Stamp Saga is at an end

Yesterday Prossy, Ella and I were able to get the last of the signatures and stamps needed to complete L’s passport application. Wahoo! All we’re waiting for now is the recommendation letter from the LC1 with signatures from five of the council members. Then a letter from the High Commissioner (took my friend weeks to get this as the guy seemed to be endlessly out of town) and we can turn the sucker in. So it’s not the end but definitely a beginning to the end.

Tuesday we went and got the stamp and sig from the LC3. The LC2 and below are just common, ordinary people but the ones above are government folks which means you need to go before 5pm when their offices close. Prossy is amazing and her help has been absolutely invaluable. Seriously, all I pretty much have to do with her around is hold papers and nod and smile dumbly. She does the rest.

It seems to be an unwritten rule that people initially must give you a token hassle, then don’t have a problem helping you get done what you need. This was the case with the LC3. First off, the guy has satellite tv in his office! I am serious my friend. Satellite tv. Glad to see all Prossies taxes at work ;). The LC2, an unpaid civilian, lives in a falling down mud brick house while the guy above him not only has an office but satellite tv in it! Such is Africa…

The LC3 and his secretary were happy to help us. There was a skinny, pissy little fellow (no idea who exactly he was and just why he had so much to say about our business) who tried getting everyone worked up by the whole “these people are trying to take our children!” monologue but the secretaries diatribe against Ellas poor birth mom pretty much squelched that argument. As was the fact that Prossy made it very clear that The Child had been left in an orphanage for three years. It’s obvious that I’m not ripping her from the loving arms of anybody. So, since no one would listen to him about that, he started haranguing Prossy, telling her that she spelled her name wrong and that she could go to jail for it (um, right. And my dad can beat up your dad…). Then, since she signed as the recommender “Ugandan citizen of some standing”, he tried telling her that if “anything” happened to Ella that she could go to jail for that. So, sadly, Prossy’s future looks pretty bleak right now. I told her we’d visit her in jail and bring her food, good friends that we were J. Prossy really knows how to work people though. When she left everyone was fast friends with her and they were all laughing merrily. Maybe they’ll visit her in jail too! Go figure…

Yesterday’s experience with the RDC and District Security Officer was very different. We didn’t end up getting there until 5pm because I got stuck making a bunch of copies and fighting with the printer at work and well, offices close at 5pm. Especially government offices! For some reason I was simply oozing tension, nervousness and fear, which then started making Prossy nervous too! It was SO weird. I was so extremely petrified that I could barely hold my papers, smile and/or nod dumbly. Which was weird because, short of serving us coffee and donuts, these people couldn’t have possibly been nicer or more helpful!

The District Security Officer carefully went through all of the copies that we’d brought – the application, Ella’s birth certificate, the Legal Guardianship form, my passport and work permit and a letter from my organization saying that I work for them. Usually if you give someone a wad of papers like that they look through it hurriedly, then request something that isn’t there and often has nothing to do with what you’re doing. I was SO expecting to have to come back the next day either to bring something or to pick something up. Not so. After checking everything quite thoroughly, asking me a few SIMPLE questions (which was a good thing because I was having trouble even breathing!), he stamped it and sent us to the RDC. Prossy and I then slunk back into the RDC’s office, like a couple of scared refugees seeking asylum, where she had been waiting for us! And by this time it was 5:45pm!! She signed and stamped it, told me “God bless you” and we were on our way. Gave all the copies to the District Security Officers secretary who was also waiting for us, and then we fled! Ella was so good during all of this it was just amazing. I was so worried that she’d start talking about poop or something else totally inappropriate, but she was a perfect angel. I think she must have picked up on Prossy and my extreme nervousness and tension.

So this evening we will try to chase down the LC1 with the recommendation letter. I'm not too worried about that. Just glad that we have the rest of the stamps and signatures that we needed!