Leaving China Today

We will pick up Kamea's US visa and immigration paperwork at the US Consulate at 3:30 this afternoon.  From there, we will travel by van to Shenzhen with Chuck, Jennie and Ellie.  Along the way we will pass through Dongguan, which is where Dexter spent the first 21 months of his life.  In Shenzhen we will need to board a separate van to travel in to Hong Kong because only certain vehicles are permitted to cross the border.  We should arrive at our hotel in Hong Kong around 7:00 tonight.  

Tomorrow morning at 10:25 will will fly directly from Hong Kong to Detroit.  Our flight is just over 15 hours, so we will arrive on US soil at 1:25 p.m. EST on Friday.   We will process through immigration and customs in Detroit, where we have a 6 hour layover.  We will depart Detroit at 7:27 p.m., and arrive in La Crosse at 8:04 p.m. CST, just a hop, skip and a jump from home!

Leaving China is bittersweet for us.  We have tried to experience as much of China as we possibly could in these past couple of weeks, and to somehow imprint these experiences in our minds forever.  We are mournful for Kamea and for the familiar life that she leaves behind here.  At the same time, we look forward to going home and truly becoming a family of six.  We are incredibly grateful for this experience and look forward to what the future holds for us.  

Final pictures from Shamian Island early this morning:

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Tai Chi in the park