Well, as we enjoyed the conveniences of American society, our wives were left to fend for themselves and our boys in Africa. We had intended that Michael, our adult son who was very well versed in the African culture, would be landing in Entebbe just after our departure. He would be there as male protector of our families. Women's liberation hasn't quite took hold in Uganda at this point. Well, Michael's arrival was delayed a few days and he ended up leaving a couple weeks before the girls were ready to leave, so the girls were without male protection for much of their stay. That was a trying experience in and of itself.
If they went to the store or town for some reason they were reliant on either the orphanage staff or public transportation. I promise you, you haven't experienced public transportation until you have ridden a taxi in Kampala. A taxi was a van a little bigger than a min-van with a legal limit of I believe 15 passengers. If they thought they could get by with it they would cram in more. This could be a very compromising situation without male companionship, especially if she was white and did not understand their language.
Then there was the general frustration of dealing with the cultural gap. The official language of Uganda is English, but their culture is far from Western. They are good proud people in their own right, but what is good to them may not be so good to us. Honestly, that is mostly one of those things I simply must qualify with, you would just have to experience it for yourself.
They were in an accident in which they discovered their driver was unlicensed and uninsured. Then they expected Kim and Sarah to pay the penalties and insurance since he was kind of sort of in their hire. It was then that we were fortunate that Michael was there. They didn't pay it, but this victory didn't happen without hurt feelings. They were also pulled over and almost arrested on one occasion. Bribery is a common practice of coping with authority there of which they learned all too well.
The immigration process for the boys was a nightmare. Emma's medical test raised questions, which scared us parents much. That worked out but was scary for a bit. Too much went wrong to recall in detail. When it came time to come home, much like going over, phone calls were being made. in the wee hours of the night to the American embassy to get the boys cleared to come home to the US.
You know what though, as frustrating as the process was, God did provide. The ladies made it home with our boys. We remember all the negative, but the good from that trip far out weighs the negative. We are now blessed with one of the most precious seven year old boys in the world. He has mostly mastered the American language and culture. He still has a heavy accent, but loves steak and baked potatoes. He is a soccer whiz and cant wait to start basketball maybe next year. He dreams of being a police officer. Over there that has an resonance to it, but here he has learned that police officers are to be trusted.
Can you imagine the shock this boy who had hardly ever experienced temperatures of cooler than 65, when he got off the plane in subfreezing weather and saw snow on the ground for the first time ins his life?! That was what Emma exited the airport to. It was dark, cold, and late, but he would not get into the van until his new big brother Michael had thought him how to make his first snowball.
The trials have continued. We did not imagine what it would be like to bring in a fourth child (into the home), especially an older four year old, and then, other than that, had been abandoned by his mother and raised in an orphanage. The adjustments have been much for him and us, but the reward is great.
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