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You will have to zoom out to see where Port Au Prince is in relation to the fort

Lots of the fort was in ruins, but we could get into the magazine, the barracks, part of the prison, and, of course, up on top.

One the way we stopped at a Mission that was founded in the 1940s and has since that time been providing medical services and education to the communities in the valley ever since. This community was on the of the first to reintroduce terraced agriculture back into the area. What was once reputedly the poorest part of Haiti, deforested and eroded to barren rock, has been able to pull itself up and become a destination area for wealthy Haitians, and a source of local produce.

Along the way, too and from, we did see some earthquake damage. While dramatic, what you see in these photos is exceptional and not indicative of the majority of the city.

Shortly after we left the fort and headed to lunch at a lovely restaurant nearby, the rains began. It took almost 2 hours, but we wound our way home.

Equivalent to $0.60

It was about a 2 hour trip each way and we drove through some different parts of Port Au Prince. I was able to snap a few more pictures of the reality here:

Once we got to the club, we stepped into a Never-never land of sandy beach, blue ocean, palm trees, music, etc.

I have to admit that this interlude was welcome after the week in our container-rooms and driving through the reality that is Port Au Prince.

One thing, though. Apparently the coconut trees are hazardous…

Inside there’s just enough room to set up the basics. A bed, a bureau, desk and bathroom.

The restaurant and pool is really nice, though.  This weekend I’m expecting to get some good pool time.

We’re resorting to drives in the car to get him to fall asleep because 1) we don’t have a way to communicate that he should lay down/rest/relax/etc and 2) if we did have a way to communicate it, he’d push the boundaries and not do it, and anyway how can you “force”/require a kid to relax?  Lay him on the bed and he’ll get upset. Lay with him, and he’ll squirm away, get up and start playing, close the door and he’ll get upset at being alone (which is totally understandable).

Challenging…

Before coming to Moscow we, and our facilitators, did a lot of leg- and paperwork. What remained to be done was basically confirming the paperwork, having the brief medical examination, submitting the dossier at the Embassy, and then, today, going to the Embassy for our interview.

The medical was at 8:00am yesterday at the hotel and it went fine. Boris, the doctor, said he didn’t look like an orphanage kid, his size and all was good, and alternately called him a sumo wrestler or Buddha-belly. At 11am we met to run over the paperwork, which took all of about 20 minutes. Our facilitator then took the dossier to the Embassy to start that process while the three of us took a walk, and got some lunch. Finally, we all took a desperately-needed nap (thank god!).  Naps are under-appreciated.

Our hotel is very close to a pedestrian street known as “Arbat,” so we had a perfect place for the walk. Yeah, it’s the touristy part of town, but for Alexander it’s all brand new.  On Monday, Moscow hadabout 20cm (8in) of snow and it  caused a bit of havoc. You can see that they’re still working on removing some of it.

Alexander was fascinated by everything, and was happy as a clam in the stroller, talking, singing to himself, and making eyes at the ladies that walked by. One restaurant in the area had someone outside dressed in a sort of cow outfit and Alexander was totally thrilled! He babbled to the cow, waved hi, made some other movements which the cow immitated – it was love at first sight. We took his picture, of course.

Tomorrow we’re going to go to Red Square for some pictures and so I can finally see this iconic spot. Of course we’ll post some of the pictures as time permits.

The Embassy today was interesting. There were about a dozen families waiting. All the kids were pretty good, Alexander included. We’re so lucky that he seems to have a pretty happy disposition. We were at the Embassy from about 10am until close to 1pm (a long time indeed), but he was good, played very well, and only melted down once, near the end, when he was clearly bored, tired, and ready to go. He walked me over to his coat and insisted, in Russian, something that approximates “Roman coat,” and was very disappointed when I did not get it for him to put on so we could leave.

As happens when waiting in lines, we talked with some of the other families. They were there from all over the Eastern US, having adopted from all over Russia, and all had varying experiences.  We again validated that we had it easier than many, though a few had us beat for timing. All were of course anxious to get their visas and to go home. Folks were a little tense, too, because there were some technical issues yesterday that prevented the Embassy from printing visas; if there was a problem today, it would mean waiting until Monday to get the visa since the Embassy is closed tomorrow for Christmas.

So, quickly some other milestone events of the past couple days and lessons learned:

• He’s not keen on baths. To someone outside the room last night, it would have sounded like we were doing something unspeakable to him.  It was a pure scream-fest.
• The first diaper change was a nauseating event. New food meant his digestive tract wasn’t pleased. It was a two person job, with Rachel (bless her) operating and me playing assistant – “I need a towel!”  “Yes, ma’am!” Today’s were smoother thank god.
• The kid loves being outside and seeing new things. He woke up this morning and just as soon as he was dressed he wanted to put on his coat and boots and go outside for a walk.

The hotel we are in isn’t great. The room is cold and very small. This is one of the most expensive cities in the world and I know switching won’t be cheap, but we’re gonna try.

In 45 minutes we meet to do paperwork. After that, we’re free for the day. Tomorrow is our embassy appointment. Fingers crossed that it goes smoothly.

Today we were able to get a CD with a compilation of pictures of Alexander over the years he’s been at the orphanage, and a DVD with video of the same.  What a special thing for a kid to have.  I can’t wait till he’s 16 and we have the time to look at these!