Annual Wrap-Up Update & a Taste of Asia

Our agency sent a final update of the year. It was a very good year. They completed 85 Vietnamese adoptions in 2007 and during the year received a total of 73 referrals. 28 families are waiting to travel after having received their referral. There are 231 families, who are currently on the waiting list , just waiting for a referral. We are #110, so we are just a little past the middle of the list. What's good, for us at least is that there are less people ahead of us than behind us. Now what is scary is there are 174 families who have applications in and are waiting on their home studies and their 171H forms to be added to the list. Depending how quickly referrals come and how quickly people are added to the waiting list the waiting list can get close to 400 families. Now if you were family 400, you could bet unless you were really open to a lot of special needs or an older child, you'd have much longer than 2 years to wait for a child. The wait can get as long or longer than those wanting to adopt from China. Nothing is even definite that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be renewed later this year, which will determine whether adoptions from Vietnam continue in the future. Do they know something that so many of the other agencies, who have temporarily stopped taking applications don't know?

This past week has been a week of Asian meals. Last weekend, we went for Thai food. The first time for me and the first in quitew a long time for Kevin. By now, I can't remember what either of us had, but I had some noodle dish, which was quite tasty and not too hot, nor too mild. The day after Christmas, we had chinese. My usual General Tso's Chicken from this one place not far from our house. Then on Saturday night, I discovered a new Vietnamese restaurant had opened in Des Plaines. (For those who live in Northwest Chicagoland) It is call Dung Gia on Miner Street, aka Northwest Highway; it is a very small restaraunt, only 10 tables.) It was very good! I ordered something called Heo Uop Gung Sot Camwith marinated pork in ginger cooked with pineapple, bell peppers, onions, and orange sauce. Kevin got Ca Bong Lau Kho To, which was catfish in a clay pot. I tried it and it was quite tasty. After studying the take out menu better, there were several things I'd like to order sometime. Since Dung Gia is in the same town as the CHI office; we'll hopefully eat there when we go to evening waiting family meetings. It's also right by the train, so I can have Kevin meet me there after work, plus he works only a few miles away. Once the weather gets warmer I really want to venture down to the area of the city nicknamed Little Saigon or New Chinatown, where there are many Vietnamese restaurants and shops.

I also just realized that it was about a year ago today that our application was approved for adopting from Vietnam and we rushed down to pay our fee, so we can get in under our agency's 2006 fee policy.