Its been over a 5 year break where I have been swimming in the crazy pool and writing privately... If you follow the blog, I do hope you will join me starting in January at the website hosting the new blog going forward - and regularly updated - at www.orangejuiceorsomething.com I hope to see you there! R

Almost Home

- My sincere apologies for no updates the last two days of the trip. One of the endearing things about Congo is the "inconsistency" of such luxury items as electricity and internet - and we had almost none of either our last two days. We are in JFK now after a very long and occaisionally harrowing (got in a fight with the Director of migration in Congo on departure; almost werent allowed on the plane in LHR - meaning we would have been deported back to congo) trip.

Briefly - Joceline is now a US resident, and we are safely back in the land of the free (one thing you learn traveling is that while you may not be proud to be an American, as Catherine puts it, you are certainly grateful).

I only have 10 minutes before we have to catch our fourth and final flight home to Atlanta, so I will do the final trip update and photo/video links tomorrow. The teaser is escalators and moving sidewalks are hilarious to watch your Congolaise daughter on for the first time!

Til tomorrow...

Kinshasa Part 6 - a hard morning

We have had a pretty rough morning so far today (itis 2 pm as I write this). Joceline is completely non-comunicative with anyone in the group of us - and particularly me. How much is teenage behavior and how much is leaving home - or somehting else is unknown for now. It rained quite hard all morning and has just abated - insuring lots of time together inside :-).

I seem to remember some melancholy from Nicole prior to leaveing - and our last day here is thursday. I sometimes wonder if all of the work with One Small Step that we have been doing here - and we have been going non-stop - is making her feel left out somehow, or less special in terms of being in the family. There is an overwhelming sense of not wanting to let her down (she has been through enough) and also not lettingdown the people here that One Small Step is helping. They are all personal contacts of Catherine's and others associated with the organization, and I am basically the messenger this trip.

On a side note - I have given up trying to upload video here. The internet is simply too slow. I will link in all the video snips after I return to a faster connection.

More tonight - with photos.

Kinshasa part 5

Mbote from Congo. Today we had to go to the dreaded DGM - the Director General of Migration. This was the last department that could stall our departure - and I suppose they still could (they have another office at the airport just to make you nervous). So far so good...

Yesterday we went to meet the mayor of the commune ( the region ofthe city of Kinshasa where Joceline is from) and it was exciting to say the least. This was a visit orchestrated by the foster mother of Joceline who happens to work for the mayor - whose title is straight out of a kids xmas movie - Bourgmiester - to help stave off rumors she has beennselling children (she isn't). Julia and I had to go to this meeting alone as Teetee (the foster mom) was nervous about having her there.

So we arrive and after getting past the guard goat (no kidding here) we went to a waiting room filled with people. THe chairs were like school yard chairs (small), and suddenly a huge man walked and everyone leaped to attention...not one to buck the crowd, I and Julia joined the group...with both of our chairs stuck to our assess. Great start :-).

The Mayor was HUGE - a black Jabba the Hutt comes to mind - with a voice to match! He promptly dismissed everyone but Julia and I...then after saying hello told us he had three children for adoption?!?!? THere are days in this country where you really want to hit the reset button... When I asked him who and how old, etc, he said under 14, and we need to speak thursday???

So my visit to the Bonobo Chimps is off for the second time so I can go and hear about the orphans the Congo Jabba has:-)

We closed out the afternoon with another visit to Our Lady Of Joyful - and we brought the new members of the group - Molly and her brother Tom (Molly is considering adoption here and wants to get a sense first). This place could lift up a dead man's soul! We visited some more and brought them a soccer ball (something they have never had) - and I think it beats the bag of plasic garbage tied up with string!

I write this at the close of the evening - in the mosquito laden Procure - sipping a Primus...the only product I know of made here (by heineken). So, Off to bed for now!

Kinshasa - 4th post

It is Monday evening and the mosquitos are going nutz here. I wish the day would end, but work calls :-)

The mosquitos are a fact of life here - one that mandates taking anti-malarials and dealing with 100% deet (almost against the law in the US due to toxicity). Malaria is an ugly problem - and I dont want it.

Above is a shot of our visist to our lady of Joyful yesterday - an orphanage that Catherine vetted and works with now. The children danced and sang for us - video tomorrow hopefully - and we so enjoyed the time. I was to set up the computer for them, but without internet, it was impossible. I brought it back to St. Anne's (the monastery where I stay) to set-up tonight - and I write this blog from said CPU.



Ok - the bugs are ridiculous - I am off to bed tonight - more in the morning.

Kinshasa - post number 2

SO - here is the "gotcha" photo of Joceline and I when I went to get her at Madame TeeTee's House. What a day! One of the things about adoption is the constant tension of wondering - wondering if they will want you - it is a choice with older kids, wondering if they are ok while you are waiting, wondering if it will workout, and of course wondering if they will change their mind. Gotcha day is about the end of wonder as much as the beginning of new things together.

Congo is a strange mix of depressing poverty, amazing possibility, incredible inneficiency, and, well...it's Africa - real Africa. On the one hand I love this country very much, on the other I hate it - and I do mean hate. My Daughter will bring the very best of this place to us - and she is already doing just that.

The first three days here have been filled with many work trips to various orphanages to investigate their work - with Joceline in tow. Long days in a car (without airconditioning) in the 98 degree heat (99%humidity also) make for happy travelers... All kidding aside - the orphanages are an uplifiting experience that elevates everyone who encounters them. I think Joceline was worried we might be trying to leave her at Sister's of Charity...but all was made right and even she was feeling good.

I keep coming back to this, but Adoption, and more to the point international adoption (to say nothing of the unique issues of the DRC) is such a complicated and fulfilling process. Congo adds many elements of complexity to this to say the least. So - next update, to keep things discrete, will be today but only about what we did today.

Final picture:



The above is the courtyard and woman with two of the children who live with her where Joceline has lived for the last year. It isfor cooking, play, laundry, and everything else!

In Congo

Hi Everyone -

I am now in Congo - I got in two days ago in the evening and this is the first day I have had internet, so a slight delay in posts. It is really good to be back here - Congo captured my heart in August, and I just confirmed today that it owns it. Joceline is awesome - she launched herself at me when we saw each other and almost tackled me! She looks great, and we are practicing english and spending quality time together (in Congo, you get to spend long hours together with literally nothing interviening) talking about he new family and the one she is leaving behind. Her new favorite pastime is playing my psp (pac-man is a shared love now...).

We returned to the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's order) to evaluate it for working together as a One Small Step project. This place is simply amazing - they care for over 125 people who would have no place to go otherwise - all with grace that inspires and amazes. I hope very much we get to work with them in the future.

We are all having a beer (fanta for Joceline ) after the end of a very long day of visits and dealing with the heat - It is somewhere between hell and the surface of teh sun hot here...we have all changed clothese 3 times and taken 4 showers to try and cool off. I am happy to tell you there is no hot water here, so the showers are very refreshing

I will post several photos and some video of the orphanages and the congo in general, and some of the group overnight so everyone can view! I just cant wait to get to meet everyone!