Adoption Update #8: Court and other happenings

 If you read my last post you will know that on 20th September we had our first court date in India. I didn't have to do anything for it, it was just a chance for the judge to read my paperwork. I have an e-court app which shows my court case and it tells me who is involved and the date of the next hearing, but that is about it really. So on 20th September I was constantly checking my app to see if anything had changed. I'm not too sure what I expected but with the time difference nothing had changed until I woke up the next morning. And then the only thing that had changed was the date. I was nervous about this as I know many people who are going through the court process in India at the moment and the judge won't hear their case. This is partly due to a law change that hasn't yet been implemented but will mean that in the future judges won't hear adoption cases. Some judges have started not hearing cases before the alternative system has been put in place. 

Luckily I have a friend who lives in Canterbury, who adopted 4 years ago and understands the court system better than I do. She knew I was registered for court before I did! I messaged her to check that a new date but no other news was 'normal'. She assured me that it was and said that it seemed that adoption cases in Maharashtra were taking 2-3 months with 6-7 hearings. Good news. My next hearing is on 18th October.

The other good news is that I know the judge looked at my documents as they have asked me to create another document outlining my care plan for Bunny. I have written this up and it has been checked by my agency. This week I will sign it in front of the notary and post it to the DIA (Department of Internal Affairs). I'm not sure why the DIA need it but they probably put some sort of stamp on it. I will then scan it for my agency and post it to India. Usually I would post it to my agency and they would send it to the DIA etc but with Auckland's lockdown it is easier for me to do this.

When this new document was asked for I had a chat with my agency about how things were going. We talked about the current travel situation and MIQ. My agency have recommended that I start to look at MIQ spaces and flights. So this week I will be talking to a recommended travel agency who has supported many adoption travels previously including those during Covid. This is very exciting and also nerve-racking as MIQ spaces are few are far between as I'm sure you know.

This week I am also visiting the doctor to check if I need any other immunisations in order to travel to India as well as getting my second Covid jab on Saturday. I am also in the process of planning another peg fundraiser. I really like this fundraiser as it encourages people to be eco-friendly, the products are high quality and it is a relatively easy fundraiser to manage. If you are interested in purchasing stainless steel pegs (this time in a variety of colours), Peg hangers (for socks etc), a kiwi fruit spoon or a spork (such a great word!) then watch for the update on my facebook page.

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