A Day at the Harbor

This morning we had our final meeting with the adoption agency and the attorneys who have been supporting us through the entire process.  They gave instructions for our US visa interview next week, along with a packet of all the documents that we need.  I can’t imagine going through this complicated process by myself without their support (pictured here with us are 2 social workers, the husband and wife team of attorneys, and the receptionist).

 

There is a map in the attorney’s office where each dot represents one child who was adopted from South Africa and is now living in the US.  We are the first family to return to South Africa for a second adoption since the program was established. So, this morning we added the dot for Miriam, right beside Miranda's dot! 

We have been transitioning Thandokuhle’s name to Miriam.  Amy has been the best at calling her Miriam Thandokuhle and now all of us are trying to call her Miriam. She still refers to herself as Thandokuhle but she usually answer when we address her as Miriam. So, I’m going to start referring to her as Miriam in the blog.

Later this morning we travelled to Kalk Bay, which is a fishing village on False Bay.  To reach Kalk Bay we had to pass Khayelitsha, which is a black township that was established during apartheid and many people were forcefully relocated there. The houses are shacks made out of corrugated metal and whatever else people can find.  Even though Cape Town is the wealthiest part of the country, there are still hundreds of thousands of black South Africans living in these tiny shacks.  There are rows of outhouses at the perimeter of the area and the houses don’t have running water (although some do have satellite dishes!). The shacks extend as far back as the eye can see.  Seeing these houses makes me feel sick every time we drive by them. 

 

After that sobering sight we continued along the coast to reach Kalk Bay.  We ate lunch at a hole in the wall restaurant where the daily menu was written on a chalkboard.  The restaurant was small but packed.  We were thankful to get a table (and actually the waitress asked 2 men to move to a smaller table so we could have their larger table).  The restaurant overlooked the harbor where the fish we ate were caught this morning.  The food was phenomenal and we liked the low key atmosphere.

We walked to the harbor to see the fishing boats and enjoyed seeing seals swimming in the water.  Amy received a big surprise when a large seal jumped out of the water and landed on the wharf at her feet.  Then when Dad came a little closer the seal barked at him!  Miranda and Miriam were fascinated by the seals swimming in the water but were a little scared by how big they were.

Miriam liked seeing all the boats in the harbor and kept saying she wanted to go on a sailboat. Little does she know that she really will be able to go on a sailboat once Grandpa’s boat is in the water next spring.  Tonight Miriam was very excited to Skype with Grandma, Uncle Darin, and her cousins.  However, she got shy and covered her face with her hands when they asked her questions. Throughout the day she was talking about flying on an airplane to go to her new house and that she has a new family.