Day 2 Embassy Appointment/Court appearance

  We were told to be up and ready by 6:15 am for our appointments back in Port-Au-Prince.  Melissa and Tim, our hosts at the guest house had breakfast and coffee ready.  We waited for the driver.  He was running late and didn't pick us up until close to 7.  They kept reassuring us that our 7:30 appt really meant anytime before noon!  We picked up Magaly downtown at her home.  We pulled up right in front of the Embassy.  It was crowed with a very long line out front.  Magaly walked us right to the front of the line and through security.  It was a little awkward because we cut right in front of all these people who had been waiting all morning.

Once inside we were seated in a big room with lots of teller windows (like a bank).  We were called up and handed in our paperwork.  We sat back down and waited awhile (maybe like an hour or two?)  We were called up and asked a bunch of questions, which were pretty much announced over a speaker for anyone in the room to hear.  They asked about our trip to Haiti, when we met Jennifer, checked our passport and that was about it.

When Jill and Wade were done we all went back outside and waited on the side of a busy road, with lots of traffic and dust and people.  Our driver picked us up, we dropped Magaly off at her house and headed across the city to the courthouse.  That took about an hour, even though I am sure it wasn't that far in miles (or should I say kilometers?!)

At court we again were dropped off in front of the building, met up with Terriot, the lawyer.  He walked us in to a hallway.  We stood there while he took our passports into a small office.  He came back out and stood with us.  Jill and Wade, Matt and I and Terriot stood there for about 45 minutes.  There were lots of lawyers walking through the hallway and it was a neat cultural experience.  It was very hot in here and since we didn't know how long we would be standing there, it seemed worse than it actually was.

Terriot went back in the office, got our passports and we left.   We drove through some of the busiest streets in PAP and past some of the things you may have seen on TV after the earthquake, like the Presidential Palace.  It has now been leveled.  We got back to GLA around 2pm, changed our clothes and spent until 5pm with Dieunifer.

On Wednesdays, the whole staff and visitors eat dinner at the Main House.  We had chicken pot pie and dessert.  It was great.  We headed up to the Guest House after dinner and spent some time on the balcony before going to sleep pretty early.  We were excited to have the whole next day to spend with Jennifer.

Courts Trip Day 1/Part 2

We traveled down the bumpy road from the Toddler House to the Main House...it was probably 5 minutes but it felt like forever as we got closer and the anticipation was building.  In some ways the whole experience was so similar to preparing for childbirth in other ways it was vastly different.  The anticipation was very similar.

The first glimpse of our daughters home was out of the left side of the car.  We turned and faced the blue gates.  These gates that symbolize so much.  Birth families that bring their children through these gates.  The sadness as they walk out without their child.  The adoptive families that enter in excitement and have to leave again for who knows how long.  The emotions of returning again and being reunited with your child.  Leaving again.  So many emotions and tears right here at these gates.

The guard opened the gate for us and we got out of the car and walked inside the Main House living room and there she was!  She was playing with her box of toys we had sent over the previous year.  She was a little shy at first but almost immediately started playing with Matt.  They tossed  a stuffed animal back and forth for a bit.  I was afraid we would overwhelm her so even though I wanted to pick her up and hug her I didn't.   She was not shy at all and loved the attention that she was getting all by herself.  Within 10 minutes we were tickling and loving her.  She was so happy.  She didn't talk much but was very happy.

After awhile inside Susie and Melissa went over some paperwork that we would need for the next day.  Then we took her for a walk in the neighborhood.  It was very, very quiet and pretty hot.  She wanted to be held the whole time.  The view from the end of the road was amazing.  Other than the occasional rooster it was just so quiet.

When we were back inside she spent forever emptying my wallet and organizing all the cards and coins.  Matt stuck them in her dress pockets.  We forgot about it and when we brought her back upstairs the kids instantly wanted to see what she had!  Sadly, the afternoon went very quickly and at dinnertime we had to bring her back up to her nursey.  She seemed excited to go back in.  The other kids were definitely aware that she had been missing all afternoon and it was almost like they wanted her to tell them everything she did. Walking into that toddler nursery was so hard though.  They all wanted to be picked up and they all were saying "MaMa" "DaDa"  It is obvious that Gods plan is for these children to be in families.

First Trip to Haiti April 16-19 Miami to God's Littlest Angels( Part 1)

I have held off writing this post because it was just too hard to get the thoughts/feelings/emotions out of my head and onto the blog.  I am afraid if I don't I will forget though.  I also think it might help someone else making the same trip in the future.  So if you don't like details just skip this post!

We took our kids to school, did a few last minute things at home and headed to the Philadelphia International Airport.  Everything was uneventful (and super easy since we weren't traveling with five kids!).  We landed in Miami at 4:00, got our luggage and took the shuttle to the Sheraton Airport Hotel.  Everything was fine, except we were starving and there was no where to eat.  We walked about 2 miles in the rain and found nothing, ended up back at the hotel with takeout...shriveled up meat on a crossiant...ewww).

Our flight to Port-Au-Prince was at 6:40 am so we were up and out early.  At the airport we met up with Jill and Wade who were also traveling to the orphanage for the first time http://journeyfulloffaith.blogspot.com
We were all excited and nervous.  The flight was great and by 8:30 we were touching down in Haiti.  I really couldn't believe it.  After watching so much post-earthquake, reading so many stories, and being matched with Dieunifer for almost a year it all seemed so surreal!

Our first glimpse of Haiti was the men in the airport playing Haitian music.  We got our bags and headed outside.  We had been warned men in red shirts would try to assist us with our luggage and to just say "Non merci"  In the crowd we were greeted by Cherie who works for the airport.  He took us to our driver from GLA , Ernest.  We were all ready to meet our kids in just over an hour.

There was some confusion at this point as we were also supposed to be picking up a volunteer for GLA but she had missed her connection and wouldnt be arriving until 12:30.  Sadly, there would not be enough time to get us to GLA and back to get her.  Dixie told Ernest to take us to the gas station up the road and sit and get a snack.

Pulling out of the airport was our first experience with Haitian traffic.  I might have let out a big gasp as I thought for sure we were getting sideswiped (in both directions).  After enough time driving, I didn't even think twice about the crazy road situations.

So to the gas station we went.  We waited, and waited, and waited some more.  After two years in the process you would think we would be good at this.  We all felt that everything was a bit more modern than we were expecting.  After three hours we were used to the people passing through with the baskets on their heads or the police with the shotgun patrolling the station.

Finally it was time to pick up the volunteer and head to GLA.  GLA is up in the Kenscoff Mountains outside of Petionville, Haiti.  The view out our window left an impression that will never be forgotten.  There were kids in their school uniforms everywhere.  Lots of dads walking kids.  Skinny cows.  Street dogs.  Vendors with everything on their heads.  Tragic poverty.  Hardworking Haitians.  Amazing scenery.

We dropped Jill and Wade off at the Guest House as it is right next to the Toddler House where their kids were.  It was about 10 minutes to the Main House where we would FINALLY meet Dieunifer!