After a late night arrival into Kampala we spent the next day recovering and looking forward to seeing Mary. We got to the lawyers office on Monday October 1 around 10am. We had our court day set for that day....little did we know. My parents met Mary for the first time in the office and it was very nerve racking. There were lots of people around, including her biological brother, mother, and uncle so she was very shy at first. After the office cleared it was just the two of us and so to ease the nerves we looked at pics from home of the dogs and family. She finally started to talk, not much, but a couple words. Once we realized it was going to be a while I set her up with my iPod to watch a movie which seemed to make her happy to have something to take her mind off of all the chaos. This is where the Ugandan Court System makes ours look efficient and effective. The judge ended up not being in court even though us and three other families had hearings scheduled that day. So we were told to come back the next day.
After that day Mary came back to the hotel with us and has stayed with us since then. She was shy at first but the next morning she was talking more. We got to the court house around 10:30am and waited with the biological family in a waiting room. Talk about akward. It was not until 6:15 that we made it into the court room and at 8:30 the judge told us that our dates were written down wrong and that we would have to come back on Thursday. Frustration was at a breaking point but we were in it for the long haul.
It was recommened to visit some of Uganda's historical sites to learn some history as the judge looks kindly on families who do. So, thankful to have a break from court we went to see Uganda's Museum and the King's Palace. This turned out to be a much longer day than expected and rather boring for an 8 year old.
On Thursday we headed back to court around 11. We were there....all day. Again. And the last family to be heard...but we finally got our case heard. It was a rather nerve racking ordeal. The judge spoke the biological family first and then our family asking some unexpected questions and making some odd, sometimes almost derogatory, comments. The day was once again long and very tiring, both emotionally and physically from sitting around so long. We were told that we would get the ruling the following week on Friday the 12th.
The next week waiting for the ruling was spent moving to an apartment...and then moving to another apartment as the first was less than ideal! For those of you who are not aware, I HATE Kampala. With every fiber of my being. It is loud, crowded, filled with smog and unbearable traffic, and much more expensive than the rest of the country. However, the place we are at now is beautiful. It is a small oasis that is in the city but without you knowing it. Our balcony looks over the golf course and there is a kids pool and swing set for Mary. Once we were moved in we took some time to relax after a grueling week of court. Also that week my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary. Bet they never thought this is where and how they would spend it!
Friday finally came and if there was ever a day that was filled with anxiety, it was that one. I know both my parents were very nervous. For me, I just kept going over everything that I said when being questioned by the judge hoping it was the right thing. Thankfully this day was not as long as the other. We were only there for about three hours before being called into court. Once the judge got to our case he spent some time jerking us around. It was certainly not the nicest way to deliver the ruling. It was more like he was toying with us to mess with your head. But in the end we got what we wanted. My parents were granted legal guardianship of Mary and were permitted to immigrate with her to America. It was in a very good day.
Much to my happiness we also left for Jinja after the court ruling. While I lived in Iganga last summer, I had friends in Jinja and that was my favorite place to be so I was stoked to be going back and getting away from Kampala. We stayed a really beautiful place by Lake Victoria. The first day was spent checking out the craft shops and buying a few gifts. The following day, Moses and Yaseen took us to see Mary's school, Jinja Prepatory, Kagoma Village, Wairaka, and then Emma and Rose. Seeing Kagoma Village, where Moses is working with others to build a school, was the first true glimpse my parents got to see of real poverty. There is no welfare or food stamps here. There are not even latrines. The need in this village, and many others like it, is absolutely overwhelming. And it starts with the most basic of needs. We also saw Wairaka, another village not quite as bad off, where Moses is working on building the Koi Koi school. Unfortunately, some of the workers who were helping pulled out and it has since stalled much of the work. We ended the evening spending some time with Emma and Rose. I spent a lot of time with them, including going horseback riding along the Nile with both them and another friend of mine.
Now we are back in Kampala....much to my dismay. On Monday Mary is going in for her medical clearance and we are currently waiting on her passport to be completed. Once we get the passport we can begin the visa process so we are on hold until then. On Wednesday we leave for Queen Elizabeth National Park for three days which we are all most excited about. There we will go on a small safari and are looking forward to seeing all the animals. I will definitely post pictures here once we get them! As for now you are caught up on the happenings in Uganda. I hope everyone reading this is doing well! We miss everybody in the states! More to come soon!
Here is the site for The Giving Circle (they are the group currently helping Kagoma Village and Wairaka) if anyone is interested. They are doing amazing work! http://www.thegivingcircle.org/uganda.html
