Social Worker Interview

This morning we had our "interview" with the social worker. Alex, our driver, picked her up on his way to get us and then drove us all to the orphanage. Gena met us in the lobby and had a candy to share with Beth and Luke. We were brought into the office of the Orphanage Director who greeted us warmly... just as she had left us last time. She asked us questions and had the Doctor brought in to answer any questions that we had about the children's medical diagnosis. As an aside, ALL orphanage children in Russia have a "diagnosis". It seems that Russians believe that if the kids are "normal" then they would not be in an orphanage. Also, at one point the only way a Russian child could be adopted abroad was if there was something wrong with them... hence, they ALL have something wrong with them. Yana has a typical Russian orphanage diagnosis of cerebral asthesia... "not enough blood flow to the brain" and this explains her "mental and social delays" at the time she entered the orphanage. The "diagnoses" are reviewed and revised every 3 years, so hers has not changed yet. The truth is that she is VERY bright, makes all A's and B's in her school and just won a local poetry reading contest for which she has qualified to the regional (state) competition. Her "diagnosis" is merely a formality to allow her to be adopted.

It's about 12:45 in the afternoon and at 1:00 we will be picked up for our first court hearing. We'll let everyone know how it goes.