1. Maya is with me all the time. How many adoptive parents are lucky enough to have their babies with them from (almost) newborn? She's a delightful baby, and so easy to love and look after!
2. My position at the British Council has been held for me. And being a British company, I've been entitled to 6 months' maternity leave. Very lucky, compared to most other companies in the UAE and their measly 45 days.
3. Playas is really nice place to while away the days. The beach is a 15 minute walk away. There are numerous cafes within walking distance. The supermarket is a 5 minute walk away. The border fence is a mere 500 metres away. Here's where it tapers off into the Pacific Ocean:
I find borders very strange. NZ is surrounded by sea, so that's our border. Fences are for keeping sheep in. Or out.
4. The weather is great. Sunny every day. Not too hot.
5. I have a beautiful courtyard to hang out in with Maya, who loves looking at the trees and plants, and the turtles in their little pond. Abu Dhabi and our lack of balcony or garden will be a shock to both of us.
6. Tijuana is fascinating. There is a lot more to Tijuana than I'd expected, and I don't feel at all unsafe, given all the negative reporting. I know there are drug shootings, and certainly, there are problems, but which city doesn't have such problems? Ok, Abu Dhabi, maybe.
7. We've been so lucky to have so many visitors. Not all the families living here during the adoption process are so blessed with friends and family coming from so far away to support them.
Despite these things, these two months have been particularly hard. Ahmed left on the 13th June, and there are still no official dates on the horizon, so nothing really to look forward to. The worst has to be the indefinite waiting around. Maya is growing up, her papa is on the other side of the world, and all I can do is sit and enjoy the sunshine.
So I decided to get out and do some things to keep me occupied. Three things:
Firstly, I called one of the mothers from Gymboree who gave me her phone number one day, and arrange to meet for coffee.
Secondly, I discovered that the Red Cross charity shops needs volunteers to help out.
Thirdly, I printed up some notices advertising private English lessons. (I never actually got around to delivering them. I think the logistics of trying to teach with a 5 month old baby are too tricky. And I don't really want to charge people for lessons)
But with the first two ideas, I end up making a great friend in Anna, a Russian mother, who's recently moved to Tijuana to be with her Mexican husband. We discover that we both really enjoy walking, and push our babies all around Playas at least once a week. We are a rare sight, however. No other mothers out pushing their babies. I also really enjoy hanging out with a group of retired Americans & Mexicans every Thursday morning at the Red Cross in Rosarito.
So the months of June & July slip by, with these pleasant diversions, but no progress on the adoption front.
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