With Glowing Hearts...

One of the most stressful things about this South African adoption process is the timing. Leaving our two oldest children in Canada is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Obviously, this anxious mom doesn't want to be away from them any longer than I absolutely have to. Robyn also has a goal to get us out of this country as soon as possible so that we don't get bogged down with the World Cup. So...under her advice, we booked our flight home for June 10. Exactly three weeks and one day in South Africa. Three weeks to adopt a baby, get his Canadian Citizenship and then his Canadian passport. Robyn warned us...it'll be tight.

Immediately after the adoption, on May 19, we filled out the application for Jeremy's citizenship. Robyn gave us the passport application before we left for the Drakensberg mountains and I had been meaning to get to work on them, but hey...I was on holidays and you can't send them in until you are granted citizenship anyway! Finally, on June 2, when we were back in Durban, I took them out to look at them and began filling them out. There was quite a bit to fill out and a lot that we didn't know the answers too, (Jeremy's weight and length for instance -- they just don't supply hotel rooms with ways to get that information). We decided to go to the mall to take a break and to get some things.

I don't know why I did it. I was not expecting the call at all, but I gathered up all our papers, put them in the laptop bag and took them along with us. At 3:45, just outside the photo shop, our cell phone started ringing. Robyn, our social worker, was calling to tell us the happy news. Jeremy's papers were here. We need to us, our passport paperwork, Jeremy's passport pictures and the required fee to the lawyers office by 4:30!

PANIC!

Remember the timing issue? Remember the anxious mom who doesn't want to stay in South Africa, beautiful as it is, any longer than I absolutely have too? We need to file these papers today! It was great that our citizenship papers were through, that was one step in getting us out of the country, but we still have the passport to go. That takes on average 4-5 days, unless something happens like the printer breaks (which has happened to Robyn in the adoption process two times). If we could get the paperwork together by 4:30, that would give us an extra day.

Providentially, we had brought our paperwork with us. But what about the required fee? Like the obedient tourists we are, we never carried much cash with us, just in case. Almost all of our money stays locked up in our hotel room. We did not have a chance of getting back to our room and then off to the lawyers. It was time to try our BANK CARD.

Getting money is difficult in South Africa. Several Canadians that we had talked to had not had any success in using an ATM, regardless of which bank they tried. We contacted President's Choice Financial before we left and they made it very clear to us that our cards might not work...

They didn't. Not at the first bank. I raced through the mall looking for a second bank...and there it was, NED Bank, and no line up. Hands shaking with sheer adrenaline, my card went in, I selected chequing, 600 Rand and the machine started to whirl...there was my cash...we were ok.

I muttered a quick Hallelujah under my breath and raced back to the car and jumped in. It was now 4:10. But wait...we need petrol...(South African for gas)...no time...we'll chance it. Geraldine, our wonderful GPS, guided us turn by turn through the busy Durban streets, onto highways, off highways, while I did my best to fill in our forms and remind Marc which side of the road to drive on...at every intersection. Finally, we heard those wonderful words, "You have reached your destination" and the clock said 4:30...

We piled out of the car, grabbing the laptop bag, the diaper bag, the papers I was working on, our wallets (OH NO!! WE DON'T HAVE OUR PASSPORTS!) I look at Marc in panic and he is out of breath with the stress of it all. Well, can't do anythingn about it now; we'll see what happens.

Now to find the building. We found a building with the number 225 on it. An Indian restaurant. We decided maybe the lawyer's office was located above the restaurant...We climbed the stairs and rang the bell at the gate at the top. No answer. Now what?

At 4:40, after ten minutes of walking around. Robyn called us again, "Are you guys alright?" she said. Hearing our dilemma, she directed us to the proper building and there we were.

Apologizing for our poor timing, our unfinished paperwork, and our stressed condition, we shook hands with our lawyer and got to work.

"Passport please?" he said. My heart sank. And then, Robyn, bless her heart, said, "I have them here." "What?" I thought, "you have them?" And there she showed the certified photocopies of our passports that we had brought with us from Canada. And that did it.

I have no idea what Robyn wrote down for Jeremy's height and weight. She sized him up and took a guess. I have no idea how long the courier was waiting to bring the Jeremy's passport application to the airport to get on the 6:00 pm flight, but I know it was after 5pm when Robyn put it in his hands.

It wasn't until we had made it through ABSOLUTELY CRAZY Durban rushhour traffic and had sat down in our hotel room that it hit us. Jeremy is a Canadian! I hugged my little guy, placed him on my lap and sang "O Canada" from start to finish, while he stared at me with is amazing Canadian eyes! And my heart was glowing...