Over and over again I have had the opportunity to learn this lesson: that I can't control everything, all the time, in any situation; that I can't do everything by myself. Maybe this time I will get it! Last week, I finally gave in, asked for help, and, thankfully, Janice Bergeron of Children at Heart made the right call -- it was time for me to switch to the two-trip plan. For those of you who are following this blog in anticipation of your own upcoming trip to Karaganda for an adoption, please keep in mind that I pushed hard to be allowed to stay in Kazakhstan for the entire time. Children at Heart agreed that I could travel with the intention of staying the full 6-8 weeks (which is not done very often anymore), but cautioned that I had to be flexible about changing to the two-trip plan once I got there, if necessary.
I've been home in Ithaca since Monday evening (thanks to everyone who helped me get from Karaganda to here) and have my new flight plans for the second trip to bring Arman home. I will be leaving the U.S. the evening of the 19th, arriving in Almaty on the morning of the 21st of August. Arman will be escorted down to Almaty from Karaganda on the night of the 21st and I will then have full custody of him. We'll get his medical exam and paperwork/interview completed at the U.S. embassy by the end of the day, Friday, August 24th. Then we'll fly home on Sunday the 26th (should arrive in Newark Airport by 7 pm that evening).
I know you are all eager to see more photos of Arman. I do have a lot of pictures that I took on the last day I was there and over the course of the time I was visiting him at the orphanage that you haven't seen yet. I'll post more soon. (I'll be in Andes for the weekend and expect that I will get help sorting through all the photos and videos!)
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