WE HAVE LANDED!!!
We landed in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 12:10 on December 23 !!!
Oh what a feeling when we stepped off the plane after almost 24 hours : We left the hotel in Delhi at 8:00 pm on Tuesday 22nd -- our first leg was a KLM flight to Amsterdam -- our flight was four hours late so we spent 7 hours at the international terminal in Delhi -- which is a work in progress -- note: they check your passports just to get into the terminal; then the signage is very poor in the terminal to find the airline desk -- If you fly KLM, they are the only airlines that check your adoption documents ! We didn't know that! and they also wanted to photo copy it : the NOC and the court guardianship. The security check-in went smoothly. We recommend coming early to the airport and then have lots of activities for your little one while you wait -- the Delhi international terminal isn't like the one in Amsterdam so the services our limited.
Well after we boarded the flight -- Maggie Sonia did fine all the way to Amsterdam (about a 9 hours flight). We had a lovely KLM stewardess who took care of us on the flight and even gave us a gift for Maggie Sonia!! (Unfortunately our second leg of the flight with Delta Airlines was just awful -- I almost lost it with the 2 stewardess assigned to our section! -- but there was too much joy with us to make the poor Delta service spoil our journey home.
Resting before the flight at the ITC lounge in Delhi International terminal.
With the delay in taking off from Delhi, we didn't have a layover in Amsterdam. After we landed, we walked to our 2nd leg of the flight 2 gates over in Amsterdam for the horrible Delta Airline flight to Minneapolis.....we were so excited that we followed each hour of it on the seat monitor....with Mary saying "Are we there yet" like a little kid! It was rather cute....We forgot to pack some toys for Maggie for the flights...we highly recommend some blocks or crayons or other active play toys (we only had books) so the remote control for the in-flight entertainment became her toy. Also don't forget to pack favorite snacks. Our flight ended early at 12:10 pm on December 23 just in time for the major snow storm to start here! I felt like kissing the ground when we landed jusk like the pope :+)
The custom lines were long, but there were expecting us and for a change we got some needed special treatment by going to the front of the line! The custom service officer was super. After he checked our passports, we had a little official opening of the brown envelop from the US Embassy! It was official -- Maggie is ours. Within 10 minutes we were done --American efficiency at its best! He welcomed all of us to the United States.....what a relief! This was a 3 years journey for us. We both high fived and did the hugest group hug!!!
We've done it. WE ARE HOME! Physically and emotionally exhausted ! and Mary hasn't slept for 48 hours -- caring for Maggie Sonia takes all her time and she still will not come to me yet ... so I'm a little useless on that department but she is beginning to trust me and it will work out fine......what a wonderful joyous Christmas present for us....
I love Mary and Maggie Sonia!
A blessed Merry Christmas to all who have followed us through this journey....bye for now.
Christmas Eve in Minnesota -- this isn't Bhubaneswar, Orissa :+)
Casey Pasko and Maggie Sonia sledding.
