Kiev Day 2

Today was SDA day. That's when we went to our appointment, accompanied by our translator Alla, who is being very kind and helpful. We also earlier met Valentina who is the "overseer" of a group of translators, for lack of better terminology. Both have been very kind. The SDA has a locked gate and you have to stand in the cold for it to be open exactly at appointment time. But we weren't searched before entering which surprised me; they did check our passports and invitation letter (which the translator gave us upon arrival). I guess the gate thing was unexpected but the rest was more lax than expected.

The psychologist, Maria, at the SDA was very kind as well. She showed us 17 or more files of children from age 6 to 9, mostly girls though a few boys as well. You would think from so many choices there would be too many for us to make a decision but for various reasons, mostly health issues, it really came down to three for us at this time. One of the three did not want to be adopted, one is in a small home-like orphanage and the director does not want her to be adopted, and the last one we will go meet on Wednesday. Just because we are meeting her does not necessarily mean it's a go because we want to check to make sure her file is accurate and that we all "mesh" to some degree anyway.

Karina is in the Luganska region. We did not choose based on region because this is about as far as you can get from Kiev and still be in Ukraine; it's not too far from the Russian border, and we would have loved to stay here in this nice apartment with internet access. They speak Russian there, though the child may go to a Ukranian school so we don't know which she will speak, not that it matters since we know no words in either language anyway. I know, I know, you all want more details but we have few at this point. Karina is seven years old and small for her age and healthy and of normal intelligence. Of course, we will double check all of these things for ourselves which is one reason for the trip; the other is that you're required to meet the child in person before you are allowed to adopt. If all goes well at this meeting, we will stay in the Luganska region while we get to know each other better and if she and we agree on the adoption, the paperwork process begins which can take weeks. If all is not well, then we will have another appointment in a week or so in hopes there are new files to show us at that time.

Luganska is so far away that our translator and we will go by train about 15 hours or more, leaving tomorrow night at 7 and sleeping on the train on the way. I've never ridden a passenger train like that but John did in teenage years in Europe so we're both in for a sort of new experience, a treat John says. I hope.

So please keep us in your prayers and Karina too that all goes well, or if not, that the next step will.

Advice to those who are coming here for the same process: don't forget a universal adapter, toilet paper (theirs is hard), a Ukranian cell phone or you can buy one here from your translator, a laptop, little bags of tissues for your purse, food if you have room, coffee (theirs is very strong which John loves but most don't), dvd's, tape book or something to do on the plane, seasonings for food, towels (theirs are much stiffer), wash cloths (they don't use), and don't forget a memo pad or small notebook and pen for your purse or pocket for notes as they quickly show you the childen's files. That's all the things we can think of right now that we are so glad we did bring; thanks to many for us reminding us of many of these.

Here's John (much of the above was a joint effort):

Well most everything has been covered. So I'll go over some things that stuck out to me. First, the city seemed very large when we landed at night. And the airport was very far out of town. We were helped through customs and in getting out of the airport. We almost didn't get all of our luggage into the car. Guess we packed a lot of things. But to be fair to us, we were toting some gifts for the orphanage as well as a couple larger sized items for someone here. It is hard to know exactly what you will need.

We stopped at a food store and then went to our apartment. We were happy that it is pretty modern. But the heat is slow to warm up the rooms and Charlene gets chilled quickly. No surprise that I am comfortable at the cooler temperatures.

Our apartment is close to the center of town and the offices we need to go to. During the day we walked everywhere, and the drivers are not patient with pedestrians, which our translator had warned us about.

One item that reflects the differences in businesses here and at home is the storefronts are often hard to recognize because the buildings are often basic in design. And only the signs by the doorway cue you as to what is inside.

And they don't have the snow removal on their roads like we do. Plus many of the roads are cobbled roughly - they are not smooth.

There are many beautiful buildings and churches. The church in the picture is the Church of Saint Michael. And we were told that when it was restored the gold spire tops are covered in real gold. We figure it must have some good guards. ; )

The town seems divided into areas that more or less specialize in an area. For example, down one street you will find many banks. Down another street you might find inexpensive stores while another street has expensive stores.

I have noticed that people are polite but reserved. As people go about their business and on the streets they seem to avoid direct contact. But they are also very friendly when they meet someone they know. And we have been treated very well.

Today has been a long day but we hope it brings good results. For dinner we ate in a Ukrainian pizza place. It was very good.

So now we rest and prepare for what tomorrow brings. Things are truly in the Lord's hands.

Charlene & John