Meeting Samuel

Day 2:
We woke up to Orthodox Christian chanting around five in the morning. Voices enveloped the city as we laid in bed wondering how Samuel was doing, what he was thinking and how we would receive us. We attempted to sleep a few more hours before our driver was set to arrive, but it really was useless; we would be meeting our son in just a few short hours.

Around 8:45 a.m., our driver arrived to take us to breakfast at a place called Kaldi's Coffee. The exterior and interior decor mirrored that of Starbucks; the barista uniform was black and green just as it is at Starbucks. I picked at my french toast and sipped my machiatto, secretly wanting to rush this introductory meeting along so I could get to Samuel.

We were then told that we would actually not be meeting Samuel until lunch as he had an Embassy doctor appointment. Therefore, we would tour the other Gladney facilities until Samuel returned. We took pictures of other families receiving their children, visited the older Gladney care center, and spent some time with the children there. The facilities are modest to say the least - 3 bedrooms, one living space and a very small courtyard. I looked around at all the faces - most over the age of 2 - and realized that for many, this would become their destiny.

There was one boy, around eight, and I remember watching him closely thinking, "He knows.... He knows that time is running out." It's heartbreaking - how you can see it in their eyes, the hopelessness, the lost feeling of family. It makes you want to scoop them all up and bring them home, that is until you realize you have no parenting skills and you don't even have one child yet...

The next trip on the agenda was lunch and when we arrived, we were told Samuel was inside and was ready to meet us. "Here?" I thought.... "Here at this restaurant? What if he screams or cries? I don't want everyone to watch this major melt-down?" I stomached all of these crazy thoughts as Samuel was brought to us. No crying. No melt-down, just a simple hug and smile. That was it - the moment we became a family of three.

It was also the moment I realized that Samuel had a rat-tail at least 4 inches long. I remember thinking, "How am I going to convince this kid to visit the barber before we leave?"

We met up with the other families and ate lunch together. "What the heck do you order for a boy you barely know?" Pizza seemed like a good and safe option, and to our surprise, he really enjoyed it. How awkward I felt though...thinking about all the things I didn't know about him and wondering how we were all going to merge our lives and habits; after all, we weren't all speaking the same language.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to know each other and napping. Samuel discovered the art of turning a lamp on and off; I don't think he had ever worked with a lamp before. He took great pride in his new toys and clothes and discovered the wonder of seeing your reflection in the mirror. What a simple day.

That night, before we prepared for bed, Todd attempted to put Samuel in a good-night diaper as we have heard that sometimes he wets the bed. Samuel pointed his finger at Todd, as is customary in Ethiopia, wagged it and said, "No, No." Todd pulled back and as he walked away Samuel was laughing, as if to say, "Dumb American. Doesn't he know I don't wear diapers?"

We all fell asleep - tucked in together, Samuel's arm around my neck, the sound of barking dogs in the background.