Blog post #1 - We're Here!

April 11, 2013  It has been a long two days in Kwa-Zulu Natal! After a grueling 26 hours of travel, Jamie, Tabby, & I finally landed at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa. A friendly, helpful social worker from the adoption agency met us at the airport and gave us some helpful tips. After waiting in line & finally finding our rental car, our luggage did not fit in it. After rental car, take 2, we headed for Emoyeni Lodge, our first place to stay during this seven-week adventure. Jamie had to jump right in to driving on the opposite side of the road, and we wondered aloud what all the foreign road signs meant. I continually try to get into the passenger seat on the wrong side…good thing I’m not our driver.

Finding Emoyeni Lodge was quite an adventure. It is down several dirt roads that our GPS does not recognize. We saw a fast, adorable group of three monkeys as we were arriving. Our accommodations are…underwhelming. We are definitely outside of our comfort zone on every level here. I am apparently allergic to Africa, as I’ve had the most unbelievable sinus congestion, sneezing, etc., since we have arrived. But the land and scenery is gorgeous. Everywhere I look, I see new flowers, trees, and birds. There are rolling hills and vast grasslands. We had to stop fast for something that may have been an ox (?) crossing the road, and then again for a slow toad. We will never tire of looking at this beautiful country.

Yesterday we headed to Lily of the Valley Children’s Village, where our new daughter, “A”, lives. We are staying & traveling with another family, from Seattle, who are also adopting from Lily. They have brought along their two biological kids, just as we have brought along Tabby. The seven of us waited anxiously in a conference room at Lily, while a volunteer went to fetch A and “S,” the other family’s adorable new daughter. Tabby could not contain herself. She kept running up & down the halls, yelling, “Where’s my sister!?!”

When A finally arrived, she ran through the front door with a shy smile on her face. Tabby was the first to get a hug, but she quickly & willingly came to me & Jamie, to hug us and let us pick her up. She was smaller than I had imagined, and beautiful to look at. She has the most radiant smile. She recognized us right away, as we have had the chance to Skype with her a few times before coming to South Africa.

Those first few hours were eye-opening. So many good signs: hugging us, calling us “mommy” and “daddy,” smiling and engaging. When we gave her snacks, she grabbed them eagerly, but then broke them into pieces & shared them with her friends. She never keeps food to herself, though she seems to be always hungry. There were also worrisome aspects: she is LOUD and wild and clearly used to dealing with peers. We had moments of worrying how she would impact Tabby’s behavior, and if she would ever settle down. But we had so much fun talking to her & watching her & Tabby play tag. Tabby followed A around all day, and A loved to give her piggyback rides and hold her hand. A is surprisingly nurturing—helping Tabby put on her shoes and zip her sweatshirt (“jersey” here).

To our surprise, we were able to take A out of the orphanage our very first day. We took her to lunch, along with the other adoptive family. A and S are close friends at Lily, so it helped them both to be together. Our A is an eager and adventurous eater! She was quick to try everything offered to her, and encouraged picky Tabby to eat her food. She also loves to sing in the car, with her sweet, husky voice. She sang some songs I would prefer she not know, and also made up melodies, singing, “Taaaaaabby, Tabby, Tabby, Taaaaaaabby!”

Dropping her off at the orphanage was not fun for anyone. A became very sad and withdrawn on the way back from lunch. She refused to leave the car, and had to be coaxed/pulled out. She didn’t seem to believe that we would be back for her the next morning. For us, it was sad to see her feeling sad and not trusting that we would be back. But it was important to head back to the Lodge, just the three of us, to process all the day had held. Tomorrow morning, we will head back to Lily to pick up A & bring her to spend the day with us at the Lodge.

Thank you all for praying for us and for supporting us along this wild ride. God is good and faithful, and His plan for us here in Kwa-Zulu Natal is better than we could ever have hoped for.