It's official! All 3 Cannellas are heading to the Philippines in August!
As the Philippines Program Coordinator with Christian Adoption Services, I will be attending the Global Consultation of the Inter-country Adoption Board of the Philippines (ICAB). This is a two day conference where they bring in all of their partners in adoption from around the world. This will be a great opportunity for me to meet in person many of the people I work with, but only know through email. I will also get to see the country and culture of the Philippines to have a better understanding of where the kids we are placing for adoption come from.
I don't like to travel without my handy-dandy travel buddy (George) and I can't leave home without my mini-travel buddy (Aubrey), so they are both coming too! YAY!
The first matter of business was getting passports for me and Aubrey. I have not changed my passport since I got married, so I finally sent that off a few weeks ago (LAST thing to change my name on! woo-hoo!) For Aubrey's passport, George and I both have to go in person to sign and the earliest appointment we could get was a month out. Boo! So next week we are scheduled to apply for her passport. They have assured me that both mine and Aubrey's passport will come in time for our trip (George's passport is still good). I will feel much better when all 3 valid passports are in my hands:)
My agency will be paying for my part of the trip, but we have to cover the cost of George and Aubrey coming. The plane ticket for George is about $2,000 (eek!). I thought Aubrey would be free as a lap baby...but no! On international flights, they charge 10% of the adult ticket! So that adds about $200. We will also need to cover food and transportation while we are there. I am listing some things on Ebay and will also be listing some baby clothes on here to help us cover the costs. Of course, donations are always welcome too:)
We are planning to visit some of the orphanages in the Manila area during our stay. I am excited to meet the children and get to see where a lot of our adopted children come from. I will ask the orphanage directors if there is anything they need that we could bring. If so, I will collect donations of whatever items would be useful to them. We can pack light and take supplies in a second suitcase if that is the case. I will keep you posted on what items they need.
Thanks for reading our new blog! I will try to post updates as we get closer. I will also post pictures and a journal of our trip from the Philippines if I can.
