It's not happening this trip

Don...


My wife and I have tried very hard to keep our cool here. The ministry in Kyiv did not sign our papers yesterday or today. The judge here in this small town was waiting until 6:00 pm, hoping to get confirmation that the papers were approved, so that she could conduct the procedures to award Roman and Natalia to us. It's not going to happen this trip.

The kids sat in our room most of the day just waiting, and waiting. It was hard on all of us. I'm sure Rocky will have more to say when she adds to this blog. I really have nothing else to say right now. I just want to get out of this place, go home, and readjust my attitude.

A New Level of Frustration

Rocky...

Our court date is tomorrow and we have not received the required papers from the SDA in Kiev. What does that mean? Without them, we can’t have court.

Our air tickets are booked to fly home from Kiev on Friday, so if we don’t receive our paperwork tomorrow morning, it looks like we will have to come home without having our hearing. This makes for a new level of frustration. We have spent 3 weeks in Ukraine and are going to need to buy new tickets to come back in January.

My boredom has reached a New Level

Don...


If you are a guy reading this, you will recognize this picture.

Game Trax

You guessed it. This is how I watched one of my top two-favorite football teams win the game last night. The problem? It was 4am in the morning. I was actually excited to watch the little lines move up and down the field. The play-by-play came by way of SMS messages from other people watching the game. That guy from Atlanta was not being very kind to my favorite quarterback. He was saying things about him that could never be said on TV.

He breaks the record

So Brees breaks the record set by Dan Marino and I celebrate to a glass of apple juice and a few prunes....just like home!




On a more serious note; we are anxiously awaiting news on the SDA paperwork for the court date that is set for this Thursday. If it doesn't come, we will be leaving here on Friday with both of us having to come back to this place again. Please pray for us, and others here, that all of our paperwork is done in time for the court dates. We are not the only ones waiting. There are other couples in the region at other orphanages in the exact same predicament.


That's all for now. The kids came to the room last night with many of their friends. They ate us out of house and home. We are off to the market for the last round of salami, cheese, and stale bread.
Oh!... and few more of those delicious prunes...

Hey, that's my boy!

Rocky...


We have a little romance that has blossomed here in the last few days between my soon-to-be-son and a girl in his class. We're not too happy about it because, in the past, there have been children who have decided not to be adopted because of ties to a boyfriend or girlfriend.


What does a parent do in this case? I've learned over the years (from my father) that when you try to tear two people apart, it just makes them cling harder....so that won't work. I'm not even his parent yet, and technically we have no rights over him. We tried to keep Roman really busy today, but this girl came around at 5 and said that "his teacher wants him.",,,  "mmmm". I just want to say, "leave him alone, you little hussy. He's only 14 years old", but I keep my cool..she is a nice girl and is only a child herself....It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Mama's not happy, but I'm trying to be cool.

Go ahead! Make my Day!

Don....


We had some more snow today. It made for lots of fun. Too much snow would not be good here. There are no snow plows nor do they salt the roads. But then again, what do I care, its not like I'm going to drive anywhere. My future daughter invited me outside to play. The snow started flying around my head almost immediately. Notice the snowball in flight. Natalia found her target. ME!

One second before impact

Roman and Natalia came to our apartment today. We gave them some small gifts. Roman got another new soccer ball because the other one I bought was already leaking air. That ball was either very cheap, or the soccer here is pretty intense and the ball gave out. Natalia was given a Disney puzzle and also a necklace that Rocky bought for her in Pittsburgh.


We went to the market again yesterday. That was the first day that it snowed so we figured that since all the stores are outside, that nothing would be open. Wrong! There were a few diehards that were very excited to see us coming. I just had to take their picture. People love having there picture taken here.

Open for business

So the big news is that we should get information tomorrow afternoon regarding the paperwork for the adoption. Hopefully, things will be ready and in order to keep our court date alive. If not, we will be coming home waiting for another date to be confirmed. Please pray that all goes well the next couple days.


I was telling Rocky yesterday that I have been boxed in for so long within these four walls that I am really starting to get depressed. When the kids come by I know they can tell that we are tired of being in this place. Roman keeps cheering me up by giving the thumbs up on the court date. Which reminds me, the director told them yesterday that court would be on the 29th. We were afraid to tell them ourselves just in case it doesn't happen. We are being very conservative in our approach to the situation out of respect for the director of the orphanage/boarding school. I am including a photo of Roman trying to make us laugh.

Roman the Comedian

We had some fun today Skyping a few people. I called my Mom and Dad. Roman and Natalia were very cute. They both spoke pretty good English when they asked my parents how they were doing. They called them Grandma and Grandpa. My mom and dad got a real kick out of that I think.


Not much else going on here. It's just a waiting game at this point. It feels like sudden death overtime in a hockey game. Once the goal is scored (the court decision), we all celebrate and go home...

A Christmas Eve to Remember

Rocky...

We were feeling kinda' sorry for ourselves today because we could not be with our families for Christmas. Tonight the Director of the school (Alex) and his wife, Tanya, came to visit us for Christmas Eve. Now, you know everyday feels pretty much the same here (Groundhog Day), so this was a big deal for us to have visitors. We spent the day shopping for food and cleaning the apartment. We even put up out Charlie Brown Christmas tree that we bought at the hardware store.

Our tree for 2011

Alex and Tanya don't celebrate Christmas here until January 7th, but I think they knew we were away from our families and they wanted us to have someone to share it with. Alex is the same age as I am, and Tanya is one year younger. When  I was speaking with them, I couldn't help but think how their lives have changed over the years. Alex spoke about "Soviet Russia" and said "it was not good".  "Back then", he said, "he would not have been allowed to travel anywhere out of the country, and Don and I would never have been allowed in his country". It would have been impossible for us to ever become acquainted.  We shared a lot in common... Like Don, Alex makes wine, likes guns and motorcycles. Tanya has a very warm personality and is a nice person.  Alex and Tanya are super nice people. We really enjoyed their company. It was a very special Christmas Eve to remember.

Ales and Tanya

 We woke up to snow on the ground this morning. It made it feel a little bit more like Christmas back home.

1st snow on Christmas Eve

Waiting and Waiting

Don...


We haven't had much to add to the blog. We are in a holding pattern. Our translator is in Kyiv to finish the paperwork prior to the court date. Since she left us on Tuesday (seems like a week ago, but only two days) it has become a waiting game. 


I do not have my guitar to play. There is no TV so I am having severe withdrawal issues almost to the point of the shakes. No sports to watch. No telephone. I feel like Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.


I did pick up a new hobby. I have taken to sweeping and mopping the floor. Last night I was up till 1:00 am gladly washing my wife's clothes just to have something different to do. She doesn't let me wash her clothes at home because I tend to ruin them. Not much chance of that here. There is only one cycle.The best part of washing the clothes is how one actually goes about this. See photo of our washing machine;

The washing machine

Since you have seen the washing machine (which also doubles as the kitchen sink), I will also share with you the range that I prepared dinner on last night. It works great if you unplug the refrigerator first.

The Range

Rocky and I are very grateful to stay here. The Director of the orphanage did not have to make this available to us. He is a very kind man and is wonderful with the children. This little apartment is a real blessing to us. I am only pointing out that it is not at all like what we are used to.


We had a wonderful time last night with some of the children that are also expecting a new life in America with their new American family. We played Uno, ate salami and cheese (again), and played some word games. Little Anatoliy was so cute. He tries so hard to speak English. He is so amazing to speak to. When he comes in the room I always get a big hug. He loves to help with anything we are working on.  He will also be adopted by a family in America. He is very anxious for that day and all smiles when we Skype his new Mommy and Poppy. His older brother is just as sweet but a bit more reserved with his emotions.

Anatoliy & Vanya

He always has a smile

I think she might be cheating!

I hate to lose!

Until next time... 

We are off to the market to find something to cook tonight. That may not sound very exciting to you, but I can't wait to get out of this chair. 

See ya for now.

We felt like Royalty

Don...


Yesterday, the director of the orphanage asked Rocky and I to go visit the high school located down the road and have a meeting with several of the teachers. There is a short break in the schools going on right now because of St. Nicholas Day. All the teachers gather together for meetings from the region. Since the Director of the orphanage and his wife are both teachers in the system here, they asked us if we would be willing to meet/greet and speak with the English teachers from the region we are visiting.
This was a very cool experience.


The driver arrived exactly on time to pick us up. When we arrived at the school we were greeted by the grandmaster of the school and her assistant. It was obvious that they were both excited and nervous. They rarely see Americans in this small town. This is a very poor town by typical small-town American standards. To our hosts, we must have been perceived as either wealthy, or very well off people from America. We didn't realize it at the time, but we were really being treated like royalty. Once we got back to the orphanage, we felt as though we just walked the red carpet. 


We sat in front of the classroom in two chairs as about 18 teachers sitting at the student's desks asked us questions. One of the first questions had to do with the salary of American teachers. After answering, Rocky returned the same question back to the same teacher. We learned that the starting salary for a teacher in this region of Ukraine comes to about one $1000.00 a year. The schoolmaster makes approximately $400.00 per month ($4800 p/y). They also told us that this was nearly the same as a doctor makes here. Rocky was surprised and asked them how they live on that. The schoolmaster response was "we just survive."

English Teachers in Ukraine

We answered many question about school in the United States and also about the attitude of the students in our country. They were interested in grade levels, college, and our trade schools. I think we did pretty well until they asked how we liked the classroom.  I made the comment that the class we were in looked like a room for kindergarten kids. Then I remembered we were in the high school. Sometimes it's just better if I just don't talk.

Tea and Snacks. They were so good I had to push them away.

After the meeting they invited us to have tea and snacks with them. For obvious reasons, Rocky did most of the talking. We were really treated like VIPs. Once we sat at the table for tea, there were many more questions. Something they are really hoping we could/would help them with is setting up some type of program where a teacher from this region would come to the United States and observe American classrooms.  Keeping in mind that they have very little money (not enough even for the plane fare) this idea of theirs, would need to be supported by Americans and American teachers who would be willing to help pay for them to come. They all told us that it would be a dream come true if they could visit our country.

Aside of that experience, the rest of the day was like what Rocky said, "Groundhog Day". We went to the market and bought a few more clothes for kids here. We bought more tangerines and apples, and spent time on Skype connecting families in the United States with the kids they are hosting or kids they know.

Roman the chef

Oh! I forgot that Roman helped me make macaroni and cheese. It was a treat to have something really different.

St Nicholas Day

Rocky...

Yesterday was a really big day here, St Nicholas Day…. the saint that originated our Santa Claus. In Ukraine, all the children get toys on St Nicholas Day (not so much at Christmas). Here at the orphanage, they didn’t get any toys, but they did each receive a chocolate bar. They were all happy about their gift, and they had another show today celebrating St Nicholas day.

St Nicholas Play

Don and I went to the market and bought 7 soccer balls, some other toys, and hats and gloves. We went shopping without our translator so it was a challenge. No one here speaks English. Everyone was so nice to us. I know the word for orphanage, so I just said “internat” and they understood that we were buying for the children.  I wish we would have brought more money. They don’t take credit cards in Chernigivka.

No Credit in the Market

No jacket in 30 degree weather

Roman got his own soccer ball for his birthday, so he invited some of his friends out to play soccer with us. 

New Soccer Ball

One of the younger boys didn’t have his coat zippered, so I told him to zipper-up. He was ashamed to show me that his coat had a broken zipper. Can you imagine a child outside in 30 degree weather wearing only a jean jacket with a broken zipper? That is common here …He is on our list today to go and buy him a warm winter jacket....

New coat is a big deal.

Here is that boy, Germak, with his new jacket!  He was very shy about receiving it from us. I almost had to force him to take it. Germak (pronounced "Yermack") acted like he might get in trouble for having it.

Something new at the restaurant

The restaurant had a big crowd today (they must eat out on holidays). We asked Alla if they could make us something different today. We had borscht, cabbage salad and potatoes over chicken. It was delicious. I’ll have to learn how to make it for the kids, so that can have a familiar food. They eat borscht here a lot.

Borscht

Court date

Our friends received their court date yesterday. I am praying that we hear about our's today.

1st Birthday Party Ever

Don...


Roman said he never had a birthday party before. He didn't understand the candles. When I explained to him that he had to make a wish before he blew the candles out, he said that he never heard of doing that before. I wonder what he was wishing for. Maybe a permanent trip to America with a family? Just a guess!

 Enough said on this post.

It's Groundhog Day

Rocky...


Day number 4 in Chernigivka 


Okay, so here’s the Groundhog Day story… It feels like Don and I are in a holding pattern here…just waiting for all the mounds of paperwork to get done and waiting around a lot. Our translator (Alla) is working hard and our file is 3 inches thick with 28 official documents.  The weather is gloomy and dreary here every day. We are staying in a little tiny apartment with no stove, no microwave, no dishwasher, only army cots to sleep in, and no pots or pans, etc. It is impossible to cook, so we eat out every day (every woman’s dream). Alla keeps taking us to her favorite restaurant. She says the other restaurant in town is not up to her standards. I can’t even believe what I am about to tell you, but it is true. 

We have eaten at this same restaurant for four days, and every day, the menu is the same thing….breaded chicken, french fries and cabbage salad…that’s it..nothing else is on the menu. Every day is the same. When we walk in the restaurant the owner says, "What would you like to eat?". It’s hilarious and today we could hardly contain ourselves when we she asked what we wanted…we knew the answer in advance… When we heard that it was breaded chicken, french fries and cabbage salad again, we couldn’t stop laughing about it for the rest of the day. We are still laughing now as I write this blog. Alla asked her if she could make something different, so, to mix it up they cooked…mashed potatoes instead of french fries for us.  Now, on top of having the same thing on the menu, the restaurant is never open. They are always closed whenever we go there. We have to go back at a different time, no matter what time it is. When we asked Alla why, she said, "Nobody in Ukraine eats out"....go figure… I don’t know how they stay in business! Nobody is ever in there except us.  

Now in the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray learns a valuable lesson. So I guess this is a lot like the movie. We are learning how precious our life is in the U.S. and how much others yearn to be there. It is heart wrenching to hear these orphan children say, “please, I want to come to America”. There is a boy (and his sister) who visited with us in our apartment tonight who is 17 years old. He will never get that opportunity. He will be aging out of the orphanage this year. 
On the brighter side..today was Roman’s 14^th birthday. We had a little party with his friends (upstairs in his classroom). We played some games. Please see video of one of those games. 

The boy in the movie with the white tennis shoes needs a home. He is such a great kid..patient and kind with the younger children. He is so polite and well-mannered. He would be any mother's dream. His sister, Halla, really needs a mommy. She is sweet. shy, and so loving. She would make be a really great big-sister.
We also had a birthday cake and candles in our apartment. Roman was on cloud nine all day. Want to hear what he got for his birthday?..a soccer ball, socks, deodorant, a couple shirts, laundry soap, and a nerf football. As I handed him the deodorant and socks, I thought about what my kids would have said at that age about those types of gifts. Roman was thrilled to get them.….during his 14 year life, Roman has never had a birthday party or a birthday cake ….now that made the whole day worthwhile!!

The Simple Things In Life

Don...

Today we went to the market to purchase a few simple items that most American kids take for granted. These kids have a need for personal care items. We purchased bunches of it for as many kids as come by our room. They were so very happy to get these items. It kind of feels like trick or treat with shampoo, soap, and toilet paper instead of candy.


Today is Roman's 14th birthday. He said he has never really had a birthday party. We have a few small gifts for him. Not too much though because the other children may feel left out. They really don't have much by American standards. 

Roman just came in the room. Its 8:30am here and we gave him a simple pair of socks. We got a big smile for that. Yesterday we gave him a brand new soccer ball. He insisted that I go outside and play with him. I did. Oh my heart! I can't stop him from moving the ball around me (like I'm standing still) so when he makes his move to the left or to the right, I just grab him and don't let him go around me. He loves to get this kind of attention. While we were playing, my wife said to look over at the windows. Little heads were popping up all over the place. Maxim, the little boy we gave the jacket to, was just staring and staring out the window.

I wonder if I can find him a soccer team for him to play for in the U.S. 
I don't think that will be a problem.

Before we met Natalia,  Rocky saw a photo of her on this swing set in the play yard at the orphanage.  We both thought how cool it was that we were in the very same spot watching her play on the very same swing while sitting right beside her. She loves to swing.

This is a very special moment.

Last night we had a little dinner in the apartment and when we finished the kids got up, picked up the dishes, washed them, and wiped down the table. I could get used to that.

We are headed out for the market today to try to find more personal necessities for the kids who need things at the orphanage. 

The purpose of this blog is not to ask for money. If you feel compelled to make a donation, we will purchase some pencils, pens, paper, deodorant, perfume, and toilet paper. There are over 200 (hundred) orphans here and all are in need of such things. The girls love to have perfume. Several of the children need warm jackets and socks. There is a place here on the blog for donations. Just look to the right side towards the top of the blog. God will bless you. Plus, it will really, really feel good to help. If you do this while we are here at the orphanage, you will get to see the gifts being handed out. Just follow the blog over the next several days.

Off to the market and the birthday party.

A very Interesting Day

Don...


I really don't want to bore people reading this blog with the normal everyday stuff that goes on in this part of the world, but I have to say that even the routine stuff amazes me. I grew up in upstate New York and now live in a nice suburb of Pittsburgh. My multicultural experiences are limited to a few years of living in Mississippi while in the military and a couple short trips outside the country. I have never experienced life the way these people do in southeastern Ukraine.


Let's start with the market. It is only open for a short while on Fridays, and Saturdays. The weather was bitter cold here today at the market. The temperature was only a modest 30 degrees but the air here feels much different than at home. It is damp and goes right to the bone. I am including a few photos of the market place.

You have never seen a better selection of coats and boots. Seriously!

Just Like the Mall

Produce Section

The Russian Built Cars are all very Similar

The people were very nice. This one lady knew we were American and wanted me to take her photo. This one I am including is the second one I took because she didn't like the way she looked in the first one. She asked me to repeat it one more time.

 

She was really very friendly to us.

We also went around today to get more of the paperwork accomplished for the adoption. We visited several government offices and our translator worked all day to get this done for us. We are hoping for the best case scenario that would get us a court date and the children awarded to us prior to the holidays here. That will be no easy task. If we do not receive the court date, then we will have to come back in January and stay much longer than originally planned. Our hope was to come back, take the kids to Kyiv, clear the immigration and passport process, fly back and live happily ever after.

Statue of Lenin

I made the mistake when walking by this government building and asking why the statue of Lenin hadn't been torn down yet. I received a dirty look. I guess some people here think he was an OK guy.

So on the last post we had a video of Roman writing his new name. I have also included a video of Natalia when the kids came to our apartment last night to celebrate a belated birthday party for her with a few gifts. Her birthday was in November. We will be celebrating Roman's birthday in the apartment tomorrow as he turns 14. He told us that he has never had a birthday party. How sad!

OK, That's our little girl (Natalia Marie). She is soon to have three new sisters and three new brothers. At least they are all out of the house and she won't get to be the little sibling that get's picked on all the time like I was.


That's all for now. I don't expect to make a another post until tomorrow after the birthday party. By the time Rocky and I get done with this blog you could have read a good novel. If you are reading this blog for the first time, you might want to start with the OLDER POST which has a link down at the bottom of the page.


Have a Great weekend!

A Big Day

Rocky...

We had such a big day today. Alla (our translator) was up early and working hard on getting our documents together and taking them around to get signed, notarized, etc. She is working so hard so that we can get a court date before offices close for the holidays.  Things are going well on that end.

If you want to buy something here, you wait for the outdoor market on Friday mornings. There are people with tables selling items in 30 degree weather. It was freezing, but fun.  I wish I had an extra suitcase just to take back some of the beautiful (and I mean beautiful) fur hats and coats here. If you need winter items, Ukraine is the place for selection.


Our apartment is becoming the new hangout for these orphans. They are fascinated that Americans are here and they all watch us. These children are all so nice and well-mannered (with great personalities). If you were here, you would fall in love with all of them and would want to take them home. 

Amateur Hour

 

Well, tonight Julia was singing in the talent show and she invited us to come. This was a big deal because not many people have been allowed upstairs in the orphanage. The show was great and allowed us to catch a glimpse of these children's lives. They do not have much and they don't have families to care for them, but they are sharing each other's company and seem to really enjoy being all together....and it's interesting how the older children watch over the younger ones. Brothers and sisters here are very close because they are the only family they have. They will hug each other and it shows that they care deeply for each other.  

I keep asking myself, what can we do for these kids to make their life a little better. The best thing I can think of is to try and find them families to love them.

Writing New Name for the 1st Time.

Don...


If all goes well and adoption goes through, the kids will get new names. I left this off the post last night but I thought this little video to be very cute as Roman wrote his potential new name for the 1st time. He is a very loving child that has needed this type of attention for a very long time. His sister Natalia came in the room early this morning looking for her little MP3 player that we bought her while they were in Pittsburgh this past summer. It is hard for any American kid to imagine just how big a deal this MP3 player is to these children. I hesitated to let her take it because she will be the envy of the orphanage and she may get picked on by the other kids because she has it. She even hesitates to wear her new glasses she got in the U.S. for fear of being made fun of. Children that lack attention can be very cruel. Some of the children here with medical issue are often tormented by the older ones.

Roman and Natalia were pulled from their regular day at the orphanage since they need a battery of medical exams required by the country of Ukraine  and the United States before they can apply for U.S. citizenship. 

As usual, I will keep you posted.,

We Arrived at the Orphanage

Don...


This was a very interesting experience. We left Kyiv last night at 810pm on an old prop jet from the 1960s. The service was great and the people were very nice. I did have a hard time understanding why one of the pilots kept coming out of the cockpit and sitting in the front row. It must have been too crowded up there.

1960's Russian Prop Jet

Notice the curtains on the windows

   

Welcome to the parking lot (airport)

The only lights on when we landed were from the closed building near the parking lot and the hotel advertisement up on the right.


Once we landed, our driver took us for a two hour drive to the town where the orphanage is located. There was no bathroom at the airport when we landed.  I'm over 50. Come on..., a bathroom stop is a must. Although it is not my intention to gross anyone out, I had to take a photo. This is for both boys and girls. Sorry!

The Bathroom Stop

We made it to the orphanage about midnight. The Director of the orphanage offered for us to stay at the there while we work on all the papers for the adoption. He was very nice and extremely helpful. The apartment in not like staying at the usual Marriott or Hyatt that I use for work. However, the bathroom is a big upgrade from the one we stopped at a little earlier in the evening. Just have to make sure you turn the water on and put the paper in the bucket next to the toilet. I'm not talking about the USA Today either.




I have also included a few photos of the grounds around the orphanage and some houses located across the street.

Our Apartment Entrance

Orphanage

Houses across the Street

We did get to see Roman and Natalia today. I held back the tears and so did they. Roman almost broke my back with the hug he gave me and Natalia was all smiles. We bought them coats for the cold weather. Neither of the coats fit the kids.They both grew like weeds since the last time we saw them and that was only five months ago. I guess we need to get used to it.


Tomorrow we will go to the local market. We went out tonight to get some snacks for Roman and Natalia to have with us in our room. They didn't want to eat the food being served for dinner at the orphanage with the rest of the kids, so we bought some bread and salami. No Subway here. The truth of the matter is that they really were looking for a reason to spend more time with us. We are not allowed to be with them whenever we want. Our time spent with the kids is determined by the director of the orphanage.

Dinner in the Apartment

Their friend Maxim joined us

The adoption translator spoke with the kids about their names being changed. Rocky and I really like the names Roman and Natalia so we encouraged them to keep their first names. At least for the moment, they agreed. Both of them will get new middle and last names as Ukrainian culture uses the first name of the father for both the boys and the girls, It's kind of like saying son or daughter of ___________ whatever the first name is. It was so cute to watch them write their new name for the first time. It's not official yet but please keep praying that it will be.

Roman James Rainville  &  Natalia Marie Rainville. 

Natalia took Rocky's middle name which is Marie (Rocky's mother is Marie, and my mother is Gisele Marie). Roman took my middle name as his own. It was very touching. I took a movie of this but have no stills to add to the blog.


We needed a flashlight to go to the store because there is absolutely no light outside. Only lights turned on at night in this little town are the ones needed to see in a building. It is very different. As I was going to sleep, I noticed last night that there were no noises from cars and no sirens to keep me awake. Then I realized that the silence was keeping me awake.

Our 1st Full Day

Don...

I have heard it said that many of the Ukrainian people think that Americans are spoiled. Now that I am here, I would have to say that they are probably correct. I have included a couple photos of the apartment.

The Entrance to the apartment

 The apartment itself is not bad, although it smells of cigarette smoke all through. Like much of the city, the building is drab and neither the hallways or the exterior are well kept. Inside the apartment is nice and colorful, but like I said, the smell of smoke is almost choking at times. We have a lot of little friends in the apartment though to keep us company. Little fruit-fly type bugs. They are everywhere. I would still come back here though. The bugs are probably due to the season of the year. It's cold outside.
                                               

The inside is colorful and modern

                                                             
Went to our appointment today at the SDA (State Adoption Agency). I don't think I have ever encountered a person with a nicer smile or attitude than the lady that took care of us there. She was absolutely delightful and made Rocky and I feel very comfortable. Like the apartment however, the building was kind of drab. The parking-lot (what parking lot) was dirt.

SDA Office

There are two other couples here from the United States also adopting children. We had our appointments with one of the couples at the SDA office just about the same time. All of us hooked up after the appointment and went to lunch at a every good Italian restaurant (Olive). Food was good and not expensive. There were six adults and one child served for about $90.00 total.

If it looks like I'm freezing? I am.

One thing I thought was interesting is that there is very little parking space in this city. There are people on the street that that do nothing but help people park their cars on the sidewalks. It is obvious that parking was not a future consideration by the Soviets when the planners laid much of the city out.

Try parking your SUV like this in the U.S.

So the first day has come to an end. Tomorrow we will pick up some paper work and head out on a small plane for the Zaporizhzhya Region where the Chernigivka orphanage is located. We were told today that the kids know that we are here. They are very excited and can't wait to see us. I can't say I blame them. We are both really nice people (Ha Ha).

I have heard it said that "Ukrainian men don't cry". I hope that the state doesn't reject me as a father when I have my breakdown when I see the kids.

We're not in Kansas anymore

Rocky...

After 23 hours of traveling, we finally made it to Kiev. We flew from Pittsburgh, to DC, to Frankfurt, to Kiev….three flights.  Another couple who hosted through New Horizons was on the Kiev flight with us (Rachael and Derrick Proctor from Michigan).  They are adopting a son (14) from an orphanage in the same region as ours. It was nice to see them.

 I feel like I missed a day somewhere in transit and I’m a little messed-up on sleep. I tried to sleep on the airplane but that did not work. Now it’s midnight here and I’m wide awake. Great! (We have a big day tomorrow - going to our long-awaited SDA appointment and I don’t want to have big circles under my eyes.) We are in a nice apartment, but it reeks of smoke and I can’t breathe right. You don’t have much choice about where you stay here….they have it all arranged for you and you don’t ask too many questions…the sentiment here is that Americans are spoiled….yes, I think we don’t realize how well-off we have it. This is not Kansas….

Kiev is a beautiful city, but it seems like life here is not vibrant.  A fellow from Finland (Kristians) rode beside us on the flight to Kiev and we had an interesting discussion about the difference in cultures between Ukraine, Finland, and the US (he travels to Ukraine often for work).  He told us that Ukraine is a “complicated” country that has a problem with corruption and getting the economy going.   It was only 20 years ago that the country was under Soviet rule…people were afraid to speak or say anything contrary to the Soviet Union. When you walk through the streets here today and meet the people, you can see a look on their faces that their life here is not easy. People look occupied, and generally, do not smile. There is a very high unemployment rate. Our translator said that the government does not like to have all these international adoptions occurring because countries with high adoption rates are poorer countries and they don’t want to be perceived that way here. Many people here want to see fewer adoptions, even if it means the children have to grow up in orphanages.

 If all goes well tomorrow at the SDA, we will get a letter giving us permission to go the orphanage and to start the process of getting an adoption hearing date. I just can’t wait for the day that we will go to the orphanage and give big hugs to Roman and Natalia…only 2 more days.

Disappointment Leads to Happiness

Don...


Once we received our hearing date, we knew we had to get in touch with the kids. We didn't want them to find out that they weren't coming here for Christmas without knowing why.... We had to somehow let them know that we would be going there instead...to adopt them!  Rocky tried all morning to get through to the orphanage and speak with them (we can't usually get someone to answer the office phone on the weekends).

We were lucky with the phone today and got through. Although Roman and Natalia seem to understand most of what we say to them, when we do get a chance to speak to them, it is always in the back of our minds that something is left out in the translation.

Fortunately, we just happen to have a neighbor who lives right across the street from us and is from Ukraine. Valya, her sister, Lyuda and  brother in-law, Roman, and daughter, Milla,  all speak perfect Ukrainian. They moved in just before the summer hosting. Now what are the chances of this? In our entire lives, my wife and I never knew anyone from, or who spoke Ukrainian. You know what they say..."God moves in mysterious ways".


     So with some help from Val, we were able to explain to the kids that they would not be coming to the United States for another hosting. Instead, Mommy and Poppy (that's what they call us), will be coming to visit them in Ukraine and apply for the adoption. Val spoke with Roman and explained what was happening. When she told him, he squealed with happiness and was jumping up and down.  (Natalia was not available to speak with us, but I'm sure she will be happy when he tells her the news.) Roman told Val that before we called, he was confused. He was told by someone at the orphanage that he and his sister's flights were cancelled and that they would not be coming to see us for the Christmas hosting. They were given no explanation as to why. Thankfully, we were able to get the good news across to them.... that it was all for a good reason. Roman also told Val that some people there were trying to talk them out of being adopted. Roman was wise beyond his years in his response..."in 3 years I am going to be out of this orphanage on my own and who will take care of me.? I don't have a chance...I am not listening to them. I want to have a family".  It made us all a little teary-eyed.


I have included a photo of Roman and Natalia in the play yard at the orphanage in Ukraine. Natalia's friend in the middle is no longer there...she has been adopted by a family in Georgia. I'm sure Natalia is missing her best friend. When Natalia leaves, the girl to the right will surely be sad. She will have lost both her friends. It breaks my heart to think of it.

Natalia top row second from the left and Roman top right on the end

Get Ready, Get Set, GO......................

Rocky…

After months and months of tons of paperwork, medical tests and waiting, we were thrilled to get the phone call yesterday that we are scheduled for our adoption appointment in Ukraine on Dec 13^th!!

We aren’t sure if Roman and Natasha know that we are officially coming yet and we can’t wait to try and call them tomorrow to tell them.

I don’t know how to pack for Ukraine in the winter. I imagine it will be pretty cold there. Ukraine was formerly part of the former Soviet Union, so I think of Russian winters and Dr Zhivago, ha ha. We had to buy some extra clothes and outerwear for the children to wear for the hearing. Also, other families have asked us to take some gifts over to their kids and this we’ll gladly do. I will have to ask Don to sit on the suitcase for me.

Many things are going through our heads right now, but most of them are all good. We have to organize the mounds of adoption paperwork that we have collected, wrap-up important projects at work, and plan for being out of the house for at least a couple of weeks. We won’t be home for Christmas, but the anticipation of seeing Roman and Natalia’s faces will more than make up for that.  I just can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they see that we are actually there to adopt them and can give them great big hugs….no kisses over the phone..just real kisses and hugs.

The sad thing is that we may miss Christmas with our families here, but on a positive note, we will be trying to spread some cheer among the many orphans at the orphanage. Families who have stayed there have told us how the younger ones will cling to your legs and beg for hugs. Many older children have begged them for the chance to find them a forever family. They don’t want toys or anything else..all they want is a family and a home. In the meantime, I heard they have worn the skin off all the soccer balls at the orphanage, so we are taking a few with us to leave there for them to play with. Also, we purchased some Uno cards, drawing supplies, warm socks and blankets for their beds. I’m sure as their heads hit the pillow tonight, they are all dreaming of the day when they can find a mother and father again to call their own.