Making Progress

We continue to work on our checklist of necessary activities.

Adoption Officially Registered:  complete.

Medical Appointment for US visa:  complete.

Day 2 of sputum testing:  complete.

It was still a bit of an ordeal but it went better than yesterday.  Thandokuhle was reluctant to cough and spit but with coaxing and cheering she did it.  It took multiple tries and the lab agreed to accept the absolute minimum amount of sputum for the sample.  One more sample to go…

Applying for Thandokuhle’s passport:  tomorrow is the big day

The passport is the item that will determine the length of our trip.  The government has up to 13 business days to issue a passport.  We’re praying that Thandokuhle’s comes in less time.

And so the process continues.

Today we had lunch with a family we met at church.  The husband is South African and the wife is American and they have a biological son, an adopted daughter from South Africa and an adopted son from Ukraine.  It was nice to be in their home which had a beautiful view of the bay.  The girls enjoyed playing with their 7 year old daughter and all of her toys.  For the adults, it was fun to hear their thoughts on living in both the US and South Africa. From the mundane: they are a two ketchup family.  He prefers the South African “tomato sauce”, she prefers Heinz.  They served both with lunch.  To the serious:  racial tensions between ethnic groups that continue today in South Africa.  To adoption issues:  preferred techniques for hair care.   International travel is certainly more enjoyable when there are opportunities for personal interactions and visiting someone in their home.