Waiting, Waiting and More Waiting

All we seem to be doing is waiting for something to happen. If things don't get moving soon, that is how I will look when we do get Jacob.

The JCICS did announce this news this week.

As part of the Joint Council International Relations Initiative, we are honored to host a 9-member delegation from Vietnam from March 24th through April 2nd. The delegation, led by Vice-Minister of Justice Dinh Trung Tung, will attend the Joint Council Conference and Institutes, meet with adoptive families and participate in a planned series of meetings with leaders in U.S. child welfare and government agencies.

With a goal of advancing the relationship and understanding between the peoples and governments of the United States and Vietnam, this visit will include an exchange of information on the Hague Convention and child protections along with discussions on key elements of and opportunities for an interim agreement. Joint Council looks forward to learning of Vietnam’s plans in these very important areas.

There was more but this is the important part. Our agency thinks that this is a very good thing and will go a long way in helping with a new agreement.

Nothing else much new with us. We are on Spring Break today and tomorrow. Saturday, we have an academic competition.

Mixed Signals

As promised, more on the adoption front. Over the past few weeks there have been some positive and some negative news about adoptions. According to our agency, there are going to be several upcoming meetings in Washington, D.C. sometime this month between Vietnam and the U.S.

Some of the news we have been hearing is as follows:

This is from one of Vietnam's online newspapers:

US wants transparent cooperation with Vietnam in adoption
16:26' 16/02/2009 (GMT+7)

Assistant Secretary of State Janice L.Jacobs.
VietNamNet Bridge – Speaking to VietNamNet last week, Assistant Secretary of State Janice L. Jacobs said the US expects Vietnam’s early participation in the La Haye Convention to resume adoption cooperation between the two countries, which was suspended last September.

Signed in 2005, the 3-year Cooperation Agreement on Adoption between Vietnam and the US was halted in September 2008.

From 2005-2008, of 69 foreign adoption organizations in Vietnam, 42 belonged to the US. Around 1,700 disadvantaged Vietnamese children were adopted by American families, making the US the country that adopted the largest number of children from Vietnam.

Vietnam is adjusting its adoption policy, including making preparations for joining the La Haye Convention.

The US is very serious about transparency in adoption, including a clear fee table for adoption, said the US diplomat.

She said the US is willing to provide technical assistance to Vietnam to compile the Law on Adoption. The US can also help Vietnam train staff.

“It is wise to restrict the number of adoption organizations,” she said.



Next from the Center for Adoption Policy website:

February 17, 2009. U.S. Official Speaks on International Adoption from Vietnam. Assistant Secretary of State Janice L. Jacobs gave an interview last week to VietNamNet. According to the account published by VietNamNet, Jacobs said that she expects Vietnam to join the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption soon and that thereafter, she expects international adoption from Vietnam to the United States to resume. Moreover, Jacobs stated that the U.S. has offered technical assistance to Vietnam in order to make its IA law Hague compliant. Among other things she cited the need for increased transparency in fee structures and a reduction in the number of accredited agencies from the 42 U.S. adoption agencies (out of a total of 69) that operated in Vietnam prior to the September 2008 shutdown.

Then today the bad news from Ethica’s website:

March 1, 2009Recently there have been rumors circulating claiming that Vietnam will be open to Americans adopting by the end of this year. Conversations with the U.S. Department of State have confirmed that adoptions are not likely to reopen for some time. Negotiations for a new Memorandum of Understanding have not been successful and Vietnam has indicated that it will be preparing to sign and ratify the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Given that Vietnam has considerable progress to make towards adoption reform and transparency, particularly in regards to how children come into care and the need for a fee schedule, Ethica advises families to be aware that this process will most likely take as long, if not longer, than the 3 years that it took for the second Memorandum of Understanding to be approved.

So now the million dollar question is who do we believe? We are choosing to believe somewhere in the middle of all these statements. Maybe not as fast as the Assistant Secretary of State would have you think but not as long as Ethica doom and gloom statement.

Who knows?

Sorry Been Gone So Long

Sorry that we have not updated our blog for so long. Since September, life has seemed to be a whirl of activity, travel, family illness, and family heartache.

First, the last time we checked, we were #134 on the wait list. In the past few weeks, there has been some encouraging news about adoptions from Vietnam. More on that later.

And now for a brief recap on our lives since September:

1. I decided to have Lap Band surgery and in September started working on insurance requirements -a six month diet.

2. We thought about changing countries but after some long talks, we are happy about our decision to wait for the new agreement with Vietnam. Vietnam is where our hearts are.

3. In October, Alonzo and I went to Las Vegas for a 4 day, fun filled, super trip.

4. In November, Alonzo and I went to the Dominican Republic with our great friends Rod and Corrinna.

5. In December, Alonzo's uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer. He found out on Dec. 1 and passed away on Dec. 31. The whole month of December was given over to helping his family and as you can imagine Christmas was not the most happy of holidays.

6. On Christmas Eve, my mom took sick and after several days of caring for her and ER visits, she spent 3 days in the hospital and then moved in a nursing home here in Jackson.

7. In January, we missed almost 4 weeks of school. The snow along with missing school put both of us into a depression.

8. February saw Mom spending almost two weeks in UK Hospital and having brain surgery. She had a shunt put in the right side of her brain and seems to think that it is helping with the many health problems she was having.

Also, I had to have a sleep study done as part of the requirments for my lap band surgery. I am going on the machine as I stopped breathing 66 times in one hour. Scary.

9. March is bringing the end to my six month diet and I will be having surgery scheduled sometime this month.

Here is a picture of us in Las Vegas.

Here is us in the Dominican Republic.

Alonzo's Uncle Willard surrounded by family at his baptism.

More to come later, I just want to let everyone know that we are still here.

Lisa