Thursday, May 24, 2012

Final Good By and Visa

Yesterday afternoon we decided to call an 8 person van to take us and all of our luggage from the orphanage to the bus station.  Eli decided he wanted instead to walk (a few miles) with a few of his friends--especially with his new girl friend.  Malvina wanted to take the buses with a few of her friends---especially her new boyfriend.  So Alex and 7 of his closest friends got in the van and we all went to the bus station.  Of course they were all hot and hungry, so we got treats for everyone, gave our final hugs, said our last good by's and shed quite a few tears.  Eli's eyes were especially red for several hours.

Eli met his friend, Igor, at the train station in Simferopol and Alex met his brother Costia for a final good by.  We ate burgers from McDonalds and then boarded the train, but not until we stocked up on cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, kalbasa and bread for the train ride.  Thanks to Vera, we had fun together in the train playing Uno, catch, and making sandwiches.  It wasn't nearly as awkward as I had imagined.

After arriving in Kiev, we went immediately to get the first half of the medical exam.  Then off to the US embassy, back for part two of the exam and then back to the Embassy with the final paper work.  They must have assumed since it was our second visit to the Embassy that we'd been there the day before, and they said the visa would be ready in just a minute.  Crazy!  We did the whole visa in just one day---but a very long day for poor Malvina.   So now we have 4 free days in Kiev, and I think we're starting to want to come home.

If anyone wants to come, we arrive on Delta DL88 next Tuesday, May 29th at 2:05 from Paris.

Thank heavens we miss being here for the Euro 2012 games.  They tell us there will be absolutely no apartments available and the roads in downtown Kiev will all be closed.








Luba gave me a box of photos of Crimea.


Some of my little friends at the orphanage.


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11 comments:

  1. The Cook FamilyMay 24, 2012 at 10:52 AM

    The pictures are sweet, but so sad. The girl in the white next to you makes me wish I were there to give her a hug and a mom. Those faces really make me think of God's children, who they are. Bless their hearts! Have a wonderful time in Kiev and a safe journey home!

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  2. EricaMay 24, 2012 at 11:12 AM

    Have a blast in Kiev!!!!! There was so much more I wanted to see there. Have fun and I'll try to make it to the airport. Where are you flying from so I know which terminal?

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    1. ChristieMay 24, 2012 at 12:25 PM

      We come from Paris. What's fun to do with kids in Kiev?

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    2. EricaMay 25, 2012 at 1:41 PM

      We did some walking around the main areas. We shopped at the outdoor market. Natasha tried to take us to the water museum but we missed it. I wanted to go see other things too. I'm not sure how your kids are though. Mine were pretty good about tagging along.

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    3. ChristieMay 25, 2012 at 9:09 PM

      Do you remember if the water museum is in the park near the Friendship arch? I remember trying to go to it last year, but it was closed.

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    4. EricaMay 28, 2012 at 8:31 AM

      Yes, I believe so! (Sorry, it takes me a couple of days to remember to check and see if you wrote anything....) Irina dropped the girls and Natasha and I off there and since it was closed we walked around. Natasha showed us a bridge, the children's puppet theater, the friendship arch, so I'm pretty sure that's all within walking distance from each other. You probably don't have time now though.... Sorry!

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  3. WendyMay 25, 2012 at 5:57 AM

    There is a fun village close to Keiv with a super old church that looks like a windmill. You have to pay to get in but it has some old houses and lots of fun stuff for sale. I got beautiful table clothes and runners there.
    I heard there was a playground covered in tiles?
    Whatever you do, avoid going to any spa's! Trust me on that. (Unless you like wandering around naked, being beat with sticks, bake in an oven and having a coffee rub down.)
    Wow four days. I hope it flies. You've been gone a long time.
    God speed!

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    1. ChristieMay 25, 2012 at 12:35 PM

      Is it Pirigovo? I've heard it's something like This is the Place Park in SLC showing what life used to be like here in Ukraine.

      Clayton and I had a Turkish Spa/Bath in Istanbul last year. We missed out on the beating with sticks, but did the walking around naked and getting scrubbed with sponges and good smelling soap suds. Except for the naked part, it was pretty nice.

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    2. AndreasMay 25, 2012 at 2:00 PM

      We went there too. It was a lot of fun. I remember trying to take pictures of some of the old buildings, and the guide getting mad at me. She said 'No Photos!'. It is fun and something to do.

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  4. stephMay 27, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    Oh my. Leaving the other kids behind was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. And that says a lot because I have just spent almost a year with my little Brandon:) I still get sick to my stomach when I think of them all. I loved that outdoor village! When we were in Kyiv, my boys didn't want to do anything, so we did a lot of wandering around and people watching and feeding the stray animals. I desperately wanted to find the tile park but we could not get good directions on it and the boys were super poops about it so I lost that battle. By the way, I love your hair-and the story of how you got it:) You are so awesome!!

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    1. ChristieMay 27, 2012 at 10:50 PM

      Thanks Steph. I'm not quite sure how you're surviving, but I loved your "warm heart" story. You're the one who's awesome.

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