Packing for Uncertainty

It's hard to believe I will be leaving for India in less than a week.  I am usually pretty good about packing for trips, but this one holds so many unknowns.  We were hoping to be registered for court and have a court date, before making travel plans and while there is still a chance those could come through this week, I am not counting on it.  I have no idea how long I will be in India. If things go well I think maybe six weeks...on the other side of things it could be many months. Then there is the unknown of caring for Anjali.  Her whole world is about to change and I just want to do everything possible to give her as much comfort and love as possible.  Being a new adoptive parent and new to parenting altogether in some ways makes me feel so clueless about what to pack and how to prepare.  Yet, in other ways I feel so ready to take on the challenges that will come our way.  I am a realist and am prepared for a fight.  I have been fortunate to have the last 4 weeks off and feel rested and organized. There is nothing more that I want to do than get my little girl.  I have a wonderful husband and family to go through this journey with.  And ultimately, most anything I will need in India, I can get there.  One of the most important things is making sure I have all possible documents in order.  My caseworker provided me with a list of all documents I might need which will involve a trip to the Secretary of State's office for some apostilling (getting a special stamped paper for documents as required by Indian officials).  I have made copies of everything and also kept a backup electronic version on Google Drive.

I just finished reading, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by the Buddhist Nun, Pema Chodron.  I came across it at my parents house while visiting in April and it has proven a wonderful guide for helping me deal with all the uncertainty and difficult emotions that this process brings.  This little book is helping me to honor difficult emotions and situations and face the uncertainty with a calmness that will serve me well and allow me to be as present as possible in every experience that I am about to encounter.  I've heard someone describe Bihar as the wild, wild west of India.  As my caseworker says, we will really have to pull this case through.

Monsoon season is in full swing in Bihar.  It is helping to cool down the city somewhat, but we can expect muddy conditions and lots of mosquitoes.   I am foregoing malaria medication.  I have never taken malaria medication while in India.  It's expensive and I don't care to take medications if I can avoid it.  I did however get a Tetanus, Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccination.  I will also bring a mosquito net and lots of bug spray. Other than that I'm keeping it simple for what I'm packing for myself.  Clothing for this season, my electronic devices and adaptors to keep them charged, some books to read, a journal and a few gifts for people there.  I am packing one suitcase for myself and another for Anjali.  I've mostly been working on Anjali's suitcase.  Adam's sister gave us a bunch of clothes to take and I've bought a few items as well.  We will bring back the toys we brought to her orphanage when we visited her in December.  Our plan is to arrive on Sunday and get settled in the apartment.  We will go shopping for additional items we need.  On Monday and Tuesday, we will visit Anjali at the orphanage.  This will give us time to also use those days to find out as much as we can about our court case and hopefully make contact with everyone involved.  It will also give us time to get more information from Anjali's caretakers about her daily routine and get reacquainted with her before we take her out of the orphanage on Wednesday.