WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!!! WE GOT THE CALL!!!!! WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!!!
So, they called this morning, just before 11am to tell us she's ready to come home. Yah-HOOOO!! We have to wait a few extra days because of the Lunar New Year celebrations so we won't be leaving until next week but still WOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Once I collect myself I will give you all the details but for now, THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!!
So, I called the visa center this morning and...... they see her picture!!!!!! This means she has had her passport issued (I'm 99% sure, at least) and when we got Max, they called us THE DAY AFTER his picture came into the system.
HOLY. CRAP.
Now, the timelines are kind of screwy right now with the backlog and everything but suffice it to say, we could get our travel call AT ANY TIME.
So, since our news on Friday, it's been a little crazy and exciting around here. As you all know, we weren't really expecting to get any more movement on our file for another week or two and then another few weeks of waiting after that, so to have not only movement, but an approval for our permit is AMAAAAAZING. It's both scary and nice to have a couple of weeks worth of waiting behind us. Here is an update on where we stand (and Connie, if you read this and I'm wrong, please correct):
- our EP (emigration permit) has been approved which means she's been given the green light to leave the country
-she has a visa physical scheduled for this Wednesday (1/26) and that will ensure she is healthy enough for travel. There is always a slight chance of delay at this point but she just had a physical a week or so ago and is totally healthy so I doubt it
-there is a packet of info called a P3 that has to be returned to the National Visa Center here in the US. This contains ALL her paperwork and is the last step before............
-TRAVEL CALL!!!!!! This can come pretty much anytime after her visa physical. Seriously. Some people get their call two days after, some a week, some a couple of weeks so there is no way to know at this point. I told Jeff that beginning Thursday, we need to be prepared for that call at any time. I'm guessing it'll take about a week, but the EP's usually take a few weeks to go through the approval process and we had ours approved in 13 days (the group after us was done in 9) so I think things are going along wiki-wiki (that's Hawaiian for fast, ya dig?). They have a backlog of kids that need to get home so I wouldn't be that surprised if we get the call next week. OMG!!!
Obviously I'll keep posting as we get new info and as an added bonus, I've started a Tumblr (don't worry Jan, I will explain what this is), which is like a cross between a blog and facebook, so that when we're in Seoul, you can read updates and see pics as they happen. I'll provide the link to the Tumblr soon. Unfortunately I can't update this blog on my phone and don't know how often we'll be able to get to the laptop so I can do the Tumblr on the go. I'm also going to revisit my Korean language lessons and start making lists. LOTS OF LISTS. What to bring, what to say, what to buy, what to do, etc. We were in such a newbie fog last time that we didn't really get to enjoy the fact that we were going to such a kick ass city so this time we're going to spend a couple of days shopping and sightseeing before all hell breaks loose!
I am so frustrated with this situation right now. We did not get our permit submitted as we had hoped and as I had patiently waited for since OCTOBER when they ran out. At this point, I don't know when we will, maybe weeks maybe a month. Either way it's way longer than we had thought and I'm just so done with the process and the agency and everything in between. I've tried to stay optimistic that we'll somehow magically get some good news but at this point I'm just defeated. Ugh.
So, it's now January 5, 2011 and we've been PATIENTLY waiting nearly 6 MONTHS for Mia's paperwork and I'm going to go clinically insane if I don't hear anything soon. I read that there have been a batch of emigration permits submitted, but we don't know if one of them is for us. I will continue to update as I get info (or cry if I don't get any) so stay tuned (unless you have a life, in which case, carry on.)
Look, we've been waiting so long Picard up there grew a damn beard! LET'S GET ON WITH IT ALREADY.
