Stephanie Gibson Program Assistant, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—All our families had their visa interviews today. After entering the U.S. embassy, which felt a lot like walking into a compound, we waited for about an hour for the first family name to be called. Each family was called to a little window where they were sworn in and asked a few questions, such as: Is this the child you were referred? Did you meet your child before or after the court date? Have you met the birth parents? Was this child released to an orphanage? The whole process is really a formality and takes less than 5 minutes for each family. A signature here and a signature there, and we were done. Visas can be picked up on Thursday morning. We celebrated with a lunch at the Golf Club and dinner at the Crown Hotel, where they have a buffet featuring traditional Ethiopian food, music and dances from individual tribes/regions of Ethiopia.
