PREPARATIONS RUMBLE ON! TICKETS AND VISAS

The blog's been quiet in the last week or so . . . because there's so much going on behind the scenes:

• flight tickets have been confirmed
• visa obtained
• even more shopping research completed.

It's been very emotional as well.

The lovely Juliet from Jigsaw Travel has reduced me to tears several times this week - referring to 'your daughter', 'your baby' and 'sky cots'. She was extremely efficient, friendly and understanding - and she managed to get me a much, much better deal on 4 flights than I had managed for just 2! I can't recommend Jigsaw highly enough. They are fab.

Visa, wow, what an experience! I was at the Chinese Embassy office by 7.40am on Friday morning (as advised by my Yahoo Adoption Group). I was about 13th in the queue. By the time the office opened at 9am there must have been over 150 people in the queue. The agency representatives were at the front of the queue, they're the experts, but they're very friendly and share their experiences with those who need to know and organise everyone in the queue!! Then I went off for some retail research at John Lewis, but I was there by 9:20 and the shop doesn't open until 9:30! I returned to the basement of the Embassy by 10:30 (as advised by the agency reps) and joined the next queue, about 20th this time and in the last available seat! The same day service returns at 11:30. By the time 11:30 came around there must have been over 100 in the queue, which snaked around the room, out of the door and up the steps. I got to the payment window by about 12:00, paid (£50) and then went to the next window to get my passport back - at this stage I didn't know whether or not I had succeeded, I had. Once I'd checked I went back outside, up to ground level, lent against a railing and cried with relief! I hadn't realised how wound up about the process I had been, I knew how important the visa was and I knew that 'officially' I didn't have the correct paperwork - although others have succeeded with the same documents as I had used. Phew, big relief, only 1 more piece of paperwork between me and Whatshername.

Advice to others seeking a visa from the Chinese Embassy:

• get there as early as possible, before 7:45
• grab a coffee and breakfast on the way there - to eat in the queue
• make sure you have the form that has Chinese characters throughout it (not just at the top)
• get back to the basement collection room early, before 10:30 - it will be worth an hour in the queue before the window opens for the time you save after 11:30
  
• be patient
• paperwork - passport, application and ITT (if possible) - I didn't take ITT but I did give in a copy of my acceptance letter
• the agency experts say that Mondays, Fridays and school holidays are always the busiest days, avoid them if you can
• take cash for payment - they don't accept cheques or debit / credit cards
  
• go in person - it's a nerve wracking morning but part of the adoption experience!

As for the shopping - I'm still looking for a pushchair but have decided on a car sear - Britax First Class, surprisingly not Isofix as they couldn't be fitted nearly as securely!