A week or so ago I heard from my beaureaucratic contact in Russia - A.P., I'll call her.

I wrote her through a translator to reply to a letter she'd sent me inquiring about Little J. When we first adopted Little J I'd written the Ministry of Education in his region asking about his Russian siblings and she wrote back. We exchanged a few letters but once I was told that his siblings had been adopted (my agency told me this), combined with some unanswered letters I sent to her as well as their supposed orphanage director, I stopped writing. I figured I needed to wait until his oldest Russian sibling turned 18 - next March. Then I could legally contact him directly. Going through the government - any government - is very inefficient. Never mind doing it all through an expensive translator.

But then I got this letter from A.P. In this letter not only did I learn that she wanted to know how Little J is doing (which I thought was very kind) but she also told me his siblings are still in an orphanage - except for the oldest one, who is getting some kind of technical degree.

I had two reactions: anger at my agency for lying to me, and gratitude to A.P. for remembering me. I also was pleased that the oldest boy was in school. Many children who leave the orphanages don't have that opportunity.

A.P. also gave me her e-mail address. Thanks to my new Russian friend, N., I will be able to contact her more directly.

I so want to find out about these children and I feel like I'm on the brink...I don't know how much she'll tell me but at the very least I can feel ok about the older one...

To read what I've written about this in the past go here
here.