A, E, I, O, U and sometimes.. why?

Day 10 :: 12.7.09 [Mon]

Yet another exciting day, jam-packed with updates and learning something new about myself.

This morning I spent some time visiting the kids at school.  I'd wanted to visit days ago, but wasn't sure if the teachers would mind and how big of a disruption my presence might cause.  I should have known better, as all the teachers were quite open to having me sit in on their class [everyone is so welcoming here!].  The kids were only distracted for a short time, making sure I saw them waving their quietly enthusiastic hellos at me.  It's so nice for these kids to have their own school where they can really focus and learn.  At first, I thought it was a bit isolating to have them all attend a school only CSC kids could attend [with a couple kids from around the area who also need special education not available in public schools].  Sandy told me the kids used to attend public school, but because of how the system is set up, none of the kids were actually learning or growing.  Public schools place children in grades based on their age and not necessarily their skill/development level, and have very large classroom sizes [not much different from our own education system really].  Because many CSC kids are behind in school [for various reasons], this simply didn't provide a good learning environment.  Not only that, but the kids struggled with being asked about their lives [ie. why they weren't living with their parents, who were the white people picking them up at school, etc]  from the other children and being teased about their situation by a community that simply doesn't get, nor understand, it.  The Children of Hope School has small classroom sizes that allow a more individual and personal-based learning environment.  The teachers go at the childrens' pace, not the other way around.  The different grades are broken down into levels [Level A, B, C..], and children of varying ages can be in the level that is most appropriate for their abilities.  The classrooms are so interactive with lots of educational decor adorning each class room.  It's quite obvious the teachers care and are dedicated to helping these children further their education to help them reach their potentials.

Eventually, I went back to the Shelter and met up with Marlys who drove me to the office, where I met Carmelita for another visit to the Court House.  But first, we stopped at the Community Health Care Center where Carmelita boldly walked passed the long line of people waiting, and successfully requested certified copies of my original birth certificate.  Such fantastic accessibility to records!  I had no idea the birth certificate copy I had wasn't of the original!  Within minutes, I had 4 certified copies of my original birth certificate.  And what a discovery this turned out to be.  On it, was the true signature of my birth mum [a very legible and neatly written signature - versus a scratch, squiggle, or line, which is what I was anticipating].  Under the section 'Address', there were numbers clearly typed but then typed over with 'X's ' and then "F. Ramos Street" beside the x-ed out numbers.  It also had my middle name spelled with an 'A', and not an 'E' as I've always spelled it, and as recorded in all my legal documents.  Carmelita explained that the birth certificate I had was a re-typed copy that someone typed, based on the original, for my adoption records.  I candidly stated that whoever typed my birth certificate should be fired for doing such a poor job.

Moving on to the Court House.. where Carmelita, again, worked her magic and was able to get my complete file copied.  Inside the file were all these letters, another Case Study Report, my 'personal report', a newspaper clipping, and a bunch of other papers that had pertinent [and not so pertinent] information paper trailing the first 3 years of my life; also included was a copy of the birth certificate I had [not like the original I had just obtained], the Case Study I already had, and the initial letter written by Corpus Christi Foundation [also a document I already had].  The Personal Report was most intriguing, as it listed a real address.  'Rose Apartment 73 Ramos Extension' was claimed as my bio mum's address, but the name of the street didn't match the name of the street on the original birth certificate.  However, the x-ed out numbers I spoke of earlier matched the numbers listed in the Personal Report.  Which document was right?  And where is this new street located?  No one had heard of it.  And why such a huge discrepancy between the documents??

Quite the conundrum, but we had in our hands everything Carmelita had set her mind into getting today, so we went back to the office.  She made a copy of all the new records for me to take back to the States to add to my modest collection.

Mitch and Ruth invited me over for dinner.  Paul, Marlys and Jenny were also invited.  Ruth made the most amazing meal!  It was a Thai Chicken Curry with a spicy Green Mango Relish and steamed veggies [and of course rice.. always there is rice!].  She gave me the recipe and I can't wait to host a dinner party and serve this to my hungry guests!  For dessert, they bought a cheesecake [it was slightly different than the cheesecake served in the states - I liked it better actually, because it wasn't nearly as sweet and rich, but still tasted delish] and served it with fresh mango and a slice of kiwi on top.  Mmmmm.. what a feast!