10 February 2007

waiting

No, I've not disappeared off the face of the earth. I've just been without internet for most of the week. It's been off at home, off at school...

On Wednesday, I went and had all my signatures notarized on my Russian documents. Because they were in Russian, they don't have to be apostilled. So that's good.

V, my contact here in Russia, and I went to the notary office and I waited in the corridor while V went in to see if they had our documents ready. He reappeared shortly and said he was going to "help them". A bit later he came out and translated them to me. (On the advice of my agency I asked for children with "correctable medical conditions who were not invalids". I hope that was the proper phrasing. I've heard others request simply, children who are "as healthy as possible".)

While I was waiting for V, other people joined me in the corridor. I giggled inwardly every time a disembodied voice from inside the office shouted and one of my companions leaped up and rushed in. Forget that whole take-a-number system. Forget the secretary who comes and collects you. Just listen for the shout!

There were three numbered doors in the corridor. I thought they must be offices. Door number 2 was the notary. It turns out door 1 was a closet. Door 3 was a restroom.

I asked about the fact that my agency's accreditation was lapsing soon and how that would impact me. V said it's really important that all my documents be here in Russia by the end of the month so that they can be translated and filed before accreditation lapses in mid-March. It's possible that my agency, who filed for NGO status in December, won't have much of a lapse at all...but no one really knows for sure how things will turn out. By filing before the lapse, we can proceed. We think.

I asked if I should remind my agency of this (wouldn't you think they'd be telling me this??) or if that would just irritate them. We decided to try to nudge them along. When I mentioned, quite understatedly, that the US paperwork had been s-l-o-w to be dealt with, V replied, "Some people, when asked to do something they aren't familiar with, do nothing. They just put it off." Yep. I feel "put off". (As he said at our last meeting, my case, while not extraordinary, is very unusual. However, he seems to view it as an interesting and challenging prospect--with definite advantages. It's nice to have that perspecitve after being the problem child with the US folks for so long.) Hopefully, with this deadline looming, the procrastinator in them with leap into action.

I wonder if anyone has named their adopted child "Godot". I'm sure they haven't. That would be incredibly cruel. Sometimes that's who I feel I'm waiting for...

8 comments:

Maggie said...

I'm glad the Russian side of things is going well. When you're on this side of the pond it's the opposite story. As soon as any of my stuff hit Russian soil things started to go awry. Maybe it's just whoever doesn't have to face you in person feels the freedom to be a bit lazy.

btw - my homestudy and dossier stated "children with mild, correctable medical conditions." You don't want to say "as healthy as possible" and not be considered for a child with something very, very minor. Besides, a lot of the medical conditions listed in the orphanage paperwork can be trumped up (depending on the honesty of the orphanage director).

Maggie said...

p.s. Please don't name your child Godot. Funny. But cruel.

Anonymous said...

Rock, paper, scissors on who gets Pippa?

kate said...

LOL! I promise not to name either of them Godot. I wasn't thinking of it personally, but just wondered...I bet someone's done it. Surprisingly, it's not in the social security name bank's top 100 names for the last 30 years.

It could be an e-nickname...but still seems hopeless and cruel. Of course, if there are two d2b, then I'd need two nicknames. I love "tikvah" which means "pumpkin". However, tikvah is an insult rather than an endearment. So for now she/they will have to remain d2b.

Pippa is so much cuter with your last name than with mine, Kerry. Too many short "i" with mine.

kate said...

Hey, votemom. "Waiting for Godot" is a play about a group of people who are waiting for someone named Godot who never shows up.

Lea said...

Very funny. Hang in there Kate. Sounds like you have a good person on your side there in Russia. Hopefully he can get things moving.

Maura said...

Glad to hear V is continuing to be so helpful for you, Kate. I think what he says about people putting off things with which they are unfamiliar is very true. Hoping the looming deadline lights a fire under the agency here to get moving!
:-)

6blessings said...

Glad you have someone on your side working for you. Hopefully this side will get it moving too. I'm anxious to see you move forward. Glad you're back online. I was beginning to wonder.