At the orientation it was mentioned that we should be about 30 minutes early for our meeting, as parking in Johannesburg can be a nightmare. We arrived at the offices about two minutes before nine. Our meeting was scheduled for nine. The receptionist would not even listen to my husband announcing that we had an appointment before she had helped (counselled?) two other people. I kept worrying that our social worker would think that we were late and not serious about this. We waited a while longer for her to come fetch us. When she eventually came out, I realised that all my worries had been for nothing. She was warm, friendly and inviting. She immediately made me feel at ease.
The interview didn't take nearly as long as I had expected. It was also not as intrusive as I had been led to believe that these interviews can be. After reading various blogs, I was expecting old wounds to be opened and a lot of tears. She asked about our childhoods and our relationship with our families. She asked about friends and support systems and elaborated a bit about the difficulties some families face when they go through a transracial adoption and how easy it is for the child to feel like an outsider in all-white families. Since we already have people of colour in our family and friendship circles, she felt quite comfortable to give us a baby. I asked about the age of the baby, because, being first-time parents, we want to be part of as many milestones in our baby's life as possible. She agreed with this and also mentioned that, because we're still young, she thinks that we would cope with a young baby. I also mentioned the fact that we are specifically looking to adopt a boy. I expected a totally different reaction! Instead she responded that they were happy about this, as so many other couples request girls.
As we were walking out, two toddlers were in the hallway. Both of them girls. One of the little girls was walking in the wrong direction and I helped her to turn around. She immediately took my hand and would not let go. She must have heard me saying that I can't see myself raising a girl!
The next step in the process is to have a medical assessment done. We were given a list of practitioners that work with the agency and will make an appointment soon.
We are so happy that the process is officially on the way. Now to start stocking up on nappies and wet-wipes!
