Barbara then drove us to the home of Hadiatou Diallo, who likes to be called Laria. She is a professional braider. When we got there, she instructed Jennifer to sit on the floor and get ready to be there for a while. Jennifer chose to have small braids at about shoulder length.

Fast-forward about two hours. Jennifer was still sitting in the same position, with only about a quarter of her hair braided. She flipped through a few magazines but mostly waited patiently. I fell asleep twice and read a book. About three hours later, her whole head was covered in beautiful braids that reached just below her shoulders. Laria dipped each one in a bucket full of steaming water to meld the ends together. Jennifer got up to look in the mirror and beamed.

"It is so nice!" she said.

She loved it, and after nearly six hours of hair braiding, I agreed it was completely worth it. When we got home she tried out a few different hairstyles in the mirror. Hair up. Hair to the side. But for now she is keeping it down.

June 15

From Cathy

This morning, Jennifer met the pediatrician who has agreed to provide back-up medical care while she is living with us in Maryland. Carolyn made the arrangements with Dr. Marla Roche, who practices with Capitol Medical Group less than a mile from our house. Very convenient if there should be a problem, though Jennifer seems quite healthy. Dr. Roche called herself a true Philly girl. She was raised in Philadelphia and went to medical school there. Roche established an easy rapport with Jennifer, who gave her a big hug when we left.

June 15

From Elizabeth

Jennifer had her hair braided some time ago by Tonya, one of Abitimo's daughters-in-law, and really loved it. But it needed to be redone. One of our Ugandan friends in Maryland helped us find a woman who would undo Jennifer’s braids and wash and prepare her hair for re-braiding. Someone else would do the actual braiding. Today, we drove to Barbara Nsubuga in Silver Spring, MD. She is originally from Uganda.

She spent several hours removing Jennifer’s old braids and applying a relaxant and straightening process. Jennifer refused to eat or drink until every last braid was gone and her hair was completely straight and brushed. It looked great, short and cute. Barbara gave Jennifer a special gift of a bright cloth wrap from Tanzania and some special Ugandan foods, including sesame balls, millet, and peanuts for roasting.

June 14

From Elizabeth

We arrived at the pool where Adriana Murphy, one of Maddie’s teachers, was waiting to give Jennifer her first swimming lesson. Jennifer was very reluctant to get into the pool at first. But she excitedly picked out a blue kickboard because blue is her favorite color. She did exercises like blowing bubbles in the water and learning different strokes. Adriana told Jennifer that she would be quizzed on what she was taught to help her remember the different strokes. By the end of the lesson, Jennifer was happily playing in the water.

June 7

From Cathy

Jennifer attended Maddie's graduation ceremony tonight. She sat with our family and cheered each of the kids as they took to the stage to do special performances - from singing to piano-playing to break-dancing. She knows most of the kids names and called greetings to them, and they called back to her. Jennifer sat patiently listening to the speeches about the importance of studying and learning and community service. Afterward, we went out to eat and took lots of photographs. She swayed to the music in the car on the way home.

June 5

From Cathy

A reporter from Voice of America came to interview Jennifer. An acquaintance of ours who is from Uganda stopped by to meet Jennifer and help translate if needed. The two of them seemed to get along quite well. She told us about some peanut sauces we could make that Jennifer might like, and said she would help us cook some special Ugandan dishes for her soon. The reporter asked Jennifer a lot of questions. Jennifer told her the difference between life in America and Uganda is like "night and day." Jennifer also said she very much misses her family. She hopes to complete school and become a lawyer. She said she would like to learn to write in English so she could write notes of thanks to all the people who have helped her here.