Dispatches from the Congo – A Journey of Love (Part 11)
By Erin Pohland Greetings from Kinshasa, the city where my baby eats everything he can! So, today it happened — the DHL plane left from Goma, Reverend Bashaka picked up the Swahili paperwork (with translations — certified and notarized! — in French AND English) and brought it to me. I took it to the Embassy. They now have EVERYTHING, and have no excuse to not issue Andrew’s visa. Given that I’ve provided his official birth certificate listing his mother and father’s name, his mother’s death certificate and his father’s certified and notarized statement of relinquishment in 3 separate languages, I…
Dispatches from the Congo – A Journey of Love (Part 10)
By Erin Pohland Hi, everyone!Today was a much better day. First, I’m not longer sick. Second, Andrew slept in until 7:30. And third, I spent exactly ZERO hours in a waiting room today. Shocking, I know. I was pretty upset yesterday. I’m not scared being here, or even worried — I’m just frustrated at the slow pace of bureaucracy and how things work in the Congo. I just don’t understand how it’s so hard for people to just do their jobs — especially the ones whose salaries are paid with my tax dollars (yes, I’m becoming THAT person. By the…
Dispatches from the Congo – A Journey of Love (Part 4)
~Kinshasa Forget whatever I told you last night….I love the Congo! Well, more importantly, I love my son — he is just the sweetest little thing. But I really am finding myself loving Kinshasa despite the overwhelming poverty and dispair. The people are just amazingly friendly — it’s been fantastic. I woke up bright and early this morning so I could be ready to meet Andrew. Reverend Bashaka brought him to the hotel along with Timothee, a local woman whose name I didn’t catch, and his foster mother Sarah. He was dressed for Alaska — those red shorts from…