This is me trying not to panic...

So, you're in another country where you don't speak (nor read) the language and you've resigned yourself that you will spend 19 days here for the better good of your child and children at home. You go through a 2 hour grilling session and make it out alive - without the 10 days waived but, you had convinced yourself that it would be okay.

So, what could go wrong you ask? Well....

First of all, all 3 of the restaurants in the Hotel Rostov were closed last night. So, not only don't you get dinner (and no lunch because court was at 2:00 pm and you were too nervous to eat)...Then, when you wake up, the "floor lady" asks you for $6 because you got a make up stain on one of the towels yesterday so ---apparently these threadbare, hard towels cost $6 to replace...nevermind the $150 a night you are paying for this hotel that closes down its restaurants without any provocation. But of course you can't say this to the "floor lady" because you can not communicate with her - with the exception of her pointing to the towel and writing $150 (rubles) on a piece of paper....WHATEVER!

So, I'm not panicking yet...

Then, you hear from your facilitator who is to pick you up this afternoon to go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics to sign for your daughter's new birth certificate and he drops the bomb that the court decree won't be in effect until Tuesday the 29th. Apparently (as you later learn) he has gotten a big favor from the court to give the preliminary decree so that we can do the birth certificate and passport office this week because the passport office is closed ALL next week.

Also, you later learn, that since the "Office of Complaints" (I could not make this stuff up) - where - apparently someone would file an objection to the adoption if there was anyone to do that - is going to be closed one day next week and so to allow for 10 days of objections, we can not pick up the court decree until 11 days afterward!!!!

So, I say to the facilitator, does this mean I have to push back my leaving from Moscow as well? Well, there is an audible thud as his heart stops and he realizes that if I don't get my paperwork and my physical before 11 am on Tuesday in Moscow, I cannot get an embassy appointment on Wednesday and since Thursday is some sort of holiday (which I found out yesterday) and the embassy will be closed for a WEEK!!!!!!! that would be a big huge problem.

Next there is a flurry of calls in Russian where I am sure there are a lot of swear words going on with the Moscow office. He finishes this 15 minute conversation by telling me that the only way we can do this is to leave Rostov on the 6:30 am plane and to do that... he will have to ask for a second BIG favor from the court...wonder how much this is going to cost me!?!

Is it time to push the button?

The good news is that I found the grocery store and was able to buy some Diet Coke which they do not carry in the hotel.

Oh yeah, I'm also gonna need some chocolate tonight!