passports and such

Today we had to go get the boys passports-with all the kids. Picture a crowded room with no AC and lots of kids. We waited and waited; they called our number and as soon as we got to the window they informed us that all the kids pictures needed to be in front of a white wall, not a white curtain! Really! So our driver raised us, literally, like the Fast and the Furious, to some hallway with a girl and a camera. Poof! Less then 5 minutes and all 5 kids had new pictures taken. We hopped (sorta) back in our van and our guide told us she'd meet us after developing the pics. By the time we'd unloaded back at the passport office, she came speeding up on the back of a motorcycle with the finished pics! No kidding, it was like a movie! Today was long, and no child here wanted to nap, which made it longer. We were able to drive outside Kigali today to see the countryside. It is breathtaking and timeless, but difficult to look at the scenary without being haunted by the stories and pictures of the genocide. We have noticed so many people with major, major physical scars (machetes were the primary weapon of the genocide) and I can't imagine their emotional scars. Tomorrow, file our I600s and receive the passports. Note to future Rwandan adoptive parents, eating out is never, ever less then a 2 hr affair. Bring your crayons, race cars and patience.