Let it Snow!

I hear there's a big storm back home in Minnesota this weekend. Just have the runways cleared by next Thursday please!

Also, if you could get through the below zero temps by the time we return, that'd be just peachy of you.

Speaking of cold, please pray for this situation. Especially since we're heading to Kiev Tuesday night.

Enough about the weather (though I do like the snow here; just a dusting so far, but nice.) You probably want to know the latest on our adventure. Yesterday was a day of ... I can't remember. The days are blurring together nicely by this point. Ah, yes. We hung out at the apartment because Angelina was going to come by to collect the forms we'd been able to fill out so far. Some forms require information from the court decree and/or birth certificates we won't have until Tuesday morning. But we're trying to get things into the embassy early to expedite the visa procurement activities on Wednesday. The embassy needs a hard copy photo of Galya, and a copy of her pre-adoption birth certificate and her passport so they can start the work. We'll bring the rest to them Wednesday morning, then hope for the visa interview and visa in the afternoon. That's the ideal, and we know it can be pulled off. We'll see if there's another purpose, though.

The only downside was Angelina didn't actually call or come by. So, it was a day of catching up on a few things in the apartment, and letting the girls play outside. They need the activity (plus the sleep) but they're still doing very well all things considering. They must get that from their father mother. In the evening, we visited Olga for tea, and had a nice visit. Jim and Margaret, two American missionaries who work at DCU were there. Tanya and Natasha Dyatlik were there too, so it was festive. It was fun to speak to English speakers, although I do like trying to pick up what Russian I can. Margaret heads up the English program we visit in the summers, and so we touched on that. Natasha brought a very delicious pizza, which almost cured my craving for 'za. Have I mentioned I've yet to meet a bad cook here? It's a surprise I always lose weight here - but I think that's due to the walking and exercise...

Olga also taught the girls a new card game, Dutch Blitz. We'll have to pick it up back in the States as they now really like it.

Today we were able to take Galya again, and as hoped for we went downtown Donetsk. We took the marshutka into Makeevka, and had to wait at the orphanage until Galya's hair dried. She'd taken a shower not long before we arrived, and her caregivers didn't want her going out in wet hair. We, of course, thought it was dry, but couldn't argue the point so we hung out for a short while. We eventually were given leave to take Galya, and we went via marshutka to Donetsk. This involved a trip through a neighborhood, off course, because of traffic. Basically, the driver asked everyone if it was okay, then left the normal route. Or else he just told them he was going to do it; I only assume because a bunch of people said "da" after he said what he said. If you come here, be prepared for mass transit that sometimes drops you off part way to your destination, or changes routes on the fly.

But we did get to Donetsk. The first stop was near the market, which we walked through rather quickly. We were hungry, and the girls needed to use the little girls' room. So we hopped a train which dropped us off right in front of Puzata Hata. Yeah us! The servers eventually got our orders, which was funny considering all we had to do was point at the food. Apparently that wasn't good enough to get the point across the first time. From the restaurant we went to Lenin Square so the girls could ride the pedal cars again. Tierney will miss those I think. Then off to Pushkin Boulevard so the girls could play on a playground. While they did that, I watched them and Shannon went to a souvenir shop two blocks over. We're bringing a few Ukrainian things back for her "gotcha day" (or whatever we end up calling it) celebrations in the future. We don't want her to lose her culture; partly because we think it's important for her to keep it, partly because it gives me reasons to come back.

After Shannon returned, we took the girls over to the same store where they each got to pick out a souvenir if they wanted one. Tierney wants a Ukrainian "Barbie" doll from Amstor (btw, that's spelled Amctop here in Ukraine; I'm just transliterating it for pronunciation purposes) so all she got was a small magnet frame. Galya wanted something she couldn't play with and is getting the "Barbie" doll from Amstor too. Amissa decided she wanted her Christmas gift here, and her souvenir would be - surprise - a "Barbie" from Amstor. Her Christmas gift is, as befits the little clothesphile, a traditional Ukrainian outfit. It will be uber cute and we'll post pictures in the next few days.

Then it was time to come home as it was getting a bit chilly. Galya liked the grilled sausage/cheese sandwiches and corn puffs. Then it was time to take her home. Here I'm glad Shannon didn't come with us. As we were walking to the marshutka stop she was unusually quiet, and I caught her crying softly. Shan probably would have just risked the kidnapping charge and turned right around to bring Galya to the apartment at that point. I think the coming/going is hard on her, and it's catching up. But Tuesday's on the way...we keep telling ourselves that. The coming/going isn't easy on us either.

I came home after dropping her off (by the time we got back to the shelter, she was back to her normal self, although holding my hand a bit more tightly.) It started to snow as I got to my stop. And the girls were watching Tinkerbell again when I got home. They'd done more homework in my absence. Then bedtime for all (except me, who's reverted to extreme night owl status.)

Tomorrow is church, again, and a visit with Alyona, a student from two summers back. That should be fun! And hopefully we'll have enough time tomorrow to get the posts in about DCU and Good Shepherd, leaving Monday for the final special post: Galya's tale itself. Well, that and packing for the Tuesday train ride.

I hope all is well!

God bless,
Ron