The last two days have been a flurry of activity. Following our SDA appointment yesterday morning, we went to the hotel for a quick nap since neither of us got the best sleep the night before.
We had arranged for a tour of the city, so we did that in the afternoon. Oleg, one of the dirvers at the Hyatt, became our new best friend as he showed us around the oldest and most beloved monastery and cathedral in Kiev, the World War II museum, their Parliament building and President's residence, plus the Opera House and some cool neighborhoods and shopping areas. Oleg was a great tour guide and even had a big, warm coat in the car for me to wear when it got colder.
The weather is not warm at all. It's mostly overcast and in the 30's-40's. We have gotten some sun at times which makes the city look more charming.
Today we worked out and then went to the big department store to pick up a few moe things to do with the girls, just in case. We had already brought several things (for the kids at the orphanage, too) that I'd picked up at Target: fun hair accessories, "silly bandz", stickers, coloring books and markers, little pottery & paint sets, stuffed animals, plus 6 big fun-pak bags of M&M's (we hear they're a big hit here!). Can you believe we fit al that into our carry-on only luggage? Along with clothes and toiletries (all 3oz. or less!) for 3-4 weeks? We are all-star packers, if I do say so myself!! ;) But I digress ...
So we picked up a bracelet-making kit and the game "Operation". I can't imagine being bored with all of this! Unless, of course, the girls simply find us boring, which I guess is a possibility!
After shopping we went back to the SDA to pick up our referral to officially meet the girls. Konstantin met us there with our translated dossier (all of our documents) plus our train tickets. He went over what will happen tomorrow along with snippets of advice while he walked us back to the Hyatt. He's a good guy and very, very busy. He not only works with adopting families, but also organizes hosting trips for the children. This is his passion and he is constantly on the go advocating for the orphans of Ukraine.
We had a nice early dinner at the hotel as Konstantin warned us against the train food. Then we were packed and downstairs again for our ride to the train station. Oleg not only drove us, but ushered us all the way to our car - which was quite a distance - and even got us situated in our compartment. The station was very chaotic and, of course, rife with pick-pocketers, so we were so grateful to him. See why he's our new best friend?! :)
So, we are now secure in our "deluxe" sleeper car for the all-night ride to Donetsk. Blake nor I have ever taken a train at night in a sleeper car, so we're feeling that this is playing right into our "big adventure". There is something very calming about being on a train at night. I am sure we will sleep well.
Thanks again so much for all of the thoughts and prayers. We will need them again before you go to sleep tonight as we meet with CPS (Child Protective Services) tomorrow at 10am local (3a EDT, 2a CDT, etc.). We're not positive when we'll be meeting the girls, but it will be sometime after that.
I'm not sure how good our wireless service will be in Donetsk, but since it's a large city, we should be okay. I will let you know how everything goes tomorrow on my next blog. 'Til then ...
Much love. xoxo
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