We are up early this morning. Donald wants to pick us up between 6a and 6:15a. He us and a family from Pennsylvania met in front of the hotel. We went to the Princess Reforma Hotel to lead another family also from Pennsylvania in their taxi to the Embassy.

I noticed a large crowd while passing the Embassy. These are Guatemalan's who want visas to the USA--most to find work. The other dad and I talked about how there are many in the USA who think so little about our country and do understand why 9/11 is important. Or teens who think certain type of work is beneath them. Here are people who would be glad to take a fast food job or cutting grass just to have a steady income. We have no idea how blessed we are!!

Donald took us to a photographer a block behind the Embassy where he parked the van. The Embassy requires the photo for visa be taken the day the visa is issued. The entrepreneurial sprit is alive and well in Guatemala! There are many instant photographers around the Embassy.

With photos in hand, we walked to the Embassy. At the block before the Embassy, we passed a guard with a pump action rifle. Donald them told me on 9/11, he was in the Embassy when the planes hit. He said when they escorted everyone out, there were over 500 troops, tanks, and helicopters guarding the Embassy. It is important to know that our ambassador to Guatemala, Prudence Bushnell, was the ambassador to Kenya when our Embassy was attacked their. That is one reason security is so tight and restrictions seem odd as to what you can bring in.

We finally arrived in line about 6:45a. In front of us is the front of the line of Guatemalans wanting visas. Many are pointing at us and talking with smiles on their faces. Along the barricaded road are the ubiquitous shoeshine men and guards in pairs wearing bulletproof vest and automatic rifles over their shoulders. Once I got over the shock of seeing them, there was a true sense of safety. Nothing bad would happen along here and if it did, it would not last long.

By 7:20a, they opened the door and we file through security scans then were lead to a large waiting room with some 50 chairs and four "bank" windows. Just before we entered this room, there are portraits of President Bush and Secretary Powell with an American flag. After we had been seated, I looked back at the flag and it occurred to me that Gemma was now in the USA. We are almost home!!

Donald gathered all of our documents and waiting in a line at one of the windows. There are three other facilitators ahead of him. Just before 8a, the Guatemalans also begin entering the room to apply for visas. After 8a, the windows open and a very orderly stream of adoption facilitators and hopeful Guatemalans pass by the windows.

Donald returns to us to collect of $325 in US cash to pay for the visas and gets into another line. He finally returns again with our receipts. He is done, now we must wait our turn for the adoption interview. When our turn came, the other two families watched our girls while we went for the interview at window 8.

Window 8 is actually a door leading to a 6x6 room with a lady behind a glass like at a bank. She asked us to swear that what we were about to say was the truth then she looked through our documents and asked to confirm the information. She also had us complete various documents and she notarized them. There was one form our lawyer had not completed so we had to do it there. She asked us all about the adoption, why it had taken so long, about our family. She was very interested in who our lawyer/facilitator was because she felt things were not done quite as well as they could. She was going to check into the things to help the process for the people who followed. With the final strokes of a pen, our adoption came to an end at 9:05a during the interview.

When we emerged, from the room, we were done! Within a few seconds, I was fighting back the emotion like I am as I write this. Gemma Mae is now free to emigrate to the USA. All the waiting, all the frustration, all the paperwork came to this point. In six hours I will have her visa in hand and we are going to America and she has no idea what is going on!!

With our work done at the Embassy, we enjoyed our last breakfast in Guatemala then got a taxi to Zona 1, the Central City. Aside from the meeting Gemma and the whole adoption process, this would prove to be one of the most interesting parts of the the trip.

We did not have enough Quetzals to go to the market and the desk at the hotel was running short. They suggested stopping at the bank along the way.

Our driver did not speak any English and Fran knew just barely enough Spanish to get us by. He drove us in on 7 Avenida which is one of the three major roads.

Just past the Torre del Reformador, he pull into a bank and told me to go in. As I climbing the stairs, I am telling myself, "Okay, I can do this. I can't speak the language and I am going to try to do business in Guatemala." At the door was nice gentleman with a pump-action rifle. Behind the counter was another guard. Again, once you get over the shock of seeing them, there is a real feeling of safety having them there. The line was very long. Seemed to be payday. At the head of the line was a VHS deck attached to a TV showing Guatemalan soccer victories over the years. "If they have a TV to keep the people in line entertained," I thought to myself, "I am going to be here awhile." And I was. After some 30 minutes I reached the counter. "Buy Quetzals?" I said as I heard out US. He asked me a question in Spanish. "No hablo el Español" was my reply. He smiled, "¿No Español? " but we were able to do business. THANK GOD!

The taxi driver was doing his best to give us a tour of his city. I could tell that he was proud of the city and enjoyed showing it off. The traffic is crazy! As you get closer to Zone 1, the street suddenly narrow while the speeds do not reduce. So many people, so many cars/vans/buses.

When entered the central plaza and he left us out just in front of the Cathedral and said he would wait for us. In front of and to the right of the Cathedral is the Presidential Palace. Click the image to see a larger image.

There is a 3 meter fence surrounding the main entrance to the Cathedral with gates on either side. We entered on the left side and I was stopped in my tracks in awe. As a Catholic convert, I love being Catholic and all that goes with it. The churches and cathedral throughout the world are shameful representation of house of the Almighty. Some, like this building come close to what the throne room of God must be like.

Click on the image to the left for images from inside the Cathedral.

There is a plaque in the back commemorating the 400th anniversary of the dedication of the building the 1934. Take that in for a minute. This Cathedral was completed 242 years before the USA was a nation. There was another plaque in the wall commemorating the first papal visitation in 1987 by Pope John Paul and (God willing) he will return this summer.

After an hour in the Cathedral, we returned to the taxi and were taken to the Central Market just behind the Cathedral. I wish I had taken photos there but I was advised against it. In Guatemala, it is considered rude to photograph a person without permission. Also, I was told many cameras have been stolen in this area so you will just have to go there to see what it is like.

This is a two level market underground--kinda. It is on a hill so it appears to be underground. Neat place!! It is overwhelming because there is so much to see and much of it is the same from booth to booth. Roving vendors were trying to sell us bracelets. These guys were great salesman trying to make the sales anyway they could. None of the vendors spoke English and only Quetzals are taken. Do not take the first price given. They love to dicker on price and we got some wonderful bargains. We only saw a very small part of this but were able to find almost everything on our list.

Click on this image to the left to see a series of images that came from running my video camera for most of the trip from the market back to the hotel.

We took up over two hours of our driver's time for 100 Quetzals or $13.15US. Even though tipping a taxi driver is not generally done, I gave our driver 50 Quetzals for a wonderful time exploring his city. It did not seem like a lot to me but he really seem to appreciate it.

Monday night after all FOUR of my girls were tucked away for another night, I had the chance to go through the translated documents Donald had given me. Inside this stack of documents was the document where Gemma's birthmother described why she gave her up for adoption. When I read it the first time, I was choked up. As I prepare to retell her story, I am fighting back the tears. This is a story of a brave young woman who in a "bad" situation, chose the path of incredible love and did to me would be the unthinkable but PRAISE GOD, I am so grateful that she did it.

Her name is Sonia, born in Retalhuleu and identifies herself as non-indian. At the time of Gemma's birth she was 34, living in Guatemala City, and supporting herself as housekeeper. In the USA, we would call her a live-in nanny.

Gemma has three older brothers and two older sisters. The older three live with their father's parents and the younger two live with Sonia's parents. Sonia makes 500Q (~$64) a month on which she supports herself and all five children. She provides all their needs.

She had an 6-month affair with Gemma's birthfather during which she became pregnant with Gemma. He was not aware that Sonia had Gemma and, of course, that she is with us.

Sonia tried for 10 months to keep Gemma but she could not afford to take of her. Sonia's employer (remember Sonia and Gemma lived in the employer's home) "guided" her to give Gemma up because she would not accept Gemma. Seems that Sonia lived in the same bedroom with the two children she was taken care of for her employer. Sonia has only one bed for herself that is owned by her employer. Sonia said she "does not regret her decision (for adoption) because she wanted her adoptive parents to provide her (Gemma) with everything that she (Sonia) cannot give her." Rip your heart out!!!

In the documents, we found out Gemma was born without complication at Hospital General San Juan de Dios in Guatemalan City. We also found out that on 20 Aug 01, a person left Fran's first name off the documents. This error was caught and correct on 23 Nov 01. However, 8 Jan 02, our case was rejected from PGN due to the name error.