Torture. That's the only word that truly sums up the time between referral and travel. It's torture, plain and simple.

Every morning brings a crossing off of a day passed, and a counting up of days-to-go. Referral photos, stuck up all over the house, begin to get a bit tatty, and worry that in some strange Dorian Gray fashion the same may be happening with your child begin to make waiting families a bit crazy. Rooms are decorated, stuff and more stuff is bought, washed, ironed, assembled, and stared at while imaginations stretch to perviously unknown limits trying to fill empty space with child.

And then there's the news.

Just a quick look over the blogs here will give a taste of the bitter reality of global affairs and local situations jumping into the fore and stepping between you and your child.

Moose writes about a situation in Guatemala that could impact adopting families, while Laura reports on the hopelessness of Romanian adoptions now. Adrienne voices fears over what may happen in Russia, and Owlhaven explains how a shortage has effected Ethiopian adoptions recently, causing delays and putting even more time between parents and children.

Grant's post title "CNNAsia raises questions" puts a fine point on the nerve-wracking that just about any brush with world events causes in internationally adopting parents.

In late 2002/early 2003 we were doing the crazy-waiting-dance for Sam. Things in Cambodia had been fairly calm for a long time, so we had no great worries, other than that an asteroid might plow into the planet, or Pol Pot's long lost cousin's brother could attempt a take-over of the country forcing all foreigners to abandon hopes of adopting and putting orphanage kids to work building dams and using electroshock as discipline, or that our dossier would disappear into the nether never to be seen again. The normal stuff we all worry about, you know?

Of course, none of that stuff happened. Turn on the news though, and BAM! Lookie what we have here in Southeast Asia just about the time it's feeling that an end to the wait may be near: SARS.

Seychelles actually stopped all flights to and from Singapore and isolated any travelers for a while. Ever so thankfully, however, this was AFTER we got home with Sam.

With Cj, all the same fears of the world exploding (or imploding, take your pick), political unrest in Cambodia and disappearing dossiers. This time, however, the real issue could have been Bird Flu.

Once again, we dodged a bullet and got her home, eventually.

Right now, there are families waiting to travel to Nepal. A travel warning has just been issued by the US State Department:

This Travel Warning is being updated to alert American citizens that
due to ongoing security concerns in Nepal the U.S. Embassy has been
granted authorized departure status. Family members and non-emergency
American employees have permission to depart Nepal. American citizens
are urged to evaluate their personal security posture and consider
whether it is appropriate to remain in Nepal. American citizens also
are advised that His Majesty's Government of Nepal continues to use
curfews to control the growing number of large and widespread
demonstrations. The Department of State urges American citizens to
defer non-essential travel to Nepal and urges those Americans
currently in Nepal consider departing in light of the information
noted below. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on December 15,
2005.

The Department of State is concerned by the threat to the personal
safety of Americans in Nepal posed by recent demonstrations. Political
parties have indicated that they plan to continue to hold protests
and/or mass demonstrations against the government, and the level of
violence associated with demonstrations has increased. Protestors use
violence, including burning vehicles, throwing rocks during street
demonstrations and burning tires to block traffic. Demonstrators
attacked an Embassy security vehicle on April 9, 2006, breaking some
of the windows and windshield. Given the nature, intensity and
unpredictability of these disturbances, American citizens are urged to
exercise special caution during times when demonstrations are
announced, avoid areas where demonstrations are occurring or crowds
are forming, avoid road travel and maintain a low profile.

How I ache for these families, and for their children who wait with no control and little idea of what's keeping them from home.