Monday in Hanoi

We began the next phase of the process. PAPERWORK. It's still a bit of a mystery to us, but we led off the week with a trip to Vietnamese Immigration to apply for a passport for Miss Molly. It was busy, being a Monday morning, and Kenny took Cindy and me to the Immigration office: a hot, sticky, crowded room. Kenny basically took care of everything while we waited to finally just show our passports and pay 200,000 dong (sounds like a lot, but it's just about $12.50). That was it for today. Now we wait for an word on an appointment from the US Embassy for our I-600 interview #1. Hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday. Then we get Molly's passport next Monday, hopefully the second interview after that, then a medical exam for Molly (the one she got didn't count towards her visa (???), and then we get her visa and head HOME!! I think that's how it works, anyway. Our guides here, Kenny, Martin, and Nancy all speak differing amounts of English, but that's what we've come to understand anyway. Just go with the flow.

Today has been hazy and muggy (the usual weather... although most days have had more sunshine break through). Emma and I ventured out to a nearby... well about a 20 minute walk anyway.... park... Reunification Park, while Kate and Molly napped. Molly is a pretty good napper, and a very good sleeper at night ... at least 5+ hours at a shot at night, with maybe some bottle-time late night/early morning. Emma and I had a lot of fun... we entered the park at a small entrance, not knowing there was an entry fee until people started shouting "Hallo... Hallo!!!".... we went back and found out we each had to pay 2000 Dong (a grand entry fee of 25cents for the two of us). We walked through the park.... there were rides set up, like a carousel, etc.. very old looking rides, but they were not open. There was even a train ride for kids through the park, but it was not running.




We finally found some things Em could climb and found a huge lake where one guy was catching fish every minute, small ones,and Emma loved watching them flapping on the dock. He put them all in a net he had set up. There were a lot of people walking and sitting around in the park, several men and teens playing games with small little balls, soccer, and badminton. We stayed by the lake for a while, watching the fish, and watching the people walking by.


typical scene by the lake... Hey!! that's Emma's hat!!!!



We did finally find a nice playground where Emma played, loving this one cute little spinning ride that you can see below (I hope). She and some slightly older school kids who were playing there eyed each other curiously. Some of the kids said "hello", but it was clearly the only English they knew. We finally headed back to the hotel and got caught in the rain, getting SOAKED along the way. Emma was such a great trooper about it and didn't complain one bit!! We're very proud of how well she has behaved in this strange environment for her. And she has been so great with Molly, always wanting to help out.
Molly has been great today, doing alot more smiling and cooing... Kate even set up a homemade mobile for her. Enjoy the pics and video!!! Keep the comments coming! By hearing comments from you helps US through our own homesickness!!! We miss all of you SO much!!!



Happy sisters at play