7/8/08 - Officially 7 Days to Go!

Big progress today! I've booked round trip tickets to China! We leave on Tuesday, July 15th and return on August 1st. Three tickets there and four tickets back. I've booked hotels in all our stops, which YES, includes Beijing! Our Passports are at the Chinese consulate in NY for visa approval, which we should have by tomorrow. Our "gotcha" date is 7/22/08. Our consulate appointment and/or swearing of oaths is 7/30 or 7/31st. So far so good!

Now that you have the conclusion, let me tell you the story of a woman who this morning stormed the travel agency demanding results. The agency was on 32nd street, in the heart of Korea town. It sat directly across from an awesome restaurant with a waterfall and a piano mounted 12 feet in the air. The morning started at 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the air was thick with humidity. Everyone on the subway was hot. Everyone knew the day was only going to get hotter.

The determined woman headed toward the agency with conviction that tickets and visas could be had, if only she stayed calm and polite. She entered the unair-conditioned lobby, rode the elevator up 9 floors, and exited to find the office closed. Bummer. Back down to the hot and sticky street rather than waiting in the sweltering hall. She bought an ice water, collected her thoughts, and watched people come and go. The hustle of the city was under way. After 15 minutes, she reentered the swamp of a lobby, rode the elevator, which opened to a preschool on the third floor. Oddly the woman interpreted the extra stop as a good sign for the mission at hand. At the ninth floor she exited.

The young man now in the office said the agent wouldn't be in until 11 am. The secret weapon of a frustrated, angry, yet still hopeful woman was released, tears flowed! The agent was on the phone within 5 minutes. The young man was scared to be left alone with a crazed crying woman and called for help. Yes, tickets are booked!