We received confirmation this morning that all paperwork was completed and our Giving and Receiving ceremony was scheduled for 3:00pm this afternoon. Chris was summoned to accompany Loan (Dr. Hong's niece and superstar assistant) to the immigration offices to apply for Hadley's passport. While he was off taking care of that task Hadley and I took a nap and then hit the pool deck. I wish we could take her swimming but it would not be good for her sensitive skin right now. We just sat in the shade and talked.
At 2:45 we met Dr. Hong in the lobby of our hotel and together walked the short distance to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. The first person waiting for us was Mr. Thang, the director of the Ba Vi orphanage. He greeted us with a smile and handshake. We were ushered into a room (with a/c, phew) that was about 30 x 20 and chairs were arranged along the perimeter of the room. Inbetween every couple of chairs there were coffee tables. We were greeted by 5 officials (all managers and directors) and introduced to them by Dr. Hong. We all took our seats, tea was served and the ceremony commenced. It was entirely in Vietnamese. So much was lost in translation. The Director of Department of Justice began by informing us that it was the first Giving and Receiving ceremony that he had ever been to and it was his pleasure to be there. He very informally asked us questions like, "why do you want to adopt from vietnam?" and "how many other children do you have?", "where in the US do you live?" and "have you seen any of the attractions of the city?". A woman then took over the more official business that included our timeline, including when we accepted the referral of Hoai Linh, the date our dossier was received by the DIA and when we went to the orphanage to pick up Hoai Linh. There were many references to our names, dates of birth and gender of baby. It seemed the woman was just reading over the material to make sure all the right people were in the room, mostly Chris, Hadley and I. The Director then asked if we had anything to say. Chris stood up to address the officials but was told to sit down, that the formality wasn't necessary. He sat and proceeded to say, on behalf of our family, we promised to raise her in the same manner as our other child and equally offer them every opportunity to succeed in life. He thanked them for the gift of this child. We were escorted to a table in the room where we found a beautifully bound notebook/log. It was clearly the place where the adoption is recorded. Our names,dob, address, adoption agency and Hadley's vietnamese name, dob,place of birth etc were found on one page. We reviewed and signed as requested and returned to our seats. The director then talked about his experience during the Vietnam War and how he hoped that this new generation of Vietnamese Americans would help unite the two countries. He pointed to a table in the room that displayed national flags for both Vietnam and America and he seemed very proud of his part in placing these children. He concluded the ceremony with some kind words for us. There were many handshakes and "thank yous" exchanged. We spent a final moment with Mr. Thang and Chris was able to give him a Reed Pub Co. hat. Chris explained ( Dr. Hong translated) that it was the name of his business and the location, Bend, Or, was embroidered on the back. Mr. Thang was thankful and put the hat on his head and left. We walked back to our hotel with Dr. Hong. She reiterated how wonderful and special it was to have the Giving and Receiving ceremony by ourselves today in the presence of both the orphanage director and the director of the Department of Justice, something she has never seen before. The sincerity and humility of both directors was not lost in translation. It was a wonderful ceremony. When we got home, Chris joked with Hadley that "they brought out the big wigs just for you"...she smiled, of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment