Red Tape

The Rita family has moved out. They are gradually getting all their stuff out of our house. I am relieved. Now I can get adjusted to having So Young here.

We picked her up at the airport on Sunday and I think she had serious jet lag. She looked confused and tired. After getting turned around in New Orleans road construction, we made it home at about 3pm. She unpacked and slept til 6pm when I woke her up to call her parents. She brought gifts for me. As soon as I get time I will take pictures and post them. We Americanized her quickly with pizza for supper that night. She went to bed at 9 and asked when she needed to wake up and I told her to sleep in.

The next morning I woke her at 11 (I know, I'm creul), because we had to get school uniforms and nothing stays open long in this rinky dink town. L told her we were taking her to eat Chinese and her face just lit up!

We went through hell trying to get the poor girl registered in school! I took her yesterday morning, and after waiting an hour, I was informed that there was only one, that's right, ONE person in the ENTIRE parish, that could register a student in school and he was not there.

L brought her back today, waited an hour and a half. Raised a little hell in front of the state education department head about how unorganized this was. Ten minutes later the guy shows up. All that waiting and it only took a couple minutes to get her registered!

I'm not even gonna get into how much trouble it was to get a bank account with her name on it! At least the bank was helpful and when I left I got something accomplished. Last night I had to teach a 15 year old how to balance a checkbook (although she is only allowed an ATM card).

She's having a little trouble with her English. We understand each other, but there's still a bit of confusion sometimes. Sometimes it's hard to determine if she understands something. I'm sure she will learn quickly since she will have to speak it to survive.

Ok, I confess, I called the guidance counselor before she started school (who also volunteers with me at church) and told him I was concerned and to help her find her way around. L's friend's daughter, B, arranged for So Young to get to and from school without taking the bus (what an angel!!) I'm a worried parent already, and I don't get to keep her.

I was making hamburgers yesterday and she came in the kitchen and said she wanted to help. I felt bad because I was almost finished, so I let her "set" the table with paper plates (I'm gonna have to show her we have real dishes) and bring the food to the table. Having a family dinner is nice, I even got L to stop cleaning for 10 minutes to eat dinner with us. Tonight will be fast food with L, because I have a meeting with life teen for church.

Soon, we will get her a cell phone (prepaid, of course), even though the program doesn't allow it. I want to be able to get in touch with her.

We're making an American girl out of her now!