Day 12

Yay! Prayers were answered! David Ishema is the proud new owner of a Rwandan passport. We can now move on to the next step, Nairobi. In a blink of an eye it seems like so much has changed. We've gone from not knowing when or if we would finish this process to having flights out of Kigali on Monday morning. Early Monday morning. We need to be there at 5 am early. Yikes! Thankfully we were able to secure lodging in Nairobi, so all we lack now is transportation. Hopefully that won't be too difficult to come by.

After we picked up David's passport today and I knew for sure we were leaving on Monday, I was a bit sad about leaving Kigali. There are so many things I love about this country and will miss. For one, the country itself is just gorgeous. And the people are striking, really a very large collection of very good looking people. And when you see this many beautiful people walking around in such a remarkable setting, it is almost overwhelming. I think we must look so plain to them. The people are friendly too, for the most part. I did see a motorbike taxi make a gesture that I'm pretty sure wasn't nice, but you don't see that too often. They just make their way together, communicating in many different ways.

I'll miss the kids everywhere. We keep our kids so close to us and under such tight security and here kids roam freely everywhere. They are all fed and clothed, so they must have a home somewhere, but they run freely or so it seems. Their faces are just precious. They smile and wave at us and they have gorgeous smiles. Just beautiful, I'm telling you, these people are just gorgeous! I love to see babies on backs. From the front of the mom you just see the feet, then you see the babies on their backs. They look a little squished, but happy. These Rwandan women are amazing. It isn't unusual to see a pregnant woman with a baby on her back and a basket on her head walking up one of the many huge hills. I have great respect for these women. Then the men, they carry the most amazing things on their heads. Just an example of some of the things we've seen being carried on heads, large bundles of wood, large bundles of pipes, stacks of newspapers 4' tall, a table and 4 chairs, a bed, mattresses, sacks of all kinds of things, you get the picture. It is absolutely amazing to watch these people!

A word about attire, because our house dude just walked in wearing a down jacket. Its 70 degrees outside. The motorbike taxi drivers wear fleece and leather and down jackets. We are constantly stunned by their choice of outerwear. It makes me a bit concerned for our son. I hope he doesn't freeze. This warmer clothing choice doesn't end with the taxi drivers. People on the streets frequently wear long pants and long sleeve shirts. In fact, most men wear slacks. Most women wear traditional dresses and they are stunning. Younger women and professional women wear clothes much like we would wear. This is really a great place to people watch. Be warned though, you will also be watched if your skin is on the lighter side.

That brings me to things I won't miss. I won't miss being an attraction everywhere we go. Today we went to the market to buy some fabric and you could almost see the confusion grow as the white kid went by, then the Chinese kid, and then me carrying David. We actually had people follow us today. That is the first time that has happened here. Of course, we are usually sitting in the van and they can just walk around gazing in the windows like we are a zoo exhibit.

I won't miss the food. While I really enjoy traditional Rwandan food, I am really missing vegetables. They eat a lot of starchy foods. I'm sure this helps give them energy to climb all of these hills. Fiber comes from beans, and the way they cook beans is delicious. The beef tastes a bit different, grass fed instead of grain fed. I'm sure its healthier. I miss fish. I miss not having food so heavily seasoned. But again, the food here is good. It just isn't what I'm used to eating.

Enough about the country, wanna hear about my kids? Kate is doing really well considering she is coming home without the little sister she has so desperately wanted for so long. She has grown up during this trip. She has handled great disappointment and new responsibilities. I'm so proud of our girl! Isaac is struggling a bit. When we first came home from China, Kate shared with us that she didn't know exactly where she fit in the family as the dynamics had changed. Isaac seems to be having that struggle now. His ability to understand sarcasm seems to have departed. So Sean and I have really been trying to not be sarcastic. It is a challenge! Finally today Isaac and David played just the two of them. Isaac is so just-so about some things and David is 4. This makes it tough for Isaac. David doesn't listen to him and he is the big brother and that is tough for Isaac. David is adorable and commands the attention of his sister, mother, and father, and that is tough for Isaac. Today seemed to be a little better for Isaac, but if you could please pray for our oldest son that would be wonderful.

David. Where do I start. This kid gets cuter all the time. Kate taught him to kiss today. Oh my goodness, those cute little lips pucker up and then he grins huge! He is funny and he knows it. But he is doing a great job listening and following directions. He seems to understand so much English. He also likes to sort of babble along in kinyrwandan. I really wish we understood what he was saying. Sigh. Poor kid has been a little off schedule since we picked him up. He doesn't get his normal nap and that spells trouble for the rest of us. But when we are running all over Kigali trying to get him adopted, we do the best we can. Tomorrow our driver is doing something else so we can't go far from home. So he will for sure get a nap.

So I don't have much for you in the way of pictures. I hardly took any pictures today, just unusual landscaping in the yard. Green on green, much better in person. So instead, I'll leave you with a picture of the kids from last night. I adore these three people!