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!