Around the Day in Eighty DaysMinutes

Due to the girls (yes, I'm blaming them) playing on Barbie's site, and then waiting (patiently, no qualms or complaints!) while my beautiful bride took her turn with Facebook and emails, I'm getting to the blog later than hoped. But that's okay, as it gives me the challenge to see how quickly I can recap the day.

To start, we had a morning on the playground. Well, the girls did. I took Shan on a little walking tour of the "back 40" of the DCU grounds, showing her the greenhouse, volleyball court and soccer field. (Sorry, football field.) We were taking advantage of the cleaning lady's visit to spend time outside. Olga happened by, and introduced us to another Sergey, this one a student and tutor who has aspirations, perhaps, of going into counseling after he graduages next year. He had his charming 14-month old daughter Anna with him, and we took turns giving Sergey some English conversation practice and Anna smiles and waves.

After we were finished on the playground, we headed up to Lawrence and Colleen's where the girls had some hot chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate is good around here? We're bringing some home if customs lets us. And we don't eat it on the plane. I also got to see the wonderful tree trimming and bow-making job the girls did the other night while I was taking Galya back to the orphanage. It was nice to see signs of Christmas as that's really been at the back of our minds with the whirlwind adventure. Shannon said we can take advantage of the Christmas Eve sales when we get back and recovered; last-minute Christmas shopping sans the guilt of procrastination.

Lunch was short 'n sweet, and we adjourned to the laptop to await our ride to the orphanage. Angelina came by, mid-afternoon, and after a stop at Amstor (for cake and pop) we went to the orphanage for the "party." I put party in quotes because it wasn't really so much a party as we were expecting. Galya took us to the three different classrooms, where we left a cake for each group (note: as we'd bought three cakes, it worked out perfectly albeit completely accidentally!) The two older groups set the goodies aside until they finished their lessons and/or dinner depending on the dictates of their particular teacher(s). Galya's class did get to take a study break to eat cake, and they were very polite. They all waited in their desks until the treats were given, then ate only when told to start. I MUST learn their secret. They were enjoying a couple of magic tricks I was doing with a coin and some small pieces of candy, but the laughing got a bit loud and it was made clear we should maybe move to a different area. So we walked the orphanage, Galya giving out candy to everyone she met (after first taking it from me.) She enjoyed this until I told her that the leftovers weren't for her. She kept asking for "odin papa" ("one, daddy") over and over. I'm not sure how the grandpas are going to be able to resist, so it's likely Shannon and the grandmas are going to have to keep 'em in line with this little one.

We also got Ukrainian copies of the paperwork I need to submit for my FMLA, and hopefully we can get them to a translation service. Funny how American benefits management groups aren't often staffed with Ukrainian translators:) Then we came back home and had a light dinner, some of the leftover candy (don't tell Galya) and and bedtime for the girls.

Shannon and I also filled out some of the immigration/visa forms. We're still hoping that goes well and we can all leave next Thursday together, but some of what we see on the embassy site, as well as some of the logistical challenges we have in front of us next Tuesday getting EVERYTHING squared away in Makeevka, leave us uncertain we'll be successful. Shan's calling the embassy tomorrow, and we bought refundable tickets for next Saturday in case there's a brief delay. So Shannon and Galyna both have fully refundable tickets for next Thursday and next Saturday. We should be ready whichever way the good Lord works things out, although if He permits delays past next Saturday we'll have to go to plan C.

I'm still hoping to post some pictures on Facebook, but the dissertation, er post, on Donetsk and Makeevka may be delayed to tomorrow morning. We'll see how I feel after catching up on many things.

As always, thanks for the love/prayers/support/encouragement/etc.

Love ya all!

Ron

So You Want More?

Okay! I'm back. I left off with Saturday, right? We'll see how good my memory is regarding the last couple of days. And this is going to be one of those long posts I'm known for. I won't say whether that reputation is good or bad.

Also - we've been getting, on average, 40-45 visits a day to the blog. When I saw that today I figured I'd best not go two days between blogging again! Thanks for your support, prayers and encouragement. I've been reading all the comments, and appreciate them even if I'm not responding to all of them. You all mean much to us!

Sunday
Sunday started with church, again in Russian, here at DCU. It was communion day, and the girls found it interesting to be in a church where communion was "real" bread and wine instead of "crackers" and grape juice. There was no Sunday School, so the girls did get a bit clingy after a while. Church here usually involves two or three sermons, some testimonies, prayer requests and singing between each thing. Services go 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the church. So it gets a bit long for the girls but I'm sure it's good for them. They did brighten up with the cakes and sweets they had after the service.

With fatigue still an issue from Saturday's adventure, we took it easy with the girls after church. It really was a day of rest, and Shannon was even able to take her 2nd Ukraine nap. The girls and I did some movie watching and that was about it. It's amazing how quickly they're fluxuating between full sleepy-silly mode and worn down mode. But they're still doing very well, and we're proud of them.

Monday
Another busy day. We went to Makeevka by marshutka (first time for the girls!) and went to the orphanage. This is a much cheaper and convenient way to get there than arranging for taxis, so we of course wish we'd have figured this out sooner. When we arrived at the orphanage, Galya was helping sweep the dirt in front of a little pavilion area. We finagled an agreement to take Galya for a walk away from the orphanage (and her sweeping), and went to a little park nearby the orphanage. In this park were a statue dedicated to war heroes, and a fountain (turned off for the winter) as well as the latest in a long line of Ukrainian cats that Tierney has photographed. Tierney did tweak a muscle in her leg when slipping off a wall, but otherwise we returned Galya to the orphanage sans incident. The girls played in the playground area for a while, then Galya went in for lunch.

We figured we should get some food, plus there was an outdoor market in Makeevka I wanted to show the girls. Unfortunately, the market was closed (meaning we walked ~15 minutes each way for nothing other than exercise) and there are no easy-to-find restaurants in Makeevka. So, lunch was some cheese and juice bought in a little convenience store, and some candy. Needless to say, the girls liked it. We spent a bit of time walking around downtown Makeevka, which was interesting as I'd not been downtown Makeevka on my prior visits to Ukraine. It's not the same city as Donetsk, to say the least, but it has its charms. A lack of restaurants for hungry kids, though, meant we had to head back to DCU.

The marshutka ride home was uneventful, although we missed our stop and had an extra bit to walk from the next one (or two?) down. Tired and hungry, we got back to DCU in time for a late lunch/early dinner and more movies. This is the "mom, dad and the lady downstairs need a break from the running around the apartment" event of choice, though we've also played a few family games. The weather was warm, but wet and muddy, so the girls have had to stay in the apartment more than perhaps we'd like.

In the evening, I went to the prayer meeting at Olga's again. The girls stayed home to get rest and all that jazz. It was a good time, highlighted by singing more Christmas carols (one of 'em in four languages!) and eating the best chocolate cake I've had in years. Jim and Margaret, another two Americans who work here at DCU, had just returned from a visit to the States. Jim's a very good cook. Having the prayer meeting at their little home meant good treats, and they were kind enough to let me bring pieces home for the girls.

Tuesday
Today. Or, in a few minutes as I type this, yesterday. Another day of rest. We're in our routine of getting to see Galya every other day, which I think is hard on the girls. They want her to come stay with us, but until the court order becomes official next Tuesday that's not possible. The girls did get to play on the playground, but Tierney fell through a hole and got a bruise on her leg. The playground is nice, and was built by members of our church a number of years ago. It's since fallen into some amount of disrepair, though, and the spot she stepped was missing a couple of boards. It was a lesson in paying attention (for Tierney) and a chance to demonstrate love and compassion for a sister (for Amissa.) That ended the playtime, and they came in for lunch. I took off for Amstor to pick up a couple of groceries, and shortly after I returned we had a light dinner.

(Side note: the food here is very good, although we've surprisingly made it this far without having any cabbage other than what was in our one bowl of borsh in Kiev. The favorites are the sausage, yogurt, bread and chocolate, all of which are better than what we get in the States. The girls haven't been as crazy about the vegetables, and drinking bottled water gets a bit old (fortunately, there's lots of juice and Fanta around.) But the simple diet has been working for them. We've found plenty Amissa can eat, dietary restrictions and all, and God's blessed us all with good health. So far, even the cravings for food we'd normally eat are minimal!)

After dinner, we went downstairs to have tea with Sergey Rybikov and his wife Luba. Sergey is the president of DCU, and we'd had the privilege to host him for dinner at our house earlier this year while he was in America. He remembered Shannon's "tasty" dinner, especially the meat. That was nice to hear:) This was a good time of hearing how things are going at the university, and to share a bit with each other. Olga was there to translate, although Sergey's english is much better than my Russian. We've really enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of those here at DCU.

We came home to get the girls to bed, and then watched a couple episodes of Big Bang Theory on iTunes. Angelina called during this time, and we're working on a couple of things to try and expedite Shannon's trip home with Galya. First we'll try to send a picture of Galya to the embassy by mail so it gets there before Tuesday. That is needed so they can check records for her visa application. If the embassy will accept that to start her file, we can fax the rest of the documents Tuesday before leaving Donetsk and try for a visa interview on Wednesday. We're not sure this will fly with the embassy folks, but it's an idea. The other notion is that we're reserving two refundable tickets for a 12/20 flight for Galya and Shannon. If we can't make 12/18 for the visa, we'll hopefully be able to make 12/20. That's a much better, though still not ideal, option than waiting until 12/25 or later.

We're also going to go to the orphanage tomorrow, and I'll get scans of the documents I need for my FMLA application, as well as (more importantly!) have a party for Galya with the children there. Should be a fun day!

Randomness
That catches us up. I'll try to post three things tomorrow: a recap of the day, pictures, and a blurb on Donetsk and Makeevka. That would leave only a couple more non-recap topics I want to touch on: DCU, Good Shepherd and Galya's story. Which is good because I need to get it all in before we leave for Kiev. We're not sure we'll have Internet there, and I'm not sure we'd have time for that anyway if we're running hither and yon doing visa-related stuff.

The Riccardellis headed out today, and we're hoping we don't have the same problem they did getting out of the country. Basically, their passports were stolen a while back, and the new ones do not have the stamps from their entry into Ukraine. So excitement ensued. But God is good and they made it to Munich okay.

Doing laundry by hand. Brushing teeth with bottled water. Different beds, food, language and culture. No television (though DVDs and a laptop help.) Quieter, slower lifestyle. Strange looks when we get a bit too loud, as Americans sometimes do. I can't say enough about how well the girls have handled this trip. They're even keeping up on homework, and emailing their teachers/classes. There are moments of cabin fever and a bit of stir-crazy once in a while, but I need to brag on the girls. I couldn't be prouder.

Until tomorrow! (Er, later today local time!)

God bless,

Ron

Busy Day

That was quite the whirlwind. Yesterday was pretty much a hang out and relax day. Today was much, much different.

We picked up Galya at the orphanage at 11:30 and brought her with us away from the orphanage for the day. Andre and Nina drove us to the orphanage, and when we picked up Galya we stopped at Amstor (as our dear driver and his wife needed to do some shopping.) Galya quickly picked up the "Mama" or "Papa" pleas for things, but took the word nyet much better than most American children do. We fear she's heard it before. (Lest you fear, we did get her some things; just not EVERY thing that she was asking for.)

We got back to DCU just in time to run the provisions up to the apartment and walk to the bus stop. As we had plans to be downtown today, I'd let some people know that we'd be there between 1-1:15 (in Lenin Square) and if they could make it, I'd love to see them and introduce the family. Well, since it took a decent amount of time (25 minutes!) for the folks at the orphanage to get Galya for us, and then another 30 minutes at Amstor, and then getting dropped off mid-bus trip because the bus driver decided the route ended halfway to downtown (third time that's happened to me this year here)...well, we got there a little late. Shannon took the girls to McDonald's, and I ran over to Lenin Square to see if anyone had shown up. Andrey Baranov was waiting for me, so he came back to McDonald's and had lunch with us. Galya doesn't seem to like ketchup, so she'll fit in with our family. She did like chicken nuggets and fries though, so we did get some food into her. I also called Neyla, another friend from the past two summers, and she joined us in Lenin Square after lunch.

In Lenin Square, the girls again rode these little pedal cars, and then we went to the playground on Pushkin Boulevard. Here the girls not only played on the playground together, but they also got pony rides on a real live, very old pony! I think we could have called it a day here and it would have been a success. All the while, we continued to chat with Andrey and Neyla. I think there are two things that make me love Donetsk and want to keep coming back: the city itself, with its European center and slower pace of life, and the people I meet at the English Intensives.

Anyhoo, from here Andrey took us to the "figures park" where the girls climbed on statues and we took a few photos. I love this park too, with the fun statues and sculptures for the kids, and benches for tired parents to sit and rest. (Not that we sat and rested; no, too much to do!) Neyla had to leave for a Skype call right before we got to this park, but she promised to meet us at DCU again before we leave. Yay!

From here we walked back toward the main route, and passed by the Tsar's Cannon, which was fun for the girls to play on while hiding from us. The cannon balls were larger than Amissa (though as she pointed out, she was taller than any of them.) Continuing on our ever-longer walk, we ended up at the White Swan mall, which had a Ukrainian equivalent of Chuck E. Cheese called Plastilin (I think.) The girls played a few games, rode some bumper cars and jumped on some trampolines. And we got too few tickets to do anything with, so we held onto them in case we go back.

It was late, and Andrey had to head back. We also had to get back home to eat supper, then return Galya to the orphanage. Did I mention the way back to the arcade was through a toy store? So, after saying nyet a few dozen more times, we were able to leave the White Swan and walk back to the bus stop. Again, the girls were troopers, albeit very tired ones. Along the way, we also passed this church which I've seen numerous times. This time it was dark out, so the church was lit up. It's still one of my favorite church buildings, although I haven't yet braved the Orthodox and stepped inside.

Once home, we had the grilled/open-faced/cheese/sausage sandwiches the girls (and I!) have come to love, corn and boiled potatoes. All but the corn was just wonderful for Galya, but we made her eat most of the corn anyway. Yes, I know, what kinds of parents are pushing veggies on the kid without a break-in "spoiling" period? Galya then said goodbye to the other three ladies of the Stewart clan, and I took her back to the orphanage. We went via marshutka, and since Olga had told me which marshutka to take, I figured I could handle the trip. Which I did, but crowded marshutkas are quite the adventure. But now we also know another way to get to the orphanage for those times Andre's not available to drive us.

I got back home at about the same time as the girls and Shannon, who'd been kindly invited up to Lawrence and Colleen's apartment (our Thanksgiving hosts) to help decorate for Christmas. The girls also got hot chocolate with marshmallows. So it was a good day all around.

For those wondering, we are not yet able to keep Galya overnight as the adoption isn't "official" until our waiting period is over. Tomorrow we will be talking with Angelina about our paperwork translation, and our options for appealing for a shortening of the waiting period. For those of the praying ilk, we'd appreciate that process to go well. Right now things don't look like it'd be feasible for Shannon and Galya to be home until right at Christmas time, or maybe later, but we'll see what miracles are left in this process.

We miss you all, and can't wait to see you. I still have people I'd like to see, so don't mind the extra length of stay, but it'd be nice to be able to get home too. Aside from a couple of cravings to address (pepperoni/green olive/mushroom pizza for me, tacos for Shannon), we'd love to be able to introduce y'all to Galya in person.

Until next time -

Ron

Court Part Deux

So...I suppose you're all waiting here, wondering what happened today.

Aren't you?

C'mon, I know you are.

Guess I better dish then. Started off with breakfast, and a trip to Amstor. At least I went to the store; the girls stayed back here to play on the playground, which I think they needed more than another bus ride. Got home to lunch. The girls really like this sausage/cheese on toast thing we've been making. The bread here is very good, and Tierney can't get enough. Even Amissa is sneaking as much as she can, which hopefully isn't causing her wheat-related problems to crop up.

But I suppose those are the mundane details you're not looking for. So off to court. We arrived at 2:30, and as usual, waited. We eventually went into the courtroom, and I've got to say this was not how I think an American court would work. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just a different thing. The judge and the two jurors sat together in the front. The judge's assistant sat off to the side. We sat, with Angelina, off to the left side of the "bench" and the prosecutor sat to the right. Yes, a prosecutor for an adoption case. We didn't see that coming. There was also a representative from the orphanage, and a representative from the Makeevka city council. And of course the three girls.

The court proceedings themselves did follow a predictable pattern. First the judge introduced the case and the stakeholders. We were all asked to provide our names, dates of birth, professions, etc. All fairly standard stuff. Then the questioning began, and anyone in the courtroom had the option to ask questions of whoever was the person in the spotlight. I was first, followed by Shannon, the prosecutor, the city councilwoman, and the orphanage rep. Each of us received questions from others. What was interesting to me was that the jurors were as involved as they were in asking questions. They also were the ones who went with the judge into chambers to deliberate on the decision.

The consensus from the prosecutor, the city council and the orphanage was that it would be in Galya's best interest to be adopted by us (well, in our minds too.) So it really wasn't a surprise when the judge came back with the order saying that they were approving us as adoptive parents. Kinda made the wait worth it:)

Here too I need to say the girls were tremendously patient, sitting for nigh on two hours in a warm courtroom before starting to get overly-antsy. I'm thinking we'll need to do something special for them this weekend. Our court appointment was set for 2:30, and by the time we left it was nearly 6:00. That's a long time to go on a little water and some fruit snacks. Especially when the last 20-30 minutes of the hearing was the judge reading the entire dossier we submitted into the record.

I also have to again say I'm glad Angelina's working for us on this. Usually there is a period of 10 days between the preliminary and final court hearings, so we did get that first 10-day period "waived" as Angelina knew the judge enough to schedule it this way. Unfortunately, we did not get the other 10-day waiting period waived. So at the moment, Galya is still at the orphanage (which disappointed our girls quite a bit) and we do not officially become her parents until 12/16. This is because the 10 days ends on a Sunday, so they have to give it to the next working day for the "10th" day to be available for any appeals. That would be 12/15, so our actual, official, date for taking Galya is 12/16.

This is not to say prayers and wishes went unanswered, merely that they were answered differently from how we'd have wanted. But there's a purpose to it all, and we will spend the next ten days (plus) in Donetsk, and visit Galya as much as we can. We'll be hosting a party at the orphanage sometime next week, and try to get Galya for Saturday's excursion into downtown.

We did find out today that there really is no way to know for sure how Galya's scars came to be, so we're left with the story we have. And we know a little more about the circumstances of her birth (mother was 17, born to a well-off family. She kept it secret from her family, especially her grandfather, who apparently wouldn't have approved. Galya was abandoned at the hospital, and her mother asked that nobody ever reveal she was the mother.) We also learned she was in the hospital for a year dealing with her injuries, which is something we hadn't known. Her guardian is criminally responsible for her condition, but not in prison. It's odd to think that, as much as we know about Tierney and Amissa, there will be so many things we will never know about the first six years of Galya's life.

There are some challenges left here. First, obviously, working with Galya to quickly learn English. She's smart, and this should be fairly quick. Second, I need to get copies of the paperwork, translated, submitted to my workplace for my FMLA application. That will be a challenge as I have to get that in soon, and getting things translated/sent from here will take some time. Finally, our plane tickets right now are for 12/18. It would take a miracle to get everything done in time for all five of us to take that flight now, with the official date of the adoption order being 12/16. It may be that I come back with the girls on 12/18, and Shannon comes with Galya a day or two later. It all depends on the bureacracy in Makeevka, and then at the American embassy in Kiev. Fortunately there are ways to deal with this, however it plays out, so we're not worried about anything in particular. But it would be nice to be able to all return at the same time. Holidays are not great times to try and reschedule a flight, although our travel agent is good. Shannon has already reached out to her, and tomorrow we'll be contacting the American embassy to see what we can do to ensure the quickest turnaround possible there. And we'll sic Angelina on the Makeevka paperwork. It'd be a whirlwind, but we'll see if we can't get it all pulled off.

In short: Galya's our daughter barring any protests or appeals, which aren't expected. But as Ukrainian law says we wait ten days to be sure, we wait ten days. That leaves some logistical challenges, but it will all work out somehow.

Thanks again for all your prayers, support, love and concern. It is greatly humbling to know we have so many people behind us on this!

God bless,
Ron

So I Suppose You're All Wondering...

...what happened today, eh?

Well, we woke up and Amissa sat down with the iPod to play Zuma. She's getting pretty good at it. We had breakfast, and met Angelina just after 11:00 to go to our court date at 11:30.

And court was interesting. We waited nigh on an hour to get into the courtroom, and then the judge asked some questions about our readiness to take on Galya, and whether we were ready to adopt a girl with her physical scars. We also found that there is no documentation which speaks at all about the scars or their source. So, at this point, we are left to assume what we were told was true (more on that in a future post where I share the history of what got us to this point.)

After a little questioning, we were told that our final court date is tomorrow at 2:30. Turns out this was the preliminary hearing. Neither Shannon nor I could tell a thing from the judge's countenance, so we assume it went well only because Angelina seemed in good spirits, as if nothing was at all unusual. In short, we're in limbo for another day.

Galya was uncharacteristically shy, and at times looked sad when they were talking about her history. I'm sure this is exciting, intimidating, sad and interesting all at the same time. Plus probably a million other things I can't imagine. The girls were well behaved and quiet, and a bit more enthusiastic than Galya when asked whether they were ready to be her sisters. So all in all, not a bad day, but not a very enlightening one yet.

We came home, and as tired as the girls are, we just watched a movie and relaxed. The girls are now helping Shannon cook dinner. Tierney has been very helpful, even help wash laundry in the tub today. I think she's beginning to think she could even live on her own with all these new skills.

Not much else new to report, so this will be a relatively short blog post. For me anyway.

Hope all is well with you, and that there is good news tomorrow.

Ron

Ukraine

As I promised I'm going to try and go all educational on y'all and share some knowledge about Ukraine. Not sure how much this helps/hurts, and frankly I'm not convinced I'll be 100% accurate, but it may provide some context for what we're encountering here. As I'm not a history teacher, nor a geography teacher, I'll just provide links to actual information. What is between here and the links are just my (our) observations of the country.

This is a changing country in the midst of post-independence transition. The government, first of all, faces challenges in forming long-lasting governing coalitions. You may remember the Orange Revolution here a few years back. That movement led to a fairly pro-Western government. That government is headed right now by President Viktor Yuschenko (you may remember him as the one that someone attempted to poison) and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. From what I can tell of late, these two don't get along well and they are soon to have another set of parliamentary elections to try and get the government moving again. For the most part, though, the governmental disputes and workings don't seem to be of primary concern to most of the Ukrainians I meet. Coming out of a U.S. election cycle, I'm steeped in politics, and being the curious guy I am I've asked a few folks how the Yushchenko/Tymoshenko saga affects them. It's been universally waved off as just "politician games."

Really, the bigger thing seems to be both the big picture and day-to-day picture topics. The big picture is whether one sides more with aligning with Russia, or whether one sides more with aligning with the "West" and NATO. It's probably too simplistic, but it seems you find more pro-Western sentiment in the, well duh, western side of the country. Here, in Donetsk, and other places close to Russia, there is more of an agreement with a Russian perspective. With Russians making up a fairly large minority of the populace, I don't expect that dispute to go away any time soon. The Georgian conflict of late didn't do anything to abate the argument.

The day-to-day picture is, as would be expected, the utilities, the groceries, the economy, the family and the job.

The people are generally polite, if a bit more wary than in America. The sense I get is that it takes much longer to develop deep friendships here, but once made those friendships are stronger than back home. People tend to smile more in dealings with those they know; with those they don't, there is a more serious and somber countenance. Children are seemingly loved quite a bit as ours are often doted upon. (Twice on the buses there have been women who have tried to get Amissa's legs covered where her pant legs rode up a little. There are still a few folks, especially in the older generations, who adhere to concepts such as children not being covered in the winter will make them sick.) Ukrainians tend to be more direct and less politically correct than Americans, and will usually assist if asked for help. The children have been friendly with our girls, and have played with them even when they don't speak the same language. There is much hustling about, and while us Americans are trying to make up our minds about what to do, or where to go, next, we'll find Ukrainians working their way past us in line. Personal space isn't as large here either, as the housing (primarily small flats in multi-story buildings) and transportation (primarily buses and marshutkas) do not lend themselves to a great deal of privacy. (I theorize the Soviet structure itself also tended to discourage privacy, as opposed to the American structure which prizes it.) Frankly, the cities in Ukraine do not serve the claustrophobic or agoraphobic many favors.

The girls' observations about Ukrainians: They wear the same clothes as us, they speak a different language from us, they are good, and the girls/women all like high-heeled boots. Figures they'd notice the fashions.

The economy is trying, and ahead of the American economy in the downward trend. There are limits to how much cash people can withdraw from ATMs, which causes problems in a cash-based society. The exchange rate has greatly improved for dollar-holders since this past summer, but that's not good for the Ukrainian currency (the hrivna.) In July I was getting fewer than 5 hrivna to the dollar. Today we're getting close to 7. Unemployment is up, and people are more fearful for their jobs. We hear people speak of the economic crisis, and I think this fear is more impactful than most other things.

The culture is not terribly different from what I've seen of other European people. Walking and hanging out at clubs or cafes is more popular (seemingly) than watching television or staying at home. This is especially true for the younger generations. Traditional Ukrainian arts and clothing are generally reserved for tourist area souvenir shops as clothing and decor generally mimic that found in other European or American places. The arts are important, as evidenced by the many kept up theaters and signs promoting shows. On the other hand, American products are also highly in evidence as the Donetsk movie theater is showing such fare as Madagascar 2. Alongside Ukrainian products and restaurants we often see Coke and McDonald's. As an American, there are differences to be noted, but there is also much here that can make one feel a bit more at home than I suspect one would have a decade or two ago.

Of course, these observations are our own, and may be tainted by sample errors of many types. But they are what we've noted, and therefore help color how we're experiencing Ukraine.

For those interested, some resources to learn more:

• Wikipedia


• CIA Factbook


• The BBC


• Ukrainian Culture


• More Culture


• Ukrainian Language


• Infoplease

God bless,
Ron

Court Week

Tomorrow is our court date, the big day. Or at least the next big day. There is the potential for another big day or two in the next few weeks depending on how the hearing goes tomorrow. So things get more interesting in the next 24 hours.

When last we spoke, we were at Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening was rather relaxing as we just chilled out at home. Yesterday we awoke to fog. Actually, we've had fog here the past few days. It's made for rather grey days, but the weather has been generally mild. We went to the orphanage in the morning, which was different, and caught Galya out on a walk with some other kids from the orphanage. The teacher (?) was nice enough to let us take her back to play and color some more. While I appreciated the trust, I admit I likely would not have let a child in my charge walk off with four strangers speaking a different language. While the girls colored some more pictures, and ate fruit snacks, we chatted with a couple from Idaho who are adopting two girls from the same orphanage. They're taking on two girls who'd visited their neighborhood for a few months last summer, and to whom they'd obviously taken a shine. It's fascinating hearing the different adoption stories from the (surprisingly many) adoptive families we've met here.

The fruit snacks were a big hit with Galya, as well as with her friend Natasha who sat with us and colored too. I think we best be prepared to bring lots of fruit snacks tomorrow, as well as more markers/crayons, as I think we're about to be known as the "family who gives stuff to kids who hang out with Galya."

We came home and did the proverbial chillin' thing for a bit. I ran into Kate, the daughter of one of the staff here at DCU. We'd first met two years ago when I was first here, and we spent the 30 seconds we had before she had to get back to what she was doing catching up. It's fun seeing people from the summers in this context.

Speaking of which, in the evening, Maxim came to visit. He was one of my students in the English Intensive this past summer. We've made tentative plans to go downtown with him, and whichever other students he can wrangle up, on Saturday. It was fun to hear Maxim's views on America, mostly formed from movies. (Next time you hear Hollywood say they really don't influence behavior or thought, but instead merely reflect reality, that's hogwash.) Then came a dinner of fried hot dogs/potatoes, and off to a prayer meeting at Olga's.

Olga's group of students and staff have been praying for us, and we enjoyed the chance to thank them. They're also planning their Christmas show, and so we got to sing some Christmas carols. Being here, away from most of the Christmas focus, it's easy to forget we're coming up on that time of year again. The girls got to play with a couple of children from Kyrgystan, whose parents study at DCU, and then with a couple of the college students. These college students graciously riled up the girls right before we tried to get them to bed, but eventually we got to the slumber portion of our day.

Today we're waiting to hear from Angelina, who told us she'd call when she got back to Donetsk from Kiev. Hopefully that will be soon, and maybe we'll even have time to get over to see Galya. Otherwise, court tomorrow! And at the very least, another walk to the local store this afternoon.

TTFN -
Ron