Countdown - Eight

Eight days until we head to Guangzhou to take custody of Song Song. Because we will lose a day traveling East, we have to leave on Friday June 9th in order to arrive on Sunday, June 11th. We will fly from Seattle to Tokyo, from Tokyo to Guangzhou. Right now in Guangzhou it is 90 degrees with 90 % humidity.

Our passports have not been returned from wherever they go to have the Visas processed (the passport accompanies a visa application because an entry visa is simply a stamp of approval on the passport) and I'm hoping they arrive in the next few days.

I am assembling the many legal documents I have to take with us and I feel like Radar on M.A.S.H. because following is but a sampling of the documents we have completed or have to take with us:

• I-600A approval - Notice of Favorable Determination for Advanced Processing of Orphan Petition;
• I-171H Approval - Proof of Valid Fingerprinting;
• Medical Examination for Immigrant or Refugee Applicant;
• I-604 Request for the Report on Overseas Orphan Investigation;
• Form 230 Petition to Classify Orphan as Immediate Relative
• I-864W Petition to Classify Orphan as Immediate Relative

I consider myself somewhat capable of finding my way through red tape. I managed to get a law degree and to keep it, but I don't think I would have ever been able to crash my way through this process without an agency telling me where to go and what to do.

Next there is the issue of cash. The day after we arrive in China, the orphanage will transport Song Song to the Civil Affairs office in the province where we will be staying. We will take custody of her on that day, but only after handing the orphanage $4,500 in U.S. currency. Since the largest denomination of U.S. currency is a $100 bill, this means I will be traveling with a bankroll. No travelers checks or any other form of exchange are accepted. This feels like we are planning a transaction with a South American drug lord. Apparently, this is the routine. The $4,500 is but the tip of the iceberg. When this adoption is complete, we will have spent approximately $25,000. Fortunately, we have paid this over time, not all at once. It has therefore not been too difficult. I'm not complaining, Song Song is a price beyond rubies. I'm just sayin.

Next there is the matter of names. A few weeks ago I posted a list of possibilities. That list has shortened, because Eliott and Georgia don't like Alex. (Sorry Mr. Hamilton, I tried, I really tried). Expat and MCS like Sarah, but for some inexplicable reason, the name Sarah brings to mind a rather matronly woman with large sagging breasts stuffed into a Gunny Sax dress. Sorry to offend any Sarahs out there.

Maiya is still a leading contender, although I ran a list of the top 100 girl names from 2006 and Maiya, including many variations of the spelling, were in the top twenty or so. I'm not too keen on extremely popular names.

We'd like to find something not too ethnic, as we want Song Song to have a name that meshes well with those of the rest of her family. That said, I don't want to give her a name that implies she wishes to have high tea with the Queen.

Why not leave her name Song Song? We will keep it, but I'd like to give her an American name to go with it.

Your assistance is appreciated.

Xanax

It's 3:31 a.m. and I'm wide awake. Probably because I've got so much on my mind. We are supposed to be in China on June 11th, our house is for sale, and we found the house we want but we can't buy it because we have to sell ours first. And then there's the issue of money, which I won't discuss because then I'll never get to sleep.

But I digress. We have to be in China June 11th. Did I say that already? We fly to Shenzhen a week before the official ceremony at the Consulate in which Song Song becomes an American citizen. I'm still not sure of the itinerary, when we meet her and how long she's with us before the ceremony, but presumably we'll know soon.

We have to take a stack of documents with us, most of which I have copies, but the matter of going through them all and applying for our visas and gathering the hoards of money we need to accomplish this daunting task is staggering.

Xanax is a tranquilizer. I will be thankful if I can get through the next month sans prescription medication.

Shots. Names.

We got our shots Monday. Hepatitis A for me and my husband, none for our daughter. We'll take a series of typhoid (pills) before we go, and take along antibiotics for stomach ailments, if any, and insect repellent. I have an inhaler for allergies to the dense pollution.

We're thinking of names. Here are the leading contenders:

Alex
Maiya (pronounced "my-yuh")
Anna
Ellie
Minnie (just kidding)
Ann
Meredith
Celery (kidding again.)

Your thoughts?

Fingerprints

According to Wikipedia, that font of veracity, the Koala is the only mammal, other than the primate, who share fingerprints as a distinguishing characteristic unique to each individual of the species. To my knowledge, the Koala can't sew on a button or play Chopin on the piano, so I still feel superior.

About a year ago we received a notice from Homeland Security that we were scheduled to be fingerprinted on a particular day. We were to arrive at the Homeland Security offices in Seatac, Washington at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Unfortunately, we had already made plans to be in Mexico that week. Curiously enough, the office that mailed the notice was located in Yakima, Washington. All scheduling inquiries were to be made through that office.

For those of you unfamiliar with Washington State, Yakima is in Eastern Washington, and it is nothing but farm land. The Western half of the state is wet and green, and the Eastern half of the state is arid and brown. Except where irrigation has been constructed. The Western and the Eastern halves of the state are divided by the Cascade Mountains. Calling Yakima to arrange a fingerprinting appointment to take place near Seattle seemed like calling your great aunt Noreen who you haven't seen in thirty years to ask her where your husband put the scissors. But I phoned the number as instructed. A nice lady changed our appointment time no problem.

The Homeland Security building is clearly constructed and designed for people for whom English is not their first language. After entering the double doors, nothing was in view except a bank teller-type of window where a security guard directed people to the correct line. Several lines were positioned throughout the building, and each person received a ticket depending upon the type of fingerprinting or authorization that person was receiving.

We waited in uncomfortable chairs for about twenty minutes and my husband's number was called first. Mine was called about ten minutes later, and my then five-year old went with me into a large, sterile looking room containing the fingerprinting equipment. I expected my fingertips to be inked black and rolled on a piece of card stock, but apparently that method of fingerprinting hasn't been used for awhile. Rather, state of the art digital imaging equipment is used.

A nice lady cleaned off the fingers and thumbs of each hand with rubbing alcohol, then she grabbed the thumb of my right hand first, rolling it around on piece of glass that looks just like the scanner in a supermarket. My thumbprint showed up on a screen at eye-level, but the word,"match" kept popping onto the screen until, apparently she scanned my thumbprint in such a way as to not illicit the "match" prompt. This process she repeated for eight fingers and two thumbs. While it took my husband only a few minutes to be fingerprinted, it took me about twenty. The nice lady fingerprinting me finally brought someone over and they mumbled something to one another about "A-12" or "Piece-image" or something, but I have no idea what they were talking about.

I remain concerned that all the "match" prompts might inconvenience me in some way. For example, what if I am minding my own business, chopping firewood in my knickers in front of Safeway, when I am suddenly whisked away by federal authorities because they suspect I am the master mind in the latest round of casino heists? Should I be concerned about this? I think so too.