So far, Yazzie doesn't exist on American paperwork. So we have to do some ground work here. Fortunately the first steps in the process have been surprisingly easy. First I needed to return to the hospital for the hospital birth certificate. Having acquired that, I could proceed to the local government office for a stamp on a form (that's about as specific as I can be) that would enable us to get the real Bangladeshi birth certificate at a more central government office. Since I didn't really know what I was doing or where I was going, a Bangladeshi who works for our office took me to both of these offices. The first office is only about 8 blocks from our apartment, but invisible to the naked eye (or at least to the American eye). The second office was much larger, but likewise invisible without a guide, being tucked within the depths of Dhaka's central market--an action zone of cars, trucks, rickshaws, goats, people, dung, vegetables, and more. With the Bangladeshi birth certificate we could go to the American Embassy in Dhaka to apply for a certificate of birth abroad. This is necessary to acquire his passport and social security number. Along with the completed forms for a birth abroad and passport application we were asked to submit a number of other items, such as family photos and prenatal birth records. But most interestingly, parents are asked to provide "Evidence of physical presence together at the time of conception." We brought Yazzie along. No further questions were asked. After two trips to the Embassy and lots of waiting, we think we're on the road to getting the passport. Next, we'll start work on his visa, as well as continuing to wait for our own security clearance and completed work permit to remain here in Bangladesh. These we anticipate being completed within the next couple of months, God willing.

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