It's been a difficult week.  I will update with edited journal entries.

Monday, March 18, 2013

We got up around 9 this morning. After breakfast we went shopping a little. We bought some more chicken from the butcher store where we had bought the pelmini a few days ago. The lady there remembered us and asked if we liked the pelmini. We told her we had. She is friendly. Walking down the street a woman caught my eye and said, "Good morning!" with an accent. In a little bit of shock I said, "Good morning!" back. We came back and had lunch. Then David came and we went to see the girls. Snezhana's class was outside playing on the playground. Diana and Lyuba came out and we played around outside for a while. Then we went in a played. The orphanage director (or maybe assistant director) talked to David for a bit. He told us that she was asking him what the girls are choosing to do. He told her that one minute they want to be adopted and then another minute they don't. He said that she wants to make sure that they aren't being too persuaded by us.

The girls say that their mom is coming tomorrow. Lyuba says that she wants to meet me. I've talked to Alyona, our Odessa translator, and she and Svitlana (Odessa facilitator) are coming out tomorrow morning to go to the orphanage with us to talk to the girls. Tomorrow will be a big day I would think.

We really like David, our translator. He really could have a great future if given opportunities. He is from Balta and is one of the few people here who has pushed to learn English and get a higher education. He has almost graduated from a school with some kind of degree, but not a bachelor's degree. He's 18 years old.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Because of what happened this day, I don't feel good posting it and possibly hurting the adoption.  I will post the full details when the adoption is finalized.
　

　

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

We woke up to an early phone call from the kids back home. It was so nice to talk to them. They sound good. I think our calling plan is working for all of us. We went back to sleep and I couldn't drag myself out of bed until about 10:30! Alonya called to see how we are. She said that Lyuba has called her and Svitlana several times already.  I am editing out the rest for same reasons as Tuesday's post and will give full details later.

We went on a walk today and found the opera house and the Black Sea. We also were able to find a Kiev Star to add minutes to our cell phone. We seem to have to break the mold with this adoption. Our Kiev facilitator told us when he gave us the phone that people don't usually go over the minutes that are put on the phone. Between us not knowing the cheaper phone numbers to call and needing to call lots of people to help with the girls, we are using minutes too fast.

Because I'm lazy, I'm going to copy and paste something I wrote on Facebook:

I am getting the funniest looks from people as I slowly sound out loud the cyrillic letters in the labels of food at the grocery store here in Odessa. Today it was a young girl who I caught staring at me as I sounded out some kind of bread! The most embarrasing time was when I kept reading out loud labels in the deli section in the first grocery store in Kiev. A woman tried to help me and only later did I realize what I was reading was the brand, not what the product actually was, lol! I've wised up just a little.

I have a Russian lesson book that I studied on the airplane here. And then I ask our facilitators what different letters are that I don't know. It helped us find a Kiev Star today to add minutes to our phone. I'm a super visual person which helps. It is really interesting. We found two supermarkets today from reading signs because when you sound out the cyrillic characters it sounds like supermarket. We've found other words that are the same. I'm just very slow. It's also embarrasing at times when I read street names. For some reason, I can't seem to just read them in my head!

　

Thursday, March 21, 2013

We woke up this morning with not a lot of hope for the girls. I've talked to the translator several times today and at this point can't remember the exact order of things and the details. They kept calling the facilitator and translator today again.   I am editing this portion too and will post it later.  We have really appreciated all of the support from everyone back home, the McGhies and our facilitator and translator.

Today we decided to really explore Odessa more because we leave for Balta for the long term tomorrow. We went to the huge outdoor market Seventh Kilometer. We were able to find some gifts for the girls and kids back home. We also were able to find some Disney movies and a portable Ukrainian dvd player. We then went back to hotel to pack up a little. Then out to Baskin Robbins. Then walked to the Opera House and through the park nearby. We were able to see the remains of an ancient settlement.

Playground at orphange.

Diana and Sara

Eating dinner at a cafeteria on the 6th floor of a mall in Odessa.

Sara and Lyuba

Odessa opera house

Baskin Robbins

Drying clothes in Odessa hotel room.