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"Being too charming was never one of my faults." - Kill Me Later
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leave it to the frogs...
Sigh. So as you probably know I did a joint master's degree program which involved studying in France and many wonderful French classmates. I loved my time in France and I love my French friends and their families and all the wonderful French people I met. I found that the stereotype of snobby French people was ridiculous and that French people who can speak English LOVE to practice their English. Which is why I find it particularly distressing that this is coming from French minister in charge of humanitarian relief in Haiti: I mean really? Really??? Do you, French dude, really want to go there? With Haiti of all places? This tragedy has once again become a shining example of American compassion and exceptionalism. Once again America is the biggest presence, donating the most money, volunteers, medicine, food, water...pretty much everything. And that asshat as the gall to accuse us of wanting to "occupy" Haiti? Funny, the Haitian people don't seem to mind our presence there. In fact, they seem to be quite welcoming of the US soldiers and marines who are there, maybe because unlike this douchebag they are smart enough to know that the Americans are there to help. Ugh. In case you can't tell, I'm pissed. Labels: douchebags, France, Haiti earthquake, Support the troops
Another week, another failed attempt at purchasing our own little piece of California. This time we weren't as deep into the process as with the last one, but somehow this one was a little more disappointing. What happened with the original place you ask? The inspection was an epic fail. Water damage all over the place (things that make your inspector say, "I've been doing this 28 years and I've never seen that before" are, shall we say undesirable). Oh and then there was the whole growhouse thing. No they were not currently growing p0t (that might actually have been a plus, extra income for the mortgage perhaps? heh) but there were clear signs that they had been and our inspector said he couldn't promise that they hadn't royally f*cked up the ventilation and/or electrical systems. That was like the cherry on top though, it really wasn't the worst thing by far. Do we know how to pick 'em or what? Anyway, Paul and I decided to donate to a couple of orphanages in Haiti after reading about the good work they're doing there and the dire condition many of them are in right now. God's Littlest Angels and For His Glory which runs Maison des Enfants de Dieu. I've been doing a lot of research on what the adoption process was like for Haiti (prior to the quake, I'm sure there will be changes or that the program will be put on hold entirely for awhile) and was interested, thought not terribly surprised, to discover that the majority of the orphanages in Haiti are run by faith based organizations. There are actually are no government orphanages in Haiti and because of the nature of the orphanages most will only adopt to Christian or Jewish families. The government seems to have fairly strict marriage requirements (minimum ten years although I've read that they will relax that down to five years on a case by case basis) and they seem to generally want older couples (minimum age 35, but again they do make exceptions down to 27-28). This means that if Paul and I truly do feel called to adopt from Haiti we would most likely have to wait a minimum of 1.5 years (that would be the five year mark for our marriage and we would be 29/30 years old). For me, I think this is something I'm actually really serious about doing. For Paul? I'm not so sure, but unlike a lot of guys he is open to adoption and I think if my first pregnancy is a hard one he will likely be even more open to it (especially if he doesn't get his boy! yes he's old school like that). From my research it's actually a shorter wait for Haitian boys so that would work in our favor! I have read that Haitian adoptions even before the quake were long, bureaucratic, filled with needless red tape (more so than other international adoptions) and generally very drawn-out, angst-filled and stressful. It does give me pause but at the same time I think if God is calling us to adopt from Haiti He will make it happen. We have time to pray about this and prepare for it if it really is in our future, funny though I'm actually really frustrated that this isn't something we can get working on NOW (the process takes 2-3 YEARS). Of course, that's highly unrealistic considering we don't even meet the bare minimum marriage/age requirements and the earthquake will undoubtedly put adoptions in Haiti on hold for awhile anyway. I'm just impatient, as usual. I do have reasons beyond just the earthquake for feeling like perhaps I'm being called to adopt specifically from Haiti but I'll save that for a post of it's own... Labels: adoption, Haiti earthquake, house hunters
Friday, January 15, 2010
So we ended up canceling our purchase agreement on the home. A long story for another day. I'm not really upset over it, a little disappointed but whatever, I'll get over it. The earthquake in Haiti is on my mind and it has put things into perspective - big time. I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, water to drink and most importantly, the ones I love are safe. What is going on in Haiti right now is just...unimaginable. I've been trying not to read about it, watch the constant stream of news, look at the pictures - but I can't help myself. It's not something we should ignore is it? Even if we really, really want to? I've been reading some blogs of missionaries and other charity workers who were already living in and blogging about their work in Haiti before the quake and their stories are some of the most heartbreaking I've heard. The pictures on this site probably give the best idea of just how extensive the damage is. If this post and this one don't make you cry, you are probably made of stone. This is another great blog of a family of missionaries from Texas basically asking for fervent prayers. Paul and I have donated through our chosen charity World Vision but it just doesn't feel like enough. It feels like there should be more we can do, but what? I got this crazy thought in my head while watching a 20/20 piece about the orphans in Haiti, I've always thought I might adopt someday, why not from Haiti? Why not right now? As soon as I typed the word "adopting" into my Google searchbar the auto-fill completed my thought for me and "adopting from haiti" quickly popped in, so clearly I'm not the first American to have this idea. After doing a little research I realize that adopting from Haiti may still be in our future, but it's not something that's going to help right now. I guess for now, giving money is still the best we can do. That and, of course, pray. Labels: Haiti earthquake
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