Our coordinator, Simon went to the consulate to pick up our brown envelopes just before we were leaving for the train. Earlier in the week we had completed all our paperwork and submitted it for the girls, this envelope of paperwork we got back was the final step in allowing the girls to enter the country. The "key" to the brown envelope is that you must carry it with you at all times, on the plane and in the hotel room. You are not allowed to open the brown envelope ever! You must hand in the brown envelope when you land in the US and give it to immigration and once this is opened by an official the girls are citizen of the US.
So here is the story we had been told by our coordinator and then again by the person who swore us in that the consulate. A few days before we arrived, a family just received their brown envelope and left the building, they went to a park to allow their children to play for a while. they went back to their hotel and were getting the kids ready for bed, giving them baths when the mom discovered she couldn't find the envelope or passport. they went back to the park, but couldn't find it. they went to their coordinator who went to the consulate, and the answer to the family was that they were going to have to stay in China for 3 months while the new paperwork and passport was being completed.
I'm a little fuzzy on the next details, but as i understand it, an old woman found the child's passport, and had returned the passports for a finders fee, and they asked her if she has seen the brown envelope too? She had, it was in the trash, opened, and for an additional fee she was able to find and return the brown envelope. The family only had to stay an additional few weeks instead of 3 months.
the moral of the story that was pounded into our heads was, do not let this envelope out of your sight! We gave our brown envelope to the officer and it was processed, the girls became citizens of the US in the Newark Airport.
stay tuned...we will have some more pictures of our trip in the next day or so. we are getting all the pictures from the camera ready.
