Tuesday From Bogota
Hola all. It is Tuesday, and after a multi-hour visit to the US Embassy in Bogota we are one step closer to a visa for Kelly Johanna. In fact, we have been told that I can go pick it up tomorrow at 4:00. This follows the appointments of yesterday: getting her photos, her Colombian passport, the doctor’s visit… don’t tell her, but she needs ALL NEW shots in the US. Poor kid.
You can feel the excitement and newness, and even our pleasure at being back at the homey Zuetana bed and breakfast, gradually giving way to a desire to be home.
If we have anything neat to report today it’s a wonderful, quiet, personal series of communications that we had last night with Kelly Johanna. We were lying on the bed, and she opened up the computer and started up the translation program. In late November or early December Joie had sent her our package, and in it was a small notebook. She had her friends and family sign it, and it’s now full of greetings, fond wishes, hopes, and girlish squirls and squiggles in many colors. She opened it to a page in front and entered in the Spanish that was written by her friend Francy, her “amiga mejor” or best friend. Then she hit the translate button and turned the computer around so Joie and I could see.
It was a very touching, very sentimental message from one best friend to another, and Joie and I were thrilled that she confided in us that way. Then she did the same thing with the message from her foster mother, Senora Ramos, and offered us the translation to read. It too was incredibly sensitive and touching. I showed her how to save these two “translated” documents, and she has them on her folder on this computer.
Another thing of note: she doesn’t like to speak English. Mainly, I think, because of her own self-consciousness. I bought her two Juanes CDs yesterday at the mall, and after some prompting she said “Thank you very much” in the loveliest of Latin accents. (I like this guy.) Today, when she walked into the family room here at Zuetana and I said “Hola” she said “Hello.” Then, when Joie handed her something to give to me she said “Here, Papi.” I tried not to look too proud.
She is getting more confident though, and even as I type this Joie is going through our pictures and making her recite the names of our family and friends… but you can tell she’d rather be listening to Juanes.
Bogota is a city of great contrasts. There are flowers everywhere, of every shape and size. On the other hand, much of the city looks like a subtropical war zone with graffiti, barbed wire, and dilapidated buildings. The hotel we are staying in is in north Bogota, with nice condos and parks, and the embassy is in south Bogota, where it springs up out of a landscape reminiscent of East LA. The people, though, are universally wonderful.
Joie here: As I try to write this, my youngest daughter is jumping me, my oldest is either pouting or resting and Braden is doing something that of course, is emitting NOISE. Isn’t this what life is all about??? As comfortable as it is here, and as friendly as the staff, I am ready for home.
Looking forward to my own bed, own bathroom and kitchen. I even miss the cats and Sammy!
I understand the wind is making it rather chilly, which I do not miss…… = D
It is nice to have families here that we can share experiences with…..of the 5 families here, one is “on vacation” for a week while they await court dates (they are from MN and have baby Anna), there is another family from France (also with a baby) who we don’t see very often but I think they are here for a while longer, one family from NY is gone home, and the families remaining are ourselves and the O’Sullivans from NY with their 3 (Jefferson, Danivis and Darwin). We have enjoyed the company of Ronan and Claire O’Sullivan, as they have older kids and our combined 6 make quite a lot of noise!!! They are a day behind us, as they have their appointment at the Embassy tomorrow and a flight out Friday night. They are wonderful people and we look forward to continuing our friendship after we return home.
I hope all is well for all of you at home and we look forward to introducing you to our new daughter!
Michael again: As we get closer to our homecoming we think more and more of the real work ahead. Our new daughter is headstrong and bright, and Braden is still not sure of how to react to the realigned family. Georgia is an increasingly large pill… What have we gotten ourselves into? I remember telling Becky at CHI during our home study that I had no idea what we would be like as a family of five, only that it would be indescribably hard at the same time that it would be incredibly rewarding. Those words seem sort of prescient now.
Love to all of you. Hopefully our next post will describe our experiences at Montserrate.
You can feel the excitement and newness, and even our pleasure at being back at the homey Zuetana bed and breakfast, gradually giving way to a desire to be home.
If we have anything neat to report today it’s a wonderful, quiet, personal series of communications that we had last night with Kelly Johanna. We were lying on the bed, and she opened up the computer and started up the translation program. In late November or early December Joie had sent her our package, and in it was a small notebook. She had her friends and family sign it, and it’s now full of greetings, fond wishes, hopes, and girlish squirls and squiggles in many colors. She opened it to a page in front and entered in the Spanish that was written by her friend Francy, her “amiga mejor” or best friend. Then she hit the translate button and turned the computer around so Joie and I could see.
It was a very touching, very sentimental message from one best friend to another, and Joie and I were thrilled that she confided in us that way. Then she did the same thing with the message from her foster mother, Senora Ramos, and offered us the translation to read. It too was incredibly sensitive and touching. I showed her how to save these two “translated” documents, and she has them on her folder on this computer.
Another thing of note: she doesn’t like to speak English. Mainly, I think, because of her own self-consciousness. I bought her two Juanes CDs yesterday at the mall, and after some prompting she said “Thank you very much” in the loveliest of Latin accents. (I like this guy.) Today, when she walked into the family room here at Zuetana and I said “Hola” she said “Hello.” Then, when Joie handed her something to give to me she said “Here, Papi.” I tried not to look too proud.
She is getting more confident though, and even as I type this Joie is going through our pictures and making her recite the names of our family and friends… but you can tell she’d rather be listening to Juanes.
Bogota is a city of great contrasts. There are flowers everywhere, of every shape and size. On the other hand, much of the city looks like a subtropical war zone with graffiti, barbed wire, and dilapidated buildings. The hotel we are staying in is in north Bogota, with nice condos and parks, and the embassy is in south Bogota, where it springs up out of a landscape reminiscent of East LA. The people, though, are universally wonderful.
Joie here: As I try to write this, my youngest daughter is jumping me, my oldest is either pouting or resting and Braden is doing something that of course, is emitting NOISE. Isn’t this what life is all about??? As comfortable as it is here, and as friendly as the staff, I am ready for home.
Looking forward to my own bed, own bathroom and kitchen. I even miss the cats and Sammy!
I understand the wind is making it rather chilly, which I do not miss…… = D
It is nice to have families here that we can share experiences with…..of the 5 families here, one is “on vacation” for a week while they await court dates (they are from MN and have baby Anna), there is another family from France (also with a baby) who we don’t see very often but I think they are here for a while longer, one family from NY is gone home, and the families remaining are ourselves and the O’Sullivans from NY with their 3 (Jefferson, Danivis and Darwin). We have enjoyed the company of Ronan and Claire O’Sullivan, as they have older kids and our combined 6 make quite a lot of noise!!! They are a day behind us, as they have their appointment at the Embassy tomorrow and a flight out Friday night. They are wonderful people and we look forward to continuing our friendship after we return home.
I hope all is well for all of you at home and we look forward to introducing you to our new daughter!
Michael again: As we get closer to our homecoming we think more and more of the real work ahead. Our new daughter is headstrong and bright, and Braden is still not sure of how to react to the realigned family. Georgia is an increasingly large pill… What have we gotten ourselves into? I remember telling Becky at CHI during our home study that I had no idea what we would be like as a family of five, only that it would be indescribably hard at the same time that it would be incredibly rewarding. Those words seem sort of prescient now.
Love to all of you. Hopefully our next post will describe our experiences at Montserrate.
posted by Michael Thelander at 9:32 PM
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