Here we go Again

Hi Everyone,

The day at the Embassy went well. We arrived at 9:00 AM and walked right passed all the foreiners waiting to get into a little piece of Canada. We filled out some forms then were told to come back at 4:30 to pick them up. We spent the day sightseeing with Vitaly and the kids. When we went back to the Embassy everything was ready! (I almost passed out) The lady walked me through what we had to do and made me promise to fill out the progress reports required by the Ukrainian government. It's because these reports have not been filled out by other adopting Canadians the the quota for Canadian adoptions is so low (24 this year vs. 569 in the USA, yes we got lucky). We went out for supper to celebrate.

The alarm clock went off at 3:20 AM Wakey Wakey. Then 2 groggy kids came into the bedroom to get us up and ready for the cab at 4:00AM. We must have been running late cause the driver had no problems going 150-160 km/h down the highway to the airport. We had a quick breakfastwhile waiting for the loading call. It came around 5:00 AM, as we were checking in a problem arose. Nobody at Air Canada had told Lufthansa we had changed our flights. (I hate Air Canada) After some scrambling around they got us some seats. From there it was another line for the security clearance. I knew they would be asking for additional paperwork for the kids, and had it ready. It took them another 10 minutes to clear us. We walked about 50 feet to stand in another line for a "what the hell" check, then 100 feet to stand in another line for the carry on check. We arrived at the gate as they were loading. Nicholas can see airplanes now and the kid is ecstatic! We go down some stairs and get on a bus to take us to the airplane. Well a bus is not an airplane and Nicholas started bawling, the poor little bugger cried the whole way to the airplane. We took off a 1/2 hour late because "it's Ukraine", and flew into Munich. We sat there for 2 hours with 2 grumpy, tired, and confused kids. We met some poor guy from Canada that knew Ukrainian so Nicholas tormented the poor guy all the way to Toronto. (He had the misfortune of sitting directly behind the boy.) In Toronto we had less than an hour to clear customs, go to immigration to get the kids permanent Visa's, find our luggage, and get to the gate. We didn't make it. Another flight was leaving for Winnipeg in about an hour so I didn't have the time to call Shane. (Now you have to come over for a beer next time in Wpg.) As I approached the cab the driver said hello in English I almost hugged him. Altogether we traveled for 24 1/2 straight hours. We got home at 9:00PM, and I was sleeping before 10.

The kids seem to like the house (lucky for them, it's a long walk back) They have gone through what I think is everything until Nicholas finds something else. I think I've said "Don't Touch" about a million times. We are now kid proofing the house.

From here the adventure really begins! Thanks to everyone who posted, and sent email, and those who tried and couldn't post due to some glitch. (It's Ukraine) We have stories to tell for years to come. The price is one beer per story! (I'll supply my own)

TTFN

R&C

Getting Closer

Hi Everybody,

I’ve discovered that our kids will be just like everyone else’s. At supper last night (TGI Friday’s) I had to help the kids with their fascination with the toilet, both went 3 times. We said goodbye to Jo-anne, and Carlee who left this morning for Dauphin MB. We’ll miss their company. I’m putting this post together at 9:30PM (1:30PM in Winnipeg) Vitaly has gone to pick-up the passports at the train station. Hopefully they will be there. If we get them we have to be at the Canadian Embassy at 9:00 AM tomorrow to start the citizenship papers. Then we can plan to travel home. If all goes well we’ll be home late this weekend!

Vitaly just walked in……after a few grumpy moments he said they weren’t on the train. I was on the phone with Dad so he was getting the play by play as we again felt complete disappointment. Vitaly finally let out a laugh letting us know he had them. So on to the next step.

Tanya has turned out to be quite a dancer. She will happily bop around the apartment to any music that’s playing. Nicholas is a Shrek fan we’ve watched it several times. Bed time is always a game. Right now they share a bed in the living room (with Vitaly) so they are constantly teasing each other. Vitaly didn't seem to like going over my knee for starting some trouble.

Anyway with interuptions and other things it's 10:30, and I need some sleep. I've been fighting a cold/virus for over a week.

TTFN
R&C

A Glimmer of Hope

Hi Everyone,

I guess I’ll bring you up to date on the passport issue. We got a call on Friday from Khmelnitsky that we would get a call on Saturday telling us when we could expect them. That call never came. Sunday came and went with no information I wasn’t surprised gov’t people around the world don’t work weekends. We hadn’t heard anything by 1:30 so I told Vitaly to make some calls to find out what was going on. He got nowhere so Corrine went shopping and I took the kids to a near by park. When we arrived back at the apartment Vitaly cautiously let me know he had received a call from his contact. The guy wanted another 300 Greevna to expedite the passports, and they would be ready for pick up at the end of the business day Tuesday. (I’ll believe it when they’re in my hands) So now we wait another day.

So much for the serious stuff. We’ve having a pretty good time in Kiev, sleeping on a bed has been nice. Not taking that stinking bus 4 times a day has been a relief. On one of our last bus rides we got on and I was hit with a wall of odor. I looked at Corrine and said ”MMMMMMMMMMMMMM B.O.” she laughed ½ way to the orphanage. Hot water is nice, and so is not having to use a match every time we want to use the stove. (Really the Agassiz cabin is more modern than the old apartment, and smells better.) We spent some time with Nick & Linda and their new twin boys and bade them an envious farewell on Friday evening. We’ve spent a lot of time with Jo-Anne and Carlee. Tuesday is Carlee’s 7th birthday but they will be out of the city meeting a new child so we had a birthday party on Sunday on a river tour boat. To remember to name of the river I say there’s nothing deeper than the Dniper. Corrine spent a fair amount of time trying to teach the kids “Happy Birthday”. They did pretty good. From there we headed down town Kreshadack Street is closed to traffic on weekends. The kids splashed in a water fountain designed for splashing. It’s built into the steps with large platforms! The restaurants are much better in Kiev. We had supper the 1st night at TGI Fridays, some Ukrainian buffet Friday (I won’t go back. If I want to fight with Ukrainians I can do that on the sidewalk. These people have absolutely no concept of manners. They will push their way in front of you in any line if you let them. A little yelling usually scares them off.) We also broke down and went to McDonalds. Tanya wasn’t impressed, and Nicholas ate her burger saving his for later. (Corrine chucked it) We haven’t been to a Two Geese yet there isn’t one near the apt. Our TV has one English channel BBC World (News repeated over and over) The kids have a nap every afternoon it’s a nice respite after the typical show about not being tired they usually sleep a couple hours.

I actually miss work. Who’d a thought, but we miss so many things from home and are looking forward to getting routines started for the kids. We have got a few rules established, Tanya now actually uses TP, and after a few practice runs has even started throwing it in the toilet. After meals the kids both say thank-you, and clean up after themselves. We are getting the idea of not hiding their toys when we go out into their heads. In an orphanage if you didn’t hide a prized possession it became the groupa’s.

That’s all I can think up right now. With the Harvey’s away I’m hoping Steve will blow the snow for me!

TTFN
R&C

Hello from Kiev

Hi Everyone,


We're back in Kiev waiting for passports. We picked up the kids Wednesday AM hoping that the passports would be available in Kiev Thursday. They weren't so now it's sit and wait time.

When we arrived at the orphanage Nicholas spotted the new clothes and couldn't wait to get changed. Tanya is a monkey see monkey do sorta kid so she followed right along. After a few hugs and goodbyes we left the place without a tear, or backward glance. We took the train late in the afternoon and Nicholas said bye bye Khmelnitsky, and hello Kiev. I told him as we waited to board that this was his last chance to change his mind. He shook his head no "Hello Canada!"

Our new apartment is very nice. Kitchenette, hot water, dishwasher, microwave, TV, clothes washer. Corrine gave the kids a bath and was told that this was the first warm bath they had every had. I told him the water was near freezing in Canada, then took out some ice cubes and pretended to wash. He wasn't impressed.

We had supper last night with the 2 other couples that we arrived with. Nick and Linda are leaving Saturday with their twin boys. They are a pair of good looking kids very friendly, and playful. They seem to have a lot of the same character traits our kids have. We chocked it up to orphanage living. So come Sunday we'll be down to Jo-anne, and Carlee (daughter 8) to hang with along with Vitaly. Their very nice from Dauphin and still waiting for another appt. to meet a child. So I guess we don't have it so bad.

We don't know for sure when the passports will come through. We are hoping for early next week, but there are no guarantee's, once we get them we have to get citizenship papers, then grab the next flight out of here. I have played around with the comments section again trying to make it easier to post, We heard from our friends here that they were having trouble. So I hope it's working.

TTFN
R&C

PS: The kids say добрий день (Good Day)

Help, we're stuck!

Hi Everyone,

The shopping went well, we got almost everything she needed, can a girl ever really have enough? The Passport people told Vitaly to come back Monday to apply for the passports so the waiting continues. Sunday was a fun day we took the kids for a ride in the country then a little visit to the city park. From there we went for a fast lunch at a Ukrainian style theme restaurant. During lunch Nicholas polished off everything he could stick a fork into. I couldn't resist telling him we don't have food in Canada, his quick reply was just get him a stove he'll make his own food. We headed back to our apartment and as we pulled up I told Nicholas that this was Canada. He wasn't impressed. After that we headed back to the orphanage for a good bye party. Everyone had a good time Corrine had bought bubbles for the whole groupa, and they were quickly ushered outside to spill the juice on the ground. We went to bed excited that this might be our last night in the Ghetto!

Monday morning arrived we started to pack hoping for the best. The phone rang it was the the passport agency "Don't bother coming in today the boss is out of town". This is Ukrainian code for be prepared for the worst. The entire judicial system is controlled by the Mafia so if you need something done you have to pay a bribe, or wait forever. I was pissed off and Corrine had a cry. They told us to go ahead to Kiev, they will forward the passports when they are ready. At this point I have learned that leaving without a document just means you have to pay to travel back to get it. So we are staying put until the passports are in hand. We still have to do some paperwork with the Canadian Embassy, and who knows how long that will take. All I can say is it's a good thing I couldn't post this morning. It wouldn't have been pleasant.

The Director of the orphanage showed up today thinking we were traveling to Kiev. We needed her to sign some more paperwork, and she wanted her donation. After the signings she wished us well telling me to be firm with the kids when they need it, and to give them hugs when they need it. Then she gave me a hug. She said the kids could stay in the orphanage as long as required, made me promise to send pictures as soon as we were settled at home, and told me we could stay at her house when we come for a visit. (I need some of whatever she has hidden in her office.)

Have I mentioned that we have been without hot water for over a week? With all the running around we didn't have time to drop clothes off at the orphanage for a wash so we're getting pretty ripe. If you want a little taste of Ukrainian living turn off your hot water tank for a week, and lock up you clothes washer& dryer for 2. As an added bonus turn off any Air Conditioning you might encounter, and if in a vehicle roll up the windows then throw the handles away so you aren't tempted to roll them down. There's nothing like boiling up a nice batch of gotch soup in the tub!

Anyway that's all for now. I'm using an internet cafe because we didn't want to waste another internet card that isn't transferable from region to region. We'll see what Tuesday brings.

PS: I posted some beggars we met here in town.

TTFN
R&C

Decree Day!

Hi Everyone,

Corrine keeps asking what a Decree is so I finally told her it was a French word for “The Indian”. Anyway I’ll start on Thursday 6:30 AM Corrine was out of bed like a shot. She made coffee and was walking around the apartment singing like a bird cause she was goin’ shopping! We had made arrangements to pick-up Nicholas at 9:30 to take him to the market for clothes. Corrine was in her glory! We had no problems shopping Nicholas was well behaved and enjoyed the trip asking us to buy him something. It didn’t matter what as long as it was something. We all had a laugh at that. He also asked Corrine what her name was in Ukrainian. She replied, Toilet? He asked again, same reply. Now he’s getting frustrated so the volume goes up and he asks again, Corrine looking very concerned replied again Toilet? He yelled the last time only to get the same answer, then he gave up. Vitaly was splitting a gut the whole time, and as usual I was dreaming of being anywhere other than shopping. It didn’t take long for toilet and I to pick out what he needed then head back to the orphanage. Along the way he said to me “Papa toilet” so we found him a spot just off the street so the fountain of youth could gush. I spent the rest of the day in a miserable mood expecting the worst on Friday, and especially dreading what is to come regarding the passports.

Friday morning I got up then spent an hour trying to get Corrine up. (No shopping no hurry.) Vitaly left around 8:30 to pick-up the decree and then called us to be ready to go at 9:45 to go get the birth certificates. (I’m still amazed it was ready) I was dreading this because they had to come from the district that had caused us a ton of trouble in the past, and I was positive it would be a repeat, and add a few more days to our stay. We arrived at 10:30 only to discover the person we needed to see was in the hospital. (I guess another family got to her first) Her assistant was there and after a few phone calls and a few white lies we had them in hand by 3:00. We raced back to Hmelnitsky to go to the justice dept. for legalization of the cert.s, then to the notary for legal copies. THE KIDS ARE LEGALLY OURS! It was too late to apply for passports today so we hope to do that Monday. Vitaly found out at 4:45 that we need another paper from the problem area that the assistant didn’t think was important so the problems from that district continue, but Vitaly is confident he will get it Monday AM. (I hope so)

So now all we need are passports to travel to Kiev. Once we get there we apply for citizenship papers for the kids. When we get that we travel to the airport then travel to…….oh crap! I forget where we came from.

Tomorrow is Tanya’s big day at the market so Corrine will be up early and chomping at the bit to get going. Sunday we’re taking the kids to say good bye to a relative. The weekend should go past fast.

We just got a call, the district will have the documents ready today! The assistant is afraid of the extra paperwork when we are gone (Vitaly’s fib is paying off again) on Monday. She volunteered to stay late to fix the problem. We got there at 6:45 she completed the job, but it didn’t print well so she said if the dept. justice won’t accept them we can get new ones without our signature. With documents in hand we went for supper pizza, beer and wine to celebrate a good day. Afterh that wee kame hommme for some postingz and fun and then some tv ot whatever mmmmmmmmmmbeeeeer zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


TTFN
R&C

Yalta Part 2

I'm back,

The day we went to the castle was also the day we took a swim in the Black Sea. It was very nice, clear and warm. The people in Ukraine aren't very shy. An old lady somewhere between 70-150 years old had no problem dropping her top for a little bird bath shoreside. She also did some laundry. I forgot to thank her cause she saved us both the need and expense for lunch, and I can never look at fried eggs the same way again. Have I mentioned that there are no shortage of wild dogs and cats running around any city we've been in? Fortunately they aren't vicious or Corrine would have lost an arm trying to pat every single one she see's. There's also no shortage of men passed out on the streets, against walls, or in parks. Sometimes these worlds collide. I was walking back to the apt. one afternoon when I came across a guy who had stopped at the store for some beer and weiners. I think he must have had a few beers in him already cause he was passed out on the sidewalk with the beer pouring out, and a cat enjoying the weiners! I wish I had a camera with me.

We are fighting with both our useless travel agent and Air Canada right now trying to book our flights out of hell, but the agent seems to think phones grow on trees here, or maybe I can just stroll into the office in Frankfurt to make the changes in person. We have limited internet access, and no phone while Vitaly's away. I have asked her 3 time to do it but she is afraid to spend an extra $100.00. (Total loser) even after I have sent 3 emails and had Corrine's Dad call her. There won't be an easy step through this process.

The kids were very happy to see us when we got back. I think they thought we left without them. (Poor buggers) They seem to have grown a little so we've decided not to by any clothes until they stop. lol I'll try to post some pictures when Vitaly gets back. Until then,

Quick edit: I finally feel comfortable posting pictures of the kids. I posted our first family photo! To settle the bet Nicholas is 8 and Tanya is 5.

TTFN
R&C

We're Home well back to the Ghetto!

Hi All,

We're back fromYalta in our crappy apartment that actually feels like home. In case you want to look it up we are in khmelnitskiy closer to the west of Ukraine. Just a fews hours by train from Poland. Ah.... the train, such memories. twenty two hours riding with the devil himself. We went 1st class because it was rumored to have air conditioning, and because the AC might work the windows didn't. Try living in a sauna for 22 hours, and only being allowed to use the can when the train was moving and outside the city. (Never walk along train tracks in Ukraine) From there we jumed on a no AC bus for an hour, then to our no AC apt. All this in 35+ above temps. (my mood was foul) After a shower (Vitaly says take a hot shower to cool off "it's Ukraine") that changed from hot to cold on a whim we went to explore Yalta.

We visited a number of sites from a castle built in 1828-1848 with art dating back to the 1600's. We visited the aquarium & saw seals & a walrus dance to "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW" as well as Beluga whales and a dolphin. We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain were Corrine became a camel jockey, and played with young bears, then hiked to the very top. (I crapped myself) It was beautiful We have now decided to charge for the slide show when we get home lol we also visited the zoo. They had lions and tigers and bears oh my! We took plenty of food for the animals the monkeys loved cucumbers, the camels, and ostriches loved bread. The bears did tricks for their treats, and we got to hold baby lions! We took a ferry along the sea and saw some awesome sites. The city was in full tourist mode so we had to listen to the party fire up as we were going to bed everynight. We were a few hundred meters from the sea, and main boardwalk, and main stage.

Were at an internet cafe and about to get thrown out because they are closing. Vitaly is in Simferopol dealing with a sick family member until Wednesday So I will post when I can. I have more to say but no time to type it.

Judgement Day

Hey Everybody!

The day started around 8:30 AM I noticed Vitaly was still in the apartment. He had planned on going to the hospital for an ultrasound. It seems he’s developed kidney stones. He’s had to call the doctor (and a nurse) to our apartment twice for the pain that he has been experiencing. The doctors here make house calls. If they think you sick enough they take you to the hospital. On top of this there is no charge, unless you stay at the hospital. I’m sure glad we pay serious taxes for the crap we get. Anyway he said he was feeling better and didn’t need to go.

We had an interesting experience at the orphanage yesterday. Bart likes to hide small treats under his Bison hat. On this occasion he had sunflower seeds. (Roasted no salt or flavor) He was showing them off to some other kids when one of them grabbed a few and ran off. Bart took off after him as fast as he could applying a solid kick to the kids butt when in range. As he turned around the rest of the kids caught up, the hat went flying seeds were everywhere. Bart then gave another kid a swift dose of “don’t mess with me”. Just as Corrine & I and the orphanage nurse arrived, the nurse got there first (Ukraine doesn’t have any lame laws about spanking), and Bart learned not to kick other kids. The orphanage seems to have a pecking order among the kids similar to “The lord of the Flies”

I guess your wondering about court. Well we arrived in the court house a dingy building with paint peeling everywhere, loose wiring hanging from the ceiling and the linoleum lifting and torn around 10:30. All 3 required people even showed up on time! We went into the judges office, and she asked us a number of questions each in turn. Are you married? What year were you married? (I got that wrong again, remember the roses.) Can you afford to raise children? What do you do for a living? Do you have any family members in Canada? What’s your address? Do you have any bio children? Why don’t you have any of your own? They asked Corrine if she was prepared to raise kids. Who she had for emotional support? What kind of activities would be available? Then the orphanage director answered a few questions. She said Bart wanted us for his parents and couldn’t wait to go to Canada. They didn’t talk about Lisa (I think because of her age) It was over in 25 minutes. I guess I can tell you the kids real names now.

Fortunately this judge has been involved this since the district problems began so she allowed the weekends to count in the 10 day waiting period. She had originally said she wouldn’t so the wait is over Aug 3,07 instead of Aug 6,07. After that we get the birth certificates and passports and come home! The only snag left is that on July 1,07 Ukraine changed the way it does passports. I have read on different forums to expect a wait of anywhere from 10 days to 6 weeks. Vitaly is already on the case, and is confident we won’t wait even the 10 days. (I hope not)

We leave for Yalta tomorrow by train at 11:00AM, and will arrive in Simferopol at 9:00AM the next morning then only an hour by bus to Yalta. Originally We thought it was 12 hours I guess with all the other confusion we miss understood. This will be 22 hours of hell with no on board meals unless we bring them. (Some holiday) We make the same ride back Sat. Yeehaw! If we had heard this correctly we probably wouldn’t be going, but the break will be nice and I have a few Nytol’s to finish up.

Oh Yeah…… Bart is Mykola (Nicholas in English) Lisa is Tetyana (Tanya in English) We have to wait the 10 days to legally post pictures.

TTFN
R&C

The Saga Continues

When we last heard from our hero’s they had received an all’s well from Vitaly. Let’s pick up the story from there!

Vitaly arrived back at the apartment just after 1:00 AM exhausted. So I left him to get some sleep know the details would come in the morning. The next morning came with an above normal amount of dripping from the sink. In an effort to get it to stop it’s version of the Chinese water torture I managed to strip the stupid thing. After coffee (Instant…. yuk!) We asked about the trip to Kiev. Vitaly told us that he had needed 2 documents (not just the one he had told us about), and that the inspector of that region was refusing to provide it even after a call from the judge, the city inspector from our region, and a call from the SDA. She also said that any further pressure would result in her going up the ladder with a complaint because she felt she was following the law. The problem is there are 2 laws that contradict each other she chose the bad one. Vitaly left to meet the judge to discuss options we went to visit the kids. After lunch Vitaly came back to let us know he had gotten the document after providing some “paperwork”. (He’s awesome) We took off to the hardware market (It’s a whole separate market from the usual one) picked up a tap to fix the sink, and he left for Kiev to drop off the documents. The SDA assured him if he got them there today (Thursday) he could pick-up the approved dossier Friday, and the court case can go ahead as scheduled for Monday. Whew what a nightmare.

I fixed the tap while Corrine went to visit the kids in the afternoon and the torture was over. Thursday morning Corrine made coffee again (see above) I turned on the tap to rinse a glass and the stupid thing came off in my hand. Water’s spraying everywhere with me loudly explaining (I never yell) to Corrine where the shut off valve is… she finds it and now we’re again without water. We missed the morning visit because of another trip to the hardware market with Corrine. (She had to come it’s a market after all. Does anyone know of a 12 step program for shopping?) I picked up a new tap (Better one) teflon tape, as well as hinges for the toilet seat to make a different job more comfortable. I fixed the tap properly this time. (I didn’t have Vitaly racing through a market that’s 95% closed on Wednesday’s with a cab waiting. Today we had the luxury of looking around to find exactly what we needed.)

It’s still 35 above with no wind so the kids are a little cranky but not too bad. Bart has told us he wants to be a world champion, but is not sure of what yet. He’s trying to learn badminton, buy won’t accept any help so he misses the birdy most of the time, and gets mad. It’s really kinda funny. Lisa wants to play to but all she does is hold the racket while I toss the birdy from 3 feet away. Normally it just bounces off the racket and she laugh’s, but sometimes she takes a swing, and it’s all I can do to get out of harms path.

Kim your right at the moment we do think your crazy, but good for you and your family! I know looking back we’ll view this differently than when in the centre of the hurricane.

Everyone else thanks for the comments, and emails you don’t realize how nice these links to home are.

Anyway that’s it for today.

TTFN,

R&C

Hot Tuesday

Hi all,

Just a quick post to keep you up to date. Vitaly was unable to submit our documents Friday because the SDA wanted more information. He was supposed to get that info Monday, but is still waiting for it today. The SDA has since taken the documents but is waiting for the last bit. Our cell phone ran out of minutes so we can’t call out to find out what’s happening we have to wait for Vitaly’s calls. (He doesn’t like to call because of the cost.)We are told if the document comes in we will still have everything on Friday, but by now you know how things work in Ukraine.

We have the added joy that the temperature has risen over 30 and is happy to stay there. Riding the bus has taken on a whole new meaning. Imagine a whole bunch of play-doh pieces crammed together. Now put them in a steel drum in this temperature with only a small vent at either end. Fortunately there is a nice potpourri of sweat, stale tobacco, and cheap perfume to make it bearable. Oh yeah, and the occasional guy passed out in the seat beside you. Did I tell you that some of the beers here are 11%-14%? Not to mention Vodka isn’t controlled by the MLCC so the proofs run pretty high.

I noticed last night the water had stopped working. We hoped for the best and went to sleep. This morning there was still no water. Corrine met a neighbor who told us that it would be out for 3 days (I hope he didn’t mean 3 weeks) He then took us to a well at the local church so we could fill up a 6 litre jug. When I went back this afternoon it wasn’t working either. We are now officially on the “If it’s yellow let it mellow….if it’s brown flush it down” program. The water is working at the orphanage so we are trying to make bathroom stops there when possible. Did I mention it’s hot and the bath tub won’t fill? We’re getting pretty ripe fast!

The kids are doing fine. Lisa has made a game of taking the garbage to the can with me. She has me pick her up and away we go. We then sing the ABC’s together. She can get to “G” by herself, and do the rest with me. After the drop she has me put her down while she goes and picks me a handful of wild flowers. Then back we go singing ABC’s. Usually while we do this Corrine is working with Bart trying to teach him to read the ABC’s he’s getting better at it all the time. We started bringing cat food to the group cat. It took a few days before Corrine could get Lisa to stop eating it, and she’s fast! (Her coat is nice and shiny, and her teeth seem to be cleaner, but her breath is worse.) Corrine asked if we could take a watermelon for the whole groupa (12 kids). We think the caregiver said it was OK. If not tough for her she’s getting a melon. It’s 3:00 in the afternoon now. I’ll wait until 8:00 this evening to post in case there is some good news, and internet rates drop considerably.

Well the call came at 6:00 the documents have been picked up. Full Steam Ahead until the next problem arises.
The really good news is the water is back on!

A quick note for the Hydro/Electricians in the group. The city is putting in high voltage buried cable for several miles mainly uphill. The entire cable run is being dug by hand in this heat. This includes paved driveway crossings.

Insanely yours,
R&C

Another Saturday in Ukraine

Hi all,

Just a quick update. Vitaly dropped our documents off at the SDA (State Department for Adoption) Friday AM. Now we wait 5 working days for them to approve it. From there we go to court, wait 10 days, then get the new passports and birth certificates and if we want we can come home.

We had a nice visit with Bart today. His english is coming on quickly enough that the initial frustrations are becoming a thing of the past. He knows most of the alphabet, and already counts to 10 with no problem. He suddenly blurted it out I was suprised. Corrine missed it so she didn't believe it until he did it again. He's also mastered "come here Papa/Mama" when he wants to show us something. Lisa was sick today so we barely saw her. She was puking through the night and had a small fever. (I knew something was up when she only ate 1/2 her banana yesterday afternoon.) Bart took her peach and yogurt to her along with Mama. Then all hell broke loose cause she wanted to come out and play with us. We saw her at the window waving and smiling as we were leaving. I'm sure she'll be back to her normal self tomorrow.

We got "new" furniture today some of it is better, some the exact same crap we had. She also complained that the apartment wasn't clean enough. She knows we will be staying longer than the original month, and I'm sure she's made this up as an excuse to get more money out of us when the time comes. A hotel is looking pretty good right now. We're looking forward to our trip to Simferopol (Yalta to be exact) Simferopol is the capital in that region. The break will be nice when all the paperwork is completed.

I would be putting Bison tags on the fire extinguishers if there were any. I have only seen three at the orphanage (It houses 80 kids) and forget suppression systems. I'm now looking for volunteers for the Bison Ukraine branch!

If you don't get the teeth and tongue thing I won't ask you what Rice Krispies are made from.

TTFN
R&C

Just Another Day in Paradise

Hi Everyone,

The morning went as expected...... the mayor was unavailable, so the documents were held up. We continued the day as usual a morning visit with the kids with nothing special to report. Then a wet ride back to the apartment for lunch. If it’s not 30+ above, it’s 18 and raining. Back at the apartment we got a call from the landlord letting us know a new kitchen table was coming this afternoon. (The old one looked like it would fall apart if a fly landed on it.) When she arrived with the “new” table we immediately wanted the old one back. She also told us new beds/couch are coming Saturday. Now we’re nervous. I’ve kinda gotten used to sitting on a couch with no cushions, or under support just a cabinet door placed on 2 cross members with a couple of blankets for comfort.

Vitaly went downtown to try to get things moving, and we went back to the orphanage, again another uneventful visit. Just before we were going to leave Vitaly showed up to join us for the ride back home. He was sitting with Bart who seemed very concerned with the language Mama was using. Apparently the cutsie Ukrainian words Corrine had been using would have made a sailor blush. She had picked up what she thought was baby talk etc. and Bart was afraid new Mama was gonna be worse than old Mama. I just about fell over when I heard this, and I’m sure the caregivers are impressed, because Vitaly told us women don’t use these words ever.

We found out that Vitaly had gotten the documents, and is ready for his trip to Kiev. The train leaves just after midnight and arrives around 6:00AM. He’ll be staying with Nick and Linda a couple from Lindenwoods that arrived the day after we did. We're doing a DVD swap with them. Our “Sanford & Sons” for their “Everyone Loves Raymond”. The good news is that the week we are scheduled to go to court the orphanage director, the city inspector, and the judge will all be away on holidays for a month. We need all 3 in attendance to make it legal. (“It’s Ukraine”) Fortunately the inspector will have a replacement, the director has agreed to make an appearance, and the judge has as well. (Remember my post a few days back, I won’t believe until it happens)

A quick stop at the supermarket on the way home turned out to be interesting. While standing in the check-out line I noticed the odds and ends they always have stacked for the impulse buyer. Well on the shelf was Vodka, the row above had ribbed/glow in the dark family planning kits (I’m keeping this G rated), and pregnancy test kits. Now that’s planning! (“It’s Ukraine”) With that kind of for-sight how come there are so many orphans?

TTFN
R&C

All's Quiet on the Eastern Front

Hi All,

I know the suspense must be killing you so I’ll pull the band-aid off fast. We received the letters from both the mayor and the director from the problem district today, and it was accomplished with out additional paperwork! We are feeling much better today. After not getting the documents yesterday as promised I blew a small fuse. We went for Pizza in a downtown cafe (the pizza here is fantastic!), and a beer, then another, and another. Have I mentioned that I have yet to meet a Ukrainian beer I didn't like? Another good thing about Ukraine is that it's metric so the beer is either 1/2 litre , or a whole litre. Anyway I felt better after that. (It's amazing what pizza will do for your attitude!) Vitaly has since dropped all the documents off with the city inspector. She called back at 6:00 PM saying she was on her way to see the mayor of our city to get his signature so the completed documents could be taken to the SDA. The SDA only accepts new documents Mon. Wed. & Fridays so he'll be on a train for Kiev Thursday night to be there for the grand opening Friday. After they sit on it for 5 days Vitaly will pick it up, and we go to court as quickly as possible so we can start the 10 day wait. (This place is slower than Kentucky cousins) The good news is we are slowly moving forward again having gotten over the hurdle that threatened to stop us completely.

We have decided to take a break during the 10 day wait and go to Simferopol. It’s a city between the Black Sea and the Crimean Mountains in southern Ukraine. (Vitalys home town) he has arranged an apartment for us, and will be our tour guide through the day and go home at night. The city is near a castle that was Gorbachev’s summer home during the USSR days. We’re looking forward to the break, and a vacation in a part of the world I least expected to ever go.

The kids are good. They’re getting to know us better everyday. This morning when we arrived Lisa let out a squeal of joy at seeing us and ran straight into Corrine’s arms for a hug and a kiss. (So much for daddy’s girl) It melted Corrine’s heart again, and was the medicine she needed. We keep telling ourselves it’s 2 steps forward and 1 step back in the relationship, but as long as it’s moving forward were happy. Bart surprised me yesterday when he suddenly counted to 10 without prompting or having done it before. He’s starting to learn his ABC’s as well, and has become quite the conman when it comes to treats from Mama. He’ll snuggle in to her begging “Mama Pleeeeease Num Nums” as he’s doing this he’s trying to sneak into her purse. This afternoon Lisa was blowing bubbles when she managed to spill some soapy water in her eye. She came straight to me, and I took her over to the sink to wash it out. A week ago she would have gone to a caregiver. Bart fell this morning scraping his arm when Corrine got to him she walked him to a bench and wiped him down with a wet wipe, and a kiss on the boo boo. Then they sat together for some quiet time. We have had our challenging days with them but those days are becoming fewer, and fewer. Another help are the caregivers who know the adoption is moving ahead so they’re pushing the kids our way.

To answer a question; Kim is the same age as her tongue and older than her teeth (Happy Birthday!). I know a restaurant on King St. that will pay $20.00 each for the kittens. I want half, Corrine wants the other half!

Thanks for the comments and support. It's great to hear any news from home.

TTFN
R&C

Another Day at the Office

Hi Canada,

I guess there’s not that much to report today so I’ll keep it brief. The weekend was nice we seem to have had a bonding breakthrough with Lisa who seems to have become daddy’s girl. I have never worked so hard in my life giving her plane rides, lifting her over my head as high as possible so she can pick cherries off the trees (they’re ripe), playing some sort of game where I chase her with my hands up like a bear, and she runs to Corrine for protection (If I don’t do it enough she comes after me with her hands up to catch me. (It’s too cute to describe!) She also loves to climb the play structures they have and jump off the top into my arms. I finish it jump off by turning her upside down and tickling her. While all this is going on Corrine seems to be getting some quiet time with Bart (damn momma’s boy) she talks to him, tries to teach him the alphabet, or some other kids songs, or whatever they get up to. Both kids seem to be understanding us a little better, and us them. So the frustration caused by communication is starting to lighten up a little. (We have a long way to go.)

We had a nice afternoon today. We had to take them downtown to get photos taken for the passports so there will be less scrambling when we need to get them made. A short bus ride got us there. The pictures taken without incident, and then we were off for some desserts a well deserved treat! After that Vitaly had to run to the inspector’s office leaving us to survive on our own. It wasn’t a big deal there were electric kiddy cars that the kids drove around on the street for 5 greevna. (The street is permanently closed to traffic and is very busy with café/bars, restaurants, shops, and other things.) After the expected whining when the ride was over we bought them a couple of small toys from a street vendor and waited for Vitaly to return. When he got back it was a bit of a scramble to get them back home before curfew (6:00 PM, we were lucky to get them out at all.) One of the things we discovered today was how little the kids have seen, or remember outside the orphanage. Bart was asking Vitaly all kinds of questions about things he was seeing. (He had never seen a satellite dish. We’ll be busy when he learns English) Anyway it was a good day!

As I expected the letter didn’t arrive from the district, but is "promised" (again) for tomorrow. It is holding things up but Vitaly made a tentative court date for July 19th. I remind you that it means nothing in this country. Anytime we experience something unusual Vitaly says "It’s Ukraine" so we are still in limbo. Fortunately there has been no request for paperwork. Vitaly doesn’t think there will be any required which is a suprise. When I joked about liking it here so much we might stay, well that seems to be becoming a reality. I’ll be right back............

I’m back I just got called away for supper. Vitaly whipped up a fresh garden salad along with a smoked meat sandwich on fresh baked bread, and Swiss cheeze. For all you garden fresh vegetable lovers out there Ukraine has a longer growing season than we have so we are forced to eat garden fresh tomatoes, cukes, dill, peppers, potatoes, garlic, onions, when should I stop? LOL The bread here is made with no perservatives, and no bleached grains (no white bread) so you have to eat it fast, but you can buy a half loaf so it doesn’t go bad. Many vegetables and baking are bought from Bubbas selling from the side of the road. Vitaly tells us that in most cases the produce is from their own gardens and is their only sourse of income. (Kinda sad, but tasty.) With all the fresh food and walking I’ve had a hard time maintaining my usual 180 lbs. STOP LAUGHING! We are also discovering many discrepancies from what we think is Ukrainian and what it really is. Such as Bubbas they are actually called Bubushka’s, and the thing on their heads are just light scarves. Perogies are dumplings, but an actual Ukrainian perogy is the size of a pie made with a dough (sorta like a pita, but different taste and heavy bread texture) on both sides with a filling, the dough is kinda dry. The perogies we have at home are Polish. Gold is very popular for crowns on teeth. It is not unusual to see a golden smile!

I promised to keep this short so I will.

I think I fixed the problem with the comments, it somehow got changed to registered users only. Either google is up to no good, or having more than half the language on the lap top in Ukrainian has caused the trouble. Anyway it should work now.

TTFN
R&C

Big Trouble in Little Ukraine

Hi everyone,

The one thing that I learned early on in our trip was that in Ukraine what is said on Monday means nothing on Tuesday. At least as far as government officials are concerned. We were still glowing from a successful trip to Kiev until Wednesday afternoon when Vitaly received a call from the orphanage director saying we had a big problem. The city inspector had called her to tell her that relatives in the district that the kids came from may not sign consent forms to allow the adoption. To add to the misery the one relative we needed a signature from was out of the country until July 13th. Well anybody that knows me can imagine my reaction after many promises at every gov’t level of no problems from the day we left Kiev 2 weeks earlier. Vitaly made an appointment to see the inspector in our city, and told me I couldn’t go. (I’m sure that decision has kept me out of the salt mine) All this after we had been told there would be no problems if the “paperwork” was sufficient, and we had supplied the paperwork. (This type of paperwork is common in Ukraine) Vitaly met her after regular business hours away from the office. You can only imagine how Corrine and I felt. If this fell through we were looking at a minimum 2 weeks before another appointment with the SDA in Kiev before we could travel to meet news kids if any were available. Not to mention the heartbreak of leaving these 2 behind because of a relative who hadn’t even seen/contacted these kids since they came into care. This was the worst day we’ve had in Ukraine and second only to running out of beer on a hot day! Vitaly returned from his meeting to tell us that although the paperwork had been sufficient the inspector in the other district wanted to meet us.

5:45AM Vitaly woke us with his usual wakey wakey. We had coffee and cleaned up to go meet the inspector for 8:00 without an appointment. Vitaly said if we just show up they will have to deal with us. It was the right move. We went into the inspector’s office only to find out that he would have to get permission from his boss so we waited for her to arrive. When she did she listened to our story and then left to consult a lawyer. Upon her return she told us that we could get permission to continue the adoption with out the consent if approved by the town counsel, with the mayor’s final approval and signature. We were the first family to have this type of problem, and nobody wanted to take responsibility alone. She then set up a meeting for the next morning at 9:00 AM with the counsel walked us out mentioning that she was involved with some Ukrainian/Canadian women’s group and would do everything she could to help. We left feeling a little more optimistic but knew we still had a big obstacle to overcome.

6:15AM Vitaly woke us with his usual wakey wakey. We went through the same ritual as the day before make in the 25 km journey in record time. (I keep telling Corrine to look out the side windows only. It cuts down on the screaming) we met with counsel (9 people only because of holidays) at 9:00 as set (I’m still amazed) They asked us a number of questions about ourselves, our jobs, our home, etc. I told them that Corrine had a bad wine habit but was slowly getting better, they replied that it was ok most Ukrainians drink too much also. They seemed satisfied with our answers then the Mayor said “I wish you well” in English and left the room. From there the rest of counsel started to smile and wish us well, thanking us for giving the children a good home, and a couple more questions then it was over. An hour later we walked out of the town hall with the required documents signed and ready to go. The inspectors boss (the lady) even gave us a book about the history of the district in Ukrainian to help the kids remember where they came from. I asked her to write a small note, and to date and sign it. She very happily did.

The rest of the day and weekend will consist of visiting the kids and cleaning underwear. This has pushed us back a few days but could have been much worse. When we dropped off the documents with our inspector she told Vitaly this was the most difficult adoption she’s seen this year.

I’m sure by now you have moved from the edge of your seat to a comfy position further back. Just to keep you on the edge (Why should we be the only ones stressed out?) We still have to receive one more document from the trouble district, but have been assured by the mayor it will be available Monday. (Remember the first sentence of this post), and we still haven’t received the doctors report that was supposed to arrive Wednesday.

Have a nice day!

TTFN
R&C

A Day at the Doctor's Office

Hello Everyone in Cyberspace!

The trip to Kiev (they pronounce it Keev) was looooooooong. The day started at about 5:30 AM. We picked up 2 tired kids at 7:00 AM who were up an hour before their usual time and missed breakfast. Corrine had juice boxes in their hands before we left the parking lot. Then followed that up with banana’s, and as soon as they disappeared (banana’s are a favorite) out came the apples. I can’t begin to describe the luxurious van we hired for the ride. This machine was built for cross country racing. The back windows didn’t open in fact Corrine had to slide down in the seat to see out you can imagine what it was like for Vitaly and I. The seats had almost no padding, and certainly no seat belts. The radio had only one station Ukrainian pop/dance music. Vitaly finally told the guy to shut it off. The temp was in the high 20’s to low 30’s and humid. The nice thing about Ukrainian vehicles is the length they go to for fuel economy, with that in mind nobody has air conditioning, air vents, or suspensions. With mighty 1.3l motors they are built for speed not comfort. Fortunately the driver matched his vehicle. His uncanny ability to hit every pot hole for 5 straight hours could only be matched by his 2 foot approach to braking. Playing chicken is not a game in Ukraine it’s the preferred driving style. He had a unique approach to the holes to large to be considered pot holes. He would wait until the wheel was about to drop in then crank the steering wheel towards either on coming traffic or some obstacle on the side of the road, and all this at over 100 km/h. With all this in mind this was the longest car ride either kid had been on in their lives. About an hour into it Corrine’s buffet started to jump in Lisa’s stomach. All I can say is THANK-YOU to the people who suggested taking zip-lock bags with us because after 5-6 barf breaks (At least it smelled fruity) and one pee stop we arrived in Kiev with a very upset little girl, and a tired boy.

The doctor told us we would have to wait a few hours after our appointment time to see us so we went for a fast lunch. Vitaly came to the rescue again by going to see the doctor and getting the appt. pushed up. The good news is she gave a good report told us the kids were healthy, and good to go. She will forward her report to the CDN gov’t. for final approval, but that should be a rubber stamp.

The kids were much better on the way home. They played with Corrine in the back seat singing songs, playing games and sleeping when she would leave them alone. (They didn’t get much sleep) The drive was similar, but the bellies were ok. The country side was nice rolling hills/ prairie mainly farm land outside the cities (Very similar to Manitoba). Farmers still stacking hay by hand with horse drawn hay wagons. Chickens, ducks, and geese along the side of the highway people walking their cows similar to the way we walk our dogs. We arrived back at the orphanage (With only one pee break. We have started calling Bart the fountain of youth. Hugh will know what that means) at 9:00 PM dropped the kids off and with a crazed laugh pulled out of the parking lot.

The director of the orphanage signed the papers we needed and Vitaly took them to the city inspector for processing. With luck he will be able to make an appt. with the judge on Thursday for a court date. He still has to go back to Kiev with more paperwork for the Federal Gov’t that will take 5 days to process. When we get that back we will be able to go to court. After that a 10 day wait (it’s the law) a few days for passports and new birth certificates then home. At least at this point we have another couple legs off the centipede!

TTFN
R&C

Passing Time

Hidy Ho Neighborino’s, not much to report since the last post but I thought I would try to come up with a few things. I guess the best part is that Bart is back and brat is MIA. I also discovered something else new. We have been giving the kids fruit, fruit juice, yogurt, nuts, and we wash this all down with water. We usually trade the yogurt and juice back and forth. After a week of this on top of their usual diet something had to give. I was playing basket ball with Bart when suddenly he dashed off to the bushes. (He now knows that it’s a safe pee place) As he gets there down go the pants he gives me a worried look and grabs some more bush. I’m torn between laughing my head off and the thought of crap covered hands when I see a small roll of paper appear. (I guess I’m not the only one who carries paper everywhere I go.) He comes back with a satisfied smile on his face ready to continue. I happened to glance at Lisa who is now holding the back of her pants the same way Bart had been. I yelled for Corrine who scooped her up and went inside for the kid size toilets they have. They just made it. Corrine says the kid dropped half her body weight. Tomorrow it’s Kolbasa and cheese!

The kids are learning more English everyday and we are learning a bit more Ukrainian to. We also learned a fair amount of sign language so communicating is getting better. I can only imagine what it’ll be like in another week they do learn fast. Corrine and I have never sung the ABC’s so much in our lives even as kids. At first they both kinda smiled now they bop along and even try to join in. They went to the circus yesterday afternoon. We want to go we’ve been told that PETA and Green Peace would freak out if they saw it.

Vitaly has gone home for 4 days while the holidays are on. He was very nervous leaving us alone in the city, but we’re doing ok so far. We stumble through the markets and most cashiers (or hagglers) will show us the price on a calculator. Most prices are marked so it’s just a total. Corrine continues to amaze the locals with her command of the language. (I’m guessing she gets punched out by Sunday) Monday will be the big test…. well one of many to come.

TTFN
R&C

Wednesdays Adventure

Hi All, not much to report today, we got the required petitions from the Notary today. This allows us to go ahead with the next steps in paper work. We confirmed that we will be travelling to Kiev Monday with the kids, Vitaly and the driver. No caregiver required, Vitaly told the director that we are getting along so well with the kids she wouldn't be needed. This will give us 5 hours each way in the van of "quality time" as well as at the doctors office. Would someone please send some nytol quick, or even something to make a nice lemony drink! lol The morning visit went by as usual except we figured out that we are bringing too much water. Bart doesn't appear to be shy about where he goes, who sees, or how often, but old faithful was gushing regularly and everywhere. (note to self: don't get the sand from the sandbox in your mouth)
We left there around noon and spent the rest of the day in the notary's office with a short break for lunch, then Corrine took me to the nearest grocery store to stock up for the afternoon visit because we weren't going to get to the apt.

The afternoon visit was only an hour thanks to the notary, but it turned out to be a blessing cause Bart decided he was going to be a brat (hmm..... same letters wonder if it means anything?) At one point even Corrine looked like she had had enough. She had a look on her face that is usually reserved for me. Lisa was pretty good swinging away (she loves the swing) and singing me a song as Corrine waged war with Bart. He settled down towards the end, again I partially blame the language barrier, also I'm sure he's testing us, and he's also just a typical mischievous boy. I have noticed he will do something to get us to pay even more attention to him and laughs and giggles when we chase after him wanting to be tickled. I have learned to pity the poor kids that come near us when Bart's in play mode. He yells at the intruder, and if that doesn't work the kid is in for it. I've had to pull him back a couple of times. Even Lisa chased off a couple of little girls hitting them with a balloon we had given her.

Due to the Ukrainian holidays we can't do much paperwork wise so Vitaly has left us to go visit his family, he'll be back on Sunday, and is assuming we'll still be alive. The language lessons we took have been a fantastic help. I can read most signs, but don't have a clue what they mean, and Corrine tries to talk to the locals usually enthusiastically blurting out the wrong words, or in some cases swearing without knowing it. Vitaly tuned her in and I just about peed my pants laughing. She had asked for some wine with no sooger (Bitch in Ukrainian). Sugar is pronounced just a little differently but enough to get her punched out.

I don't think I can describe how much I hate dial-up. I guess we are spoiled this is terribly slow. It took me 15 minutes to type this!

TTFN
R&C

Latest News

Hello everyone, again my second attempt at a post. This time the dial up was so slow it somehow lost the post. I’ll bring you up to date on the apartment. As I’m typing this the laptop battery died good thing I saved it in a word file. I’m getting smarter. (Actually it was Vitaliy’s suggestion he’s been down this road before) Any way the apartment…. Anyone who remembers my apt. above Doxi’s it was 1000 times better. This place is disgusting no TV, no washer, no chairs, the bed springs are finished. We bought an air mattress at the market (Corrine’s Utopia). We went out and spent a couple hundred bucks for things to make the apt nicer, and some groceries including Borsht fixin’s. Borsht is a lunch meal only here. We have bus service from the apt straight to the orphanage for a Greevna per person. A Greevna = $0.20 USD. We drive past 3 bubbas booze can each day on the way to the orphanage. Pictures to follow. There are corner stores here every where, but the market is massive. It’s larger than 4 football fields. People come packed in buses from other cities and towns to shop. (My version of hell) It’s like walking through the Ex without the Carnies.

Were getting to know the kids better and have decided to go ahead. Now it’s more waiting the director was away Monday on personal business so now we can’t see a doctor in Kiev until next Monday because of the holiday from Thurs-Sun. This country has more holidays than every religion combined. It’s no wonder nothing happens quickly here. The biggest obstacle has been language (surprise surprise). I was pushing Bart on the swing and he was jabbering away in Ukrainian. As he spoke repeating himself he got louder and louder until he yelled “PAPA STOP” finally something I understood. He gets frustrated when we don’t understand but when Vitaliy drops by to see how it’s going Bart calms down and explains what he wants. Lisa has been getting more comfortable with us as well but yesterday afternoon she got very shy again. Today she was laughing her head off and had a game going where I had to lift her to the top of the slide and Corrine caught her at the bottom. She got upset if we traded positions. Bart ran around playing badminton, and had asked if we have sports in Canada. He wants to be a boxer. I asked if he new about hockey. He does but is not interested (my lucky streak continues). After the doctor we have to set a court date, and get letters of consent from the family members. We have been saying that we have completed another leg of the journey, I’m sure now that we are dealing with a centipede.

The orphanage is very nice and clean. Three kids per bedroom, and a TV in each bedroom as well as common areas. The Caregivers don’t like to miss their soaps! Vitaliy has told us the reason for the good conditions are because of the director who puts the money back into the orphanage instead of her pocket. Apparently this type of theft is common in Ukraine. However this place is much nicer than we had expected to see here, we met an American couple who are adopting a girl from the same place they are amazed as well. They are from Louisianna, he asked me if I knew Sam Katz. I just about fell over, then it was his turn when he found out Sam’s the Mayor now. There are a lot of play structures, but not a lot of toys until you look up into the chestnut tree branches and see a virtual Walmart hanging there.

This city isn’t as modern as Kiev, it’s still very nice not as clean, and again there is a large contrast between old and new. The Circus is in town we’ll try to go see it if possible. I have noticed that the people don’t have a problem throwing a ¼ burnt cigarette on the ground. They must be cheap here, also you don’t have the local riff raff running after them for a free smoke.

Just one quick last note before I try to post this again. The longer it takes the more I add, and the longer you dear reader wait between drinks. lol We had another good visit with the kids this afternoon. We are trying to incorporate English but the kids get bored easily looking at books. We played well together and found out that Bart wants to share some of the treats we bring with Milhouse (Isn’t that cute) it took a while to figure it out but now he’s happier. (So’s Milhouse!) When we left today after a massive wash up and Corrine having a gang toidy with the kids. Lisa has finally given me a hug, then came back to add a kiss.

TTFN
R&C

Latest News

Hey Everybody! This is my second attempt at this post. The computer died as I hit the publish button. Ukrainians now know some Canadian vocabulary. I want to start by telling you a bit about Kiev. It's a nice city that is a combination of old and new. There are many old decrepit buildings around the city that locals don't maintain because they are left from the Soviet days. Urkraine became independant in 1991. There are also many new modern buildings and lots of construction. There are more cranes working here than in Winnipeg. The people are very fasionably dressed Corrine says the place looks like a huge model runway! There are also the typical Bubbas in Bubushkas selling fruit and veggies. One of my favorite sites was 3 Bubbas selling liquor from the back of a 5 ton truck! Many of the old churches and palaces are 100's of years old but in excellent condition. The presidential palace was built in the 1700's.

Our travel day to the new city started at 5:15AM when we got out of bed, over to the train station from 6:30, and off the train at noon. The ride was nice, but we were tired and each took a short nap. Upon arriving at the train station we went straight to the inspector of juvenile affairs office for a letter of approval to go to the orphanage. From there straight to the orphanage. When we arrived Vitaliy had a very long conversation with a guy from the office. It was driving us crazy listening to this very long conversation in Ukrainian. (There is no such thing as a short Ukrainian Conversation) We were told that the director was out not knowing we were coming, and they were unable to reach her because her cell wasn't working. Fortunately she showed up 15-20 minutes later, and another "short" conversation began. We were then taken into her office and had everything explained to us in English. (Translated) 5-10 minutes later they brought in the kids. Bart is blond, blue eyed, and shy at first, Lisa is brunette with brown eyes and very very shy. They stayed for 10 minutes then were whisked away. We made an appointment to come back later, and booked a hotel room for the night. I desperately needed a shower and Corrine wanted the treat of a comfortable room for the night. (I didn't argue) When we went back the kids were outside playing and ran up to us right away. Bart is a typical busy boy, Lisa was still shy, but Corrine had her laughing very hard in no time. She even called Corrine Mama at one point and the tears were at the surface barly being held back. Later we had a quick meal in a very nice restaurant then went to bed having only 8 hours sleep in the last 48 we were exhausted. We are waiting until Monday to make the final decision. (We couldn't over the weekend anyway)

A quick note about Vitaliy. He's the best he treats us like family always looking for the best deal, making breakfast, offering to make borsht, or many other treats. doing dishes until we stopped him, and making every arrangement you can think of. He gets us across safely yelling "JUST WALK" and yes they do drive on the sidewalk. Crossing the street is like a game of frogger.

We'll post again when we have more news or the internet is available.
TTFN
R&C

The Appointment

Hi all! The day started casually enough out of bed by 9:00 AM and laze around until 9:45 when Corrine asked when we had to leave and was informed 10:00AM. Now I needed more time to clean the fan. We arrived at the SDA on time (amazing) and were called in to a small office with an interpreter, and a psycologist. After my treatment we got down to business, we were shown 1 file forunately the kids fit the bill. We will be traveling by train on Friday to meet Bart and Lisa. We still have a long way to go but this was a very positive first step! After the meeting we walked past the former KGB headquarters for Ukraine, but the memory card was full so no pictures. From there I spotted a place to have a beer and of we went to celebrate. The rest of the day was a blur of markets, subways, buses, and eating. We have finally gotten back to the apartment at 9:30 PM cracked a celebration bottle of wine, and opened some caviar (Corrine was dying to try it). We are fortunate to be on line in the apartment Vitaly lent us his laptop (He's staying with us anyway) He had to disassemble the phone then splice a bunch of wires together to get a connection. He says just throw out phone when we leave no one will notice. I know your all dying to hear more about the kids but because of problems other couples have had (with American's suprise suprise) we won't be posting much about them until after the court hearing. We'll tell some cute stories etc. but know info about them, and no pictures it's against the law in Ukraine. Until the court hearing they are Ukraine's kids not ours. Kiev has been amazingly modern exect this morning Corrine had a bathroom encounter with a hole in the ground. She assumed the position demonstrated by Kim in Rae and Jerry's one night. When I say a hole in the floor I mean a hole in the floor we will post a picture. The toilet paper (sandpaper) is extra $1.00 Greevna don't leave home without it.
That's all folks!
TTFN
R&C

We're Here!

Hello Everyone, just a quick note to let you know we have arrived safely. Our Appointment is tomorrow morning. The temp here is 28. Our appartment is very nice, clean, and has a lot of charm. We're about a 10 minute walk from downtown, and you can get Ukrainian food anywhere, and it's very good. I don't know why these people leave, were thinkin of stayin. We have met 2 couples from Manitoba, both are very nice, and are close by. It's good to have some English speaking people around. Darla our Administrator from Canada is here as well making things even easier, but she'll only be here a week. Anyway it's time to continue on with our tour.
TTFN
R&C

Just over 3 weeks to go.

Many of our friends have been asking about the process so I stole this explanation from an adoption web site. The lady that had posted it will be in Ukraine at the same time as us.


First, you have a homestudy done and do a lot of paperwork to get approval from your province. Then you do a lot of paperwork that costs a lot of money and takes a ridiculously long time to get approval from our provincial government. Then you send a bunch of paperwork to Ukraine to get translated and you wait for it to get submitted to the Ukrainian adoption officials in Kiev. When it finally gets submitted, you wait for your initial approval in Ukraine. If you get that approval, you get an appointment to come to Kiev. You have to go when they tell you to go. You don't get to decide the appointment time. At your appointment, you get a referral for a child or a sibling group of children according to your homestudy. You go to the region where the kids are and seek local approval to adopt them, praying for a court date within the near future. In the mean time to take the kids to Kiev for the day (or have the doctor come to you) get medical exams for the kids for our government. While you are waiting for your court date the medicals go to Vienna to be approved by the Canadian government. You go to court. If all goes well in court, you wait 10 more days and do more paperwork within the Ukrainian system. Then you go back to Kiev and give our government even more money to get visas allowing you to bring the kids home. Then you come home and the real adventure begins.

Thanks Beth! (she wanted, and deserves the credit)
The credit for the edit goes to Kim who has been an awesome friend and sourse of information. (Brad has to)

TTFN
Rob & Corrine

Well we have got 90% of our crap together. I'm hoping Buddy won't bark while he's in the suitcase and give himself away. Were still meeting with people to educate ourselves as much as possible, but are resigned to the fact that what ever happens happens.

Actually todays blog is just to make sure I remember the log in, and how to post. It's easier to fix things here. (I forgot the login, both the cat and dog hid after I had thundered my disapproval at myself)

I posted a picture of Bud at Norris lake to remind us of the good times were missing while away, and so we have something to look forward to when we get back. It could be a place for me to go when I run away from home.

TTFN

R & C

From the Beginning

We started looking into international adoption after a friend had suggested it way back in December 05. They were looking into it at the time, and we thought it worth a closer look. We officially started in Feb 06. My friends thought I was crazy giving up a perfectly good Saturday of snowmobiling to look into getting a couple of kids that would also hinder any sledding plans, but I resisted their evil intentions and went anyway. After over a year 3 document renewals stress through the roof some days, some laughs on others, and the opportunity to meet some new friends we are ready to go. Our appointment is June 20th, 07 so we leave everything we currently know as normal June 17,07. We'll try to update as often as we can, maybe even post a couple pic's.
TTFN
R&C