She's a Sweetie!

I know, you don't want to read, you want to see pictures. I'm having a little trouble uploading right now, but I'll get them to you as soon as I can.

Yesterday we got here and checked in. The hotel phones were out and internet was, at best, spotty. We set out on foot to get a new SIM card for the phone, which involved getting a passport picture. After over an hour of walking and waiting in the heat, dirt and traffic, we were sold a card that doesn't work in my phone. LiJun flatly refuses to walk anywhere else, and I can't say that I blame her.

We got what I would call a tuk-tuk, but apparently is called an auto here from the photo shop back to the phone kiosk, and then another one back to the hotel. The one we took back to the hotel was driven by two boys who were at most 12 and had the attitude of having borrowed their dad's car for the day. Oddly, they were some of the best drivers we've had so far.

After lunch and a brief nap, I decided that we couldn't just wait for something to happen. I asked the desk clerk to use his cell phone to call the lawyer (no answer), the government official assigned to our case (no answer), and the driver recommended by Deb (he answered, but was busy all day). Since I had an address for the government official, we got in a taxi and just went. My excuse for this was that several e-mails from them have stressed that we needed to be here on the 13th, and I have no way to contact anyone.

We got there, and it's a kind of sprawling single story place built around courtyards. The adoption office was full of desks stacked with files, and people chatting and wandering in and out. Everyone agreed that we could not see the official today (I don't know her actual title, sorry) but that we should wait half an hour. LiJun took advantage of this to have a nap.

After a bit, someone came over and asked if I intend to stay for the whole process, which will be 20-25 days. I told her that I will stay in India, that I know I have to wait, and that I would like to go somewhere cooler for part of the wait time. She smiled and wandered away.

After another bit, another unidentified person came in and asked if we wanted to see the child. Of course, I said yes. She made a phone call, then said to follow her. i woke up LiJun, who was appalled that we had to walk. We went away from the road, through a few empty blocks filled with trees and partial buildings. I couldn't tell if they were falling down or not completed, but they were covered in vines and plant life.

We came around a corner to the Sisuvihar, where we were told to sit and wait in the front area. While we were waiting, a young couple came in. She had lived in Seattle for three years, working for Microsoft, and thought it was way too cold, so she came home. It was her birthday, and she brought bags of treats. Periodically, an adult came out with 6-8 children, who each got a packet of cookies, said, "Thank you! Happy Birthday!" in English, and then went back in.

Finally, finally, Vindya came out alone. She walked right up to me and shook hands. She is tiny. Tiny!! She stared at me so I played "Finger, Finger, Finger, Finger, Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Thumb." That got a laugh. We visited a bit. LiJun thinks she is the cutest thing ever, and is charmed. I think she is sweet.

She can say "Sister" and "Mommy" and mad an effot to repeat after us whatever we said.

She played the mirror game with LiJun, and was pretty good, but not great, about following.

She was shy at first, but then laughed a lot.

There was a film crew there filming a documentary about the Sisuvihar, and they asked her questions. She had one-word answers at first, but then loosened up and chatted a bit.

She didn't read to me as a month less than seven, and I asked a lot of questions. The lady who walked us over was pretty evasive, and kept saying they would tell me about her development later. I couldn't tell if she didn't know or didn't want to tell me. I told her that I wanted to make sure I put her in the right classes, so I wanted to know. She asked around and told me that Vindya is in her second year of Lower Kindergarten, that she knows all her upper case letters and 6-10 of the lower case ones, that she knows the numbers 1,2, 3, but not how to write the words one, two, three. She is a good student but not great, and they think that with personal attention she will catch up.

By this time, she was sitting on my lap and cuddling happily, giggling when LiJun tickled her, and otherwise acting like she had known us forever. (For those of you who haven't been obsessively reading about attachment theory, this is a bad sign, but not disastrous.)

I have to stop typing, because Meri needs the computer. More later, including, I hope, the pictures you are waiting for!