Waiting for Guffman

If you've been faithfully checking to read the updates in our ongoing moving-to-China fiasco, then I imagine you've been disappointed at the lack of information we've shared. This may have been an effective tool to share with you how we are feeling. Although I do have a greater sense of peace, as I referred to in the last posting, we still have a daily routine of the following dialogue:

Telephone ringing

Dave: This is Dave.

Lynne: (upbeat tone) Hey!

Dave: (sounding downtrodden) Hey.

Lynne: So, any news?

Dave: No.

Lynne: Nothing from the passport people?

Dave: Nothing.

Lynne: Nothing from the China people?

Dave: Nothing.

Lynne: (sounding less upbeat) Oh.

We have managed to figure a few things out. After waiting to have a trip scheduled, Dave suggested some dates that everyone agreed to. Then, after waiting to have flight information sent, Dave put together our flight. Then, after waiting to have our visa applications completed, Dave worked with a passport and visa operator. So we have learned that if we want something done, we ought not wait for someone else to do it.

This is where we stand.

We have tickets to fly from St. Louis to Hong Kong on Sunday night (4-8). We'll arrive Tuesday morning, and leave Wednesday evening. This is a very short visit.
We'll arrive Wednesday night in Shanghai and stay until Sunday morning, when we fly back home. This is longer because two of Dave's future managers will be in Shanghai at the time.
Arriving back home on Sunday evening, we'll need to be in Chicago on Tuesday around noon. It's a tight itinerary, and Uncle H-- did not cough up for business class, so it'll be exhausting.

Another time might be better. Which is good, because we still don't have our visas. Dave's passport needs more pages, and this process currently takes a very long time. We're still waiting to hear back on whether or not we will have visas by Sunday.

If so, the show will go on. If not, we wait.