We sat in the lobby for over 1 1/2 hours waiting for the mysterious Julian. Aria had just finished her bottle and I was loading her up to bring her upstairs - we had been waiting for over 90 minutes after all - when a man approached us. He didn't say anything, just stood there watching us as I loaded Aria in her stroller. I was feeling very uneasy wondering why is this guy just standing there staring at us?? He didn't say a word. Once I loaded her up and awkwardly acknowledged him, and he said "Here's the certificate. I didn't want to fold it since it's an original." It was Julian!!
Julian was only given one Adoption Certificate even though I had asked for three. The Certificate was a one page document hand written with Aria's new name, the name of her parents, our occupations and her birthdate. That was it. Why on earth it took so long to fill out a couple columns on a standardized form is beyond me. But now we had the last document we needed to apply for Aria's Guyanese passport!
I quickly texted Quincy that I'd need a lift to the Passport Office and then we headed to the business center to try to make copies of the very oddly shaped Adoption Certificate that didn't quite fit into the copy machine. Quincy picked us up at 2:00 and off we went. I just hoped I had everything that they would ask for!
Quincy dropped me off carrying Aria, a backpack and a folder full of documents. Sadie told me to ask for Officer George when I arrived so I did. And the man just stared blankly at me like he had no clue who I was asking for. So instead I gave him Aria's Passport Application. He asked for Aria's adoption papers which I provided and then he sent me to the passport window.
The "window" here is much different than at home. You literally can not see through it, you can barely hear what the person is asking you and there's a small paper sized hole to send paperwork back and forth. It was a challenge to comply as I could hardly hear what she was saying. Thankfully she spoke up. She asked for the application and Adoption Certificate - check! Aria's old passport - check! My passport - check! $6,000 Guyanese dollars - check!
Then came the question I was not prepared for..."Where is the baby's father? We need his permission before you can get her passport." WHAT!?! I mean, it makes total sense. But NO ONE MENTIONED THIS!! I told her that he was in the United States. I could hear some chatter, some stamping and shifting of papers, and finally she said they would process the passport, but I'd need documentation from Shane giving me permission to pick it up. PHEW! It takes nearly a week to get the passport so at least they could process it while I figured out how to get the paperwork from Shane. The passport won't be ready until Tuesday, so I had some time to figure out the logistics.
When we got back to the hotel, there was an email waiting for me from Ms. Jardine at the Child Protection Agency. Months ago Shane and I had filled out a Power of Attorney for each of us giving the other parent permission to act on their behalf for adoption purposes. I had sent them to Hopscotch with all our dossier documents. And Hopscotch wasn't quite sure just who had the original. It turns out the Child Protection Agency has the originals! The Power of Attorney specifically gives me the power to obtain Aria's passport on Shane's behalf. So we should be okay come Tuesday when I go to pick up her passport, although I'll feel much better once the passport is in my hands.
Tomorrow I have a 1:00 pm appointment with the US Embassy to chat about the US side of things and what steps I need to complete before Aria can come home. Fingers crossed the meeting goes well and that in 1 1/2 weeks, I'll be heading home with the cutest little Guyanese American.
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