Father or son

The race is on!
(and I am not talking about Super Tuesday)

Who will arrive first?
Tino or his son?

~The doc says Elias is due to be born on the 29th.

~Tino has his visa interview at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam on the 20th.

A couple days after the interview, if all goes well, he should get his visa, then he needs to get a plane ticket, pack, and say good bye to family and friends, and make it here safely on his first plane flight ever, flying alone across the world.
If he doesn't get lost somewhere in Europe, he might just be here the first week of March.

And Elias and I continue as our usual harmonious team. Besides a little diaphragm pressure yesterday, we feel like we could hang out like this another month. I have been doing mad yoga (with some good teaching prospects for post baby), lots of massage calls, lots of walking, and craving Acai protein smoothies. All in all, I still feel great.

So who will get here first?
It is looking like Elias is ahead, but the wise little one might have some daddy sympathy and hold out till the first week of March.

Place your bets. (Ha! And people actually get so into the Super Bowl?? We got a whole spread here, you can choose your square based on date instead of score. How fun.)

Even as Immigration is as All-American as Football, allow me to continue the unique thread of American patriotism and Thrash My President.

You see, it is Bush's fault that my fiance won't be here any earlier:

W. is planning to visit 5 African countries; Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia, and the US Embassy in TZ's capital is not processing visas as they are on security lock down awaiting the arrival of this very unpopular president, who, traveling to Africa for only the second time in his presidency, calls it the jewel in the crown of his legacy. Nothing else he can claim but having poured 15 billion into the highly controversial PEPFAR (see earlier post on HIV in Africa for more). Now, amidst American war debt and economic crises, he proposes to double that money. Fine, fine Bushie. They will gladly take your money, but you have no respect from even the people of Africa.

To take some quotes from the Embassy website in Tanzania,
Bush has been "very attentive" toward Africa, "but in a way that provides dignity to the Africans."

Sure, he has given money, but with his own moral and religious stipulations that deny African realities.

The Embassy site says,
"If you look at the countries he has chosen -- they are all stable democracies and open markets. These are precisely the countries that need to be supported."

Sure, but there is a crisis in what was formally the 'Beacon of Stability' in East Africa: Kenya's breach in democracy and resulting civil unrest. Even though he has a chance, our leader, the supposed leader of the 'Beacon of Democracy' for the world, will be too busy doing a 5-countries-in-6-days PR tour, rather than helping to negotiate for peace.
Spending some time trying to be a positive force of influence in Kenya would be 'attentive' and 'dignifying' to 'precisely the countries that need to be supported.'

Ok, so Bush's dad isn't from Kenya (but his dad does have plenty of friends named Hussein!) but Barak Obama, amidst being a rising star with a ways to go in the most intense primary race in history, has managed to stay active in trying to pursue diplomacy and promote peace in Kenya, communicating on a daily basis with African leaders.

So I laugh. How ironic is it that this Bushman can continuously annoy me so? He spends his whole presidency at the ranch, and all of sudden decides to take a six day jaunt to the jewel of his legacy right when I need some shit done, and a week of time has never been longer (and at the same time shorter.)

There is no other reaction than to laugh. Its funny.
It reminds me of the time when I finally had my own legal visa to visit Cuba, and what happened? The Pope decided to share my itinerary. Last minute, three days before I was scheduled to depart, (and the day of my birthday) I got a call saying, sorry, Fidel pulled all visas, Security lock down. Maybe you would like to go to Spain instead?
Fuck no. The trip turned out to be good anyway: I kept my ticket for Cancun and rode through Chiapas with some motorcycle hotties from Guadalajara. Life is great like that, it is what you make of what you get. and luck! Cuba happened a few years later, a wonderful wonderful trip. And Tino, maybe he will get a ride back to the States in Bush's personal jet!

So at this point, I just smile. I have everything I need. A supportive family and supportive collection of women to help me through labor. (see earlier blogs for views on female support in labor) If Tino is there, it is simply another miracle. If he is not, it will be beautiful to present his son to him at the international gate at LAX just a few days later. (and if he is denied, well, I will enjoy flying back to Africa and seeing all my besties that are still there, and walking through the misty coffee and banana farms at our home at the Kilimanjaro foothills in Moshi while we figure out plan D. or G.)
I know that, in spite of my lack of a traditional plan, I have done everything I could to prepare: school and jobs and community, all lined up.

But the best preparation of all is being ready for anything.

So, who wants to place the first bet?