Home at Last

Well, our time in Almaty was brief. We visited the S.O.S. Clinic on Monday to get Kristina her physical. The new requirement for an HIV test consisted of a finger prick with blood samples taken in 3 or 4 small glass tubes. Then on Tuesday we had out appointment with the U.S. Embassy. There we had our exit interview and received Kristina’s forms that establish her citizenship upon our return to Chicago. The Lufthansa flight home departed Almaty on Wednesday, October 25th at 3:20 AM.

Kristina dealt pretty well with the long, tiring flights. The first leg was a 7 hour journey from Almaty to Frankfurt, Germany. Following a 2 hour layover we were on the final 8 hour trip from Frankfurt to Chicago. Towards the end of the flight we got into a conversation with one of the flight attendants. She was so moved by the idea of this little girl coming into a new family and country that she took Kristina on an airborne tour of the plane.

Our approach into Chicago took place around 9:30 am and Kristina got more and more excited as she saw the ground getting closer. When we would nod ‘yes’ to her question of “America?” she would repeat it over and over while making motions with her hand to simulate a plane landing on the ground. At one point she pressed her face close to the window and fogged the glass with her breath. She then drew a heart on the window and said “Loo-bloo (love) America.” It was humbling to watch.

We landed at 10:06 AM on a crisp fall day under brilliant blue skies. As we exited United 945, the flight crew made one final announcement. They said, “Welcome to America, Kristina Alexis St. George.”

After clearing customs and retrieving our luggage, our hearts raced as we rode home in a cab. Nearly two months of absence had taken its toll on us. We were dying to be reunited with our other 3 children and watch Kristina be welcomed into the fold. As we pulled up to the house, Julia raced up to us. The tears were flowing as Robin and I hugged her tight and kissed her. We then watched her and Kristina have a first long embrace. It was as if they had always been sisters. The air was charged with excitement and emotion.

Then, just as Julia had done 18 months earlier, Kristina marched into our house and laid claim to her new surroundings. It was awesome to watch her little face light up as she recognized things she had seen in the many pictures we’d looked at. She squealed with delight as she met our dog Nugget and our cat Buddy. There were hugs, kisses and tears flying in all directions. In the midst of it all was a very happy little 6-year old girl. For now she was finally home.