[Shoshana]

I, too, was in the process of adopting from Guatemala. My homestudy was complete, I had received my I-171H, and my dossier had been submitted to the agency. I was number 2 on the list for a baby girl. Then came July 1.

I decided, after much reading about the situation in Guatemala, that I did not want to wait. I felt like there were just too many uncertainties for the post 7/1 people. And there was no way I'd be comfortable accepting a referral in this climate. From an emotional perspective, even though I was very excited/committed to Guatemala until fairly recently, the uncertainty was really upsetting me. International adoption is stressful enough. I wasn't able to maintain any semblance of confidence...

Anyway, I've just completed my dossier for Russia and hope to travel for my first visit Oct/Nov and then 8-10 weeks later to bring home my baby. As an added bonus, I have to change planes in Vienna and will be taking a brief vacation there! Once again I am cautiously optimistic.

Best wishes...