Cooking, Learning, and Waiting

Waiting for a referral is hard. This time around, it seems almost unreal that I will receive a referral...ever. And if I do get a referral, that it will actually result in my child coming home to be part of our family. Keeping myself busy and moving forward helps to hold off this negative train of thought.

With Little Man, I spent the year or so before he came home learning Amharic and trying to educate myself about the culture of Ethiopia. By the time I went to Addis Ababa, I had learned enough Amharic to understand some of what was being said around me, although I didn't have the confidence to speak it myself. It helped pass the time, and I felt like I was preparing myself to become part of his culture. That seemed only fair since he was going to be asked to assimilate to ours. I want to make sure that my children are always proud of their birth countries.

Food is love they say. Since Little Man and I both love food, we are going to be learning how to make some Haitian recipes while we wait for Baby B. Over the past (almost) four years, I have tried out several different Ethiopian dishes. Some have been a success, some not so much. Little Man loves when I make anything Ethiopian and will tell me " This is so good Mama, you should enter it in one of those recipe contests!" What a sweetie. I know he's not necessarily the best judge, but he appreciates the effort. Hopefully I will be as successful with Haitian dishes.
 
 As for learning Kreyole, I am really hoping the three years of French that I took in high school will come in handy. The odds are that I will be bringing home a toddler again (Little Man was almost 3 when he came home). It is sooooo hard for a little one who has just learned to communicate to suddenly be plopped down into another culture where once again-no one understands them! The Amharic I had learned really helped with Little Man's transition, so I am hoping that learning Kreyole will help Baby B.

I have to remind myself of Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

In the meantime, I will cook... "Lè pou manje!"