CHANGE OF COUNTRY

I haven't written here for a while because things have been a bit up in the air.

I decided last year to change country from Bulgaria to Ethiopia.  My declaration was updated in October and my pack sent shortly afterwards to Ethiopia.  It wasn't an easy decision but I'm sure it's the right one.

On the 4th of December I received a referral for a little girl who was 10 months old.  She is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait until she's here with our family.

The news of referral arrived on my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better present.  My whole family is anxiously waiting for her arrival.  Her little cousins are especially excited and very impatient.    Chistmas was only a few weeks later and the number of presents for my little one continued to grow under the tree with each passing day.  Even Santa left her a little something! 

I'll update again when I have news of my travel and court dates.

REFERRAL STATISTICS FOR BULGARIA FROM JANUARY 2010 ONWARDS

MONTH	2010	2011	2012
01. JANUARY	34	34	35
02. FEBRUARY	25	31	30
03. MARCH	17	36	44
04. APRIL	32	34	29
05. MAY	30	31	41
06. JUNE	24	38	34
07. JULY	57	31	43
08. AUGUST	0	0
09. SEPTEMBER	24	33
10. OCTOBER	28	55
11. NOVEMBER	28	50
12. DECEMBER	42	35
TOTAL	341	408	256

RE ASSESSMENT

Those of us who hold a Declaration prior to 1st November 2010 now need to undergo a reassement in order to extend our Declaration which will expire on 31st October 2012 - this extension is for a period of 12 months only.  Currently there is no option for a further extension after this date so if we haven't completed our Adoptions by the 31st October 2013 I don't know what will happen.

For the reassessment - we will meet with our Social Worker again and complete the following documents:

Updated Financial Statement
Updated Medical Report
Updated Garda Clearances
Updated Health Board Clearance

It's actually not as daunting as I thought it would be, but it's still back to form filling and waiting again!   Will it ever end?

Happy Baba Marta 1st March

All over the world people meet spring with joy and new hope but in Bulgaria it is saved as an ancient custom.

Walking along the streets in Bulgaria on the 1st of March you will see many smiling faces and people who have decorated their clothes with Martenitsas - they may also even decorate their dogs and cats. In the small villages in the mountains people decorate their domestic animals: lambs, kids, young horses. Houses have their own martenitsa, as well.

Happy Baba Marta!

My young nephews

Two of my nephews are under two years of age.  I love watching them develop as they discover new things that they can do.  I think about my little one in Bulgaria and wonder what milestones he/she is  reaching.  I get some comfort from the fact that although I will miss some of my own child's develpmental stage, at least I can experience them through my two nephews.

Recently, John (1yr 2 months) passed on his walker to Daniel (9 months).  I'm not sure if it was voluntary on John's part.  He was looking at Daniel as if to say 'what's that boy doing in my walker?' but just a few minutes later he was happily pushing Daniel around the kitchen in the walker - much to Daniels delight.

John is attempting to walk now.  He's holding on to furniture but then every now and then he'll let go for a few minutes.  The other day he realised he was standing on his own and looked round to see who was watching him.  When he saw his mum and his granny he raised his hands above his head as if in celebration of his achievement.  Sooo cute.

Daniel is sitting up on his own now and getting steadier every day.  This allows him to play with his musical toys and ball.  Last week I called in to see him and I had my hair tied back (very unusual for me).  It was amusing seeing Daniels bewildered expression when he realised that he recognised the voice but couldn't figure out why it didn't match the face he was used to.  Eventually he realised it was me.

I hope that my little one will be joining our family this year - he/she should be around the same age as these two little boys and I look forward to watching them grow up together.

ADDITIONAL FEES

I haven't updated this blog in a while.  Mostly, I suppose, because not much has been happening - I'm at the waiting stage hoping for a referral soon.  So I've just been waiting and waiting - not much to write about there!

I keep an eye on the MOJ weekly updates to keep my spirits up and I have been cheered to see an increase in referrals recently.

According to my calculations, in 2010 there were around 340 referrals made from Bulgaria but in 2011 there were just over 400.  Hopefully this means the wait is decreasing for all us PAP's.  Just as I was spurred on by this good news we got news of increased fees as we now have to use an Irish Agency as well as the Bulgarian Agency to be Hague Compliant.


Ireland ratified the Hague Convention by the enactment of the Adoption Act 2010 on 1st November 2010.  A new agency was set up to deal with our Adoptions from Bulgaria and it now seems that our costs will be double what we had previously been quoted.  I am outraged by this as we have done all the paper work etc ourselves so far and the only thing left will be the flow of documentation back and forth from Bulgaria in relation to our referral, and the acceptance of that referral . 

I am feeling totally disheartened at this point.  Adoption is supposed to be in the interest of the Children and I cannot see how such substantially increased fees can be justified or how they are in the interest of the Child.

I don't mean to moan but just needed to vent my frustration.

KATIE'S BIRTHDAY

Katie, my niece, celebrated her 7th Birthday at our house on Saturday.  It was the first time the whole family (Granny, her 7 children, their spouses, as well as all 9 grandchildren) had been together in a long time.  It was a great weekend.  This is the cake we made at Katie's request.  Can you guess who it is?  We just can't wait for my little one to join us and enjoy family days like the one we just had.

Dossiers sent directly to Bulgarian Agency before 1st November 2010 - enactment of the Adoption Act 2010.

As my dossier was sent to Bulgaria before the enactment of the Adoption Act on 1st November 2010, I was unsure as to how things would play out when it came to the referral stage.  I sent a quick email to the Central Authority here in Ireland to check if there would be any potential issues at the time of referral.


This is the reply I received:


Persons proposing to adopt from a Hague Convention State after 1/11/2010 should satisfy themselves that their adoption complied withe the terms and conditions of the Hague Convention i.e.


- that the Article 15 Assessment Report should be sent from Central Authority (CA) to Cantral Authority (or a designated Accredited Body (AB))


- the the Article 16 Child Study Report should be from CA to CA (or a designated AB)


- that the Article 17 Approval Notice should be sent from CA to CA (or a designated AB)


- that the final Article 23 Certificate should be issued by a CA (or a designated AB)
As my Assessment report was sent directly by me to the Agency in Bulgaria I was also told that a question may arise if / when I go to seek an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions as  to whether the adoption was effected under the terms and conditions of the Hague  Convention as the adoption was not finalised before 1st November 2010.

There is no provision in Irish legislation for the  recognition of an intercountry adoption from a Hague Convention State that has  not been carried out in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Hague  Convention.

In order to achieve a successful outcome, I was told that I should at least  ensure that the Hague Convention applies to the process from here on in i.e.  that the Article 16 Child Study Report (Referral) is sent by the agency in Bulgaria to the Central Authority here in Ireland for approval.  



This is just something to bear in mind so that we are not faced with unnecessary heartache at the time of referral.  What I take from this is that we just need to make sure that our Agency sends the referral directly to our central authority so that at least from this point on our adoption complies with the Conditions of the Hague Convention  

ONE YEAR TODAY!!

Today it is exactly one year since I was registered with the Ministry of Justice.  One year closer to bringing my little one home.

A lot has happened in that year - my sister and her husband had a little boy in December of last year and my brother and his wife had a little boy in April of this year.  I'm looking forward to experiencing the various milestones in the first two years of these little boys lives as these are the things I will not get to experience with my own little one.  We now have 9 cousins waiting to welcome my little one home.

I hope the rest of the waiting time continues to pass quickly and that we see more young children being referred.

Referrals of Children under the age of 2.

The MOJ meeting results for 8th April were published yesterday and it was very encouraging to see that 3 children under the age of 2 had been referred.  This is the first time I've seen children this young being referred from Bulgaria.

Renewal of Declaration

Yesterday I recevied my renewed Declaration (woohoo) so I contacted the Immigration office to find out what to do next.

They asked for the following to be submitted:

1. Original Declaration/Renewed Declaration
2. Original Immigration Clearance Cert
3. Copy of passport (of each applicant)
4.  Two passport photographs (per applicant)
5.  Cover letter stating where you wish to adopt from
6.  Contact Telephone number
7. Letter from AAI stating how many children you are eligible to adopt.

These items are to be sent by Registered Post to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Services,Dublin.

8 MONTHS ALREADY

I can't believe that 8 months have passed since my dossier was registered with the MOJ. 

Time has flown by but at the same time it feels like I've been waiting forever - I know that doesn't make sense.

Hopefully the next eight months will pass quickly and perhaps there will be at least one Irish Referral by then.

Happy Baba Marta Tomorrow

Martenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until around the end of March (or the first time an individual sees a stork, swallow or budding tree). The name of the holiday is Baba Marta "Baba" (баба) is the Bulgarian word for "grandmother" and Mart (март) is the Bulgarian word for the month of March. Baba Marta is a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the upcoming spring. The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holiday associated with sending off winter and welcoming spring.

The red and white woven threads symbolize the wish for good health. They are the heralds of the coming of spring in Bulgaria and life in general. While white as a color symbolizes purity, red is a symbol of life and passion, thus some ethnologists have proposed that in its very origins the custom might have reminded people of the constant cycle of life and death, the balance of good and evil, and of the sorrow and happiness in human life.

Tradition

On the first day of March and few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red tassels or small dolls called "Пижо и Пенда" (Pizho and Penda). In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta (in Bulgarian баба Марта meaning Grandma March) is related to a grumpy old lady whose mood swings change very rapidly.
This is an old pagan tradition and remains almost unchanged today. The common belief is that by wearing the red and white colours of the martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy. They hope that it will make winter pass faster and bring spring. Many people wear more than one martenitsa. They receive them as presents from relatives, close friends and colleagues. Martenitsa is usually worn pinned on the clothes, near the collar, or tied around the wrist. The tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until the person sees a stork or a blooming tree. The stork is considered a harbinger of spring and as evidence that Baba Marta is in a good mood and is about to retire.

A martenitsa tied to a blossoming tree, a symbol of approaching spring

Another tied martenitsa

The ritual of finally taking off the martenitsa may be different in the different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the martenitsa has enjoyed himself while wearing it. Others would put the martenitsa under a stone with the idea that the kind of the creature (usually an insect) closest to the token the next day will determine the person's health for the rest of the year. If the creature is a larva or a worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full of success. The same luck is associated with an ant, the difference being that the person will have to work hard to reach success. If the creature near the token is a spider, then the person is in trouble and may not enjoy luck, health, or personal success.
The martenitsa is also a stylized symbol of Mother Nature. At that early-spring/late-winter time of the year, Nature seems full of hopes and expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the setting of the sun which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are the source of life. They are also associated with the male and female beginnings.
Wearing one or more martenitsi is a very popular Bulgarian tradition. The martenitsa symbolises new life, conception, fertility, and spring. The time during which it is worn is meant to be a joyful holiday commemorating health and long life. The colours of the martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives.

LETTER FROM MOJ FOR DECLARATION RENEWAL

Last week, I received the letter from the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria confirming that they have my original declaration.  When I called the Adoption Board to make sure I had everything I needed to get my Declaration renewed I was told that this letter is no longer necessary and that all anyone needs to do is to fill out the Statutory Declaration from the Adoption Board's website, get it notarised and send it to the Adoption Board with a cover note.  This was done on 23rd Feb and it should take between 6-8 weeks for the declaration to be renewed.  Once the declaration is received, a revised Immigration Clearance Certificate will be required.

The link to the AB form is:  http://www.aai.gov.ie/attachments/article/4/Affidavit%20S63%20Declaration%20%28final%29.pdf

RENEWAL OF DECLARATION

My declaration is due for renewal on 20th April so I contacted the Adoption Board there recently to find out what I needed to do as it was all a bit unclear. 

I was told to apply for the new Declaration about 4-6 weeks prior to the current Declaration expiring.
The Authority requires you to return the original Declaration. If that is not possible, then the Authority requires that you submit a letter from the Court/Authority in the country where it is lodged explaining same. In that case the Authority will issue a letter stating that your Declaration is valid from 1/11/2010 to 31/10/2012.

My agency has very kindly contacted the MOJ to request this letter for me so I'm just waiting for the letter to arrive.  Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait.

Update from our Agency in Bulgaria

We received the following update from our Agency in Bulgaria just before Christmas.

The number of foreign adoptive applicants, registered in the period 2004 and 2009 is 581.  60 of these have already received referrals.

From the other 521 candidates:

-                     401 have confirmed their will to continue their adoption procedure in Bulgaria.

-                     35 have not confirmed yet their will, so the Ministry of Justice established a deadline till 31 January 2011. Any applicant who has not sent by this date his/her written consent to continue the adoption procedure in Bulgaria will be removed from the register. Most probably, most of these applicants have withdrawn from the procedure;

-                     85 applicants are removed from the register.

The total number of applicants registered between the years 2004 and 2009 is 436.

The number of applicants registered in 2010 (until 15.12.2010) is 683, 14 of whom are removed from the register, 70 have received a referral. So the number of applicants who are waiting for a referral is 599. This number does not contain the applicants waiting for registration.

The total number of applicants in the register as per the information from 15 December 2010 is 1035 (436+599).

The Ministry of Justice will release the current number of children (and their age) in the register for intercountry adoption.

UPDATE ON BULGARIAN ADOPTIONS

Yesterday we received an update from our Agency in Bulgaria.  The email confirmed that 3000 children's files had been transfered from the domestic adoption register to the international adoption register.  The MOJ has already registered 400 of these children on the international adoption register.    The new family code provides that these children must be placed for international adoption within 2 months of them being entered on this register.

By mid December the MOJ will have made referrals to all the applicants from 2006 and 2007.  Within the next four months they will also have made referrals to all applicants from 2008.

The MOJ have also confirmed that from the beginning of November the Intercountry Adoption Council have started to meet twice a week instead of the usual once a week.  This should really increase the number of monthly referrals made and in turn reduce the waiting time for referrals.

This is great news to all of us who were expecting a 2-3 year wait.  You never know, by this time next year we could be parents!

  

Waiting.

Waiting is a big part of the adoption process.  The past couple of years have been filled with lots of adoption related activities such as attending the preparation course, going through the home assessment, researching countries / agencies, gathering documents, getting them notarized and apostilled and finally sent off.  

Now that that's all behind me the next stage is just waiting.  We don't know how long we will be waiting - it may be a year or two or even three (but hopefully not).  I'm usually fairly patient but I'm finding this wait quite difficult.  I suppose if we knew exactly how long it would take, it might make the waiting easier, I don't know.  So, to feel that I'm doing something or that I'm some way in control, I have been learning Bulgarian and buying clothes that I intend to bring with me to the orphanage as a donation.  Here's a sample of what I have so far. 

Registered with MOJ!

Got word today that my application was registered with the Ministry of Justice on 9th July 2010.  Now the wait begins.

My documents are on their way to Bulgaria!

Today I took the last few documents to the Dept of Foreign Affairs to get them apostilled.  Was in and out in about 25 minutes.  Went straight over to the DHL office to send the pack via overnight delivery to Anido Association.