Oh, friends. We're close to bringing our little girl home, but still not quite there yet.
I keep thinking my next update to our blog will be "the big one", but it just hasn't happened yet.
Catching Up
Back on 12/14/18, we received an update that K's file had moved to "MOI" (Ministry of Interior). This is where all of our paperwork is double-checked before our dossier is submitted to have a passport printed (essentially another layer of immigration sign-off in Haiti). This was apparently after it had proceeded through MOE and MOFA. So many "MO's". I don't fully understand all that happens in each of these stages, or even how long we were in each. But, the fact that all of our paperwork has gotten through each gate is worth celebrating.
When they sent us our receipt notice for MOI, our agency told us that after getting through this step, we'd be in line for her passport, then her visa, and then we'd be able to bring her home. Our agency's best guess (this has been their guess for many months) is that we were looking at "end of January" as the best estimate to when we would be able to travel and bring K home. But, as December ticked by quietly, trickling into mid-January, we have felt this estimate slip farther away.
Over the last few years, whenever we've taken a vacation or a short trip away from home, we've nearly always received an adoption update of some kind while away. I was recently lucky enough to take a brief sunny vacation with some of my best old girlfriends (old as in "we've known each other since elementary/middle school", not old as in number of rotations around the sun). We spent time together, lounged, and did essentially nothing. It was pretty dang close to my idea of heaven (food, books, sun, friends), but I still found myself checking my phone, looking for that little email icon indicating "the big update" from our agency. Nothin'. I'll admit that on the flight home I felt overwhelmed and sad, and I just kept thinking, "I'm flying to the wrong place. This should be going to Haiti."
Most Recent Update
Today, we received an email from our agency titled "Passport Update". My heart rate rocketed and my stomach jumped into my throat as I opened it. (Did yours do that to, when you saw the title of this blog post? Just being a little cheeky, I suppose, and sharing in the experience.)
Sadly, the update is not "the big one". K's passport is nearly ready, but the Haitian entities have determined that our power of attorney in Haiti (our creche's director, G) must sign in-person. This is unexpected, atypical, and unexplained. To make things more frustrating, G is out of the country until next week. This means that the passport will sit and wait for her to arrive back in Haiti and make the trip to the sign it. Once this is completed, the passport will be delivered to the Embassy, where it will be finalized, and her visa will be issued thereafter. We were told this usually takes "just a few days", but all of the "typically" and "usually" language we've heard over the last few years has proven inaccurate for our family, so please, don't hold your breath.
So...When? And then what?
Many friends (and even more co-workers) have asked how much notice we'll be given to book our travel, and when we'll know. This is yet another "shrug!" response. Some families travel when their passport is at the Embassy with the hope/assumption that the visa will be completed while they're in-country, and the timing will line up for when they plan to fly home. However, if the passport or visa is held up at the Embassy, this could backfire. We can't afford to travel open-ended to Haiti, so we'll likely wait to hear that her visa is complete before we book our flights to pick her up. Once we get there, we'll stay in-country (either at the creche, somewhere else on the island, or a combination of the two) for about a week before we are able to travel home.
I've never really considered leaving the workforce, or being a stay-at-home parent. I love my job. It is a part of my identity. I find purpose in what I do, work with a kick-ass bunch of people, and am so grateful for the opportunities I've been given and the growth I've achieved in my million years in this corporate life. An mid-management career in HR with a mega-corporation is certainly not the path I ever thought I would take, but it has been rich and rewarding.
However, I recently had the joy of spending some time with a good mama friend who has taken a break from working outside of the home to raise her littles, and it has given me a thrilling glimpse into what being home during my leave (~9 months) might be like. I am just so ready to pour myself into it all.
Admittedly, it is strange to feel as though I've reached a point in my life where I'm eager (and scared) to dedicate my soul to raising our girls for awhile. To wake up with a focus on bonding, teaching, learning, and breathing. (I'm not saying I'm planning to leave my job; I'm not!) I'm just over this wait. Tired of the lack of answers and clarity. Exhausted at being patient.
I'm certain we still have a lot to learn ahead of us. I'm positive we're about to board a roller coaster that may feel a bit like having a newborn again (which was very hard for me), and a bit like nothing we've ever experienced before. There will certainly be challenges ahead of us, but delights too. Let's just dive into it: the mess and the joy of it all.
I keep thinking my next update to our blog will be "the big one", but it just hasn't happened yet.
Catching Up
Back on 12/14/18, we received an update that K's file had moved to "MOI" (Ministry of Interior). This is where all of our paperwork is double-checked before our dossier is submitted to have a passport printed (essentially another layer of immigration sign-off in Haiti). This was apparently after it had proceeded through MOE and MOFA. So many "MO's". I don't fully understand all that happens in each of these stages, or even how long we were in each. But, the fact that all of our paperwork has gotten through each gate is worth celebrating.
When they sent us our receipt notice for MOI, our agency told us that after getting through this step, we'd be in line for her passport, then her visa, and then we'd be able to bring her home. Our agency's best guess (this has been their guess for many months) is that we were looking at "end of January" as the best estimate to when we would be able to travel and bring K home. But, as December ticked by quietly, trickling into mid-January, we have felt this estimate slip farther away.
Over the last few years, whenever we've taken a vacation or a short trip away from home, we've nearly always received an adoption update of some kind while away. I was recently lucky enough to take a brief sunny vacation with some of my best old girlfriends (old as in "we've known each other since elementary/middle school", not old as in number of rotations around the sun). We spent time together, lounged, and did essentially nothing. It was pretty dang close to my idea of heaven (food, books, sun, friends), but I still found myself checking my phone, looking for that little email icon indicating "the big update" from our agency. Nothin'. I'll admit that on the flight home I felt overwhelmed and sad, and I just kept thinking, "I'm flying to the wrong place. This should be going to Haiti."
Most Recent Update
Today, we received an email from our agency titled "Passport Update". My heart rate rocketed and my stomach jumped into my throat as I opened it. (Did yours do that to, when you saw the title of this blog post? Just being a little cheeky, I suppose, and sharing in the experience.)
Sadly, the update is not "the big one". K's passport is nearly ready, but the Haitian entities have determined that our power of attorney in Haiti (our creche's director, G) must sign in-person. This is unexpected, atypical, and unexplained. To make things more frustrating, G is out of the country until next week. This means that the passport will sit and wait for her to arrive back in Haiti and make the trip to the sign it. Once this is completed, the passport will be delivered to the Embassy, where it will be finalized, and her visa will be issued thereafter. We were told this usually takes "just a few days", but all of the "typically" and "usually" language we've heard over the last few years has proven inaccurate for our family, so please, don't hold your breath.
So...When? And then what?
Many friends (and even more co-workers) have asked how much notice we'll be given to book our travel, and when we'll know. This is yet another "shrug!" response. Some families travel when their passport is at the Embassy with the hope/assumption that the visa will be completed while they're in-country, and the timing will line up for when they plan to fly home. However, if the passport or visa is held up at the Embassy, this could backfire. We can't afford to travel open-ended to Haiti, so we'll likely wait to hear that her visa is complete before we book our flights to pick her up. Once we get there, we'll stay in-country (either at the creche, somewhere else on the island, or a combination of the two) for about a week before we are able to travel home.
I've never really considered leaving the workforce, or being a stay-at-home parent. I love my job. It is a part of my identity. I find purpose in what I do, work with a kick-ass bunch of people, and am so grateful for the opportunities I've been given and the growth I've achieved in my million years in this corporate life. An mid-management career in HR with a mega-corporation is certainly not the path I ever thought I would take, but it has been rich and rewarding.
However, I recently had the joy of spending some time with a good mama friend who has taken a break from working outside of the home to raise her littles, and it has given me a thrilling glimpse into what being home during my leave (~9 months) might be like. I am just so ready to pour myself into it all.
Admittedly, it is strange to feel as though I've reached a point in my life where I'm eager (and scared) to dedicate my soul to raising our girls for awhile. To wake up with a focus on bonding, teaching, learning, and breathing. (I'm not saying I'm planning to leave my job; I'm not!) I'm just over this wait. Tired of the lack of answers and clarity. Exhausted at being patient.
I'm certain we still have a lot to learn ahead of us. I'm positive we're about to board a roller coaster that may feel a bit like having a newborn again (which was very hard for me), and a bit like nothing we've ever experienced before. There will certainly be challenges ahead of us, but delights too. Let's just dive into it: the mess and the joy of it all.
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