Unexpected Trip

This is my passport, and the photo I had taken today for my Chinese visa application. I'm sending them off tomorrow, with a FedEx insurance receipt and a prayer, and am hopeful that they will return approved and in one piece in the near future.

Yes - I'm going to China. I can't quite believe it myself!

My sister and brother-in-law are living in southern China for a year, teaching oral English at a public high school. When they departed last August, I never imagined I'd be able to visit them. After all, China is far, far away, and international plane tickets are expensive. I have a job and a husband and two small kids, from whom I've rarely been away overnight, and never for more than a long weekend. I didn't even give it a second thought.

My parents visited in December and had a wonderful experience. So wonderful, in fact, that my Dad announced out of the blue last week that he'd decided to make a second trip, in April. Equally out of the blue, the wheels in my mind started spinning . . . here was a chance to see some of China, and see my sister, with my Dad as a traveling companion. It seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up, and yet there were still so many logistics to consider. Costs, time off from work, childcare arrangements (not to mention mama-guilt.)

But in a matter of days, it has come together. Ben, who traveled in China during college as part of a short-term study abroad, was very encouraging. ("The kids will be fine! We'll have pizza every night! It'll be great!") He also offered up his frequent flyer miles, and amazingly, there were cities and travel dates available that worked amidst other constraints. My dear friend, who works part-time like I do and whose daughter is in E's preschool class, offered to take care of the kids in the afternoons until Ben gets home each day. My Mom, who is going on her own previously-planned trip to the East coast, offered to come help with the kids for the first several days before she departs. My supervisor approved the time off with an immediate, "Sounds like a great opportunity!" Even A & E, when we told them, were excited, though I'm pretty sure that had more to do with the prospect of daily after-school playdates with their friends and nightly pizza. (A did express regret that she couldn't come along on the trip . . . hopefully when she's older, there will be more opportunities to travel.)

So, after a couple of largely-sleepless nights researching options and agonizing over the decision, my tickets are booked, and I'm in the beginning stages of organizing all that needs to be organized: a visa and several vaccinations, for starters. I'm nervous but also extremely excited about all aspects of the trip.

Today I got my visa photo taken at work. I work at a large hospital, which often feels like a city in its own right. Truly - there is a post office, a gift shop, a natural foods store, a Starbucks, an ATM, a copy center, etc. all within a short walk from my office. In the summer, there's even a farmer's market. I wasn't certain that passport/visa photo services were available on campus, but I thought they might be, so I stopped by the post office to inquire. "No," the friendly cashier informed me, "We don't do them here. But Medical Photography does." Hmmm, medical photography? I asked for directions and made my way to this office. Sure enough, there was a large poster on the door advertising passport photos, among other services. In the length of a coffee break, I was able to procure the needed photos. The poor photographer had to try several attempts, because I kept blinking right as he snapped the picture! When the first set of Polaroids began to process, he shook his head sadly and said, "Wow. No, this won't work. This looks like a morgue photo." Ummmm . . . thanks? And did I mention he was a MEDICAL PHOTOGRAPHER? So presumably, he's actually seen morgue photos a time or two. Whoever knew that all I needed to do to look dead was close my eyes and not smile? Anyway, in the end, I came away with a passable photo and went about my day.

When I dug out my passport this evening, I also pulled out the kids' passports and they loved looking at the photos! Since we moved to Germany when E was just a couple of months old, we practically had to drive directly from the hospital upon being discharged, to Costco to have his photo taken. He was only a few days old, so young that his eyes weren't open and his neck was propped up by my visible hand. A was not quite 3, with far less hair than she sports these days. It brought back memories.

On another note - I feel like I've been making a long mental list of things I want to blip. I have yet to capture E's swimming or A's gymnastics. At home, A has been spending as much spare time as possible swinging from the monkey bar in our playroom, and I'd love to capture that as well. Signs of spring are everywhere, and most recently, cherry blossoms are bursting over all over our city. It's absolutely gorgeous! We'll see what blip tomorrow brings . . .