Day Four - Tuesday, January 22

Tuesday was a very important day. The point of this trip was to bring our boy home, but that couldn't happen until the visa interview was completed and that was scheduled for early Tuesday morning.

I had originally planned on staying at the Susannah Lodge, just a few blocks from the embassy. On Boat's recommendation, I decided instead to stay at the guest house for the whole week. There were several benefits to staying there - close to the Home, inexpensive (the reasonable rate included meals), and we'd be staying in an area where the residents were accustomed to seeing volunteers with the children. You may remember from the details of our first trip that Ghanaians are still getting used to the idea of adoption, and seeing a light skinned person (especially a man) with a little Ghanaian boy would have drawn unwanted attention. Even though this adoption process was 100% legal and appropriate, locals might still think there was something inappropriate going on and alert authorities. I wasn't concerned about explaining myself, but rather about the delay that would be caused by having to explain myself.

The only bummer about staying at the guest house was its distance form the embassy. Boat recommended that we leave at 4:30 a.m. since traffic was unpredictable. Hugo was a trooper and popped out of bed when I woke him up at 4:00. The driver was a bit late and we were on the road a little before 5:00. Traffic was not nearly as bad as we expected and we were parked in front of the US embassy at 6:15. Hugo was a champ and slept the whole way.

The meeting was scheduled for 7:30 which just means that they allow the large number of people waiting outside to queue up at that time. We waited on some folding chairs across the road and Boat had to pay a lady two cedis to sit in them. To pass the time, Hugo played in the dirt and collected rocks while I gave up all hope of keeping him clean until the interview.

We got in line at 7:15 and waited our turn. Hugo started to get nervous for some reason and would fuss and cry every time we passed through a doorway. He cried when we navigated the security checkpoint, when we entered the courtyard outside the consular office, and again when we entered the building. I made sure he had a snack before we went in since food was not allowed inside.

There were about 200 people inside waiting to be called to a window for various services. I stuck out like a sore thumb and everyone's eyes were on the two of us. Guards who were working the room kept asking us to move to a different location and Hugo was getting increasingly agitated. The problem was solved when he eventually fell asleep.

The visa interview process has three steps. I was called to window one for step one (there were thirteen windows but, like cash registers at Walmart, only two or three were in use). There, a kind man collected all the vital documents and gave us instructions for step two. That step involved paying the cashier the $230 fee for processing a visa. We sat down to wait some more. Step three was the actual interview and that took place at window six.

This was the only scary part of the whole process. Our case worker, Kelsey Melvin, had prepared me so well for this day. She saw to it that I had every document that I could possibly need and all of it was organized in a folder that she had mailed to us from Washington. I was confident that I would have no problem with the interview. The man at window six, however, asked if I had proof that Rebekah had traveled to Ghana and met Hugo on the first trip. I swallowed hard. I didn't think I had anything to show she had been here.

I should have brought along her passport which would have shown the entry and exit stamps with dates, but I left it at home. I did have a document that gave me power of attorney privileges to act on Rebekah's behalf but he told me that was not good enough. I dug through the folder and found what I needed when I got to the very last document. It was a flight itinerary I had printed before the first trip and had forgotten to remove when I was reorganizing the folder for this trip. It had both our names on it and was sufficient to satisfy window six guy.

Rescued again. Thank you, Lord.

I received an appointment for Friday to pick up the visa and Boat, Hugo, and I left the embassy. Back on the chairs across the street, Boat called the driver who had used the time to pick up a few fares instead of just waiting for us. He told Boat he was coming. Forty-five minutes later, Boat called again and he said he was on his way. After another thirty minutes, and another call, the driver assured us that he was almost there. Hugo had a messy diaper and I decided that it needed to be dealt with now rather than wait for the driver. Just when I found a place to change him, the driver arrived and we piled in, messy diaper and all.

Now, if you are reading this and you've been to Ghana before, you are about to be really proud of me. As all parents know, diapers changing is no party. After a time, it just becomes normal and you don't really think about it but every once in awhile you get a messy diaper that is EPIC. The kind that you need to throw away the diaper and the kid's clothes. Now imagine, reader, dealing with that scenario in the back of a taxi that has no shocks, riding on a road that closely resembles the surface of the moon. Thankfully, I had thought to bring along a change of clothes, just in case, and so I cleaned him up, managed to keep the taxi poo-free, and did all that under the watchful eye of two guys who clearly thought this was woman's work.

We stopped at a ForEx Bureau to change some money, then drove to the Compassion field office to see if I could schedule a meeting with William, the child we sponsor through Compassion International. We had hoped to meet him last time but - long story short - were not able to. I was hoping it could work out this time but the man I had spoken to on the phone was not optimistic.

I met with two men named Daniel and George. Both were very kind and did everything they could to make me feel welcome and try to work out the visit. There were phone calls made and records checked. It took awhile but I was in no hurry. Hugo was asleep again (he sleeps so easily in a car) and the Compassion office was air conditioned! We left after they agreed to attempt a visit on Thursday. They said they would call Boat tomorrow and let him know if it could be arranged and give him directions for the driver. Hugo and I both slept, piled in a heap in the back seat, on the way back to the guest house.

We spent some time riding the scooter and I thought you might appreciate this video:

 And this one:

Jacob found us and said it was time for Hugo's bath. I had been giving him baths and told Jacob that I could handle it. He replied, "You are a man. You can not give proper baths." Instead of arguing, I figured it would fun to see how this went down.

It turned out to be fun. Hugo totally knew the routine and was scrubbed hard from head to toe. They poured water over his head, covered him in a thick lather including scrubbing his face thoroughly, and then dumped more water over his head to rinse. I kept thinking of Beatrix at home who begs me to keep the tiniest drop of water from getting anywhere near her eyes. They dried him off with the clothes he was wearing, rubbed him down with some sort of lotion that made his skin shine, and dressed him in something different.

When they took him to get the clothes, I followed and got a look at his room at the Home. The power was out so it was dark in there, but I saw at least five cribs, a bunk bed, two single beds, and a sleeping mat. I imagined Hugo going to sleep in one of the cribs only to end up in one of the beds by morning. It was still very hot but the girls dressed him in long pants, a sleeveless shirt, and a button down shirt with Winnie the Pooh on it. They were careful to button every button, even the ones on the ends of the sleeves.

It was dusk outside and when we emerged from the dormitory, I heard singing. In the courtyard, about five dozen kids from the Home had gathered in a big circle and were singing their hearts out. Upon closer examination, I realized that what I was seeing/hearing was a time of worship. There was a leader in the center and the rest of the kids formed a constantly-moving circle around him. He would alternately pray and sing. The smallest kids were in the front so they could see and the older kids were in the back, many of them encouraging the young ones to participate. Children as young as five and six years old were kneeling and worshiping the Lord. Many were raising their hands and literally shouting to the Lord. It was outstanding. I didn't know if I'd be welcome to join them so Hugo and I watched from outside the circle and joined in singing when we figured out the songs.

When we visited the Home in September, we met a little girl named Linda. She is absolutely beautiful and a bit shy. We took her picture, along with many others, and showed them to our kids at home. My daughter Stella made a colorful bead necklace for me that I had been wearing everyday on this trip. I had asked her permission to give it away to one of the children here and she said I could. I decided to give it to Linda.

During the worship service, I caught Linda's eye and motioned for her to come see me. She didn't at first but after a few attempts, I managed to get a visit. I explained to her about the necklace and asked if she would like to have it. She gave me a huge smile and allowed me to hang it around her neck. While it fit me just fine, it hung low on her chest. Every time I saw her over the next few days, she was wearing that necklace.

The rest of the evening was lovely. The power never came back on before bedtime so the fans didn't work back in the room. Thankfully, it rained a bit and the outside temperature dropped about 15 degrees. Hugo and I sat outside under a shelter and enjoyed the cooler air until he fell asleep in my arms. Jacob came by and Boat joined us and we all had a nice conversation. Boat and I tried unsuccessfully to explain to Jacob the concept of time zones. He just couldn't believe that there were places in the world where it was morning while we sat here under the night sky. I decided that I would give Jacob the watch I had brought along.