My dream vacation

For months now I’ve dreamt of taking Oscar back to Vietnam (not for good, of course, just for a visit).  I want to do this fairly soon – like next spring.  This means, of course, that my desire to take him back there really isn’t about developing in him an appreciation of his birth country.  I guess it’s about me.  We saw some great places when we were in Vietnam earlier this year, but I don’t think I really enjoyed our experience at all.  While I loved meeting the different people we encountered, the experience itself was marred by the constant worry that I was not going to get visa approval and would have to spend at least a couple of years living in exile.

So many people talk about taking their internationally adopted kids back to their birth countries when they’re anywhere from 10-14 years old.  If possible, I’d love to take Oscar back every few years.  I want to avoid putting too much importance or significance on one birth country visit.  I think that’s just too much for a pre-teen to shoulder. 

But I do have to wonder if taking a toddler to Vietnam is crazy.  He’d do fine once we were there, I’m sure.  The people there so adore children.  It’s one of the things I marvelled about during our stay, and still love about the country.  I am fairly afraid of the flight, though.  Oscar did not do well on the flight from Taiwan to San Francisco.  I fear that now that he’s mobile he’d do even more poorly.  So, this is what I’ve been day-dreaming about lately.  Finding a way to return to the country where I spent two months dreaming on a daily basis for a visa that would allow us to leave.  Go figure.

October 7, 2008 - Posted by Oscar and Etta's mom | Vietnam | travel