 hours or so and thinking, OH MY, we aren’t even halfway there yet! We did eventually land though.
We entered into a very modern terminal. The swine flu was a big issue and we had our temperatures taken. The interesting thing was that they also used an inferred camera to check the passengers’ body heat when entering the terminal. VERY cool! We also noted that a lot of the people we saw, mostly the Asians, were wearing masks over the mouths and noses. They were really taking the risk seriously. The terminal was VERY nice and very clean. It was full of high end shops and cool places to eat. After walking around a bit, we bought a couple of sodas (Coke products that were similar to ours, but still different) and sat at the gate. We ran into a businessman who was heading to Hanoi for his work for an energy company. He spoke of how excited he and his colleagues were because one of them was returning to Vietnam for the first time, after coming to America as a child. He said he traveled to Asia often, but was looking forward to this trip especially.
The 4+ hour flight to Hanoi went fairly well, but it was an older plane and not as comfortable. If I remember correctly, the food wasn’t as good either. Still lots of space though. I believe we had 5 bulkhead seats for ourselves. We napped, as the in-flight movie was BAD. This was the first issue I had with a flight. My ears would NOT pop on landing and I was in pain. Swallowing didn’t help, but I soon learned that a huge yawn does the trick EVERY time!
Landing in Hanoi was an experience….
3 comments:
Oh man! That is like reading a post from our blog. How I remember it well. The travel and the excitement. It's amazing how we finally got to meet in Hanoi. Congrats to you and your family. I know your family day is just around the corner!
I know! My husband was amazed that I would go up to people and ask if they were you! It only took 2 tries to get it right! WE should get together sometime.
Such happy memories. I really enjoyed reading your post and felt the joy of your each and every moment. Thanks for sharing it!
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