Cu Chi Tunnels Today...

29 March 2006 8PM Saigon Time/ 7AM CST

Another intense day of emotions and site seeing...I'm so exhausted by mid-day...the tours are intense, the traffic is intense, this whole experience is so overwhelmingly INTENSE at times...

We went to the Cu Chi Tunnels that the VN built during the Vietnam War. It was very informative but when I heard gun shots from a practice shooting range, I started freaking out & had to leave immediately. I was surprised on how it affected me so quickly, I was fine for most of the tour but missed going in one of the tunnels b/c of having to leave...

Then we went to the War of Remembrance Museum...more pictorial examples of the horrific war that left millions dead...ahhhh.

This has been a journey of a life time, more stories to come later...gotta go.

Signing off, Ms. Saigon

"Duong" Dream Cruise...

28 March 06
8:45pm Saigon Time/ 7:45am CST

For my MICHIGAN friends, you will appreciate the Title, "Duong" Dream Cruise...in honor of the "Woodward Dream Cruise"....You ain't seen nothin' until you come to Saigon....The cruisers are on "motos" here (mo-peds) and all speed a like, no stopping, no signals, no streets...just BEEPING to say, "get out of my way..." It's is AMAZING to me that I have not seen an accident yet with 100's of vehicles, motos & bikes flying down the street in total chaos & disorder. Don asked why do they paint lines in the road? Nobody stays in them, it's so crazy & overwhelming to watch traffic here...I literally get nauseated riding in a taxi (thankfully we have not had to do it very often!)

We've met some wonderful friends here, the tour group as well as TX friend's sister, Van Wynn and AIAA (agency I was adopted from) has a representative here, Phat Nguyen and he has been so kind & wonderful too.

We went to several "active" orphanages" today, Phu My (foo-me) and Go Vap and handed candy & goodies to the kids...they were excited to say the least to see "celebrities" hand out treats & take pictures...it's incredibly humbling... One little girl just put the whole starburst in her mouth that I gave her, she did NOT know to take off the wrapper...Yikes! I held a sweet newborn baby, "Nam" and made me more anxious to get our little girl & pluck her out of the orphanage, like me...

We saw Hoi Duc Anh (my orphanage) & my "neighborhood" in which the tour guide, Viet, thinks I came from...it's the poorest area of town (if there such a place in Saigon.) We are amazed by how many people there are selling all the same goods, clothes, services...how do they survive? Families huttle in circles cooking and eating, elderly ladies peddling carts or buckets of produce, babies being rode around on motos with mother & father all on the bike & NO safety belt, seat, gear...nothing... It's an overwhelming sight...truly one hard to put in words. The pictures I have taken definitely speak 1000+ words or 15,900,000 dongs (in Saigon!)

Signing off, tomorrow we go to Cu Chi tunnels from the American War...
Take care & PLEASE hug/ say hi to my babies (& mom) for me...

With love from 1/2 way around the world, Golden Orchid

We are HERE in SAIGON!!!!

We arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh- HCM) City around 11:30pm SGN time (10:30 PM CST)
Walking out of the airport, there were 100's of people awaiting the arrival of the exiting passengers. In the sea of family welcoming home a loved one, I wondered, will there be someone waiting for us, just one? Thankfully there was a little VN man waiting with our names on a sign, "Mr & Mrs. Carlson." He escorted us to the van & took us to the Bong Sen Hotel. We were tired from traveling over 24 hrs., but my eyes wide open to try to capture as much of the city as I could, in the dark.

I noticed immediately how HUMID it is here! No wonder the locals are so thin, they work, eat, sleep in a sauna. Also, there are VERY few street lights...the vehicles mainly consist of mo-ped bikes, bicycles & a few automobiles BEEPING as they enter an intersection to notify they are coming...there is no "stopping" and waiting for a light...I saw no "law & order"in the traffic, I felt like I was in NYC except more bicycles to dodge than taxis. And dozens of people still up, walking, biking, talking & even sleeping on the streets at Midnight SGN time!

We will meet our Motherland Tour this am and see the sights, already in the sun light I see how poverished the city is...just like I have seen in the movies, I see with my own eyes now!!! I am trying to take it all in.

Stay tuned & I'll be back...signing off, Golden Orchid

PS-PLEASE anyone seeing my sweet boys, Joseph & Samuel- & my mom, please hug them & tell them how much we LOVE & MISS them, already!

**Thank you MOM for help making this once-in-a-lifetime dream trip come true...I will now see my "hometown" in which I was plucked out of and into your hands many moons ago. I am forever grateful to you, I love you from the depths of my heart...

Almost there...

We are in TOKYO now... We've been up since 5:30am CST and it's now 2 AM CST....we've had a few naps & a few meals...ALL on the 13 hrs. plane ride from DFW to Tokyo. We have a lay over and head to Saigon in a couple hours! It will be 10:30PM Saigon Time, which is about 10:30AM- CST since we are 1/2 way around the world!

Will keep you posted, thank you for your prayers and support. PLEASE, anyone who sees my boys & my mom, give them BIG HUGS from us and tell them we are safe, we love them & miss them!!!

Will write more when we land in Saigon, signing off now...Golden Orchid (aka Kim-Lan)

Ready or not...

Here we go...I am so tired right now I can barely think. I had hoped to go to bed around 1 am, until I could not find our flight tickets- ahhhh. After an hr. of searching every paper pile around the house (& there's countless # of them), I grew more and more distressed. I called AA and they said b/c they are PAPER tickets and not e-tickets, we would have to re-buy them! Yikes... FINALLY, after one moment of clear thinking, back tracking and brain racking, I thought of a place I might have put them. Now, the goal became finding that one manilla envelope that I was envisioning...low and behold, under the bed...there it was. I remember now, shoving things under the bed before our home study (since they said they won't look under there!) :)

So, I guess we are as ready as we are ever going to be...I will keep you posted on my "full circle journey." Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Signing off, take care & God bless. Kim-Lan

SAIGON BOUND...

I have been up for hours trying to figure out how to post pictures on this blog as a link vs. all the photos on one page...I'm am NOT tech savvy.

Well, as you may or may not know, ONE WEEK from today on 25 March, Don and I will be traveling to SAIGON, Vietnam for a one week tour of my "home town." It's surreal how this all came together, less than 6 weeks ago, I didn't even know about the tour...

Don found this lady on the internet who helps adult adoptees find their birth parents. He tried to inquire for with what little information he knew... She (Susan) told Don about this tour she was escorting this March with other adult adoptees from Vietnam and encouraged us to go. We explained we were adopting a little girl from VN and she said it was even MORE important that we try to make this tour happen b/c it's so overwhelming to return to a birth place let alone be adopting a little girl too. Susan said I had to "bring closure to the past before opening a door to the future..." We know this tour happening is meant to happen because here's what God did:

-The tour co. let us register 14 Feb when the deadline was 31 Dec 05

-The tour co. is letting us go for only ONE week, instead of the organized two weeks.

-We were able to make our own flights from DFW to HCM (Ho Chi Minh) City

-My mom, once again, with unending love & support said she'd watch the boys again! She is the pillar to our family!!

We thought we could NOT afford to go, but emotionally, we felt this was "once in a lifetime" opportunity BEFORE getting our little girl to return to my homeland...

So, ready or not, Saigon...here we come...stay tuned!! I am not sure how I am feeling about it, I was VERY excited, now a bit apprehensive and overwhelmed with what has to be done from now to when we leave...

PLEASE pray for GOOD health, SAFE travels & OPEN hearts to whatever God has in stored...

Until next time, take care and God bless...Kim-Lan

Kim-Lan & her 3 boys...

Kim-Lan & Don at Vietnamese Wedding

Home Study is OVER with! Yahoooo...

Well, we survived the home study. She was here this past Wed. and Fri. for 4 hrs. each day!!! I was nervous the first day, I could only tell by my rambling at about 70 mph...I tried to be more casual & relaxed on Friday and I think that helped...

We will get approval for the home study within the next couple of weeks (hopefully,) then onto the DOSSIER paperwork. The only discouraging news that I am trying to not to get too bummed about is AFTER the dossier is submitted, we can expect to wait 6-10 MONTHS before getting the referral of our little girl (who will be 18mos. - 3 yrs. old). Please pray we are efficient on our end with paperwork & the agency/ VN gov't are efficient on their end... Now that we are "committed" into this adoption process, we'd like to bring her home sooner than later...

Stay tuned for updates. As you may or may not know, Don and I, have the rare opportunity to go to Saigon, VN on a tour at the end of MARCH, yes this MONTH...we will be traveling back to my homeland (& NOT getting our little girl this trip), but seeing my birth place, my old orphanage & history from my beginning days...We are incredibly blessed and humbled by this upcoming tour... we will keep you posted.

Thank you again for your prayers and friendship, Golden Orchid (aka Kim-Lan)

Home Study- 1 down; 1 to go

Well, we survived the first half of it (barely). I was nervous esp. in the beginning because I was talking so fast on our "tour" of our home. Our case worker actually is also an adult adoptee (like me) but from Korea. I felt like I "knew" her to some extent from phone/ emails but it was still awkward at times. Don and I sat on the sofa rambling on with our answers from one question to the next...

She was so calm, soft spoken and sweet...I feel like I am a crazy lady compared to her "calm" spirit. I ran to get the boys from school and she met with Don one on one. My individual interview is on FRI 3/3 and she'll talk with the boys then too...

So, thank you for your prayers and friendship, I'll keep you posted. I am not sure what to make of all it yet, glad we almost done with this step...

WED 3/1...is the big day...

Well, Wed. 3/1 and Fri. 3/3 are big days for us as we will have our HOME STUDY for the adoption of our little girl in Vietnam....Please pray for us as you think of us being tortured, interviewed and interrogated for hours on end with a social worker analyzing every word we say. Plus, the boys will be interviewed on Friday as well...that should be "funny." Ahhh....

After the home study is complete, we will work on our "dossier" (getting MORE documentation/ forms) filled out and then we will wait for word/ picture of our little girl. We have already prayed she is safe, healthy and happy while she sleeps half way around the world each night. We cannot wait to bring her home, please continue to pray for our steadfast commitment financially, emotionally and physically in this painstaking process...We started SEPT. 01, 2005 and I highly doubt we'll have her in the "normal time of a pregnancy," but sure hope by the end of THIS year.

We will keep you posted on our incredible journey, thank you for sharing and praying for us along the way....Would love to hear how you are doing as well.

God bless and keep in touch, Kim-Lan & her 3 boys & 1 little girl (that is coming....)