We Have Arrived

We are in Belgrade! We have to wait until after the Ministry meeting on Tuesday to finally meet our boy.

I hate waiting, but I am so happy we chose to come early. I was a foggy mess after arriving and sleeping eleven hours last night was a delicious and necessary treat. 

We are staying in a cozy and charming flat in a quaint little area that has shopping and dining within walking distance. Our translator has given us a driving tour of the city and promises a walking tour tomorrow if the weather is better. It is snowy and cold, today. No pictures because the internet device he purchased for us doesn't work with our laptop and so we are using a loaner...with a cyrillic keyboard. Sorry for any typos and I have no idea how to load pictures onto it. We should have wifi at the hotel in B's city, so I will share some then. 

Belgrade is a fascinating city, both visually and historically. The buildings that NATO bombed over a decade ago, still stand and serve as stark reminders of days gone by. We passed and discussed the oldest restaurant in the city. It is simply called "?" because what do you name an eatery that is 400-years-old?

There are things that surprise us. Somehow, I missed them, but Shawn tells me there are dogs everywhere, running amuck all over the city. I was surprised by all the graffiti. It touches nearly every building. I was also surprised by Brad Pitt's face around every corner. He must be incredibly popular here because I think he is the face of about every product.

Beyond that, it reminds me very much of home. The people look and dress like us, although I am pretty sure I am the only woman in the city with a chartreuse winter coat. I've noticed that they pretty much keep to themselves, but when engaged, seem genuinely interested. 

I did blow a fuse when our power converter failed to convert, but that was easily fixed. Scared the dickens out of me. A loud bang, lights went out, followed by a terrible odor and then I realized  I burned my finger. My hair is still disappointingly straight, though.

Shawn was questioned by airport authority as we were exiting the Belgrade airport, yesterday. His passport was demanded and he was asked why he is here. When he answered, "adoption," the officer didn't understand him and demanded, "I will ask you one more time, why are you here?" Shawn was pretty quick to explain in more detail and he was apparently satisfied. I was glad it wasn't me. At that time, I probably would've blubbered, "I have NO IDEA! Please, just let me go home!"

We were both pretty raw last night. Things that seem so clear, become less so after enduring nearly twenty hours of travel that include little sleep and lots of turbulence. I think we both wondered what we had done.

But, we had an honest time of prayer and reminisced about all God had done to get us here, and then He gave us eleven hours of sweet sleep. 

Things always look better in the morning.