Wednesday May 30 and Thursday May 31, 2007

A double update today—

 

First the important stuff—The judge has agreed to meet with Max on Monday. She wants two changes to our documents. The homestudy says we have 4 kids living at home. Max filled out the paperwork saying that we have 7 kids. Both are true, but the judge wants the paper Max did to match exactly the wording on the homestudy. Secondly, she wants a paper saying that Daniil will be permitted to enter the US. (which is what the I-171H, that she already has, is). Not sure what she's looking for there. Max is calling the Embassy to see if there are any other papers to issue to make her happy. She has still not agreed to move up the court date, but does seem a bit friendlier. More when we know more….

 

Yesterday at the internet café we ran into the only other American in Slvansk (or at least we assume she is). A nice Peace Corps worker from Los Angeles.  Yesterday was her birthday. We asked her impressions of Ukraine and gave us the Peace Corps line that "it's the hardest job you'll ever love" She teaches English at the College here and helps out at a rec center for disabled young adults.

 

We will be stopping by and helping as much as we can in her English class (it's very close to the Orphanage). We also found out about more about the cool spas and healing lakes in the region and plan to check them out on Saturday. There is a thousand year old cave Monastary in the area too. I hope we can swap some English lessons for a local to take us around and show us the sites.

 

She also had some very interesting insight. Ukraine is not as it seems. The civil, polite surface hides a very dark society. She said when she got here she was disgusted by the whole "Russian Mail Order Bride" thing. Now she is 100% for it and asked us to let all our single men friends know that it is for real and these are wonderful loving women who have no future here. And she implored us to tell people to help "get them out".   So there ya go fellas.

 

We were also warned about meat from anywhere but the western grocery and that, even filtered, the tap water will make you dear friends with the commode.

 

As for Daniil, we have discovered that the early visits go much better than the afternoon visits. By afternoon he is really tired and not much in the mood for anything. He also gets over-stimulated very easily. Added to this is the difficulty we find in securing a location where we may visit. There are 5 or 6 individual "playground" areas around the grounds, with each group of children seeming to have an area assigned on a rotating schedule. We may not be in an area with the other children (We are briskly told we must move, immediately) and one time all of the areas were taken. We literally had nowhere to go but on some stone steps in the full sun! Luckily, this has only happened once since we've been here, but I'm sure we are up for a repeat performance. We have finally realized that he is usually content to sit and/or stand and watch the Sobaka (Dogs) and "Fuzzy Devils" (like dust devils only made of "Fuzzys").   He loves to leave the Orphanage grounds but we have been told that he may no longer go out (a couple of the caretakers were okay with it—a couple were not—they appealed to the Director and she said Nyet" to the road trips).

 

A very sad moment today. A blue school van was parked near where we were playing. He really wanted to stay close to the van. The doctor and a girl came out of the orphanage and boarded (probably going to the clinic) and he flipped out wanting to get on the bus--- he kept saying "home" over and over—I'd like to think he was wanting to leave with us,   but I think he wanted to go back to Antoshka (the baby house orphanage where he was his entire life up till 5 months ago.) He was sobbing when the bus left without him—Heartbreaking.

 

Tomorrow there is a big performance at the Orphanage. There will be song and dance. Skits and more! We have been invited—they were especially excited when the found out I work for a country music station, as one on the numbers they will be performing will be a "cowboy song". We will bring cakes and pop for everyone for after the show.

 

We have given up our cab rides! They cost 8 hrv 4 times a day for a total of just over 6 bucks a day. We are now taking the bus for 60 kopek a trip for each of us—the 4 trips works out to about a dollar a day total. It's a "trolly-bus" powered by overhead lines. The afternoon ride is not too crowded—the morning rides are packed. Think of the most crowded place you ever been---Maybe Tina's before a rainy Bengals game? Not even close—at lease twice the number of people in the same space…and ahhhh the smell. (I won't get into details. but it is quite ripe). But 5 bucks is 5 bucks and with everything being way more expensive than we expected every little bit helps.

 

A typical day for us right now is: (sorry for the minutia)

 

7am     Get up and maybe head to the Rynok for some fruit for breakfast

8am     Breakfast. Either cereal (some sort of corn flake kind of thing) or bread, butter and jam. Cold Cuts, Cheese, yogurt, milk and either juice or fruit. (this is usually our big meal)

9am     Shower. Get ready to go

9:30     walk about half a mile to get the bus to the Orphanage

10-12   Visit with Daniil

12        Bus back home (maybe stop at supermarket)

1          Lunch –bread butter, cold cuts, cheese, bottle of water

            rest/read and write

3          leave for internet café and bus

4-6       Visit with Daniil

6:30ish Stop for a beverage and maybe dinner at a street side café

9          grab an ice cream at the corner 7-11 (tin hut) and head home to do laundry, read and write.

11        shower and bed

 

Every day is a bit different and we do hope to be helping at the college soon so things will change.

 

******* Weather update********

 

It is still CRAZY HOT. It has pushed 100 ever day since we got here save one. Yesterday afternoon was wonderful! A big storm blew through. Thunder, Lightning, Wind and about 17 raindrops. It did cool things off a bunch, but the forecast for the rest of the week is sun and close to 100. (Looks like there will be a chance and temps back into the mid 70s for Sunday and Monday!!) I miss my "Weather Rush"!!