Gotcha Day is Here!! June 14, 2010

Today (Monday) we are back in the states with our daughter, Maya!  We got to Port-au-Prince yesterday, and were actually able to get her then, but without a computer, we’ll tell the story today.

Yesterday morning, we got to Port-au-Prince.  I’d mentioned that we weren’t really sure how this trip was going to play out – boy, was that an understatement! Without a whole lot of contacts or support going into this, there were a lot of unknowns.  We got to the airport, realized that it is HOT in Haiti in June!  Like, blazing-inferno-with-a-thousand-percent-humidity type hot.  Wow.   So, we made it through customs at the airport, got outside to no ride.  Thankfully, someone had given me the hint to “ask for Big.”  We did, and over came Big.  He spoke relatively good English and would make calls on his cell phone for us.  He made contact with the orphanage director, and contacted a ride for us.  We climbed and fought through a mass of people out to the street.  He pointed to a truck, we got over there, and there was Maya!

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I mentioned in Elijah’s adoption how there was really no emotional buildup to meeting him.  You envision it being this heartfelt event, and really they are just thrust upon you.  Well, this was even more so!  We were scrambling, sweaty, getting pawed at, and hurriedly loading our bags as we met our daughter.

She is beautiful!  And very shy.  We got in the car, and they put her on my lap.  She was completely overwhelmed, and I don’t blame her!

They took us to a hotel to check in.  Turns out no reservation had been made, and they were full.  So, we went to another one.  We reserved a room, and then tried to have conversation with the lady who seemed to be “in charge” of us.  It was difficult, because she really doesn’t speak English.  Turns out that none of the 3 people we were with spoke English, so conversations were quite limited.  She told us she would see us tomorrow and left.

So, here we are, alone, at a hotel, with a daughter who just met us 5 minutes ago.  So much for easing the 3 of us into this!  We got out some snacks and toys and played for a bit.  Then we found out that she hadn’t eaten yet today!  So, we went to the restaurant at the hotel for some food.  Let me tell you, the girl can pound some food!  At various meals now, she’s eaten her whole adult-sized meal, as well as half of mine!  We wonder if she’s not sure when she’ll get food next, so she takes as much as she can.  I think that should wear off after she gets full meals consistently.

There was a pool at this hotel.  We hadn’t brought swimsuits to Haiti, but it was hot, so we got shorts and t-shirts on and went for it.  Maya swam in her pajamas!  She was fine, but once it got kind of deep on her, the tears came.  We’ll have to work on swimming with her.

In the afternoon, while I stayed at the hotel with a napping Maya, Paul went out with a driver to go around Port-au-Prince.  He got to see a lot of the devastation around the city.  I will say that it really looks like a war zone.  I don’t know what the city looked like before the earthquake, but it’s just dirt upon dirt upon crumbling concrete.

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This morning, we had an appointment at the US Embassy.  Our ride arrived a half hour after our appointment was supposed to start, so we were just hoping that the Embassy runs on Haitian time and not American!  We got there, and though it took a while, everything seemed to go just fine.

Straight from there to the airport for our return flight!  Tons of hangups at the airport.  It’s funny, because at the Embassy, they give you 2 sealed envelopes.  They tell you who is supposed to open each one.  If anyone opens it before that, the paperwork is all void.  They told us this is important, because officials at the PAP airport will try to take them and open them.  Ah!  We had to fight off a policeman, a security guard, and an airline worker from opening our envelopes!  Each with a major language barrier and a long scene.  But, we made it to the plane, with paperwork in tact.

Flight was great.  Maya was completely unphased.  I figured that if she’s used to the driving in Port-au-Prince, turbulence is a piece of cake!  Immigration in Miami was long, but pretty easy.  We were in the office there for about 3 hours.  The weird thing is, since she’s coming in on Humanitarian Parole, she does not have a visa.  So, they have to re-review her case and us before they will let us have custody of her in the U.S.  So…tonight, she has to stay at a group home, of sorts, while we stay at a hotel.  DHS assured us that we will get her again tomorrow.  But, how weird.  In the country of social workers, self-esteem gurus, and experts on attachment, they take our daughter and put her in an unfamiliar place for the night.  We don’t like it.

But, that aside, it looks like we will be set to go with Maya soon.  We will be getting back to Birmingham at noon on Wednesday!  Can’t wait to get her home and introduce her to her Grandma and brother!!

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