So where was I?

Ah, yes. Sunday. Sunday was a day of rest as we hung out around the apartment and packed up for our trip to Donetsk. We did take a little walk out through the nearby neighborhood. The girls each picked up a pair of slippers to keep their feet warm; one doesn't wear shoes inside the house here, and they wanted the slippers to keep their feet warm. Not that we've needed it; the weather's been pleasant (for Minnesota standards anyway.)

Sunday evening Nick picked us up and took us to the train station where we boarded the ol' iron horse for the overnight train ride to Donetsk. Shannon says the train was more comfortable and spacious than the one she rode in India last January. I'll take her word for that! The girls liked sleeping in the upper bunks, although the frequent stops in between did wake them through the night. They did very well, though, and so far are traveling like little troopers. It's a big adventure for them and they're taking quite a bit in. The only thing they're not getting much of is sleep, although they're soon headed for a day or two of crashing.

Monday: The big day! I suppose if I stopped this post here, Mom and Dad would reach through the network cable and wring my neck, so I'll continue. We arrived in Donetsk ~7:00 a.m., and were met by Olga and Andre from DCU. Andre brought the school's van, so we did have enough room for our overpacked family. It was nice to finally introduce friends from Ukraine to family as I've talked about each to the other many times. We arrived at the university by about 8:00, and were put up in an apartment in the staff housing building. It is spacious and the girls love the wallpaper in their room. Coming soon we'll post photos, and I'll make sure the girls include a picture of their room for y'all.

After a quick shower and putting away of suitcases, we were picked up by Angelina. She spent some time before we arrived doing paperwork, and getting ready to file things with the court. We were therefore able to get to the courthouse and register the adoption case, and we also were able to get to the city council offices and file the appropriate paperwork there. (Side note: I've made the comment frequently that there is more paperwork involved in adoption than in buying a house. This is probably for the best, of course, but I'm losing track of what we've filed, where.) Then to the orphanage where we met Galyna.

I've met her three times before, but this was a first for the rest of the family. She knows we're there to adopt her, and she ran into the room all a-smiley. She went to Shannon and gave her a big, long hug and called her "mama." This, needless to say, went over well. She then hugged the girls as they were introduced, and finally me. Consistent with the rest of this trip, we didn't have our camera available. Ooops. We went into a side room while more paperwork was completed, and the girls played with Galya. The language barrier seemed a bit less problematic in that first 90 minute visit, and we expect she'll pick up English quickly. She has not yet had any English lessons, so we'll be starting from scratch. I will just have to keep my Russian dictionary handy:) Fortunately, she's probably not old enough to yet critique my grammar too strongly.

Galya's a sweet girl, mildly stubborn and certainly eager for attention. She has a smile that lights up the room, and a bit of energy. Though the youngest of the girls, she's a good couple of inches taller than Amissa. So Amissa is still the older sister, but she's not going to be the big sister! So far that seems to be okay with her. We were very proud of the girls; they latched onto Galya immediately.

From that visit, we hit Amstor for groceries, then returned to the university for a couple of hours and some lunch. Late in the afternoon, Angelina returned and took us to Gorlovka to sign some more applications with the notary. While waiting for our driver afterwards, we hit a little cafe where we had the absolute best hot chocolate ever. No lie. Best ever. It was like drinking melted, high-quality, smooth chocolate bars. The girls also had rather large ice cream sundays. I think we're looked upon as oddities, eating ice cream in sub-freezing weather, but that is the way of us. After this, it was time to head back home for much needed sleep.

More later. We're on the way to the orphanage to see Galya again. This time, we'll be taking the camera:)

God bless,
Ron