As hastily planned, Anna arrived late on Saturday night; so hastily, in fact, that Advocate for Orphans International, the agency coordinating the temporary exchange on this side of the ocean, forgot to collect any of our paperwork — application, legal agreements, etc.
A quick synopsis of events so far: Began with shopping for new clothes on Sunday. Bought lots of essentials such as undergarments, shoes, shirts, toiletries. I think she still needs a better fitting sweater, but that will probably happen soon. She likes the American teen exports (like the Olsen twins and Hilary Duff) so she watched a few movies before we all headed out to the pumpkin patch run by Spina Farms in Morgan Hill. Carved pumpkins yesterday. I’m not done with mine yet; I’m really hoping it turns out as well as the version in my mind’s eye. After a visit to the mall and lunch, followed by an afternoon of various games, we all went out to a birthday dinner (her 13th!) for Anna at the Olive Garden. Unfortunately, she was too exhausted to really enjoy it.
Anna is quiet, reserved, and somewhat shy, but has a great laugh and smile. She is also smart, polite, helpful, and eager to learn. I wish her luck in finding a new family in advance (we are not in the position to fill that role, a fact we regrettably knew and agreed upon in advance, as requested by the adoption program director), and I already know I will miss her greatly when she leaves to go back home.