Sue and Jeff: Day 12 – Time with Anastasia

Sue – Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Day 12 – Time with Anastasia

We came to the orphanage for many hours today! (Okay, I just went back and re-read the first line… I have been over here too long, when I start talking like that! Jeff and I just got a good laugh out of that.)

We go there around 10:00, and though it was bright and sunny, it was still kind of bitter, so we stayed inside until around 11:30. We gave our little daily gifts (we bring a small baggie of candy, and some sort of gift each day). Today we brought a small bracelet, wrapped, and a large bouncy ball we got from the States, and deflated before bringing. The boys like soccer balls, but I thought about how much I loved playing with the large, red bouncy ball when I was in elementary school, so we brought one of those and a smaller purple bouncy ball which we gave on a previous day. We deflated them, to fit in the suitcase, and then I brought along a hand-inflator, which I bought at Big-5.

First she didn’t seem to want the bouncy ball, but when we went outside, she really got into it. She ran up and down the little hills, and then showed us ALL (and I mean every single piece) of playground equipment. Of course, there was an obligatory picture on top of every single one.

Note to parents coming over – bring a LOT of various size plastic bags; we’ve used them to keep purchases safe in the suitcase (in case of rain… yes, on one trip I retrieved my luggage from baggage claim soaked with all wet stuff inside due to it being on the bottom of the luggage carts in a pouring rainstorm).
We use the smaller baggies to load up some Halloween candy each day to take to the orphanage. She eats some, and then takes the baggie upstairs to share with her friends.
We have used them to keep food in the fridge… yes, there was plastic wrap in Kiev, but I didn’t notice it until the 3rd day! I use them in my purse to organize vitamins, cold medicine, etc.

I also want to advise parents to pack one or two partial rolls of toilet paper with them in their purse… some restaurants/venues have toilet paper, and others DO NOT!!
Some places have the ceramic “holes in the floor”, for lack of a better term…. And others have nice toilets with toilet paper and hand soap. We saw those “holes in the floor” in Cambodia, too, so we were familiar with them. I’ve been wearing slacks this whole trip, but if you want to wear dresses and pantyhose… well, you are on your own – I wouldn’t have a clue how to navigate that procedure with pantyhose… so good luck!

When we arrived in Mariupol, the apartment is lovely, but there was no toilet paper! So buy some when you get groceries! No tissues, either, so that would be nice to have in your purse as well.

So on Tuesday, I was already getting sick. Once in awhile, while we are waiting in the anteroom for Anastasia to come down, we see a group, or 2-3 kids going by on errands… we seem to see O. a LOT! I think she knows when we are there, and makes sure she has some sort of “business’ to do that brings her by our way. She always has a big smile, hello, and a big hug for me!! She is such a doll! That girl could bring sunshine to Alaska in the winter!! She gave us a small package for R., K., & S… she is such a caring individual… you can see it in how she interacts with her friends here, especially the younger ones! She simply bursts into smiles and hugs each and every time her path crosses ours!

Jeff:

I have received two emails in the last two days that have really made me think about what a special time this is for us. We’re kind of outside the normal world in a little cocoon here. None of the normal responsibilities – not even the ability to really keep up with the real world. We’re here for one thing – spending time with our daughter, and getting the paperwork done to bring her home! One of the emails I mentioned was from a mom who will be following in our footsteps very soon. All I can say is: be prepared to enjoy this very special time with your child – soon you will be back in the day to day!

We left the orphanage around 2ish, ran a couple errands, and then went for lunch. Our translator always seems to have one more document, or one more item of preparation for the party that we will throw at the orphanage after the court appointment. So we stopped at a couple places to do something vague – we never quite get clear on what she’s up to, and then we went to this really cool restaurant that was very European, and yet somewhat kitchy – tables outside, a little river running through the enclosed courtyard, fake trees inside. We really enjoyed it – all of us chose to have soup since Sue started the trend. My sweetie always goes for soup when she’s not feeling well.

The rest of the evening, we just hung out and talked about what’s next. Later, our interpreter did cook dinner again – she is terrific! It was the remainder of the chick, but prepared completely differently; same salad and left-over “porridge”. Sue went with ramen – more soup for my sick wife We discussed the plans – to get the papers from SDA on Wednesday, court date on Thursday. We will have our fingers crossed all day on Wednesday. As I am writing this Wednesday night – we do know the outcome of the paperwork for Wednesday – but you who are reading this real time will need to wait for our next blog…

OK – I can’t do it to you – we are delayed a day due to paperwork: more on that when we write about today – probably first thing tomorrow morning our time, as our interpreter needs to run some errands on her own.

Key point for those following us to Ukraine: be sure to use the local cell phone, and be sure to dial “0001” before the phone number! I made the mistake of using the “+1” on my cell phone. Works in any country. However, using “+1” cost me about $50 for 15 minutes. Using the “0001” (THREE ZEROES!) cost me about $2 for 5 minutes. I wish I had understood the emphasis the translator had put on this the first time she told me!