Four plus three from Poland

Meeting today at the Lifeline office in Birmingham with Stephanie and Sasha (in-country advisor).  Lots and lots of good information.  They think we are two to four weeks away from traveling but said for us to be prepared because once we get the call, we may be traveling in less than a week. 

• We will need to be in country a day or two before the "bounding period" with the kids starts.  Poland requires the parents and children to be together for three weeks and for a social worker to stop by once or twice a week to verify that things are working out.
• Golden Rule Travel is who Lifeline uses for air travel arrangements.  We are to call them to coordinate.  We have the option to go ahead and book a round trip and guess on a return date and then move it once we know the exact date.  Else, we could book a one-way but typically there is no savings for doing this.
• Once we arrive in Warsaw, Sasha or Alex will pick us up at the airport.  We will stay in Warsaw one or two nights and then travel to the region where the kids are living.  We will not know until a few days before we travel if we will stay in that region or return with the kids to Warsaw for the bounding period. 
• Sasha will take care of all our housing needs while we are in Poland. 
• Special items to bring - power outlet converters.  Poland uses 220V.
• We are also to bring nice clothes for our court date (suite & tie and nice dress).  House shoes, it is custom not to wear shoes in the house but socks get dirty very quickly. 
• Documents to bring with us - Immigration paperwork from U.S. government approving kids for visa and our passports.
• Pack a suitcase inside a suitcase to bring back any clothes that the foster family may allow the kids to take with them.  Note: it is good to ask the foster family if they have any pictures of the kids growing up or any family pictures given to them of their natural parents.  It may not be something you want the kids to see then but may be good for them later in life.
• Bring games - card games and other things to occupy your time. We may spend a lot of time indoors due to the Poland winter weather.
• Yes, we can jog and walk around.
• Currency - Poland has their own currency but have plenty of ATMs available.  Exchange rate is one U.S. dollar equals about three Polish dollars. 
• We are to pack one weeks worth of clothes for trip.  It will be cold so layers are good.  We will have access to a washer but NO dryers so we are bring a clothesline. 
• Sasha will provide us a cell phone for us to call him while we are in country.
• Once we meet our kids, we may stay at the foster home for a few days before we move into an apartment (again, either in the region or in Warsaw).
• We do not need to give gifts for the foster parents.  In Poland, the custom is that only people who are close friends or family provide gifts for each other. 
• We may be able to have a party with the foster family and friends - we will have to play it by ear.  Sasha stressed that for many things we will need to play it by ear.
• Once we begin the bounding period, a social worker will come by once or twice a week to check up on us and see how things are going.  Typically, they will tell us a day in advance when they are coming. 
• We can do day trips to see things and planned adventures but not overnight trips.
• After the three week bounding period, we will then have our court date where the judge will ask us lots of questions.  Lord willing and everything goes fine, we then start the two week appeal period.  At this point, one parent can come home, if needed.  If one of us does not need to return home, one of us could take our existing kids on overnight trips (Berlin, other parts of Poland, etc...)
• At the end of the appeal period, the kids will need a medical exam (required by the U.S.) and take a T. B. test and other blood work.
• Then we pray to be heading home with our family of NINE.