For those of you who have never traveled to a foreign country,
especially one with "problems", you can't even imagine how damn scary
it can be.

Oh how I wish when I was in Cambodia in 1999 (during the coup) for the
adoption of my Rose that I had the use of a computer (the hotel one was
very limited) and a support group to tell my troubles to. I knew I was
in trouble when I arrived at the hotel and the doorman had a submachine
gun. I went to sleep nightly listening to machine gun fire and saw dead
people during the day. Then there were the flood waters that came up
into the hotel. One day the hotel was mortared for hours. Rose and I
sat on the floor waiting for our room to blow apart! Also one of the
officials refused to sign my adoption paperwork because his entire
family was killed by US bombers on the Viet Nam border and I was
basically the enemy. I was stuck there for weeks, and ended up living
on the "free baby rice" the hotel gave for babies only. When I finally
made it to the airport it was chaos with people clambering over each
other buying a ticket to ANYWHERE. I had to run across the airfield
carrying a 2 year old and my luggage to board a plane while snipers
were in the surrounding trees. AND then in the following years I went
BACK twice more to adopt two more kids.......I think back on it now
and truly believe I must have been nuts! Nell and I both followed our
hearts and sometimes that gets you in trouble. We are both strong
people. I made it out and so will she.

Nell...you go girl...we're all pulling for you!! If you ever get to
Oregon I've got a guest house waiting for you.

Nancy and her 9, who is not a shelter or a hoarder... just a little
crazy...

[Posted in FML 7754]