Hooray, the paper chase is nearly complete! This the last item for our Dossier. The trail of papers is thick and we are ready to move ahead. We've also been busy filling out grant applications which has kept us quite busy. We have also been taking lots of notes from Julie and Jim, and Ramie and Vito. It's been so exciting to see the dream become a reality for them!:) It also makes me feel a little overwhelmed by how much we need to still prepare. We still haven't finished the paperwork to get the boys' passports. I am also a little concerned about how it's going to work with our entire family in Poland, and I've been thinking maybe Jim and I should go to Poland first, and get settled before the boys join us. I don't want to overwhelm our precious child (or children) with so many new faces and chaos right away. Thankfully, my parents, brother, and a family friend said they would fly with the boys and stay to help, but there are still so many unknowns. Also, does anyone know if Poland readily accepts American Express? We are still trying to decide what form of currency would be best.
In other news, I saw this story yesterday ("Battered Adoptive Parents Give Away Their Child") and it got me down. My heart really goes out to this mother, the child, and everyone in the family. I will admit, I already started judging when I read the headline, but I realized quickly that it was much more complicated than what I thought at first glance. What an incredibly difficult situation. To top it off, has anyone else had an experience where someone felt the need to share an adoption horror story with you? A friend of my mom's was visiting and she recounted a story of a couple who nearly "lost their minds" after being subjected to mental abuse from their adopted son. I know these things happen, but I could also tell you equally devastating stories of biological "prodigals"... but I certainly would not share those with a woman who was pregnant! I will admit those kind of stories do freak me out a bit, but I also realize it's important to keep things in perspective. I am grateful for all of the books and articles available to prepare for loving, learning about, and raising an adoptive child. With having three kids, sometimes I have a "been-there, done-that" approach but, I know adoption is not the same, and we will be ready to love our child or children no matter what.:)
Congrats on getting the fingerprint appointment. It's nice to get past that step. Our approval only came about two weeks later.
ReplyDeleteNo one has told us any horror stories, but we have certainly read them! I try to think of them as learning experiences. They are so heartbreaking. As we have been told by our social worker (ok she has told us a couple disrupted adoption stories), a disrupted adoption is worse than it never happening. I believe that.
However, it made us want to get more educated about what questions to ask and how to look at a referral.
Congratulations on receiving your fingerprint appointment! We had ours a week ago yesterday and are waiting on the approval letter. It looks like we will be waiting together. There will be quite a few of us waiting at the same time. Hopefully we will be able to meet in Poland.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations - you are almost there :-)
ReplyDeleteAmerican Express is accepted in Poland, but I don't think it is as popular as VISA and Mastercard.
Every time I go, I use my VISA on everything, and the new thing is that sometimes (not always) you have an option to be charged in Euro or US$ (the system somehow recognizes that this credit card was not issued in Poland).
I don't take much cash with me when I travel to Poland, becuase you can pay with credit card almost anywhere at least in major cities; however, please keep in mind that you may be staying in smaller town, so they may not be up to date with "technology" so you always have to have some cash with you (which you should be able to easily exchange in Poland)
Gosia
How awesome! Congrats on getting this important piece to the puzzle. We're a little ways behind you all- waiting for fingerprint approval to arrive. Just think, you'll be seeing your daughter before you know it!
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