Home and a Forever Family for 2 Weeks - Part 2

New room!

Christmas in April

Brother love

Bubbles

Look who learned to ride a bike today!

Yee Haw!!!

Trouble on three wheels

All three kids were thrilled that Jim's mom, "Mam Maw" was home to greet us. Hung ran to his room and loved his new bunk bed. Then he began opening presents accumulating for the last 2 years. He was so excited.

Watching Hung has been like being with a baby in some ways. Everything is a first. We saw his first rides in a car, bus, train, boat and plane. We saw his first swim, the look of sheer joy when he walked in the sand and ran into the ocean. I love hearing him say "Wow!" every time I get water and ice out of the fridge door dispenser for him.

Saturday we all crashed fairly early. We were all up very early Sunday and decided to go to church. Hung, who most likely had never been in a church before, loved the music and seemed to understand this is a place to behave. Our assistant rector called us up and introduced Hung to the congregation. When people started to clap, he too started clapping and waving - hamming it up. Seeing him go up with the other kids when Father John prepared the Eucharist brought me to tears. We had waited so very long for this moment - when Hung would meet and join our church community. Although he is not yet baptized, when he saw us receive communion, he stood there until Father John gave it to him as well. Just as he saw Mommy do, he walked over and dipped his wafer in the wine and popped it in his mouth. We are pretty sure God didn't mind one bit. After wards, we stayed for our annual church picnic. Hung is probably going to think church is about hamburgers, bounce houses and bubbles!

How is the adjustment going? Well, Hung still seems to be doing better than the rest of us. Yesterday Jim took him to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant late in the day to get some Pho and have a chat with the owners in his native tongue. He told them he loves his new home and room but the misses Vietnam. He also said he is very happy. It shows. He was not at all scared of our 2 big dogs. He is calling Murphy "Moo-fy." He is beyond thrilled that we have a pool. Swim lessons are in the immediate future.

And Miss Lily? Well.....its hard not being the center of attention after 3 years. It is hard to share your toys with someone who does not want to share theirs but wants all yours too. We have seen lots of tears and had lots of yelling from our little girl but overall she is doing pretty well. They have had really good moments of playing and sharing. Hung does a pretty funny imitation of Lily putting her hands on her hips and yelling. He is quite the little mimic and has a wicked sense of humor. It helps that Lily is getting extra grandma loving from Mam Maw.

Marshall is just glad to be home and to have his own room and have his bass guitar. He is still very jet lagged, going to bed at 4 in the afternoon and waking in the middle of the night. This morning he got up early and he and Hung were in the front yard by 7 am kicking a ball, blowing bubbles and just generally having a great time together. Jim and I breathed a big sigh of relief. This is the moment Marshall has waited for for 2 years - a brother he can play with. Now that Marshall is back on his own territory, he is ready for it. He and Lily taught Hung how to ride a bike today in about 10 minutes. Hung got mad that Lily was whizzing by him and he pedaled like a mad man to catch her. A very determined little guy. Lily and Hung both fought me for almost 2 hours this afternoon about going down for a nap. They giggled and stalled on and on until I finally separated them. Just like siblings do. Has it really only been two weeks? We are so blessed.

Home and a Forever Family for 2 Weeks - Part 1

Dinner at The Vine in Hanoi

More motor scooter madness

In the alley behind the Embassy

Gateway at the Temple of Literature

Family of 5

3 hot and tired children who are about to board a flight for 30 plus hours of travel.

Hanoi Opera House

The newest American citizen. God Bless America!

Customs - it is official!

First hot dog!

Captain Hung

Leaving Vietnam was a whirlwind. We were at the Embassy Friday at 9:30 and had the visa within about an hour and a half. We walked around the neighborhood behind the Embassy and then spent some time in the American library on the Embassy's first floor. It is air conditioned and has a lot of kids' books. A good place to wait if you need to. Jim contacted Korean Air, changed all our flights departing at midnight Friday and then it was off to the Temple of Literature for some last minute sightseeing and souvenir purchases. It was beautiful but hot, crowded and by the time we got back to the hotel, we were all very ready to come home. Hanoi is constant hustle, bustle, noise, traffic. It is amazing and stressful at the same time.

The flights were fairly uneventful. The kids slept off and on and we took advantage of the transit hotel at the Seoul airport for our 4 hour layover. That short nap helped tremendously. The kids all did amazing on the flights. Hung became a US citizen the minute he got off the plane in Atlanta. About 2 minutes later, he ran ahead of us and got on the escalator and promptly lost his balance and rolled down. 1000 more grey hairs on Mom's head. He was fine but shaken. Then we got in line behind 250 other people at customs. Atlanta Customs does not have it together like LA. for adopting parents. You stand in line with everyone else. Because of the fall, Jim held Hung. Lily wasn't in the mood to share Daddy. So, in the midst of the very long and very slow moving line, Lily had a total breakdown screaming, " You need to take him back!! I do not need a new brother!! He is not part of this family." This scene goes on and on to our horror and other's humor for about 45 minutes. We get through customs and then are told we have to go to a special room for an interview. What?! Have we not gone through enough?

So, we go to another room where we hear trainee agents tell another couple ahead of us that their baby is not a citizen until he gets his Certificate of Citizenship. I'm thinking I am Alice in Wonderland. Our 4 hour layover is quickly being reduced to half an hour before boarding time. Then it is finally our turn and the trainee who opens our packet has never seen a packet from VN before. He keeps saying "Where is the medical report?" His boss says, "they are working with a great agency, I am sure it is in there." The trainee responds, "Well, it's their problem if it isn't." The supervisor says, " No, its your problem." Trainee responds "Hey, I only work 8-5." The thought, "How much jail time would I get for striking a federal officer?" runs through my mind. His co-trainee pipes up, "Nope, you are scheduled to work to 7:30 today!" and they all have a big chuckle. The supervisor finds the medical report, we get processed and he tells the keystone cops that Hung is a citizen because both parents are present. Apparently the couple before us was not married.

We had about 20 minutes before we board to Tampa and we grabbed a quick lunch. Hung wanted what Marshall was having - a hot dog! His first! He didn't like it but put on quite the show taking a big bite. Lily fell asleep and didn't want to get up when we landed in Tampa. She cried so hard she threw up. Luckily we were at the very back of the pane. The captain invited Hung to sit in his seat and then placed his hat on Hung's head - a very special moment.

Good friends Jana and the Spotts family greeted us at the airport. Hung didn't seem to mind at all that Marshall and Lily went in a separate car. He squealed with delight when we pulled up in front of the house and immediately ran in looking for his new room. At last - home!

Leaving Tonight

We received Hung's visa to enter the US in record time this morning and we are coming back to arrive in Tampa on Saturday afternoon. We love the people and sights of Vietnam but we are ready to come home. We will post more photos from here after we get back. Off to do some last minute shopping and touring!! Trying to wear the kids out before we get on the midnight flight to Seoul. Thank you for all the prayers and support along the way! Love, the Duda family

More time around Hanoi

It is two weeks in Vietnam today and it seems like its been longer. The heat is so oppressive. We have been sticking close to the hotel and the pool during the day and venturing out later in the afternoon/evenings. We met friends of friends from home the night before last for dinner. They were most patient with our active children. Lily was at melt down stage from being over tired and jealous. Hung and Marshall were hopped up on Sprite. Last night we made it to the famous "water puppet" show and Hung was thrilled with the music and the antics. Lily was initially frightened. Marshall found it "strange and creepy." We ate dinner and went to the show with a family who adopted a 10 month old. After we got french ice cream at Fanny's on Hoa Kiem lake. Speaking of creepy, we went back to the mausoleum today to see Ho. He looked like a wax figure and I would not be surprised if he is. Hung was appropriately solemn. Hung did well at his medical exam yesterday and we go to the US Embassy tomorrow for his visa. We may come home a few days early if we get the visa tomorrow afternoon. He talked to the Holt director here today on the phone and she confirmed that he speaks very well, understood everything she said and she could understand him with no problem. He wants to know when we are getting on the airplane to go to America and what his new bedroom looks like. :)

All is Well and Photos of Halong

Just a quick update. The bank issue is resolved. Seems there was a "conversion issue" on the Vietnam side. I don't have all the details and it took our branch manager literally all day yesterday to get the funds restored and everything taken care of. God bless her. The lesson here - before you leave on an international trip, go meeet your branch manager and get her contact info. This lady was the only person with the bank who I spoke to yesterday who said "don't worry, I will make this right for you." And she did. She spend hour and hours on the phone with numerous bank departments in the US and Vietnam. One of our first trips home will be to go thank her. That was customer service!

Another angel appeared yesterday. Friends of friends who live in Hanoi dropped by a cell phone they weren't using without even them knowing what our dilemna was yesterday. We came back to our room after being gone for 2 days and found a box of "See's Candy" on the table. We both though that was wierd but the box had my name on it. It didn't take long for one of us to want a piece of candy and opened the box to find the phone which will help us immensly getting around town. We have never met this couple. Several months ago they volunteered to make any contact they could over here for us to see what was the hold up with the adoption. We look forward to meeting them tonight!

Last night Jim took Lily and Hung to get some carry out for us. When they returned, Hung came running in to find me yelling, " Momma! Momma!" and gave me the biggest hug. Yes -we are pretty happy here.

We went to the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum and museum today. Did not see Uncle Ho because we got there too late. The museum was interesting and Hung clearly knew who Uncle Ho was. No that we are big fans but it has meaning for him and he was very proud to be there. We ran into a group of schools girls - probably 3-5 th grade posing for important pictures. Jim walked behind the photographer and started making faces. The whole group bust out laughing at the funny American. I brought about 20 post cards from St. Pete with us just in case this opportunity presented itself. We broke them out of the backpack and the kids crammed around us saying "Hello!! Hello!" There weren't quite enough for everyone but it looked like they were sharing. It was wonderful to see the smiles and hear all the laughter. Beautiful children. Even the grown ups and guards were smiling.

Later today we are seeing a temple nearby our hotel and the infamous "Hanoi Hilton." Our hotel overlooks it and we hear there is quite the interesting display of propoganda. On the ride back from the museum, the taxi driver tried to overcharge us by about 4$. The doorman and the driver got into a pretty loud argument. I think the doorman threatened to call the police and the driver threw back half the money. We had been warned of this scam but this was in a "metered" cab so we thought we would be ok. We'll be more careful. Tomorrow we pick up Hung's passport and go for his medical exam. This morning he repeated after Jim " My name is Hunter."

Halong Bay and Back

Hello - Sunday we left for a two day, one night trip to Halong Bay in the northern part of Vietnam in the south China Sea. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is really very pretty with spectacular limstone karst mountains and a calm bay with many junk boats. The photos are really nice. We will post later. Right now we are dealing with a major banking problem. Seems someone stole my debit card number and took or tired to take about $75000 out of my account. No, I did not have (nor do I think I've ever had )that much money in my account at any one time. How does one make a withdrawal in the 10s of thousands of dollars range any way? The problem and the stress was compounded by me finding this out about 3 minutes before we were supposed to board the bus for the trip to Halong Bay. My cell phone refuses to work here and we could not use the prepaid phone card. I probably spent $200 on phone calls to the bank after we got back today trying to get this worked out. Note to self, when traveling aboad, do not bring a debit card and do not allow any hotel to take an imprint. Prepay in cash.

On the good news front, Hung seems to be dealing with the transition and all th travel better than any of us. Not only is he not shy, he does not likely have the expressive speech delay we were told he had. He jabbered up a storm with our very nice Vietnamese guide on the boat. He is also saying "please," "thank you" and "up." Nothing but smiles on this road/boat trip. Yesterday was the first time he had been on a bus, first time on a boat and first time his feet had been in sand. He loved it and we loved watching his joy. We went on quite a hike today into some caves and he stayed with the group and was filled with excitement. We are quite sure he had never seen anything like it at all. We were with a group of 11 other people from around the world. Lily latched on to a charming couple from Australia and she talked their ears off. The gentleman John was everything a grandpa should be - he lavished her with attention, played tea party with her, talked about her pets, and held her hand on the steep walk. He also showed Hung how to run into the ocean while Jim and Marshall climbed to a high peak to get a better view. John and Carol - you really made this trip very special for our children and us and we hope to see you again soon! Marshall is getting more adventourus with eating. He had two helpings of beef cooked on lemongrass with coconut rice at a nearby restaurant, Indochine, which we loved. He is making some progress on the homework but not as much as he probably should be. :) Say a prayer we get this bank mess straightened out quick. Love, the Dudas in Hanoi

Photos from Hanoi

Sunset over Hanoi

Flower vendor

Typical lunch time street scene

Ok - by far the weirdest thing we saw today. This Santa on a bike was in the middle of a display on Catholicism in Vietnam. Nothing I ever learned at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic church!

Sweet Hung

Insanity adventure while half a world away from home and Western medicine!!! Did I mention that Jim and I have different views on childhood safety?

Water puppet theater

My favorite photo of the day. Lily was standing on a tree stump and posing when Hung jumped up to hug her and ham it up for the camera.

Clowning around

Bun cha

Happy together - does it show?

Today we got up late and went to the Museum of Ethnology which is kind of like the Vietnam version of Williamsburg. This is a good museum that displays information about the different ethnic minorities and makeup of Vietnam. Lots of pottery, instruments and costumes. The real thrill for the kids was the display out side of what looks like traditional Native American homes on stilts. Marshall was really surpised about how similar cultures are around the world. Some of the information he learned last year about Indians and his own Cherokee heritage helped him understand the information presented today. Jim and I wanted to check this museum out because we really wanted to see the Hmong portion. We are fairly certain this is Lily's heritage. The Hmong are found primarily in North Vietnam and South China. So many more people in Hanoi than HCMC have asked whether Lily is from Vietnam. She rightly and proudly says "No! Guangdong, China!" Hung had a blast running from display to display. On the way there, he learned the word "Taxi!" and shouted it over and over every time one passed. Jim and the kids climbed up an odd ladder to see one of the stilt houses. I stayed on the ground and took pictures. The compund also has a "water puppet" theater which we think is an art form fairly unique to Vietnam. We did not see the show today but may go back next weekend to catch it. The grounds housed a craft gallery which showed the history of the puppets and also block printing and embroidery. We ate lunch at a nearby reatuarant that provides training for disadvantaged kids in the hospitality trades. It was the best meal we have had in Vietnam so far. (For those who are wondering what Vietnamese food is like, if you live in our area, Ben Thanh on 62nd Ave. is as good as anyting we have had here. Go check it out!)

Speaking of meals - I made the mistake of sampling a nut or a fruit (I am not sure which) from a street vendor yesterday. I've been paying for it ever since and we are running out of Imodium. Hung told a waitress today that his new family "eats a lot!" Yes - we probably do compared to what he is used to. He was well groomed and was well taken care of but he is skinny, skinny. He has been eating all of us under the table. Several yogurts a day, noodles, rice, fruit, veggies - you name it. We went to the minigrocery at the hotel this afternoon. Marshall was up in the room doing homework. Hung grabbed me and motioned to buy the Sprite and kept putting his hand above his head. I thought he meant Sprite would make him grow. When we got up to the room, he ran to Marshall yelling "Ahn, Ahn" (which means big brother) and pulled on his shirt making the
"are you thristy?" sign. Then he ran back to the kitchen, grabbed a can of Sprite and brought it to Marshall with a big smile. He had been trying to tell me we needed to buy Sprite for big brother. We are so proud and amazed every day by this beautiful child. Such a gift, just like Marshall and Lily.