We have it in hand. Actually it looks exactly like a Nepali passport except for minors it's called a travel document. We went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly before 2:00 today and stood in an outside courtyard with several hundred Nepali citizens, all of whom were waiting to receive a passport. Although everyone had a number, ours being 52, there was little order. When the teller-like windows opened at 2:00 people started crowding them. Aruna and her husband listened for our number and when it was called, her husband helped Bret and Wynn work their way to the window. They wanted to see Wynn to be sure that his picture matched the photo on their paperwork. We had a few minutes of panic when the person at the window asked for Wynn's birth certificate, which we didn't have because it's at the U.S. Embassy. Aruna's husband said something to them and we were all ushered inside of the building to an office. There were three or four Nepali people all speaking to Aruna in Nepali. Shortly, someone came in with Wynn's documents, including his adoption decree, our photos, his photo, and his passport. They looked over everything and then asked Bret to sign a paper. Then they handed him Wynn's passport. We were really relieved because believe me, things could have easily gone the other way.
We went to dinner this evening at Mike's Breakfast, which also serves lunch and dinner, and is popular among adoptive families and Americans. We had Mexican food which was good.
Tomorrow we have an appointment at the U.S. Embassy to apply for Wynn's visa. We're hoping to receive that either next Monday or Tuesday. Then we're free to fly home.
A footnote to yesterday's post. . .Bret has volunteered to be my fact checker! He looked on the Internet and discovered that Nepal does have a public school system. However, if they can afford to do so, parents prefer to send their children to private schools as the public schools aren't very good. I'm still not sure about the children that we see during they day who are obviously not in school at all.
I didn't take any new pictures today, which is rare, so I'm posting some pictures from previous days. While some of you may be tired of seeing pictures of our children, grandparents never tire of it! And others have commented on enjoying other photos of life here in Nepal. So here's a little bit of each. Enjoy!
Photo captions - Family photos, old women spinning cotton in Bhaktapur, Moaist the night before last week's strike (taken from our taxi window).
Hallelujah, I am so glad the paperwork is flowing. Aunt Beth and Mark never tire either looking at pictures of your children. (nice ring to that,from Child to Children)
ReplyDeletehugs and kisses.
Kate, I haven't commented yet (my love machine cat sent me tumbling down the stairs last Tuesday night to the end of cruel injury and serious impediments vis-a-vis my right arm and left ankle), but I am finding all of this fascinating almost beyond measure. Prepare to be grilled at some point in the future about Nepalese markets and adapted urban infrastructure. Leah is sort of scary photogenic. Actual quote from a middle aged African American woman rubbernecking on the bus on Monday afternoon: "that is the most beautiful child on Earth."
ReplyDeleteI suppose I should have identified myself... this is Matt by the way. Though I suppose the combination of cat and infrastructure interest probably gave me away.
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