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8.21.2001
8.22.2001 REFERRAL! 8.23.2001 New Pictures 8.24. 2001 To Austin! 8.27.2001The Other Jin Yi Ling 8.30.2001 Care Package 8.31.2001 Update! 9.06.2001 Travel approval 9.10.2001 Poem 9.11.2001 9.12.2001 Travel booked 9.26.2001 Itinerary 10.03.2001 Departure Day 10.05.2001 Hong Kong 10.07.2001 HK Day 2 10.07.2001 Nanning 10.08.2001 GOTCHA DAY! 10.09.2001 It's official! 10.10.2001 Tourist time 10.11.2001 Green Mountain Park 10.12.2001 Market 10.13.2004 Last Day in Nanning 10.15.2001 Visa Day 10.17.2001 Last Day! 10.19.2001 We're Home! |
TOMORROW is definitely the day! I got an email from Bonnie at GWCA saying that the referrals are in and that MINE is included! What a relief! With all the uncertainty about singles, including some delays for singles, I wasn't convinced I'd be getting my referral with the rest of the DTC group. Now I just have to wait for GWCA to confirm the referrals. They hope to make the calls tomorrow! This has been some journey so far! When I started the paperchase, wait times for referrals was about 7-9 months. Now here I am, 12 months and 5 days later, waiting for the first glimpse of my daughter's face! One of the things that drew me to China was the certainty -- you file a dossier and you WILL get a child. Then the rumours started that China was going to close down to singles. That China was scrutinizing singles dossiers VERY closely. That China was requiring proof that single applicants were not homosexual (how do you prove a negative?!). I had to have a homestudy update discussing my very heterosexual and very pitiful (!) dating history. I had to sign a letter stating that I am a heterosexual and actively seeking a husband -- and have that letter notarized, certified, and authenticated! The funniest thing happened when I emailed Bonnie to ask exactly what I had to say in my "I am a heterosexual" letter, and how fervently I had to express that I was "actively seeking a husband." I sent the email off to Bonnie@greatwall.com. Too bad her email is Bonnie@greatwall.org! I got an email back from some guy named Liam at greatwall.com, saying, "Bonnie doesn't work here AND WILL YOU PLEASE STOP EMAILING ME." Yipes, how embarrassing! And just in case you wondered, apparently "I am heterosexual and actively seeking a husband" is not a successful internet pick-up line! All of this is enough to make you paranoid. I got a call one evening from Great Expectations, a dating service. Now, I've been getting mail from those folks forever, but no one had ever called me before. The caller said, "We're looking for singles in the DFW area who are looking for commitment." I immediately replied, "Sorry, I'm not interested," and hung up. The next second I snatched the phone back up -- maybe it was the CCAA testing me to see if I really am actively seeking a husband! People at work have found this part of the process highly amusing. One male friend offered to marry me. Another offered to be videotaped in a "compromising situation" that would leave no doubt that I was heterosexual -- and that from an 82-year-old man! One married colleague offered his services, saying that China didn't say WHOSE husband I had to actively seek! Ah, well, I suppose it's all worth it for my child. And TOMORROW is the DAY! |