The inevitable happened today. Happens to many people here.  We were stopped by the police. Our driver was turning into a parking spot and the police looked in and started arguing with the driver. Here they argue with the police - no one respects police because all they want is money.   Once we were parked, our driver got out and negotiated a bribe. Starting bid:  $30. Not too bad, we've heard they can start a lot higher. JeanClaude got him down to $5. He had a difficult time coming up with a charge for the fee. Finally he decided that there were too many people in the car so he would charge us.  LOL. Ridiculous. You know how many they fit into a taxi van?  Glad it was only $5. The irritating part was that he walked away with a grin on his face. Who do you report him to? No higher authority really cares.  (When we do errands in town, we usually go together with the three of us mama's and our kids so we are not alone). Our driver also has his black belt.

The ambassador gave us a letter that we should carry with us at all times which says that all our activity is legal and we will be protected by the Canadian Embassy.  The foreign Ambassadors have much respect in foreign countries  When in their embassy vehicle, they cannot be pulled over by police for no reason. If the police stop them, they must speak to them at a distance from their own vehicle, and are forbidden to approach the ambassador's vehicle.

On that note, CIC informed us when we get the Exit Permit,  the Ambassador will be escorting us to the airport and through security to avoid any harassment and bribes.

Still hoping and praying to be home before Kelvin's graduation - June 12. Please pray for more progress tomorrow. Things are very positive. We will be coming home with our girls, hopefully sooner than later. Thank you for praying with us.