It is Official!! We have received our package of information in the mail (email) to guide us to Ethiopian travel!! 15 pages to be exact!! Travel information, travel process, info sheet, visa instructions and of course the famous 3 government papers with extra copies to take with us. Lots of paperwork and so naturally now I am thinking "can I do this" again. I have never traveled internationally before and Savannah is so wanting to stop over in Paris on the way. Hence, the Eiffel tower photo on top. Who knows when we will make such a trip again and I think Paris would be AMAZING but we still don't know about all the details yet so we will be gathering info for now. It is do-able to travel there with a stop in Paris and then a direct flight on the way home so the girls will not have to have travel visas. That is another entire story that I am hoping to not have to go through (and don't really want to according to my YG)!
We are still hoping to be through court the end of October or the beginning of November. Our agency no longer tells families when their court date is so we will just get a call/email one day saying "they are officially yours"!!! Then we can confer with them and will probably travel 2-3 weeks after that date. Their are 7 families right now that are scheduled for court on the 8th of October and then tentative travel dates of the 24/25; then their are about 15 of us that have referrals and do not know our court dates. Our coordinator said 1 group in October and 2 in November and then probably only 1 in December w/ the holidays; we SHOULD be in the November group but remember (as I keep reminding myself) we are dealing with a foreign government and really can only guess for now. The courts do open back up in 2 weeks from now so we all are counting down the days for passing and travel to begin. Praying for MIRACLE October and I already know that no matter what November is going to be crazy!!
We normally do a family Christmas photo in November to send out in our Christmas cards but this year we are totally NOT doing anything like that until we are home with our girls!!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ethiopia Travel Guide ....
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10 comments:
Paris is AMAZING!!! One of my favorite places (and my son loves it there, too). And, it would be wonderful to get a jump start on the jet lag somewhere that you won't get a tummy bug! Also, somewhere that you won't have so much to process except the fun factor. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth. :)
YAH! you are getting soooo close. I am looking forward to hearing your girls are "yours"
OOHHH!! I am just so excited!! Yes, we are praying for a miracle October!! God can do anything!!
Reasonably priced hotels can be found in Paris without much trouble, I think. I feel it's easier to find a good hotel there than in NYC, for example. How many of you will there be? That will make a big difference in terms of costs and what you'll be looking for. I've found that a budget of around $80-150 per night (depending on party size) can usually land you in a clean, nice place. You can get rooms in the $50 range for one night, but not for more than one person...unless you're game for youth hostels...and possibly less than lovely accommodations. Check out www.tripadvisor.com - my favorite hotel/B&B source. You'll be able to read reviews and get a really good sense of different hotels. Next time I'm in Paris, I'm going to try La Guriniere. It's a B&B and I think they can accommodate a number of people in one room. Can't recommend it, as I haven't stayed there...but it's where I'm staying next time. :)
Paris is super easy to get around - great metro. You definitely wouldn't want to rent a car there! Also, Paris is great to wander around on foot. The metro is fast & cheap, but it's also fun to wander around above ground. :)
I HEART Paris. :) Wish I would have stopped in Europe en route. I think it would have helped me out a lot!
I also love paris :) thats a great picture by the way. Hey i found a cool site that i think you should post this at, baraaza.com
Jori,
I'm so glad you're starting your travel plans!! I can't wait to see you with your girls!!!
Our trip to ET was our first international trip too. (I had been to Mexico in high school, but I don't really count it since it was so close.) It was a great experience. Just remember that God is with you and keep asking him for help. He will get you through everything.
I wish we could have stopped in Europe, but it didn't work out for us. I hope it works out for you! :)
I'm so excited for you!!!
Tisha
That is so exciting!!! I am hoping and praying your court date is in November or sooner!!!!!
Jori!!! That is so cool! We are praying you guys will be RIGHT after us!!! And Oh! I would count it a very high privilege to love on your girls when we get there!!! Please send me their names and picture so I know who to look for and love on!
Yep! I love to organize and pack, etc. So, I'm most of the way there. When I finally got the excel spread sheet (4 pgs!) all done and printed out I just started going crazy...but just little by little and now it seems like it's almost done! So fun! Have you started???
Have fun!
xoxo,
Amy
PS- I would love for you to take a care package to our little guy. We won't send one until we know he is in the TH. Right now he is an orphanage.... so your trip may be the PERFECT time!
xxoo
candy
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