Yesterday (Tuesday) around 3pm was our swear in ceremony where we took
an oath to the US government in the consulate office of Guangzhou. It
was a room full of Americans who were finalizing their adoption. It
was a long bus ride (mainly due to traffic) to the office and it was
nice to meet other families and be introduced to their daughters.
There were more adopted boys that I was expecting as well. Once you
arrived, we had to go through security and then sit in a large room
until the attendants called out your child's chinese name and adoption
agency. Well guess who was in the bathroom when they called our
name? Me and Hanna of course! I felt like Christine Lahti after
being called to come and get her Golden Globe! Our guide was standing
outside the bathroom door (male) with a look of panic and said in the
best English you could imagine full of chinese accent- They called
your name!!!! So Hanna and I ran to the counter, for which once they
saw our face, said OK. Really- was that it? Vince just shook his
head as if to say, yep, "welcome to my life". I have to mention,
Hanna had a blast laughing as we both sprinted across the room, and
everyone heard us in her shoes that have squeaks in the soles of her
shoes. The rest of the time was spent waiting for the other families
to be called and then we took the oath. I have to admit, it was more
emotional than I was expecting it to be. Maybe it marked the finality
of such a long process for us. Upon entry into Dulles International
Airport on Friday, Hanna will be a US citizen and we will receive her
Certificate of Citizenship within 45 days of being home. It is with
that paperwork we can apply for her social security card, birth
certificate and US passport. It is encouraged not to travel with her
Chinese passport upon entry into the US because technically she is no
longer a Chinese citizen. Only 2 more days until we are home. It's
been an amazing experience and Hanna has been quite relaxed through it
all.
