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jeriendhalThe last week or so has been very busy for me. I've had to take about 2 1/2 days off just to chase down the last of the paperwork needed for China Girl. The results were worth it though.
Monday (12/5) - Head into DC to hit the State Dept. to get documents Federally certified. Find out the necessary office isn't actually AT the State Dept. but in a little shopping plaza a few blocks away. By the time I get that figured out and get them certified, it's too late to hit the Chinese Embassy to get same day certification turnaround. That and it's starting to snow like sh*t. Head home.
Friday (12/9) - Head to the Chinese Embassy, just a 1/2 mile from the Metro. Find out that's the wrong place as well (though I should have known that earlier.) Trudge another mile to bus stop. Take bus to nearest stop. Trudge 1/2 mi. down wrong street, turn around, find little office complex with the certification office.
Here's a fact the Chinese Embassy does not advertise on their web site. To get a document certified by them costs $20 per document, which we knew. Same Day certification costs an additional thirty dollars. $50 x 13 Documents = Royce settles for picking up four days from dropoff.
Wendsday (12/14) - Get documents. Walk nineteen blocks from the Metro station to the certification office, because I realized I only had enough change to ride the bus back to the Metro station. Which is uphill.
Thursday (this morning) - Scramble around to find a sixth "lifestyle" photo to include with the dossier. Get caught in traffic jam, call office, find out I forgot about the breakfast my office was going to have at a local restaurant. Curse roundly. Arrive at office. Photocopy the China certification pages. Spend two hours in meetings. Check e-mail, find out Tracy discovered that we'd forgotten to fills out a cover letter. Fill that out...
...and finally put the dossier into the mail to Great Wall Adoptions.
Can I throw up now?
Monday (12/5) - Head into DC to hit the State Dept. to get documents Federally certified. Find out the necessary office isn't actually AT the State Dept. but in a little shopping plaza a few blocks away. By the time I get that figured out and get them certified, it's too late to hit the Chinese Embassy to get same day certification turnaround. That and it's starting to snow like sh*t. Head home.
Friday (12/9) - Head to the Chinese Embassy, just a 1/2 mile from the Metro. Find out that's the wrong place as well (though I should have known that earlier.) Trudge another mile to bus stop. Take bus to nearest stop. Trudge 1/2 mi. down wrong street, turn around, find little office complex with the certification office.
Here's a fact the Chinese Embassy does not advertise on their web site. To get a document certified by them costs $20 per document, which we knew. Same Day certification costs an additional thirty dollars. $50 x 13 Documents = Royce settles for picking up four days from dropoff.
Wendsday (12/14) - Get documents. Walk nineteen blocks from the Metro station to the certification office, because I realized I only had enough change to ride the bus back to the Metro station. Which is uphill.
Thursday (this morning) - Scramble around to find a sixth "lifestyle" photo to include with the dossier. Get caught in traffic jam, call office, find out I forgot about the breakfast my office was going to have at a local restaurant. Curse roundly. Arrive at office. Photocopy the China certification pages. Spend two hours in meetings. Check e-mail, find out Tracy discovered that we'd forgotten to fills out a cover letter. Fill that out...
...and finally put the dossier into the mail to Great Wall Adoptions.
Can I throw up now?
