The Committee — Nov 16

About 9am, we walked across the park in a light, misting rain, and half a block down the street to the office of the newly formed Committee on Families, Protection of the Motherhood and Children and Demography, that resulted from the reorganization of the adoption process in that region. The same woman is in charge, just as part of a different agency on the regional level, instead of the federal level.

Up a stairway, down a couple corridors to a tiny, but cheerful, one-person office. We pulled chairs in from the hallway but didn't quite all fit. After brief introductions, we were shown pictures of the kids on a computer screen. We were seeing them for the very first time! All we knew before that was gender and approximate age. They’re beautiful! What a thrill!!

Olga took notes (and translated for us at the same time) on information that was read to us about the kids, the medical records and their families (as much as was known). We try to take notes from what Olga was translating, but she said not to worry; she would type up her notes and give them to us. (She did.)

We signed papers agreeing to visit them and then wait in the hallway while Olga remained behind for a few minutes. There was another couple with their facilitator waiting their turn; we had seen them before in our hotel. All was finished here so we walked back to the hotel. The rain had stopped, but it seemed even colder. Olga left to take care of some details. We rested in our room and awaited our car ride to the orphanages, while we tried to process all that we had just seen and heard.