Packing Up (Day 11)

We started getting our things together today and have already zipped up one very heavy suitcase…and have a couple more to go. We check out of our hotel at noon tomorrow, and have arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 4:00 p.m. to take us to the airport.

We were hoping to do something exciting today…to take one last trip to the lake and “Old Quarter,” but it turned out to be a lazy day inside. Dylan is still uncomfortable with the itching (now mostly from the rash that developed on his head and face as a side-effect of the scabies cream…go figure), and is sleeping a lot. He’s been fussy the past few days. I think he’s developing a cold. So, for his sake, we stayed out of the hot, humid sun and just tooled around a bit here at the shopping center (getting some extra formula and snacks for the trip home), and stopped for some ice cream at “Papa Joe’s.” We both got coconut (a popular flavor here in Vietnam) and it was fabulous. We plan to get more tomorrow before we leave! We also stopped to pick up an “ao dai” (pronounced “ow-z-eye”), a traditional Vietnamese silk dress and slacks, that was tailor-made for me. I have been admiring the “ao dai” since first seeing it on the Vietnamese flight attendants, and had heard that there are shops that will make them. We happened to walk into such a store on Monday afternoon. And after selecting two coordinating silk fabrics, and being measured by two very small and petite Vietnamese women who continued to giggle about my height and the length of my arms and legs), I was told to return in three days to pick it up. It’s beautiful.

We met another family yesterday in the elevator who just received there daughter and is working with the same agency as we are. We had dinner together tonight at the hotel, and plan to hang out with them tomorrow before leaving for the airport.

We have had a wonderful time here, and are thankful that we got to see and experience so much of Dylan’s birth country and culture. Soon he will be in his new home with his forever family. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Signing off from Vietnam…