We made it!

Here we are at 6:30 am in the old guest house. The computer is all in Korean, so it's a bit hard to figure out, but it's the same old Windows98...

Our driver didn't make it to the airport (or we missed him) so we had to tak a taxi. We mentioned the word "taxi" ("taeksi" in Korean) and a "cabbie" approached us and asked if we needed a taxi. I was more than a bit apprehensive, but when I saw his minivan with the taxi advertising on it in English, it seemed OK. The trip was uneventful until exiting the freeway at the Hapjeong Station exit. Then, after driving crazily back and forth and stopping to ask directions 4 times (the third time at the new guest house), we got here about 8:30 pm local time. I went looking for some food and bought a couple of items in the subway and at the bakery. I saw a udon stand (think hot-dog stand in New York) and thought I would take some back to DW Susan and DD Audrey in the room. I ordered (3000 won, about $3) and then realized I had to eat it there. (Later I heard that the Korean word for this kind of place literally means "stand and eat" or something like that.) There was a tent of sorts, with a kerosene heater inside. I ran back to get the family and we shared the udon (and pickled radishes and kimchi) in the tent. The lady gave us some extra broth and a fork for Audrey.

We've been awake since 2:30 am, and just found the computer upstairs, and now, only 2 days before meeting her, we have a new photo of Madeleine! The first one since the referral!

Shortly, we'll go over to the new guest house and hope someone is there! We have no plans for the weekend, and it's so hard knowing no Korean. The old guest house is great, if you like quiet. It's not so bright or noisy as the new guest house... just what we needed. The PC is upstairs; that's why we didn't see it at first). No one is staying in the other rooms.

The rooms are quite warm, but I can't figure out how to get it anything above 60 in the 1st floor common area. Both the sleeping rooms and the common area have the ondol floors, but the ones in the common area are not as warm.

Also, we left Audrey's coat in the car at the airport. We're asking on the Holt bulletin boards if anyone has a suggestion for where to get one.

More later, I hope. We meet Madeleine Monday!

Going to Korea

Our long wait is almost over! We leave tomorrow with DD Audrey (age 3.5) to bring home Madeleine JooYun (age 6 months)!

HS complete Sep 2004
I-600A Nov 2004
HSTK Dec 2004
Referral 08 Sep 2005
EP 12 Dec 2005
Travel Call 30 Dec 2005! (along with 4 others at Holt! Congrats to all of you, and perhaps we'll meet in Korea!)

Referral!

Tonight I was at home with Audrey. It was about 7:15, and we were just finishing dinner and waiting for Susan to come home when the phone rang. It was our social worker from Holt. She said, "Michael... I have your referral!" I said, [pause] "You don't!"

It turns out it was all done via email - a new thing for Holt. She confirmed my email address, and by the time I fired up my PC, there were the photos and all the documents right on my computer screen! I printed them all out, with Audrey sitting by my side, the whole time wanting to see the photos of her baby sister. When she saw them, she said, "Is that me?"

By the time Susan got home, I had a stack of papers in hand and we got to give her the wonderful surprise.

We've picked out a tentative name but will look at her Korean name and think a while before deciding for sure.

Whoopee!