Thursday, February 25, 2010

Looks like some changes in S. Korean adoption....

I just got an email from our agency. We are with SWS over in Korea and they confirmed the wait time from referral to travel as 6 mos. (from 4mos - 6mos) This just stinks overall. They said it will remain this way for the "forseable future" so I am guessing it will affect us. AND SWS does not want any children escorted over here unless extreme circumstances call for it. UMMMM.. we were going to use an escort. I am terrified of flying and Daniel can't leave his company for that long. I am sure me being terrified to fly will not qualify us to have an escort. Passport please. Oh my.

Anyone else hear anything?

9 comments:

  1. you can claim you need a companion to fly, some people have used pigs as companions, that would be interesting!!!

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  2. Ugh, that *does* stink. Better start desensitizing yourself to flying now :)

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  3. boo :( i'm sorry... can either of your parents fly with you??? i'm sorry about the longer wait. it seemed like that was going to happen with all the backups from the end of 2009 :(

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  4. I was in that waiting parents meeting when they announced those changes and almost broke out in tears when they said that time from referral to travel is now 6 months.

    But - great news on the referral timelines - they're averaging 4 months from HSTK to referral!

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  5. Oh man!! I like Jenny's idea of finding someone to go with you. That's a long flight. That said, you will never regret going over there for a second. It's unfathomable to us now *not* having gone. Korea will embed itself in your soul when you are there and that is so important to your daughter down the line.

    As hard as it is, try not to get too hung up on the time to travel... I'm hearing lots of things and you just never know. (We were told we wouldn't travel any earlier than three months and most likely it would be 4 months. Uhm, our TC came 6 weeks after acceptance. Hmmm...)

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  6. Thanks Christine, I will remember that about travel. I have been so bummed thinking about that long wait.

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  7. Here's the silver lining: Other agencies that work with SWS are still getting travel calls left and right and almost all of these people have been waiting 3-4 months, not 6. Unless SWS puts our agency at the end of the line, I don't think we'll be waiting that long to travel.

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  8. Changes are hard. Our agency sent out a statement telling waiting parents that travel is now required as well. I believe this is a SWS thing and not an agency thing.

    I hate flying as well but fly to Seoul again in a second to experience Seoul again. It was the trip of a lifetime. Meeting our daughter's foster mother and seeing where she was born was indescribable. You won't regret it.

    SWS had the FASTEST timeline from referral to travel just a few months ago. I wonder what changed??? We waited three months. Hmmmm.

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  9. We were told 3-6 months to travel...then they stressed it would be more toward the longer end: 5-6 months. We got our TC 3.5 months after acceptance, so we were pleasantly surprised...but I know others who have waited longer. You just never know. It is so hard to wait & be patient...I think the hardest part is that you have no control & you just don't know.

    We went through Eastern, which has been slower than SWS...so hopefully it won't be the 6 months to travel. Or...maybe the first wait (for referral) will be shorter...so ends up the same in the end.

    I am SOOOO glad we traveled to Korea. I'd go back in a heartbeat. You won't regret it. I know some people who could only have one parent go over there (the other parents stayed home to parent the other children), but they had a grandma travel too.

    Hang in there!!

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We are waiting to adopt our fourth child from the U.S.A. I am a momma to three other awesome children and wife to the love of my life. My boys are homegrown and my daughter is adopted from S. Korea . We cannot wait to meet our next baby!