AUGUST 13, 2003 » Photos: Final Day in China » Wrapping Up the Trip, Going Home AUGUST 12, 2003 » Photos: U.S. Consulate » Finishing U.S. Papers AUGUST 11, 2003 » Photos: GuangZhou » Medical Exam AUGUST 8, 2003 » Photos: Passport » Finalizing Paperwork AUGUST 7, 2003 » Photos: Trip Through Hunan AUGUST 6, 2003 » In the Orphanage » Photos: Orphanage - Cameras Not Allowed AUGUST 4, 2003 » Changsha, China » Photos: First Day as a Family AUGUST 3, 2003 » Paperwork and Waiting » Photos - Come Together Intro » Adopting a Child from China

Final Day

Today, the Hahns leave for the United States, marking they end of a journey that in their eyes began not one week but more than one and a half years ago, when they made the decision to adopt a child.

Allie received her U.S. visa this morning, finalizing the last phase of the adoption process. Today, the little girl born in Yueyang, China became a citizen of the United States. How much of her birth heritage she will take with her to America largely depends on how much exposure her new parents, Matt and Elizabeth, will allow for Allie.

"We will definitely expose her as much as we can to the Chinese culture. In the end, I think the decision will be hers, how Chinese or American she wants to be. But we think it's important that we at least expose her to both worlds; otherwise, she won't really have much of a choice."

Now that it is over, how has this trip been for them?

"If it were just a story on adoption, I would probably take three hours to talk about it.. if it were just a story about a trip to China, probably another three hours.. but this whole experience is just amazing. It's certainly more than the sum of its parts... ..I think everyone has a trip of a lifetime.. but this one transcends that for me. Matt and I think that this is a great way to start a family. We'll definitely be back."

-Aurora Santiago