Unexpected Events

When in Rwanda we were warned that getting a entrance Visa from the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, was going to be hard and that most people try to go through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia instead. Now we know why. The websites for the US embassies in Rwanda and Nairobi are overly simplistic at best. They indicate that all you have to do is go the US embassy in Nairobi, get a medical exam at a specific center (the website gives the phone number and email address for the medical center and also states that you can go to the embassy to get the forms), make an appointment for the US embassy when you are expected to get results from the medical exam. It also states that the Visa process should take about 5 days for adoption and in another area a website mentions that the Visa process for immigrant visa (more generic) should take a week or two. We contacted the US embassy and they explained that the process is streamlined now and seemed to restate what was on the website. They also said that the process goes a lot faster if you already have a certified HIV test.

Well, we tried to call the medical center on Friday, Saturday and Monday to make sure we could get an appointment on Tuesday, but no one answered the phone. We went to the US embassy, and everyone kept asking if we had an appointment, we said no, but apparently you are not supposed to go to the embassy without an appointment; the website did not state this. We got seen, but were pretty much just handed the medical forms and told to call a number to make an appointment after we have the medical results.

We went to the medical facility and were told that the first appointment was on Friday, June 5th. We explained that we tried call for 3 days to get an appointment and they said that they don't really answer the phone and that sending an email works a little better. Well, he made a few phone call and we got preliminary blood work done. It seems as though the US embassy doesn't like HIV tests, even certified test, unless they are done in Nairobi, so we had to get it done again. We also found out that a TB test was needed, and that takes 3 days too. Consequently, we have to go back on Friday, June 5 to get the rest of Gabriella's physical. They said that you don't usually get the report until the following day, but they said that we could get it the same day. Also, when we tried to give them the form from the embassy, they said that they didn't use that form, they have their own form and handed it back. They also asked for our Case Number, because apparently some people are also given case numbers by the embassy, but we were not. For now, the medical facility used Gabriella's passport number (let's see if this comes back to bite us later). We then made an appointment to go the US embassy on Monday. We asked if we could get the Visa the same day and they said that it would take 1 -2 to get the visa, if everything was in good shape.

Additionally, we found out that our attorney was wrong and that not only did the civil pronouncement, but also Gabriella's birth certificate and the Act of Adoption had to be translated into English. We spent a day scrambling to find someone who could provide a certified translation from Kinyarwanda (the language spoken most often in Rwanda) to English only to find out there are none in Kenya. Luckily the documents were in both Kinyarwanda and French and we found a place that could provide a certified translation from French to English. By paying extra, we can get the translations on Friday (before our appointment on Monday).

Yes, we are exhausted, but we should have Gabriella's visa on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Unfortunately, our airline does not have any flights out on Wednesday, so we hope to leave for home either next Tuesday or Thursday (arriving Wednesday or Friday morning).

Gabriella is doing well, but it is hard living in a hotel for so long. Her fits seem to be getting smaller and shorter in duration. In general, she is a very happy little girl, but she gets a little cranky, especially when she is hungry or tired. But who doesn't? She just needs a little help in learning how to express her feeling without breaking our ear drums. Gabriella has talked to Casey and Corey a couple of times and has asked to talk to them a lot more, but the timing is hard with the 7 hour time difference. We wish we were home already, but we are doing everything we can to be home as soon as possible.