Wow....a lot has happened in the last week. First, let me again thank all of you for your encouragement, support, love, and prayers. We never could have gotten through this phase of the adventure without each and every one of our family and friends!
We left for the airport on Friday morning, and arrived with plenty of time to spare. Igor, our driver, delivered us to the checkin area at the airport and wished us well. We met another couple heading back with their newly adopted son, and had a nice chat while we waited. Our luggage came in just under the weight limit, and we thought we were off for a great day. Then we went to passport control.
We stood in line there for quite a while, and when we stepped up to the counter, we handed over the package of adoption documents that our facilitator gave us. Well, apparently, the passport control guy didn't think that was good enough. We did not have an original of the court judgement, and he really thought we needed that.
We were pulled out of line and passed to a supervisor. We had about an hour before our flight, but we were a little concerned. Mark tried to call Sasha, but we only had 2 grivna left on our pay-as-you-go phone...it was just enough to send a text message, so Mark sent a concise "CALL ME" to Sasha.
A couple of minutes later, our phone rang, and Mark explained the situation to him. We got him on the phone with the supervisor, who had passed our little problem on to HIS supervisor and was awaiting a decision. After several very tense minutes of heavy prayer, they allowed us through, just in time to hop on our plane.
We had an uneventful 3-hour flight from Kiev to Amsterdam, and boarded the fight to Detroit on time. Shortly after take-off, we discovered that the on-demand video system on the plane was not working properly, and Masha was pretty frustrated when she clicked to get Dora the Explorer and ended up watching Freedom Writers. Not exactly the same. We popped a movie into the laptop, and she watched that until they got the system fixed about 3 1/2 hours later. She watched the Nickelodeon shorts channel while Mark and I both watched Breach, and we were all happy.
We landed on US soil right on time, and passed through immigration faster than you could say "Brand New Citizen." The guys that processed Masha's immigrant visa were really friendly and welcoming, and Masha got to sign her name as a US Citizen for the first time.
Once we cleared through customs and rechecked our luggage, we found a spot at the food court just below the World Club and hijacked the free WiFi connection for a couple of calls home. We had some french fries and ice cream, and then wandered over to our gate.
During our stops in both Amsterdam and Detroit, Masha discovered the joy of moving sidewalks. Every time she hopped onto one, she had a gleeful grin on her face. She experimented with standing, walking backward, and letting her elephant ride along the handrail. I will never ride another one without remembering that smile and the joy that filled me to watch her.
Anyway, we made the short hop from Detroit to Fort Wayne with no problems, and arrived to see a whole bunch of familiar faces greeting us at the airport! After being awake and on the go for nearly 24 hours, we were pretty bleary, but thrilled to be home.
Since then, we've done about 24 loads of laundry, unpacked a million souvenirs, and generally settled back into American life. We've gone to Wal-Mart, we have updated the Y membership, dropped clothes off at the cleaners, and applied for Masha's new library card.
On Tuesday, as we wandered around Wal-Mart for the third time in three days, Masha looked at me with pleading eyes, and said "Home?" We stayed home all day yesterday!
Overall, we are settling in well. Masha is doing great with her English...we haven't gotten the phrasebook out yet. She is settling in really well, and we couldn't be happier. We know that it's still the honeymoon, and it won't always be perfect, but for now, we're just enjoying each day as it comes.
As I write this, Masha is lying on the floor wrapped up in a blanket, watching The Incredibles with Shead on her lap. That's what it's all about!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Midnight Train to Kiev
Tuesday and Wednesday, 12-13 June
Since Tuesday rolled into Wednesday on an overnight train, my memories are equally fuzzy, hence one joint blog entry. Yesterday morning, we got up bright and early. The hot water was still out in our building, so we filled the tub with four inches of cold water, and then boiled four big stockpots of water and dumped it in. Made for a decent emergency bath.
Once we no longer smelled like homeless people, we finished packing and loaded up the car at about 9:30. Our facilitator had arranged for a larger car to drive us to the capital so there'd be room for our luggage….we got a station wagon that was about the size of a Saturn. It was packed to the top once all of our stuff was in it—we are up to eight bags of various shapes and sizes!
We picked Lisa up on the way to the orphanage, and the girls came bopping out as soon as we arrived. Masha looked so cute in her outfit from Babushka Sam, complete with glittery belt!
The Director invited us into her office, and said some very kind words to wish us well in the future. We asked a few questions about how often Masha could call to speak with the Director and her friends, and the director shared some more information about Masha's friend Lena. The Director inscribed a very nice book for Masha, and then called her in to say goodbye. Many hugs and kisses later, we were in the car and on the road.
Once we got on the highway, I called Northwest to arrange our flights. WE ARE GOING HOME ON FRIDAY!!!!!! Thanks to all of your supportive prayers, the fare difference for each of our tickets was only about $130 extra (plus the change fee). That still worked out a lot better than the adoption fares offered by Northwest.
The kind agent at Northwest also found the least expensive alternative for Masha's flight…she is booked on a round trip with us, and we can just abandon the return. For those of you starting to plan your budgets, this is high season, so it probably won't go too much more than we paid, and will start going down again in the fall/winter. With just a 3-day notice, her ticket was a little over $1,000. Could have been MUCH worse!!!
We arrived in the capital at about 12:30, and immediately went to the records office to get her new birth certificate. We had about 30 minutes after it was complete before we could go to the passport office, so we hung out in a shaded parking space for a while. This is one of the "boring" days. We gave Masha her new MP3 player, and she had it figured out in no time. That took the edge off the waiting for her! Mark and I sat and watched chocolate melt.
We had her passport in hand a little before 3:00, and then we realized that our train didn't leave until 7. Hmm….We now have four hours to kill in a city that no one knows all that well. We all decided we were starving to death, and Sveta suggested McDonalds.
McDonald's smells like McDonald's the world around. For a moment, it felt like heaven to smell the greasy burgers and French fries, and to see familiar color schemes and logos. Mark got a Big Mac and announced that it tasted exactly like a Big Mac! But there were still differences. The good: They sell these cheese sticks with a sweet berry sauce that looked really good (Sveta got some). The bad: they charge for ketchup and mayonnaise!
We killed a good bit of time there, and I found a very clean public restroom with *normal* toilets…not the hole in the floor kind…WOOHOO! (is that too much information??) When we wore out our welcome beneath the Golden Arches, we headed over to a mall that our driver knew about. There was a playground outside, so we hung out there until it started to rain. We explained to Masha that we were only looking, not buying. Didn't stop her from asking for things, but she accepted "no" pretty well!
Before we knew it, it was time to head for the train station. Sveta and our driver helped us get our luggage up into the cabin, and Sveta gave Masha instructions to help us and be good.
Once the train pulled out of the station, we fired up the laptop to watch "Happily Never After" in Russian. We took a break to eat dinner from the giant sack of food that I brought (next time, I will know that one can purchase train snacks at one of several stores near the train station)., then finished the movie, made up our beds, and went to sleep.
This train actually had air conditioning in the compartment, but it was little unpredictable. Overall, this train was quite a bit nicer than the train we took to Masha's city three weeks ago….and it really helped to be able to keep the compartment door closed to keep sound and light out. I will repeat myself again….Air conditioning is a wonderful thing!!!
Mark and I were both wondering how the first full day away from the orphanage with our daughter would be. Would she be happy? Would she be sad? Would she be some of both? We were both very happy by the end of the day to see that Masha was happy and content. We both reflected on how this experience has been one of the most wonderful and life changing experiences in both of our lives!
The train arrived right on time this morning, and as Mark was trying to wrestle one of our big duffel bags out from under the bench seat, he popped up, and there was our driver standing in the doorway! It was nice to see a familiar face, and nicer to see one that could help carry luggage!
This time, we were in a 2-door Mitsubishi "jeep-like" car, and I have no idea at all how we fit into it! Masha and I each sat on a side, our behinds half up the wheel wells, and Mark crammed in between us. Our luggage somehow all fit in, one thing piled on top of another and another.
We had a few minutes to kill before the medical clinic opened up, so Sasha announced that we would go to McDonald's for breakfast. No McD's for well over a month, and then twice in 18 hours! AAARRRRGGGHHHH! This time, we hit the drive through, named "McDrive." Not kidding.
Sasha suggested that we figure out what we wanted before we got up to the window, and so we asked what all was on the breakfast menu. Sasha replied "No special menu, just the regular food." Mark: "You mean like Big Macs and Frech Fries for breakfast?" Sasha: "Yes, of course." Like eating a Big Mac was a great way to start the day. Masha got a Coke and fries. I got a Diet Coke and fries. Mark got a Diet Coke. This is a great start for our new attempts to eat healthy and set a good example for our daughter…NOT!
After sharing our fries with some of the stray birds flying around the parking lot, we all piled back into the car, and drove to the medical clinic. There weren't too many people there, and we ran into one of the families from the Indianapolis hosting program there. Masha got through her exam, and only needed one vaccination to be able to immigrate.
We made the mistake, though, of trying to take advantage of a bi-lingual doctor to explain what was in her records about the surgery she had last January. The doctor interpreted this to "worry" on our part, rather than just information-gathering. Because we were "worried," the doctor became "worried" and decided that Masha also needed a chest x-ray to be sure she didn't have tuburculosis. If anyone can explain how a swollen lymph glad indicates TB, I'd be interested to know!
Needless to say, we were at the medical clinic a lot longer than we expected, and it was chock full o' people by the time we left. The doctor had agreed that there appeared to be nothing wrong with her, and provided docs for a clean bill of health.
From there, we drove over to the US Embassy. We needed to get a new photo of Masha from a nearby photo shop, and then Sasha took us to the guardhouse at the Embassy. Even though we are still in Ukraine, it was comforting to be on American soil for a short time. The security checkpoint was pretty thorough, and we were not allowed to bring anything but our documents with us…no purse, no cell phone, etc. Mark was able to carry his wallet, but that was about it. They wanded each of us (including Masha) after we passed through the metal detector. They even x-rayed my accordion file with our documents in it.
The adoptions department was in a far corner of the building, but it was all very clearly marked. When we got there, we were helped by two young American women whose parents were both posted in Kiev…apparently being a consulate staffer's kid entitles you to a summer job at the consulate. They were both VERY helpful and enthusiastic about helping us. They answered the last couple of questions we had on our paperwork, and we turned everything over to them.
We waited in a nice waiting area that had some kids books and toys, and a water dispenser. No snacks or sodas to speak of, so make sure you don't go in hungry like we did…we were ready to gnaw our arms off when we got out a couple hours later, but it was worth it. The consular officer that we met with was very helpful, and promised that Masha's visa would be ready for us tomorrow morning…this is the last piece of paperwork that we need before we can head home as a new family!
Once we left the embassy, we headed to the suburbs to our new apartment. This time, we are staying with a woman named Svetlana and her grandson in a very large two bedroom apartment. Svetlana made us a late lunch of chicken soup and vareniki (yummy). Mark hopped online for a few minutes while Masha taught me how to play Uno, and then we watched a Harry Potter movie on the laptop.
After dinner, Masha dressed up her magnetic paper-doll and took photos of all the new outfits, then she did the same with the two Barbies we brought for her. She planned out her clothes for the next couple of days (including requesting our hostess to do a load of laundry for her). She finally settled down for a bedtime snack of an apple (after a KitKat was vetoed).
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Headed to Kiev!
Monday June 11th
Our last full day. We had recently become less diligent with our "shower whenever you can" strategy; the water hadn't gone off in nearly a week. However, we woke up to find that our hot water was out again. We made do, and Lisa arrived at our apartment about 10:30.
We all met with Olga, the matroshka artist, and then wandered out to show Lisa the bookstore and a couple of shops near our house. When we got back to the apartment, we gobbled up the leftover borsch…it was really nice to have a lunch guest! Lisa's driver picked us up just before 2:00 and we headed over to the orphanage.
We have learned that several of the kids in the girls' groupa attended a week-long camp near the sea last week, and were leaving again tomorrow for another camp…It sounds like these camps are pretty common summer activities for the older kids, and from their reports, they have a great time. Last summer, Masha won a swimming race!
Because so many of the kids would be gone later in the week, it was decided that Masha, Khrystyna, and Amina would have a joint going-away party. Normally, these parties include a dance/singing performance for the parents, and then some fruit and juice for the kids. Since we had been able to see the big 1 June celebration performance, everyone decided it was best to forego the performance, and just have an informal "hangout" time in the girls' rooms.
We also brought gifts for the key people at the orphanage, including the Director, Assistant Director, Doctor, Nurse, Psychologist, and Social Worker, and the six caregivers for Masha's group. We began by meeting with the Director. She shared some thoughts and best wishes for us, and asked yet again that we be sure to keep in frequent touch and keep her updated on how Masha was doing. We presented her with a gift to show our thanks…we gave her a handmade necklace that we had brought from Fort Wayne, as well as some chocolates and a couple of other small things.
After that, we presented the Assistant Director's gifts (similar stuff, but a little smaller) and then we took the fruit and juice up to the girls dorm area. As soon as we walked in, they swarmed us! We put all the fruit down on a couple of tables, but the kids found us much more interesting!
We gave Masha her clothes for tomorrow, and a small purse with some hair ties and a new watch—She had broken a watch early during our trip and we got her a pink bangle watch to replace it. Since we knew that she would need to leave that at the orphanage, we picked another one up for her.
As this was all going on, we noticed that Masha's best friend wasn't in the room. We stuck our heads around the corner and found her sitting by herself in the next room looking very sad. Masha went in with her new stuff, and we gave her friend a small stuffed toy that said "I love you" when you squeezed it. We all hugged on her a lot while she cried. When Masha saw the new watch in the bag we had given her, she got the other one and put it on her friend's wrist (along with the Dora watch from Masha's US trip). They seemed connected by their matching watches, and her friend started to cheer up.
Mark had brought the laptop up, so he fired it up and let the all the girls look at the photos and videos that we had taken during our trip. They really enjoyed the videos, and watched some of them over and over again. Then Masha and her friend grabbed our camera and started running around taking pictures and video clips.
Several of the girls grabbed their photo albums from various trips, and all of them showed us pictures of their respective families and friends. It looked like the kids had done a little bit of trading, and had a few photos from the other kids mixed in with their own photos. Masha had all the letters and photos that we had sent her saved in a little box, and she pulled all of the out to show us, and to make sure we took home with us to pack. Masha decided to take her photos, but leave the album behind for one of the other kids; she pulled them all out and handed them to me in a big stack.
We horsed around with all the girls for a couple of hours, and then it was time to leave. Several of the girls promised to write letters for their families for us to bring home, and we should be able to get those in the morning when we pick Masha up. We said our goodbyes and headed for the internet café and then a final trip to Amstor to pick up some sandwiches and snacks for the train.
We packed pretty much everything up, and I am very worried that our bags are overweight, but we got everything down to two duffels and a rollerbag (plus, of course, two backpacks, a giant purse, a laptop bag and a bg Amstor bag.
I think we are ready to hit the road!
Our internet connection options will be very limited, so no photos and we'll post when we can. We hope to get home by Friday night….please pray for everything to go smoothly!
Thanks for your support and encouragement, and love to all!!
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Home Stretch
Sunday, 10 June
Our stay is drawing to a close…and time is running short!
Today, we left the apartment at 11, picked up Kseniya and Lisa, and then met the second car at the orphanage where we picked up the girls. Our arrival is becoming a little more routine for them, too. They don’t drop what they were doing and race to us like they did the first couple of days; I think they are feeling much more secure with us, and beginning to trust us.
During the summer, many of the kids at the orphanage attend various camps in the area as well as going on trips for hosting programs in other countries, and last week, about 30 kids in the 7+ age group were at two different camps near the sea. Several of the girls had returned from camp yesterday, and came over to greet us. Anya and Masha’s best friend Lena had sneaked over the fence to pick wild blackberries, and Lena shared hers with me. The girls reported that they had a great time at camp.
We had heard that there were some charter boats that did tours, so we headed down to the seaside to check things out. After stopping at three different places that could loosely be called marinas, we learned that the only charters were for large groups at a rate of 1,000 grivna. At $200, it’s something that we might have considered asking about arranging for the girls’ whole group if we had known about it earlier.
We decided to take a pass on the boat, and offered the girls the choice to go to Extreme Park or the Beach, but they all had to agree. Masha got vetoed, and we ended up at the beach (with a much-improved bathing suit). We had lunch at a great but slow restaurant overlooking the beach, then spent the afternoon swimming.
After we dropped Masha off, we headed back to the apartment and tried to get packed up. We *think* we can get everything back into the luggage that we brought, even with all the chocolate that my dear husband decided needs to come back to the US with us!
Our stay is drawing to a close…and time is running short!
Today, we left the apartment at 11, picked up Kseniya and Lisa, and then met the second car at the orphanage where we picked up the girls. Our arrival is becoming a little more routine for them, too. They don’t drop what they were doing and race to us like they did the first couple of days; I think they are feeling much more secure with us, and beginning to trust us.
During the summer, many of the kids at the orphanage attend various camps in the area as well as going on trips for hosting programs in other countries, and last week, about 30 kids in the 7+ age group were at two different camps near the sea. Several of the girls had returned from camp yesterday, and came over to greet us. Anya and Masha’s best friend Lena had sneaked over the fence to pick wild blackberries, and Lena shared hers with me. The girls reported that they had a great time at camp.We had heard that there were some charter boats that did tours, so we headed down to the seaside to check things out. After stopping at three different places that could loosely be called marinas, we learned that the only charters were for large groups at a rate of 1,000 grivna. At $200, it’s something that we might have considered asking about arranging for the girls’ whole group if we had known about it earlier.
We decided to take a pass on the boat, and offered the girls the choice to go to Extreme Park or the Beach, but they all had to agree. Masha got vetoed, and we ended up at the beach (with a much-improved bathing suit). We had lunch at a great but slow restaurant overlooking the beach, then spent the afternoon swimming. 
After we dropped Masha off, we headed back to the apartment and tried to get packed up. We *think* we can get everything back into the luggage that we brought, even with all the chocolate that my dear husband decided needs to come back to the US with us!Borsch Day
Saturday, 9 June
We are coming to the realization that we’ll be leaving soon, which is met with both anticipation and panic. We’re not too worried about the “We’re gonna be parents” thing…that’s settling in well. The panic is actually related to shopping for souvenirs and packing them for the trip home. The chances are good that we’ll never be in Ukraine again, so we feel compelled to bring home the entire country in our suitcases.
Mark went out first thing this morning for another pass through a shopping area near our apartment. He found several things he wanted, and at least one he didn’t! A few days ago, he purchased some small items from a shop, and as he was gesticulating wildly to communicate what he needed without actually using any words, the woman looked at him and asked “Do you speak English?” He let out a huge sigh of relief and proceeded to get what he needed.
When he returned this morning, she was ready for him. She stopped him to chat, showed photos of her son, and explained that she had taught English in a small village for 6 years until they couldn’t afford to pay her anymore. As he started to leave, she begged “Oh, don’t go! Please stay.” Thinking she was just anxious to practice her English more, he chatted a little longer…until she saw his ring and exclaimed (with great disappointment) “Oh! You are married!”
He confirmed this, and she thought for a second or two, and then asked “Well, is your wife here with you?” Umm…and that would change WHAT? My wonderful husband then bid her farwell and returned to me. We’ve all been laughing at the story all day!
At 10, our driver picked us up and drove us the short ride into the town center. He dropped us off at the café (which is called Kaba +). The waitress recognized me as soon as we walked in, and had a cappuccino on our table in very short order. We reviewed our plan for the day until a young man walked up and asked us (in English) where we were from. Turns out that he is from Ukraine, but has been living in Ireland for the past two years. He and his girlfriend were here visiting his father.
We walked up through the park in the center of town. Since the weather was beautiful (again), Mark got several more photos of key spots as we strolled. We wandered to the mall next to Vivat Time, and found some more souvenirs before we walked back to Lisa’s apartment to meet up.
About to gnaw our own arms off, we bummed a snack off of Lisa before the driver and Kseniya arrived. Then we picked the girls up and drove to Amstor to get groceries. Today was Borsch Day! Kseniya had kindly agreed to come to our apartment and cook Ukrainian borsch for all of us. She also brought her DVD player so that we could let the girls watch a movie while we cooked.
We thought we were in for multiple meltdowns in Amstor; all three girls were getting a little edgy. Masha was demanding every item in the grocery store, including more fruit than anyone could possibly eat in a week. We got six apples of various colors, a bunch of bananas, an orange, and a peach. She was annoyed that I wouldn’t also buy strawberries and kiwis. We kept reminding her this was for *one afternoon,* but she was getting a little cranky, and so was Khrystyna. Even good-natured Amina was acting kinda tired, so we got through the checkout as quickly as possible, and headed back to the apartment.
Mark took the girls up in the elevator first, and Lisa, Kseniya, and I followed…we barely fit in the elevator in two groups. Mark set up the DVD player and showed Masha the videos that we had gotten for her. She was ecstatic when she saw the Barbie “Princess and the Pauper” movie that she had watched when she was in the US last summer, and she got the other girls to agree to watch it with her.
Meanwhile, Kseniya kicked it into high gear in the tiny kitchen. She found everything she was searching for, including the most bizzarre can opener I've ever seen, and she quickly had the borsch cooking. Lisa and I took detailed notes so that we can recreate it at home, and we all had a great time. The borsch was delicious! Masha, who claimed to not like borsch, ate some; Khrystyna and Amina, who claimed to like it, chose not to eat it. Hmmm…
Too soon, our time was up, and two cars were waiting outside our apartment. We dropped the girls back at the orphanage, and us at the internet café where I fixed the blog posts that were just going up as the power had gone out the other night…When we got back home, I had another bowl of borsch and went to bed.
Planning Update: We’ve learned that we cannot pick up Masha’s paperwork until Tuesday morning…we’ve been told that the last day of the 10-day waiting period must be a business day. So we’ll be leaving for the region capital on Tuesday morning and to Kiev on the train Tuesday night. Our facilitator Sasha (not Driver Sasha – it’s confusing) still thinks there’s a chance that we can get everything done in Kiev on Wednesday and get a flight on Thursday, but I’m not so sure about that….keep praying for us!
We are coming to the realization that we’ll be leaving soon, which is met with both anticipation and panic. We’re not too worried about the “We’re gonna be parents” thing…that’s settling in well. The panic is actually related to shopping for souvenirs and packing them for the trip home. The chances are good that we’ll never be in Ukraine again, so we feel compelled to bring home the entire country in our suitcases.
Mark went out first thing this morning for another pass through a shopping area near our apartment. He found several things he wanted, and at least one he didn’t! A few days ago, he purchased some small items from a shop, and as he was gesticulating wildly to communicate what he needed without actually using any words, the woman looked at him and asked “Do you speak English?” He let out a huge sigh of relief and proceeded to get what he needed.
When he returned this morning, she was ready for him. She stopped him to chat, showed photos of her son, and explained that she had taught English in a small village for 6 years until they couldn’t afford to pay her anymore. As he started to leave, she begged “Oh, don’t go! Please stay.” Thinking she was just anxious to practice her English more, he chatted a little longer…until she saw his ring and exclaimed (with great disappointment) “Oh! You are married!”
He confirmed this, and she thought for a second or two, and then asked “Well, is your wife here with you?” Umm…and that would change WHAT? My wonderful husband then bid her farwell and returned to me. We’ve all been laughing at the story all day!
At 10, our driver picked us up and drove us the short ride into the town center. He dropped us off at the café (which is called Kaba +). The waitress recognized me as soon as we walked in, and had a cappuccino on our table in very short order. We reviewed our plan for the day until a young man walked up and asked us (in English) where we were from. Turns out that he is from Ukraine, but has been living in Ireland for the past two years. He and his girlfriend were here visiting his father.We walked up through the park in the center of town. Since the weather was beautiful (again), Mark got several more photos of key spots as we strolled. We wandered to the mall next to Vivat Time, and found some more souvenirs before we walked back to Lisa’s apartment to meet up.
About to gnaw our own arms off, we bummed a snack off of Lisa before the driver and Kseniya arrived. Then we picked the girls up and drove to Amstor to get groceries. Today was Borsch Day! Kseniya had kindly agreed to come to our apartment and cook Ukrainian borsch for all of us. She also brought her DVD player so that we could let the girls watch a movie while we cooked.
We thought we were in for multiple meltdowns in Amstor; all three girls were getting a little edgy. Masha was demanding every item in the grocery store, including more fruit than anyone could possibly eat in a week. We got six apples of various colors, a bunch of bananas, an orange, and a peach. She was annoyed that I wouldn’t also buy strawberries and kiwis. We kept reminding her this was for *one afternoon,* but she was getting a little cranky, and so was Khrystyna. Even good-natured Amina was acting kinda tired, so we got through the checkout as quickly as possible, and headed back to the apartment.
Mark took the girls up in the elevator first, and Lisa, Kseniya, and I followed…we barely fit in the elevator in two groups. Mark set up the DVD player and showed Masha the videos that we had gotten for her. She was ecstatic when she saw the Barbie “Princess and the Pauper” movie that she had watched when she was in the US last summer, and she got the other girls to agree to watch it with her.
Meanwhile, Kseniya kicked it into high gear in the tiny kitchen. She found everything she was searching for, including the most bizzarre can opener I've ever seen, and she quickly had the borsch cooking. Lisa and I took detailed notes so that we can recreate it at home, and we all had a great time. The borsch was delicious! Masha, who claimed to not like borsch, ate some; Khrystyna and Amina, who claimed to like it, chose not to eat it. Hmmm…Too soon, our time was up, and two cars were waiting outside our apartment. We dropped the girls back at the orphanage, and us at the internet café where I fixed the blog posts that were just going up as the power had gone out the other night…When we got back home, I had another bowl of borsch and went to bed.
Planning Update: We’ve learned that we cannot pick up Masha’s paperwork until Tuesday morning…we’ve been told that the last day of the 10-day waiting period must be a business day. So we’ll be leaving for the region capital on Tuesday morning and to Kiev on the train Tuesday night. Our facilitator Sasha (not Driver Sasha – it’s confusing) still thinks there’s a chance that we can get everything done in Kiev on Wednesday and get a flight on Thursday, but I’m not so sure about that….keep praying for us!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Это Мама, Это Папа
Friday, 8 June
This morning, I found Nirvana. Or at least as close as possible in this town. Mark and I rode into town around 10:00 this morning, dropped a couple of things off with Lisa, and then started walking around. The plan: buy some CDs, get Mark’s watch fixed, pick up some small gift bags and cards for the gifts we need to give on Monday.
The plan was modified when we discovered a Western-style café… I knew I was missing my coffee—tea has adequately provided my daily caffeine fix—but I didn’t realize how much until I spotted the shiny Italian cappuccino maker. Turns out, this place is only about a block from Fred and Lisa’s apartment, and it’s actually the place that we went for ice cream with the girls on the first day.
As they didn’t have giant to-go cups, Mark and I sat at a tall bistro table and had breakfast! I drank the best cappuccino that I had consumed in my life; the waitress thought I was a little off when I asked for another. We also had a pastry filled with ham and cheese, and Mark had a glass pineapple juice.
Have we mentioned the juices? We had heard that fruits and juice were good here, but we quickly discovered that is an understatement. They have green apple juice that tastes just like you are biting into a crisp Granny Smith apple. And everywhere you go, they offer various sizes and flavors of juice. Adults walk down the street sucking on juice boxes. So do we, now. But I digress…
From the café, we walked the couple of blocks to the main shopping area, first visiting a CD shop that Mark had spotted on one of his many reconnaissance missions. The young man running the shop spoke a little English; we managed to go through my scary list of Russian music gleaned from the video channel and select 5 CDs that we liked and thought Masha might like as well. At $5 a piece, we will probably bring her back to select a few more.
I stopped into the internet café to send a couple of emergency emails out while Mark popped across the street to get his watch fixed, then we met back up in a small souvenir shop where we found the cutest hedgehog piggybank. I couldn’t live without it, so that went into the bag. At noon, we met up with Lisa and her driver to head to the orphanage.
As I’ve mentioned before, our time with the girls is getting a pretty routine. We picked them up, went to Vivat Time for lunch, went through some English flashcards, and then headed to Crocodile Park. Since we planned to go back to the café for ice cream after the park, the girls each got 15 grivna to spend on rides (that’s a whopping $3). Tucked behind the main ride area, the girls found a little playground enclosed by an iron fence covered in vines. It cost 1 grivna to enter, but the playground was large, and quiet.
They checked out a teeter totter and a slide you could fry an egg on before settling on a row of four swings. As they flew higher and higher, we heard them start singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in English! Lisa and I ran over and sang with them, launching into the Russian version that we learned in class. We all sang childhood songs as the girls glided back and forth on the swings, with Mark recording clips on the digital camera. The girls are really starting to open up around us.
Time finally came to leave, and the girls hit a couple of quick rides on the way out of the park. For the first time, they chose to not do the Crocodile! I’m sure that the poor crocodile lady felt sad to watch our little entourage run past without stopping. We suspect that she was counting on our support for her grandchildren’s college fund.
When we arrived at the café, the girls scarfed down their ice cream and asked for more food. Lisa had sandwiches leftover from lunch for Amina and Khrystyna, and I had an apple and some chips for Masha, and then Masha grabbed the camera to take pictures of the large fishtank in the café. She snapped a few photos, then switched to video.
Later in the evening, as we transferred the contents of the camera to the laptop and watched it all, tears of joy and laughter filled our eyes. The video clip begins with Masha introducing herself, and then walking through the café and out the doors. We giggled as she showed the car, announcing in a funny sing-song voice “Eta mya machine,” or “This is my car” and then the same for Amina and Khrystyna’s car. Then she turns toward of the café, where I’m coming out the door. “Eta Mama” as I lean toward the camera with a kissy-face. She then proceeds back inside and introduces “Papa.”
This is so special to us because, as I reported a while ago, she had been somewhat hesitating to call us “mama” and “papa.” The last couple of days, we’ve heard a couple more “ma” and “pa” from her…we’re joking that we’re Ma and Pa Kettle! We just think it’s a big step for her to see us as a natural part of her commentary!
She took quite a bit more video when we got back to the orphanage as the adults were making plans for tomorrow…there is even an interview with Vika, and then Vika took the camera and interviewed Masha. I think that Masha is destined for a career on one side or the other of a camera! We’ll try to get some of the best clips posted on YouTube after we get home…..
This morning, I found Nirvana. Or at least as close as possible in this town. Mark and I rode into town around 10:00 this morning, dropped a couple of things off with Lisa, and then started walking around. The plan: buy some CDs, get Mark’s watch fixed, pick up some small gift bags and cards for the gifts we need to give on Monday.
The plan was modified when we discovered a Western-style café… I knew I was missing my coffee—tea has adequately provided my daily caffeine fix—but I didn’t realize how much until I spotted the shiny Italian cappuccino maker. Turns out, this place is only about a block from Fred and Lisa’s apartment, and it’s actually the place that we went for ice cream with the girls on the first day.
As they didn’t have giant to-go cups, Mark and I sat at a tall bistro table and had breakfast
Have we mentioned the juices? We had heard that fruits and juice were good here, but we quickly discovered that is an understatement. They have green apple juice that tastes just like you are biting into a crisp Granny Smith apple. And everywhere you go, they offer various sizes and flavors of juice. Adults walk down the street sucking on juice boxes. So do we, now. But I digress…
From the café, we walked the couple of blocks to the main shopping area, first visiting a CD shop that Mark had spotted on one of his many reconnaissance missions. The young man running the shop spoke a little English; we managed to go through my scary list of Russian music gleaned from the video channel and select 5 CDs that we liked and thought Masha might like as well. At $5 a piece, we will probably bring her back to select a few more.
I stopped into the internet café to send a couple of emergency emails out while Mark popped across the street to get his watch fixed, then we met back up in a small souvenir shop where we found the cutest hedgehog piggybank. I couldn’t live without it, so that went into the bag. At noon, we met up with Lisa and her driver to head to the orphanage.
As I’ve mentioned before, our time with the girls is getting a pretty routine. We picked them up, went to Vivat Time for lunch, went through some English flashcards, and then headed to Crocodile Park. Since we planned to go back to the café for ice cream after the park, the girls each got 15 grivna to spend on rides (that’s a whopping $3). Tucked behind the main ride area, the girls found a little playground enclosed by an iron fence covered in vines. It cost 1 grivna to enter, but the playground was large, and quiet. 
They checked out a teeter totter and a slide you could fry an egg on before settling on a row of four swings. As they flew higher and higher, we heard them start singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in English! Lisa and I ran over and sang with them, launching into the Russian version that we learned in class. We all sang childhood songs as the girls glided back and forth on the swings, with Mark recording clips on the digital camera. The girls are really starting to open up around us.Time finally came to leave, and the girls hit a couple of quick rides on the way out of the park. For the first time, they chose to not do the Crocodile! I’m sure that the poor crocodile lady felt sad to watch our little entourage run past without stopping. We suspect that she was counting on our support for her grandchildren’s college fund.
When we arrived at the café, the girls scarfed down their ice cream and asked for more food. Lisa had sandwiches leftover from lunch for Amina and Khrystyna, and I had an apple and some chips for Masha, and then Masha grabbed the camera to take pictures of the large fishtank in the café. She snapped a few photos, then switched to video.Later in the evening, as we transferred the contents of the camera to the laptop and watched it all, tears of joy and laughter filled our eyes. The video clip begins with Masha introducing herself, and then walking through the café and out the doors. We giggled as she showed the car, announcing in a funny sing-song voice “Eta mya machine,” or “This is my car” and then the same for Amina and Khrystyna’s car. Then she turns toward of the café, where I’m coming out the door. “Eta Mama” as I lean toward the camera with a kissy-face. She then proceeds back inside and introduces “Papa.”
This is so special to us because, as I reported a while ago, she had been somewhat hesitating to call us “mama” and “papa.” The last couple of days, we’ve heard a couple more “ma” and “pa” from her…we’re joking that we’re Ma and Pa Kettle! We just think it’s a big step for her to see us as a natural part of her commentary!She took quite a bit more video when we got back to the orphanage as the adults were making plans for tomorrow…there is even an interview with Vika, and then Vika took the camera and interviewed Masha. I think that Masha is destined for a career on one side or the other of a camera! We’ll try to get some of the best clips posted on YouTube after we get home…..
The Night The Lights Went Out In Com.bat
Thursday, 7 June
The cries of a thousand warriors filled the air as darkness enveloped their underground lair. OK, so it was more like about 40 teenage boys hollering when the power went out at Com.bat, the internet café we’ve been frequenting. The first version is so much more poetic, dontcha think?
Today’s internet time was nearing its end. Lisa was copying some photos, and I had just finished uploading the last couple of days’ posts (I hope), and I was preparing the email for distribution to y’all when, in an instant, the room went dark. Gone were the sounds of fans from 45 computers; once the initial moments of shock wore off, the boys began to quietly congregate around the front desk. Our laptop screens and provided the only illumination; and we got the heck outta Dodge before chaos erupted.
Other than that, the day was uneventful. Sasha, the leader of our facilitation team, was in town for a short time today…he arrived on the overnight train from Kiev this morning, and was out again with Fred on the 7:15 train to Kiev. We spent an hour at the notary getting Masha’s passport application completed, and spent a couple hours playing with the kids at the orphanage and then caught some dinner with Lisa before we all headed to the internet café.
We had been talking about sending the girls around the orphanage with the camera, and today it happened. The girls took the camera upstairs and got some photos of their rooms. Their group occupies two large rooms on the second floor of the orphanage. The girls posed in their beds, and we learned that Amina and Masha are bunkmates…Amina on top and Masha on the bottom bunk! They also have a study area with desks, a living room area with a pet bird, and of course Masha posed with her “best friend,” the big TV! We again were impressed with the quality of conditions at this orphanage, and we are thankful to the Director and her staff for taking such good care of all the children there.
Our patience and flexibility (and my snack supply) was tested again today, though. We spoke with Sasha at about 8:30, and he was on his way into town. He told us that we would need to do some paperwork today. We told him that we had an appointment with an artist at 1:00 and planned to go pick up Masha at 2:00, and he said “great. Good to know.” And that was the end of the conversation. He did not tell us when he needed us, or what specifically he needed us to do. We got about 30 minutes’ notice that our driver would be picking us up at 2:00 and taking us to the notary.
The only snag in this plan was that we were planning to take Masha to LUNCH at 2:00. We didn’t get out of the Notary until after 3:00, and then we needed to wait there for Sasha. Needless to say, we didn’t get food until about 5:30 (Masha ate at the orphanage). It’s times like this that remind us that this is NOT a vacation. We are here to accomplish an objective, and we are not in control of any of the activities. We have to trust our facilitation team, know that they are as motivated as us to get us out of here, and follow their lead. And I’m sure you can imagine how tough that is for both of us!
We also learned that we can’t leave the city with Masha until Tuesday morning, but Sasha believes that we may still be able to get home on Thursday. We won’t know until the middle of next week, but let’s all pray that everything goes quickly and smoothly and that we can get flights.
The cries of a thousand warriors filled the air as darkness enveloped their underground lair. OK, so it was more like about 40 teenage boys hollering when the power went out at Com.bat, the internet café we’ve been frequenting. The first version is so much more poetic, dontcha think?
Today’s internet time was nearing its end. Lisa was copying some photos, and I had just finished uploading the last couple of days’ posts (I hope), and I was preparing the email for distribution to y’all when, in an instant, the room went dark. Gone were the sounds of fans from 45 computers; once the initial moments of shock wore off, the boys began to quietly congregate around the front desk. Our laptop screens and provided the only illumination; and we got the heck outta Dodge before chaos erupted.
Other than that, the day was uneventful. Sasha, the leader of our facilitation team, was in town for a short time today…he arrived on the overnight train from Kiev this morning, and was out again with Fred on the 7:15 train to Kiev. We spent an hour at the notary getting Masha’s passport application completed, and spent a couple hours playing with the kids at the orphanage and then caught some dinner with Lisa before we all headed to the internet café.
We had been talking about sending the girls around the orphanage with the camera, and today it happened. The girls took the camera upstairs and got some photos of their rooms. Their group occupies two large rooms on the second floor of the orphanage. The girls posed in their beds, and we learned that Amina and Masha are bunkmates…Amina on top and Masha on the bottom bunk! They also have a study area with desks, a living room area with a pet bird, and of course Masha posed with her “best friend,” the big TV! We again were impressed with the quality of conditions at this orphanage, and we are thankful to the Director and her staff for taking such good care of all the children there.
Our patience and flexibility (and my snack supply) was tested again today, though. We spoke with Sasha at about 8:30, and he was on his way into town. He told us that we would need to do some paperwork today. We told him that we had an appointment with an artist at 1:00 and planned to go pick up Masha at 2:00, and he said “great. Good to know.” And that was the end of the conversation. He did not tell us when he needed us, or what specifically he needed us to do. We got about 30 minutes’ notice that our driver would be picking us up at 2:00 and taking us to the notary. 
The only snag in this plan was that we were planning to take Masha to LUNCH at 2:00. We didn’t get out of the Notary until after 3:00, and then we needed to wait there for Sasha. Needless to say, we didn’t get food until about 5:30 (Masha ate at the orphanage). It’s times like this that remind us that this is NOT a vacation. We are here to accomplish an objective, and we are not in control of any of the activities. We have to trust our facilitation team, know that they are as motivated as us to get us out of here, and follow their lead. And I’m sure you can imagine how tough that is for both of us!We also learned that we can’t leave the city with Masha until Tuesday morning, but Sasha believes that we may still be able to get home on Thursday. We won’t know until the middle of next week, but let’s all pray that everything goes quickly and smoothly and that we can get flights.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Little Top
Wednesday, 6 June
It dawned on us this morning that our time in Ukraine is almost over; we only have five more days in town. On Monday morning, our 10-day waiting period will be over, and the court decree for our adoption will be final. We will be able to pick up all the court documents and then go to the orphanage and pick up our daughter!!!
From there, we will drive to the capital of the region to get Masha’s new birth certificate and passport, and she will officially be Maria Elizabeth Niles. We hope to get this completed on Monday so that we can take the train Monday night back to Kiev. In Kiev, Masha will have to have a medical exam and get some vaccinations required by US Immigration. Then we meet with the US Embassy to get her visa paperwork (usually a 1-2 day process) and then we board the plane home….
Please pray that we can get a flight on Friday or Saturday of next week, and that the fares are the same! Fred is heading back to the US tomorrow, and the first flight he tried to book for his return came up $1000 more than the ticket he was holding. He found a different flight that was only $200 more, but on top of change feed, that adds up. Further, we have to buy a new ticket for Masha for the same flights as well.
These are the things that are consuming our thoughts now…on one hand, our facilitator has everything under control and we don’t have to worry about anything, but on the other, there are a couple of final things that we DO have to worry about (like booking flights and packing and making sure we’ve purchased all the souvenirs that one could ever want) and we’re starting to get a little anxious.
This morning, we walked to a bookstore near our apartment and bought some more books for Masha, and a couple for me. I found a book of Russian tales, including Repka, a story I learned in Russian class about a very large turnip! I’m sure Masha will not be amused at my attempts to tell it….She is learning the English word for “embarrassed,” and she has mastered the teenage eye-roll.
We met up with Fred and Lisa and picked the girls up a little after noon for lunch and a walk in the park. We repeated the 20 grivna exercise; they could choose among two different bouncy-rides, ice cream, and an assortment toys from a street vendor. They ran past the vendor and straight to the bouncy ride. After some discussion, they decided to do the shorter, less expensive ride…a giant inflatable slide. These Ukrainians sure like their inflatable bouncy things!
When time was up, the girls hopped off and each bought an ice cream and then wandered over to the street vendor. They inspected the various toys hanging from his stand, asking how much each one cost. In the end, all three girls concluded that they would prefer to do another bouncy ride, and they left the stand empty-handed. Each ended the afternoon with 2-3 grivna left, which we all promised to hold for them.
We returned the tired girls to the orphanage early so they could rest up before the circus. We are finding that as the days wear on, they tire a little more quickly—I suspect that the stress of an unfamiliar routine and anxiety over the unknown of their new lives is wearing on them even more than it is us.
After we dropped the girls, Fred and Lisa piled into our car, and our driver Sasha took us to the circus grounds to buy tickets, then to Amstor for a couple of things…once we got in the store, we realized we could only get a couple things; both families were running VERY low on cash after the circus tickets. We all ended up borrowing from the kids’ leftover money to cover us at the checkout! DOH!
From Amstor, we stopped by our apartment to put a couple groceries in the refrigerator and pick up some more cash, then on to Fred and Lisa’s to do the same. From their place, we walked across the street to a bank to exchange money before they closed. Lisa also tried out an ATM (Bankomat), and found it worked great. It allowed her to choose English, and gave her money in grivnas.
We have noticed that there are ATMs on practically every block here, so running out of money is not as terrifying as we had anticipated. Most stores, though, do NOT take credit cards….if you’re coming, be prepared to carry cash and exchange money often!
We hung out for a little longer until Sasha picked us all back up and headed back to the orphanage. There, we met back up with Fred and Lisa’s driver, Kseniya, and the girls. Masha popped out in the same tiny top and shorts that she had been wearing earlier, so Mom and Kseniya suggested that she change into something with a little more fabric for the evening! I can’t wait until I have more input into the clothing options. I have no illusion that I can totally control what she wears, but I certainly hope to convey the message of what’s an appropriate choice and what is not!
At about 5:30, we were off, and 10 minutes later, we pulled up to the circus tent. Unlike Monday, people swarmed the field. Performers had little stands set up to sell trinkets, and the aerialist couple had a large swing suspended from the peak of the Little Top. For 5 grivna, kids could ride up to the top of the tent and back down.
The girls all bought little balls on rubber bands, and a little light-up thing. It’s interesting to watch them all discuss amongst themselves and agree on what will be purchased, and then all get the same thing…they are very good at reaching agreements, but they don’t seem to realize that buying different things (or riding different rides) is even an option. They are sticking together!
Before we knew it, the show began. Masha asked to use the camera, and after a quick explanation from Kseniya, was swapping deftly between still photos and video mode. She filled up two 2GB memory cards before the show was over, and caught some decent video of several acts!
First to take the stage was the aerialist couple. Though not Cirque du Soleil, they were pretty entertaining. There was also an illusionist and a clown with a monkey (yes, Steve, we got video this time!). The girls had a great time, and were pretty interested in the whole show.
Our thoughts….If we heard a news report next week that the tent collapsed in horrible flames, we would say “yeah, that seems about right.” Not that we want anything to happen, but the whole place seemed to be an accident waiting to happen. A 4-year old child was able to shake the whole structure by swinging on a support post; a performer dumped broken glass all over the ground early in the performance, and the finale “spinning chamber of flames” looked about to topple over. The butane fumes from all the fire acts quickly filled our nostrils, and we were coated with dust before the show began. It’s how we would imagine a traveling circus from the 1940s.
Fun was had by all, but by the middle of the first act, all stomachs were rumbling. At intermission, we discovered that the only concession was a popcorn stand, which did nothing to satisfy our hunger. I produced an apple and a bag of chips from the Magic Mom Bag which kept Masha from dying of starvation (or so she says).
Ukrainians eat their main meal of the day at lunch, so most of the cafeterias do not keep food available late in the evening, and people tend to meet for drinks and light snacks rather than a heavy dinner late in the evening. Kseniya arranged for us to stop at a pizzeria on the way back to the orphanage, since it was about the only place we could be assured of getting food. We were all so tired that we almost collapsed on our plates, but Masha was also so hungry that she decided she wanted pizza and a salad. We ate pretty quietly, and then returned the girls to the orphanage WAY past their curfew! Advice to anyone who has the opportunity to take the kids to the circus…eat first!
It dawned on us this morning that our time in Ukraine is almost over; we only have five more days in town. On Monday morning, our 10-day waiting period will be over, and the court decree for our adoption will be final. We will be able to pick up all the court documents and then go to the orphanage and pick up our daughter!!!
From there, we will drive to the capital of the region to get Masha’s new birth certificate and passport, and she will officially be Maria Elizabeth Niles. We hope to get this completed on Monday so that we can take the train Monday night back to Kiev. In Kiev, Masha will have to have a medical exam and get some vaccinations required by US Immigration. Then we meet with the US Embassy to get her visa paperwork (usually a 1-2 day process) and then we board the plane home….
Please pray that we can get a flight on Friday or Saturday of next week, and that the fares are the same! Fred is heading back to the US tomorrow, and the first flight he tried to book for his return came up $1000 more than the ticket he was holding. He found a different flight that was only $200 more, but on top of change feed, that adds up. Further, we have to buy a new ticket for Masha for the same flights as well.
These are the things that are consuming our thoughts now…on one hand, our facilitator has everything under control and we don’t have to worry about anything, but on the other, there are a couple of final things that we DO have to worry about (like booking flights and packing and making sure we’ve purchased all the souvenirs that one could ever want) and we’re starting to get a little anxious.
This morning, we walked to a bookstore near our apartment and bought some more books for Masha, and a couple for me. I found a book of Russian tales, including Repka, a story I learned in Russian class about a very large turnip! I’m sure Masha will not be amused at my attempts to tell it….She is learning the English word for “embarrassed,” and she has mastered the teenage eye-roll.
We met up with Fred and Lisa and picked the girls up a little after noon for lunch and a walk in the park. We repeated the 20 grivna exercise; they could choose among two different bouncy-rides, ice cream, and an assortment toys from a street vendor. They ran past the vendor and straight to the bouncy ride. After some discussion, they decided to do the shorter, less expensive ride…a giant inflatable slide. These Ukrainians sure like their inflatable bouncy things!
When time was up, the girls hopped off and each bought an ice cream and then wandered over to the street vendor. They inspected the various toys hanging from his stand, asking how much each one cost. In the end, all three girls concluded that they would prefer to do another bouncy ride, and they left the stand empty-handed. Each ended the afternoon with 2-3 grivna left, which we all promised to hold for them.We returned the tired girls to the orphanage early so they could rest up before the circus. We are finding that as the days wear on, they tire a little more quickly—I suspect that the stress of an unfamiliar routine and anxiety over the unknown of their new lives is wearing on them even more than it is us.
After we dropped the girls, Fred and Lisa piled into our car, and our driver Sasha took us to the circus grounds to buy tickets, then to Amstor for a couple of things…once we got in the store, we realized we could only get a couple things; both families were running VERY low on cash after the circus tickets. We all ended up borrowing from the kids’ leftover money to cover us at the checkout! DOH!
From Amstor, we stopped by our apartment to put a couple groceries in the refrigerator and pick up some more cash, then on to Fred and Lisa’s to do the same. From their place, we walked across the street to a bank to exchange money before they closed. Lisa also tried out an ATM (Bankomat), and found it worked great. It allowed her to choose English, and gave her money in grivnas.
We have noticed that there are ATMs on practically every block here, so running out of money is not as terrifying as we had anticipated. Most stores, though, do NOT take credit cards….if you’re coming, be prepared to carry cash and exchange money often!
We hung out for a little longer until Sasha picked us all back up and headed back to the orphanage. There, we met back up with Fred and Lisa’s driver, Kseniya, and the girls. Masha popped out in the same tiny top and shorts that she had been wearing earlier, so Mom and Kseniya suggested that she change into something with a little more fabric for the evening! I can’t wait until I have more input into the clothing options. I have no illusion that I can totally control what she wears, but I certainly hope to convey the message of what’s an appropriate choice and what is not!
At about 5:30, we were off, and 10 minutes later, we pulled up to the circus tent. Unlike Monday, people swarmed the field. Performers had little stands set up to sell trinkets, and the aerialist couple had a large swing suspended from the peak of the Little Top. For 5 grivna, kids could ride up to the top of the tent and back down.The girls all bought little balls on rubber bands, and a little light-up thing. It’s interesting to watch them all discuss amongst themselves and agree on what will be purchased, and then all get the same thing…they are very good at reaching agreements, but they don’t seem to realize that buying different things (or riding different rides) is even an option. They are sticking together!
Before we knew it, the show began. Masha asked to use the camera, and after a quick explanation from Kseniya, was swapping deftly between still photos and video mode. She filled up two 2GB memory cards before the show was over, and caught some decent video of several acts!
First to take the stage was the aerialist couple. Though not Cirque du Soleil, they were pretty entertaining. There was also an illusionist and a clown with a monkey (yes, Steve, we got video this time!). The girls had a great time, and were pretty interested in the whole show.
Our thoughts….If we heard a news report next week that the tent collapsed in horrible flames, we would say “yeah, that seems about right.” Not that we want anything to happen, but the whole place seemed to be an accident waiting to happen. A 4-year old child was able to shake the whole structure by swinging on a support post; a performer dumped broken glass all over the ground early in the performance, and the finale “spinning chamber of flames” looked about to topple over. The butane fumes from all the fire acts quickly filled our nostrils, and we were coated with dust before the show began. It’s how we would imagine a traveling circus from the 1940s.Fun was had by all, but by the middle of the first act, all stomachs were rumbling. At intermission, we discovered that the only concession was a popcorn stand, which did nothing to satisfy our hunger. I produced an apple and a bag of chips from the Magic Mom Bag which kept Masha from dying of starvation (or so she says).
Ukrainians eat their main meal of the day at lunch, so most of the cafeterias do not keep food available late in the evening, and people tend to meet for drinks and light snacks rather than a heavy dinner late in the evening. Kseniya arranged for us to stop at a pizzeria on the way back to the orphanage, since it was about the only place we could be assured of getting food. We were all so tired that we almost collapsed on our plates, but Masha was also so hungry that she decided she wanted pizza and a salad. We ate pretty quietly, and then returned the girls to the orphanage WAY past their curfew! Advice to anyone who has the opportunity to take the kids to the circus…eat first!
Garbage Day
Tuesday, 5 June
This morning, we witnessed one of the strangest aspects of Ukrainian culture we’ve seen to date. There are no dumpsters in/around our apartment building, and it took us some time (and some interesting conversations) to figure out where to throw out our garbage. We finally found that in each stairwell, there is a chute, down which the garbage can be flung. This chute is not quite wide enough for a pizza box, we learned, and on our floor, there is a “pusher” for garbage that gets stuck.
Until today, we had no concept of what happened to the garbage once it was ingested by the Chute. Based on the recent smell in the stairwell, we suspected that it sat at the bottom until even the plastic decomposed. But today, we saw The Garbage Truck.
An orange and white truck appearing to date from Soviet times appeared below our apartment this morning, its top a gaping mouth awaiting a hearty meal of food scraps, used tissues, beer bottles and pizza boxes. The truck was equipped with a hydraulic “ladle” that extended from its underbelly to the service door at the bottom of the stairwell.
At each stop (four in our building), a Refuse Collection Professional opens the service door and begins to scoop. Yes, I said scoop. We watched him alternate between a cardboard box and a rusty metal washbucket, shoveling garbage out of the Chute and into the truck’s bucket. Once all the debris was removed, the Refuse Vehicle Operator engaged the hydraulics, and the arm raised the bucket high above the gaping mouth, and then tipped to empty into the hungry hole as the truck slowly crept to the next stairwell.
Our apartment is on the 8th floor, and we could smell it all happening.
Nothing could top this for excitement, but it was a good day. We met up with Fred and Lisa and their girls and went to Amstor for lunch, where the girls discovered the video department, and excitedly inspected the titles available for Mom and Dad to say “Nyet” to. Then on to the Crocodile Park for a couple of hours.
The weather has now improved to “Perfect.” It was sunny and mid-70s, so we decided to spend 2 ½ hours in the park. Up until today, every time we’ve come to the park, we’ve been challenged with the girls asking to go on ride after ride, and for treat after treat. Today, we had a “parent conference” as we arrived at the park, and decided that it was time for a lesson in responsibility. We gave each of the girls 20 grivna (that’s about $4) and explained that they could decide how to spend it, but that was all for today, and it had to cover rides and treats.
They looked at each other and then began to strategize. We were a little concerned that Khrystyna, being the youngest and a little scattered, might immediately lose her money. But we were happy to be wrong about that. They were all exceptionally responsible, they budgeted their money, rode the rides they all agreed on, and handed their valuables to the Dads when they got on the Crocodile.
They had enough left over to get the ice creams that they wanted (and a couple of lollipops, too), and then they asked to go to the playground for the last hour because they were out of money. No begging for more, no “Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassse,” no eyelash batting. It was a resounding success, and it gives us great hope for the future.
One other item of note: when Lisa was running all three girls through flash cards at lunch and again at snack time, Masha was on top of them! And then while we were on the playground, Masha and Khrystyna were both swinging and they started hollering at each other “Crazy Khrystyna!” “Crazy, crazy Masha!” and then started calling each other various animal names…in English! “Cow Khrystyna…Pig Khrystyna…horse, dog, cat, ELEPHANT KHRYSTYNA!” Masha was rattling off more English than we had heard since the beginning of the trip, and both girls were laughing and having a ball! There’s a lot more in there than anyone suspected…
We’re finding through our recent park adventures is that the girls actually do better with us and with using their English when we do not have a translator with us. Necessity brings it out; when a translator is present, the girls gravitate toward her and are not inclined to make the effort to communicate directly with us. Although the first couple of visit on our own were a little challenging, all the girls seem to be relating much better to us as parents when we don’t have a translator around.
Further, both Masha and Amina have shown some concern about learning English, but the past few days have also done a lot to increase their confidence. They are learning a lot, and will learn much more once they are in America. They are like little sponges!
Around 4:00, we headed back, dropped the girls off, and then spent an hour in the internet café before returning home. Mark walked to the store while I read a bit, and then we had dinner and watched a movie. Have I mentioned that we watch a lot of movies? :-)
This morning, we witnessed one of the strangest aspects of Ukrainian culture we’ve seen to date. There are no dumpsters in/around our apartment building, and it took us some time (and some interesting conversations) to figure out where to throw out our garbage. We finally found that in each stairwell, there is a chute, down which the garbage can be flung. This chute is not quite wide enough for a pizza box, we learned, and on our floor, there is a “pusher” for garbage that gets stuck.
Until today, we had no concept of what happened to the garbage once it was ingested by the Chute. Based on the recent smell in the stairwell, we suspected that it sat at the bottom until even the plastic decomposed. But today, we saw The Garbage Truck.
An orange and white truck appearing to date from Soviet times appeared below our apartment this morning, its top a gaping mouth awaiting a hearty meal of food scraps, used tissues, beer bottles and pizza boxes. The truck was equipped with a hydraulic “ladle” that extended from its underbelly to the service door at the bottom of the stairwell.At each stop (four in our building), a Refuse Collection Professional opens the service door and begins to scoop. Yes, I said scoop. We watched him alternate between a cardboard box and a rusty metal washbucket, shoveling garbage out of the Chute and into the truck’s bucket. Once all the debris was removed, the Refuse Vehicle Operator engaged the hydraulics, and the arm raised the bucket high above the gaping mouth, and then tipped to empty into the hungry hole as the truck slowly crept to the next stairwell.
Our apartment is on the 8th floor, and we could smell it all happening.
Nothing could top this for excitement, but it was a good day. We met up with Fred and Lisa and their girls and went to Amstor for lunch, where the girls discovered the video department, and excitedly inspected the titles available for Mom and Dad to say “Nyet” to. Then on to the Crocodile Park for a couple of hours.The weather has now improved to “Perfect.” It was sunny and mid-70s, so we decided to spend 2 ½ hours in the park. Up until today, every time we’ve come to the park, we’ve been challenged with the girls asking to go on ride after ride, and for treat after treat. Today, we had a “parent conference” as we arrived at the park, and decided that it was time for a lesson in responsibility. We gave each of the girls 20 grivna (that’s about $4) and explained that they could decide how to spend it, but that was all for today, and it had to cover rides and treats.
They looked at each other and then began to strategize. We were a little concerned that Khrystyna, being the youngest and a little scattered, might immediately lose her money. But we were happy to be wrong about that. They were all exceptionally responsible, they budgeted their money, rode the rides they all agreed on, and handed their valuables to the Dads when they got on the Crocodile.They had enough left over to get the ice creams that they wanted (and a couple of lollipops, too), and then they asked to go to the playground for the last hour because they were out of money. No begging for more, no “Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassse,” no eyelash batting. It was a resounding success, and it gives us great hope for the future.
One other item of note: when Lisa was running all three girls through flash cards at lunch and again at snack time, Masha was on top of them! And then while we were on the playground, Masha and Khrystyna were both swinging and they started hollering at each other “Crazy Khrystyna!” “Crazy, crazy Masha!” and then started calling each other various animal names…in English! “Cow Khrystyna…Pig Khrystyna…horse, dog, cat, ELEPHANT KHRYSTYNA!” Masha was rattling off more English than we had heard since the beginning of the trip, and both girls were laughing and having a ball! There’s a lot more in there than anyone suspected…We’re finding through our recent park adventures is that the girls actually do better with us and with using their English when we do not have a translator with us. Necessity brings it out; when a translator is present, the girls gravitate toward her and are not inclined to make the effort to communicate directly with us. Although the first couple of visit on our own were a little challenging, all the girls seem to be relating much better to us as parents when we don’t have a translator around.
Further, both Masha and Amina have shown some concern about learning English, but the past few days have also done a lot to increase their confidence. They are learning a lot, and will learn much more once they are in America. They are like little sponges!
Around 4:00, we headed back, dropped the girls off, and then spent an hour in the internet café before returning home. Mark walked to the store while I read a bit, and then we had dinner and watched a movie. Have I mentioned that we watch a lot of movies? :-)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Um…
Monday, 4 June
I spoke too soon about the rain. And the heat. And if there’s not much to do except go to the park on days that are hot and sunny, there’s even less when it’s cold and rainy.
We spent another quiet morning reading, writing, going through photos. We received calls from both Sveta and Kseniya to coordinate our driver to pick us up at noon, but when noon rolled around, there was no driver. At about 12:15, Kseniya called to tell us that they couldn’t find our driver and that they were looking for another driver to cover for us.
Fortunately, Kseniya has a friend who drives a taxi, and he was able to fill in. He arrived about 12:45, with instructions to take us to exchange money and then to the orphanage. When we got in, he asked us how much we needed to exchange, and I scrambled to remember the word for $200 (advice when coming to Ukraine…learn numbers in Russian!!!). He chattered on for a minute, and I figured out that he was making sure we all agreed that the exchange rate of 5 grivna to a dollar was current and fair, and then he whipped out 1000 grivna and handed it to me, while careening around the town center. With a bit of surprise, Mark fished out $200, and Oleg proved that efficiency is known to *some* in Ukraine!
When we arrived at the orphanage, Kseniya asked us to wait in the Room of the Loud Bird, and Masha appeared a few seconds later. We were told that the Director wanted to speak with us (which was good because we wanted to speak with her, too), so while we waited for her, we pulled out the laptop and showed Masha through some of the photos from the past few days. When we were called in, we left Masha on the couch with it.
We came back out about 30 minutes later, and Amina had arrived. They had pulled up an MP3 player application, but hadn’t yet found the play button. By the time we emerged from the psychologist’s office after half hour, the girls had gotten a DVD from upstairs and were watching that. They popped it out, and Amina scrambled back upstairs when we announced it was finally time to leave for lunch.
For the entirety of the hosting time last summer, Masha called us Mark and Christine. Since we’ve been here, she’s still called us Mark and Christine, but she’s also been calling us “Um.” Kind of like when you first get married and you’re not entirely sure what to call your in-laws, we’re hearing a hesitance from her…. “do I call them Mom and Dad, or Mark and Christine? I am not sure. I think I will call them Um.” We are referring to ourselves as Mama and Papa, but not forcing the issue. So when we took Masha for a quick, uneventful cafeteria lunch, I was encouraged that she called me “Ma” when she offered me a bite of her ham salad. At least, I hope it was “Ma” and not a dyslexic “Um.”
After lunch, we took Masha back to the orphanage and made arrangements to return at 5:00; we had received special permission to take the girls to the circus that night to celebrate Fred and Lisa’s successful court hearing! We all piled into the cars and headed through an unfamiliar part of town to the circus venue. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was certainly not the Memorial Coliseum! It wasn’t even a Big Top…is was more like a Small Top.
Perched on a knoll beside the streetcar tracks, between two high-rise apartment buildings, was a bright orange and yellow tent. A few small trailers dotted the lot behind the tent, and a muddy trail led to the ticket booth that sat in front. We were a bit early, but no people could be seen on the grounds. The girls rushed ahead, and were deep in conference when Kseniya announced to us that there was no circus performance tonight. Uh oh.
She promised the girls that we could all go on Wednesday when shows resumed. We were amazed that they all handled this news quite well, shifted gears, and asked to go to the park. Despite the fact that it was in the low 60s, overcast, and sprinkling rain off and on, we agreed. The girls were so happy just to be together again that they were all in great spirits, even when we arrived and announced that none of the park rides were running. They just raced off to the playground and had a grand time.
At one point, Masha came up to me and asked “I want to bubble gum.” She got the requested gum and a huge hug along with “Good English!” from me! Right now, it’s the effort that gets the reward…we’ll worry about correcting her later!!!
We returned them late and tired to the orphanage, and we headed home. Quick stop at the grocery for a couple things, and we were in for the night.
On a side note, our meetings with the Director and Psychologist were very good. We talked a lot about Masha’s recent moods. They agree that she is afraid of coming to the US, but that she still loves us very much and wants to go with us. Both meetings were very informative, and we learned a lot about how to tailor our efforts when we get back home. We talked with the psychologist about some very concrete strategies to help her adjust, to build trust, and to motivate and encourage her. It’s also very interesting to compare her personality traits and coping styles to our own; God knew what he was doing when he put us all together, and she is definitely our daughter!!!
I spoke too soon about the rain. And the heat. And if there’s not much to do except go to the park on days that are hot and sunny, there’s even less when it’s cold and rainy.
We spent another quiet morning reading, writing, going through photos. We received calls from both Sveta and Kseniya to coordinate our driver to pick us up at noon, but when noon rolled around, there was no driver. At about 12:15, Kseniya called to tell us that they couldn’t find our driver and that they were looking for another driver to cover for us.
Fortunately, Kseniya has a friend who drives a taxi, and he was able to fill in. He arrived about 12:45, with instructions to take us to exchange money and then to the orphanage. When we got in, he asked us how much we needed to exchange, and I scrambled to remember the word for $200 (advice when coming to Ukraine…learn numbers in Russian!!!). He chattered on for a minute, and I figured out that he was making sure we all agreed that the exchange rate of 5 grivna to a dollar was current and fair, and then he whipped out 1000 grivna and handed it to me, while careening around the town center. With a bit of surprise, Mark fished out $200, and Oleg proved that efficiency is known to *some* in Ukraine!
When we arrived at the orphanage, Kseniya asked us to wait in the Room of the Loud Bird, and Masha appeared a few seconds later. We were told that the Director wanted to speak with us (which was good because we wanted to speak with her, too), so while we waited for her, we pulled out the laptop and showed Masha through some of the photos from the past few days. When we were called in, we left Masha on the couch with it.We came back out about 30 minutes later, and Amina had arrived. They had pulled up an MP3 player application, but hadn’t yet found the play button. By the time we emerged from the psychologist’s office after half hour, the girls had gotten a DVD from upstairs and were watching that. They popped it out, and Amina scrambled back upstairs when we announced it was finally time to leave for lunch.
For the entirety of the hosting time last summer, Masha called us Mark and Christine. Since we’ve been here, she’s still called us Mark and Christine, but she’s also been calling us “Um.” Kind of like when you first get married and you’re not entirely sure what to call your in-laws, we’re hearing a hesitance from her…. “do I call them Mom and Dad, or Mark and Christine? I am not sure. I think I will call them Um.” We are referring to ourselves as Mama and Papa, but not forcing the issue. So when we took Masha for a quick, uneventful cafeteria lunch, I was encouraged that she called me “Ma” when she offered me a bite of her ham salad. At least, I hope it was “Ma” and not a dyslexic “Um.”
After lunch, we took Masha back to the orphanage and made arrangements to return at 5:00; we had received special permission to take the girls to the circus that night to celebrate Fred and Lisa’s successful court hearing! We all piled into the cars and headed through an unfamiliar part of town to the circus venue. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was certainly not the Memorial Coliseum! It wasn’t even a Big Top…is was more like a Small Top.
Perched on a knoll beside the streetcar tracks, between two high-rise apartment buildings, was a bright orange and yellow tent. A few small trailers dotted the lot behind the tent, and a muddy trail led to the ticket booth that sat in front. We were a bit early, but no people could be seen on the grounds. The girls rushed ahead, and were deep in conference when Kseniya announced to us that there was no circus performance tonight. Uh oh.
She promised the girls that we could all go on Wednesday when shows resumed. We were amazed that they all handled this news quite well, shifted gears, and asked to go to the park. Despite the fact that it was in the low 60s, overcast, and sprinkling rain off and on, we agreed. The girls were so happy just to be together again that they were all in great spirits, even when we arrived and announced that none of the park rides were running. They just raced off to the playground and had a grand time.
At one point, Masha came up to me and asked “I want to bubble gum.” She got the requested gum and a huge hug along with “Good English!” from me! Right now, it’s the effort that gets the reward…we’ll worry about correcting her later!!!We returned them late and tired to the orphanage, and we headed home. Quick stop at the grocery for a couple things, and we were in for the night.
On a side note, our meetings with the Director and Psychologist were very good. We talked a lot about Masha’s recent moods. They agree that she is afraid of coming to the US, but that she still loves us very much and wants to go with us. Both meetings were very informative, and we learned a lot about how to tailor our efforts when we get back home. We talked with the psychologist about some very concrete strategies to help her adjust, to build trust, and to motivate and encourage her. It’s also very interesting to compare her personality traits and coping styles to our own; God knew what he was doing when he put us all together, and she is definitely our daughter!!!
Extreme Day
Sunday, 3 June
For the first time since we landed in Ukraine, I uttered the words “I’m cold.” Outside.
The day dawned with the promise of sun and heat; I dressed as usual in lightweight capris and a camisole, knowing that we would be outside most of the day; I gave up carrying the contingency sweatshirt weeks ago. But clouds began to form late in the morning.
We picked Masha up at 11:20, and sat on a park bench outside the orphanage to share with her the plans for the next couple of weeks so she would know what to expect. We explained that a week from tomorrow, we would leave the orphanage and travel to the capital of the region, and then on to Kiev. We told her that she would be able to write letters and call her friends, but that she needed to spend some with them this week.
We also explained about the baby shower that we had before we came to Ukraine, and that there were some special gifts for her that we had brought with us, and that she would receive when she gets home. We wanted her to understand that these gifts were special, welcoming her to our family, and also that she wouldn’t be receiving gifts like this every day.
We could sense that Masha had reached her limit for this conversation; she acknowledged that she understood everything, and that she had no questions. We are learning that she is not afraid of being honest with us about her feelings, though…when Kseniya asked if she as excited about coming to the US, she said “no, not really.” She realizes that she is going to be leaving everything she knows, and moving into a culture that is totally different, where she doesn’t know what’s appropriate or expected behavior and she doesn’t understand or speak the language, and she realizes that it’s not going to be like last summer’s holiday where we were always doing something fun. But she still knows that she wants to come with us and be part of our family.
While this isn’t the storybook scene that we had imagined, the three of us holding hands and skipping onto the plane, it’s honest. It’s true. It’s the reality of messy and conflicting human emotions that each of us experience, but that we often try to hide. My heart goes out to her as she works through everything that’s going on inside her. I love her more for her openness.
After the talk, we went to a bookstore to let her choose some Russian books that she would like to bring back to America, and then we went to a pizzeria for lunch. At one point, I commented that we wanted her to be happy, and she replied “I can’t be happy all the time.” We found this to be a very mature and honest evaluation of life.
The happiness came, though, when we hopped in the car and headed to Extreme Park. Masha lit up, choosing rides and buying tickets. She began using more English, explaining which of us was to ride which rides with her, and telling us that she wanted to do next. Each time she headed for the ticket booth, she would point at herself and say “I…” and then move two fingers in a running motion and made a little sound effect. We then supplied the word “run.” Rather than just nodding and running off, she repeated “I run,” and then took off to buy tickets. After a couple of these, she remembered and spontaneously announced, “I run.” Making progress!!!!
About an hour into our time at Extreme Park, the dark clouds rolled in, and we started hearing rumbling. A little thunder and lightning do not seem to trouble the ride operators at Extreme Park. So, as a cold breeze started whipping around my bare shoulders, raising goosebumps the size of small mountains on my arms, Mark and Masha continued to ride.
Mark tried and tried to get Masha to ride the Space Gun to no avail. In order to make a point, Mark decided to ride it by himself. Masha bought a ticket for him, and he climbed up the stairs while Masha and I watched and said “No Way!!!” He then sat strapped into the seat for a solid ten minutes while the operator waited for more riders with a very bored look on her face. Each time it looked like she was ready to start it, another person would come running up.
Finally, the ride started up, and Mark realized that he had not watched the pattern of this ride before he boarded it. It swung back and forth twice, then two full circles…all fine and expected. Then it swung to the top and stopped at the peak, leaving Mark hanging upside down, a thousand feet in the air (ok, more like 75), for what seemed like forever. Masha would have been screaming her head off.
Sasha finally arrived, and I ran to the car to warm up as Masha rode the swings one final time. They hopped in the car a few minutes later, and we returned to the orphanage while Masha was still in a good mood. We hugged her goodbye, and headed back to the apartment as the skies opened up and dumped a cold rain over the city.
We picked up our laptop, headed back for some internet time, and then to the grocery store, and a quiet dinner at the apartment. Evenings go slowly and quickly all at once…we are very glad that we brought a LOT of movies, books, and music. Shopping and making dinner takes some time, but we have also had opportunity to more time than usual together. We are feeling a little disconnected from the outside world; as I write, we have Mark’s iPod playing NPR podcasts that he downloaded before we left….it will be nice to get back home and watch Meet The Press!
For the first time since we landed in Ukraine, I uttered the words “I’m cold.” Outside.
The day dawned with the promise of sun and heat; I dressed as usual in lightweight capris and a camisole, knowing that we would be outside most of the day; I gave up carrying the contingency sweatshirt weeks ago. But clouds began to form late in the morning.We picked Masha up at 11:20, and sat on a park bench outside the orphanage to share with her the plans for the next couple of weeks so she would know what to expect. We explained that a week from tomorrow, we would leave the orphanage and travel to the capital of the region, and then on to Kiev. We told her that she would be able to write letters and call her friends, but that she needed to spend some with them this week.
We also explained about the baby shower that we had before we came to Ukraine, and that there were some special gifts for her that we had brought with us, and that she would receive when she gets home. We wanted her to understand that these gifts were special, welcoming her to our family, and also that she wouldn’t be receiving gifts like this every day.
We could sense that Masha had reached her limit for this conversation; she acknowledged that she understood everything, and that she had no questions. We are learning that she is not afraid of being honest with us about her feelings, though…when Kseniya asked if she as excited about coming to the US, she said “no, not really.” She realizes that she is going to be leaving everything she knows, and moving into a culture that is totally different, where she doesn’t know what’s appropriate or expected behavior and she doesn’t understand or speak the language, and she realizes that it’s not going to be like last summer’s holiday where we were always doing something fun. But she still knows that she wants to come with us and be part of our family.
While this isn’t the storybook scene that we had imagined, the three of us holding hands and skipping onto the plane, it’s honest. It’s true. It’s the reality of messy and conflicting human emotions that each of us experience, but that we often try to hide. My heart goes out to her as she works through everything that’s going on inside her. I love her more for her openness.
After the talk, we went to a bookstore to let her choose some Russian books that she would like to bring back to America, and then we went to a pizzeria for lunch. At one point, I commented that we wanted her to be happy, and she replied “I can’t be happy all the time.” We found this to be a very mature and honest evaluation of life.
The happiness came, though, when we hopped in the car and headed to Extreme Park. Masha lit up, choosing rides and buying tickets. She began using more English, explaining which of us was to ride which rides with her, and telling us that she wanted to do next. Each time she headed for the ticket booth, she would point at herself and say “I…” and then move two fingers in a running motion and made a little sound effect. We then supplied the word “run.” Rather than just nodding and running off, she repeated “I run,” and then took off to buy tickets. After a couple of these, she remembered and spontaneously announced, “I run.” Making progress!!!!
About an hour into our time at Extreme Park, the dark clouds rolled in, and we started hearing rumbling. A little thunder and lightning do not seem to trouble the ride operators at Extreme Park. So, as a cold breeze started whipping around my bare shoulders, raising goosebumps the size of small mountains on my arms, Mark and Masha continued to ride.Mark tried and tried to get Masha to ride the Space Gun to no avail. In order to make a point, Mark decided to ride it by himself. Masha bought a ticket for him, and he climbed up the stairs while Masha and I watched and said “No Way!!!” He then sat strapped into the seat for a solid ten minutes while the operator waited for more riders with a very bored look on her face. Each time it looked like she was ready to start it, another person would come running up.
Finally, the ride started up, and Mark realized that he had not watched the pattern of this ride before he boarded it. It swung back and forth twice, then two full circles…all fine and expected. Then it swung to the top and stopped at the peak, leaving Mark hanging upside down, a thousand feet in the air (ok, more like 75), for what seemed like forever. Masha would have been screaming her head off.Sasha finally arrived, and I ran to the car to warm up as Masha rode the swings one final time. They hopped in the car a few minutes later, and we returned to the orphanage while Masha was still in a good mood. We hugged her goodbye, and headed back to the apartment as the skies opened up and dumped a cold rain over the city.
We picked up our laptop, headed back for some internet time, and then to the grocery store, and a quiet dinner at the apartment. Evenings go slowly and quickly all at once…we are very glad that we brought a LOT of movies, books, and music. Shopping and making dinner takes some time, but we have also had opportunity to more time than usual together. We are feeling a little disconnected from the outside world; as I write, we have Mark’s iPod playing NPR podcasts that he downloaded before we left….it will be nice to get back home and watch Meet The Press!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
The Beach, Redux
Saturday, 2 June
We will go to the sea,” proclaimed Kseniya. So we went to the sea. This time, we found a spot a little futher down the beach, away from the seaport and nearer to the giant, blow-up water slide. We are learning that while there aren’t a lot of different places one can go in this town, all of them are equipped with rides of some sort. And all of them cost a grivna or two or three to ride. And, of course, children are addicted to them.
We packed up a bag full of towels and toys and apples and chips, and headed for the orphanage. We picked up Kseniya on the way, and the girls were waiting for us at the gate when we arrived. We also saw some of the other kids, and Sergei put on a great little soccer show for the camera…(Lisa and Pat, we got some good video for you, but the files are too big to send…)
“Once we arrived at the beach, we found an open spot under a big willow tree and laid out our blankets. Of course, Mark and I still had not acquired bathing suits, so Lisa and Fred were stuck with taking the girls into the water. Kseniya went in as well, while Mark stayed on shore and took pictures, and I stayed under the tree to watch our stuff.
The girls swam for a while, and then Masha returned to me and said “I want hungry.” The effort to use English was well appreciated, and I gave her an apple, which disappeared very quickly. The girls settled in on the beach blanket, and Lisa pulled out some really cool dry-erase flash cards. Khrystyna and Amina jumped right in, but Masha was pretty resistant, mumbling “I don’t know” to pretty much each letter, until we asked Kseniya to explain that this was important. After that, she only missed a couple! We know that she is smart, and we suspect that our biggest challenge with her will be motivation.
After the English lesson, they all swam again until it was time to go, and there was enough of a breeze for Mark to get Fred’s kite to fly.
We decided that we wanted to get lunch at Amstor, and then shop for a couple of items for the girls while we were there. Masha tried to get away with a lunch of French fries and a chocolate pastry, but we insisted that she get something of *some* nutritional value, so she also got a plate of vareneki, which she scarfed down first. She was a little annoyed that we wouldn’t let her get a soda, but since she had one the day before, we did not feel the least bit guilty.
After lunch, the girls were all pretty tired, so we shopped quickly for some shoes for Amina and Khrystyna. Masha was very helpful, working to find and direct the other girls to cute shoes that they might like…it was nice to see that, since she seemed to be falling into the “bored teenager” funk a little too easily!
We got ice cream on the way out of the store, and then headed back to the orphanage a little early. We had Kseniya explain to Masha the plan for tomorrow; we will be separate from Fred and Lisa, but we’ll be going back to Extreme Park…so it’s a tradeoff.
After we dropped her off, we went into town, did a bit more shopping, and hit Papa Karlo’s for a beer and some online time before heading home. It’s really sort of surprising how much we’re able to do on our own now…my studies are paying off a little, and people are very patient and kind! It takes a lot more energy than expected to do basic things like shop for a watch or pick up groceries, but with the right attitude and expectations, we’re making progress.
The trip is certainly increasing my understanding of what Masha will be going through once we’re back home—some of the frustrations and challenges she’ll face, and how much it takes to do the basics. I certainly will be more sensitive to “overdoing” it and to her need for quiet activities to recharge. Today, I’m really struck by the magnitude of the changes that will come for both Masha and for us!
We will go to the sea,” proclaimed Kseniya. So we went to the sea. This time, we found a spot a little futher down the beach, away from the seaport and nearer to the giant, blow-up water slide. We are learning that while there aren’t a lot of different places one can go in this town, all of them are equipped with rides of some sort. And all of them cost a grivna or two or three to ride. And, of course, children are addicted to them.We packed up a bag full of towels and toys and apples and chips, and headed for the orphanage. We picked up Kseniya on the way, and the girls were waiting for us at the gate when we arrived. We also saw some of the other kids, and Sergei put on a great little soccer show for the camera…(Lisa and Pat, we got some good video for you, but the files are too big to send…)
“Once we arrived at the beach, we found an open spot under a big willow tree and laid out our blankets. Of course, Mark and I still had not acquired bathing suits, so Lisa and Fred were stuck with taking the girls into the water. Kseniya went in as well, while Mark stayed on shore and took pictures, and I stayed under the tree to watch our stuff.
The girls swam for a while, and then Masha returned to me and said “I want hungry.” The effort to use English was well appreciated, and I gave her an apple, which disappeared very quickly. The girls settled in on the beach blanket, and Lisa pulled out some really cool dry-erase flash cards. Khrystyna and Amina jumped right in, but Masha was pretty resistant, mumbling “I don’t know” to pretty much each letter, until we asked Kseniya to explain that this was important. After that, she only missed a couple! We know that she is smart, and we suspect that our biggest challenge with her will be motivation.After the English lesson, they all swam again until it was time to go, and there was enough of a breeze for Mark to get Fred’s kite to fly.
We decided that we wanted to get lunch at Amstor, and then shop for a couple of items for the girls while we were there. Masha tried to get away with a lunch of French fries and a chocolate pastry, but we insisted that she get something of *some* nutritional value, so she also got a plate of vareneki, which she scarfed down first. She was a little annoyed that we wouldn’t let her get a soda, but since she had one the day before, we did not feel the least bit guilty.After lunch, the girls were all pretty tired, so we shopped quickly for some shoes for Amina and Khrystyna. Masha was very helpful, working to find and direct the other girls to cute shoes that they might like…it was nice to see that, since she seemed to be falling into the “bored teenager” funk a little too easily!
We got ice cream on the way out of the store, and then headed back to the orphanage a little early. We had Kseniya explain to Masha the plan for tomorrow; we will be separate from Fred and Lisa, but we’ll be going back to Extreme Park…so it’s a tradeoff.
After we dropped her off, we went into town, did a bit more shopping, and hit Papa Karlo’s for a beer and some online time before heading home. It’s really sort of surprising how much we’re able to do on our own now…my studies are paying off a little, and people are very patient and kind! It takes a lot more energy than expected to do basic things like shop for a watch or pick up groceries, but with the right attitude and expectations, we’re making progress.
The trip is certainly increasing my understanding of what Masha will be going through once we’re back home—some of the frustrations and challenges she’ll face, and how much it takes to do the basics. I certainly will be more sensitive to “overdoing” it and to her need for quiet activities to recharge. Today, I’m really struck by the magnitude of the changes that will come for both Masha and for us!
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Much Ado About Something
Friday, 1 June
Since we arrived in Ukraine, there’s been much ado about the upcoming “1 June Celebration.” Finally, the day has arrived! The kids, workers, and sponsors have all been working very hard to make sure everything is perfect, and when we arrived at the orphanage a few minutes before 10:00 this morning, we saw that their work had paid off.
Streamers and helium balloons hung everywhere, the courtyard had been transformed into a marketplace for crafts the kids had made, and people filled the area. Kids dashed around in their costumes, greeting visitors and tending to last minute preparations. A few of them paused long enough for us to get some pictures, and of course Masha gave us each quick hugs.
We had been asked to keep a low profile, so Kseniya ushered us into the recital hall just ahead of the throng of visitors, and settled us into seats in the back corner, where we would have a great view of the proceedings, but be a little less conspicuous. The audience flooded in shortly after us, and all seats were filled. TV cameras and newspaper reporters covered the event
The celebration opened with Masha floating across the parquet floor wearing a beautiful white gown, in the arms of a young man leading her in a beautiful waltz. Three other pairs of dancers floated through, but our eyes were focused on our beautiful daughter.
Following the dance introduction, there were several presentations to acknowledge sponsors, workers, and some special accomplishments of some of the kids. The benefactor who made Vika’s surgery possible last winter was one of the major participants, and they called her up with him to tell her story.
After the last presentations and awards, the children took the stage. They performed a fabulous but loose adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, with Little Masha as Dorothy and Sergiy as The Scarecrow. The kids clearly loved the opportunity to sing and dance, and the costumes were fantastic. We were so blessed to be able to share in this event and see the results of the effort of the kids and staff.
(Note to families…yes, we have video. We can’t transfer it from here, but we will make DVDs to share when we get back home)
After the performance was complete, the audience adjourned to the courtyard to mingle and shop for baked goods and trinkets that the kids had made. We bought a large layered pastry and some gooey chocolate confection things for the girls to share with the other kids, and we also purchased a few crafts that Masha and her friend Lena had made.
Too soon, the time came to bid the girls farewell for the afternoon. It had been a very busy morning, and the kids and staff still faced the monumental task of cleaning up. Just before we left, Masha took Mark around to photograph all of the drawings that the older kids had made in sidewalk chalk on the parking lot. She was particularly proud of hers, and Papa made a big deal of the great job she had done.
The celebration was a huge success, and we had a lot of fun.
Since we arrived in Ukraine, there’s been much ado about the upcoming “1 June Celebration.” Finally, the day has arrived! The kids, workers, and sponsors have all been working very hard to make sure everything is perfect, and when we arrived at the orphanage a few minutes before 10:00 this morning, we saw that their work had paid off.
Streamers and helium balloons hung everywhere, the courtyard had been transformed into a marketplace for crafts the kids had made, and people filled the area. Kids dashed around in their costumes, greeting visitors and tending to last minute preparations. A few of them paused long enough for us to get some pictures, and of course Masha gave us each quick hugs.
We had been asked to keep a low profile, so Kseniya ushered us into the recital hall just ahead of the throng of visitors, and settled us into seats in the back corner, where we would have a great view of the proceedings, but be a little less conspicuous. The audience flooded in shortly after us, and all seats were filled. TV cameras and newspaper reporters covered the eventThe celebration opened with Masha floating across the parquet floor wearing a beautiful white gown, in the arms of a young man leading her in a beautiful waltz. Three other pairs of dancers floated through, but our eyes were focused on our beautiful daughter.
Following the dance introduction, there were several presentations to acknowledge sponsors, workers, and some special accomplishments of some of the kids. The benefactor who made Vika’s surgery possible last winter was one of the major participants, and they called her up with him to tell her story.
After the last presentations and awards, the children took the stage. They performed a fabulous but loose adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, with Little Masha as Dorothy and Sergiy as The Scarecrow. The kids clearly loved the opportunity to sing and dance, and the costumes were fantastic. We were so blessed to be able to share in this event and see the results of the effort of the kids and staff.(Note to families…yes, we have video. We can’t transfer it from here, but we will make DVDs to share when we get back home)
After the performance was complete, the audience adjourned to the courtyard to mingle and shop for baked goods and trinkets that the kids had made. We bought a large layered pastry and some gooey chocolate confection things for the girls to share with the other kids, and we also purchased a few crafts that Masha and her friend Lena had made.
Too soon, the time came to bid the girls farewell for the afternoon. It had been a very busy morning, and the kids and staff still faced the monumental task of cleaning up. Just before we left, Masha took Mark around to photograph all of the drawings that the older kids had made in sidewalk chalk on the parking lot. She was particularly proud of hers, and Papa made a big deal of the great job she had done.The celebration was a huge success, and we had a lot of fun.
Electricity Is Not Our Friend
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Last night, as we were hanging around the house, Mark asked me if I smelled something funny. Now, this town always smells kind of funny, so I said “Well, no.” End of story. (and you’re all thinking, Hmm, that’s really not worthy of my time to read…just wait, dear friends).
This morning, we woke up, had a cup of tea, chatted on the phone for a few minutes, and then noticed that the battery was close to dead. So we put the phone on the charger. Again, really exciting, huh?
A couple hours later, Mark asks again if I smell something funny. It seems to smell oddly electrical, but I assume that it’s something from the steel mills, that was intensified by the rain yesterday. I further apply logic and determine that whatever the smell is, it’s recirculating in our apartment because everything is closed up and the air conditioning was on.
Ten or fifteen minutes later, Mark looks over to see if the phone is done charging and notices, uh, smoke. Smoke not good. He quickly unplugs the charger, but discovers that is not the source of the smoke. Instead, the smoke is wafting up from the receptacle where the air conditioner is plugged in nearby.
Mark kicks into overdrive, and as he tries to unplug the air conditioner, the little plastic adapter that was between the plug and the power strip (yes, it was plugged into a freaking power strip!!!) stretches out like a piece of pulling taffy. We get the plug separated from the adapter, and the adapter separated from the power strip before everything cools off and fuses together permanently.
The air conditioner still works, but one of the prongs on the plug is charred and wiggles like a 6-year-old’s loose tooth. We have recommended that the plug be replaced by a qualified electrician, but the landlady didn’t seem as concerned. She did say that a man will come.
So now we’re afraid to plug anything in. We have no clue how these Soviet-era buildings are constructed, but I’m betting the wiring doesn’t exactly conform to code. Based on no principles of physics whatsoever, we have decided to spread out our gadgets to different plugs in the apartment…cell phone charger in the bedroom, laptop and camera charger on a different outlet in the living room, etc. Everything away from the air conditioner.
Thus begins the search for another outlet that is still within a cord-length of the couch. After a few minutes, we located one behind the piano. Outlets are located at about chair-rail height around here, so that’s not quite as horrible as it sounds. I realized I could reach it, and that I had a good chance of plugging a power strip in there. Mark pulled all the breakable stuff off the top of the piano (I’m a known klutz with things like that…) and I reached behind with the plug of a power strip.
After shoving it around blind for a couple of minutes, I decided I really needed to determine where the holes of the outlet really were. Expecting it to be somewhat like an American outlet, I thought I could brush my fingers across the surface, orient myself to the location of the holes, and then resume my blind efforts to plug this darn thing in.
You guys know where this is going, don’t you? After a couple of seconds of this, I see a spark a millisecond before I feel a nasty zap shoot up my right arm. Yup, like a two-year-old, I stuck my finger in the outlet. A 220 outlet. Ouch.
After I jumped around the apartment, Mark plugged the power strip in…without electrocuting himself. For you worrywarts who wonder if I’m OK, yes. I’m fine. My arm tingled and hurt a little bit for about an hour, but overall, I’m fine. Really. But I have learned that Электричество is not my friend.
Other than attempting to burn down our whole apartment building, not much happened today. Lunch at a new cafeteria…Amstor (the Wal-Mart-like grocery and whatever-else-you-might-want store) also has a cafeteria with pretty darn good food. We went there for efficiency’s sake. We only had about an hour to eat and for the girls to shop for a small birthday gift for one of their caregivers. We also did a little bit of shopping before we picked the girls up, and then a little more after we dropped them off. Ordinary day. Except for the electrocution part. :-)
Last night, as we were hanging around the house, Mark asked me if I smelled something funny. Now, this town always smells kind of funny, so I said “Well, no.” End of story. (and you’re all thinking, Hmm, that’s really not worthy of my time to read…just wait, dear friends).
This morning, we woke up, had a cup of tea, chatted on the phone for a few minutes, and then noticed that the battery was close to dead. So we put the phone on the charger. Again, really exciting, huh?
A couple hours later, Mark asks again if I smell something funny. It seems to smell oddly electrical, but I assume that it’s something from the steel mills, that was intensified by the rain yesterday. I further apply logic and determine that whatever the smell is, it’s recirculating in our apartment because everything is closed up and the air conditioning was on.
Ten or fifteen minutes later, Mark looks over to see if the phone is done charging and notices, uh, smoke. Smoke not good. He quickly unplugs the charger, but discovers that is not the source of the smoke. Instead, the smoke is wafting up from the receptacle where the air conditioner is plugged in nearby.
Mark kicks into overdrive, and as he tries to unplug the air conditioner, the little plastic adapter that was between the plug and the power strip (yes, it was plugged into a freaking power strip!!!) stretches out like a piece of pulling taffy. We get the plug separated from the adapter, and the adapter separated from the power strip before everything cools off and fuses together permanently.
The air conditioner still works, but one of the prongs on the plug is charred and wiggles like a 6-year-old’s loose tooth. We have recommended that the plug be replaced by a qualified electrician, but the landlady didn’t seem as concerned. She did say that a man will come. So now we’re afraid to plug anything in. We have no clue how these Soviet-era buildings are constructed, but I’m betting the wiring doesn’t exactly conform to code. Based on no principles of physics whatsoever, we have decided to spread out our gadgets to different plugs in the apartment…cell phone charger in the bedroom, laptop and camera charger on a different outlet in the living room, etc. Everything away from the air conditioner.
Thus begins the search for another outlet that is still within a cord-length of the couch. After a few minutes, we located one behind the piano. Outlets are located at about chair-rail height around here, so that’s not quite as horrible as it sounds. I realized I could reach it, and that I had a good chance of plugging a power strip in there. Mark pulled all the breakable stuff off the top of the piano (I’m a known klutz with things like that…) and I reached behind with the plug of a power strip.
After shoving it around blind for a couple of minutes, I decided I really needed to determine where the holes of the outlet really were. Expecting it to be somewhat like an American outlet, I thought I could brush my fingers across the surface, orient myself to the location of the holes, and then resume my blind efforts to plug this darn thing in.
You guys know where this is going, don’t you? After a couple of seconds of this, I see a spark a millisecond before I feel a nasty zap shoot up my right arm. Yup, like a two-year-old, I stuck my finger in the outlet. A 220 outlet. Ouch.
After I jumped around the apartment, Mark plugged the power strip in…without electrocuting himself. For you worrywarts who wonder if I’m OK, yes. I’m fine. My arm tingled and hurt a little bit for about an hour, but overall, I’m fine. Really. But I have learned that Электричество is not my friend.
Other than attempting to burn down our whole apartment building, not much happened today. Lunch at a new cafeteria…Amstor (the Wal-Mart-like grocery and whatever-else-you-might-want store) also has a cafeteria with pretty darn good food. We went there for efficiency’s sake. We only had about an hour to eat and for the girls to shop for a small birthday gift for one of their caregivers. We also did a little bit of shopping before we picked the girls up, and then a little more after we dropped them off. Ordinary day. Except for the electrocution part. :-)
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