Getting submitted here is a process

These last couple of weeks, we have had one main goal. That is to get our girls submitted to the US embassy as quickly as possible so that they could receive their visas to come back to the US with us.

This process involves a ton of silliness. It is the stringent US rules that are forced into an Ethiopian way of doing things. This causes quite a mess and the long wait to even get submitted to the embassy after passing court.

First, you have to wait a couple of days for the court decree to be published. Though at times it could be done quicker, it is customary for it to take about 2-3 days.

Second, the court decree has to be taken to an office so that "official" birth certificates could be issued. This again takes between a couple of days and a week to accomplish. It actually went relatively fast for us considering that it was done over the Christmas holiday.

Third, you then need to take the birth certificate to the Ethiopian Immigration office to get passports done. The passports take 3 days to process. Going to the Immigration office was quite an experience. There were about 1000 people standing in a long single file line, pushed so tightly together that there was no personal space on your front or back. It took a while to realize that this line was ALL women. There was no line for men, and this was just the line to go through the security to get into the front gate. After being escorted by our agency right through the gate, we went into the office where hundreds more waited their turn. After a cordial exchange with the officers and our agency rep, we were whisked directly in front of all those waited and assisted. I really felt bad, but at the same time was happy that we were not going to have to be there for the next 8 hours. I asked why it was only women there, but I already knew the answer. It is very customary for young women in Addis to go work as a house servant in the middle East some where. We have met numerous people whose wives, or fiances, or sisters are living in the middle East working on a three year contract until they return hoping to use the money earned and establish a better life here.

After the passports are completed, you can then go and get a medical appointment. We did this today. We got a call at 8:30 this morning when we were eating breakfast, not dressed or ready to go yet and were told that the passports were ready and we could go get the medicals done. However, we were told that we should really be there at 9:00:) So we quickly got ready, had our driver come early and left. The medicals are all done at a hospital clinic. The girls did great. Everything got done that needed to get done this morning. The clinic is on the far side of the city. Our girls had to get a TB test done. So I asked about this and asked if they could just get a chest X-ray since, that is quicker and in all likelyhood, they have been exposed to TB and therefore will test positive anyways, making the X-ray required in a couple of days. This was an outrageous request. There was no possible way that this could be done. Then I was told that we would not likely have time to get the TB test done anyways. I thought that this was because it was quickly approaching lunch time, so I offered to by lunch, and then we could get the TB test done. I was then told that the TB tests are only offered from 11am-12pm and they are done at a different building. :) (Even though there are TB tests done at the clinic we were in, I saw them.) The TB tests have to be done at the office of Migration, for it to be considered good. Luckily, as we were waiting for our lab results, the nurse suggested that we had 25 minutes and we could try to get to the Migration office. This other office is 20 minutes away. Thankfully, our normally slow and cautious driver (He has only hit one goat:) realized the time crunch and got us there with a couple of minutes to spare. With the TB test done, we went back to the first clinic to finish our work there.

I go back on Thursday with the girls to get the TB test checked. I asked what paperwork I needed, and was told that I did not need anything!? What!? They apparently will remember them as they check it.

Finally, after this is all completed hopefully we will be submitted to the embassy this next Wed. I have to continue to remind myself that we are in Ethiopia and that the American way of doing things here does not work.

It is crazy to think that after being gone about 7 hours, all I really accomplished was getting most of the medical stuff done and going out to lunch.

We continue to trust in God's perfect plan and His timing. We are having a great time here and are so happy that we have taken custody of our girls.