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
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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.
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
Saturday, June 23, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
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
That's all folks!
TTFN
R&C
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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
TTFN
R&C
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