Day 2 in Kiev

We had a busy day in Kiev. We had the morning to kill and so we went to a couple of open markets on different sides of the city. For the first one we took the bus and someone got on that smelled so bad I had to try hard not to throw up. It was a combination of Alcohol, B.O., and Smoke and something else really strong. We enjoyed the market and got some shorts for Oleg and some belts for the boys. The 2nd Market we took the subway and it was really easy to find.

I had been noticing that most of the clothes here in Kiev that everyone is wearing on the bus and around town are things that were really popular in the US about 5-10 years ago. A lot of denim jackets and leopard prints etc. At the 2nd market we found out why. They had tons of 2nd hand booths where they were selling used clothes. You could see the bundles of clothes like they send out from Humanitarian in SLC and they were piled on tables and sold really cheap. Dave was kind of creeped out but I told him, "these are probably fresh from the states" He said he now understands why they are called"flea markets" It explained by the things that are worn here are out of style in the US. Don't get me wrong (unless you want to,) Kiev has plenty of young women on the cutting edge of fashion but I now know where the locals shop. I was hoping that the clothes that they are selling weren't donated by a charity and rather than distributing them to the poor, someone is making a profit on them.

We found a few Tommy Hillfiger shirts for Oleg that hopefully he won't reject and I had to buy some shoes because my shoes broke right before we entered the Subway. I also found a booth that sold super glue and so now I have 2 pairs of dress shoes. We were expecting to go the SDA yesterday and go in and get Vitaly's papers and go back on the night train. We only brought dressier clothes and I didn't bring my "going to the market" shoes and so I am not surprised that they gave out with all the running and abuse.

After our shopping spree we went back and grabbed McDonalds and went to stand on the stairs at the SDA. They still didn't have the paper. Kostya got a little mad at the people (which apparently he doesn't do often and so when he does it gets some action.) They got us in after waiting 2 hours at about 4 pm and we had Vitaly's meeting in about 10 minutes. One of the ladies in charge mistakenly thought that we had not wanted to adopt Alina instead of Alina not wanting us and so this may have been why she was not very anxious to help us earlier. We get our paper (invitation) tomorrow at 4 and then take the express train back and get to sleep in Dnepro.

Our apt here is nice. It has 4 separate rooms and a shower that actually hangs on the wall above our head and so I loved that. The water heater is smaller though and hangs above the toilet like in Dnepro. So we have to wait a little while between people showering. The apartments in this area are about $75 a night and back in Dnepro they are only $20. We are stuck here one more day. Dave and Tyler went to the Opera tonight. I wanted to stay here and rest. Something about running for busses and trying not to throw up and standing on stairs all day, really takes it out of you. Dave also found a hair place that does good massage. His back was really needing some help and he said that they did 90 minutes for only about 30 dollars yesterday, after he found out that we couldn't leave. He is taking all of this SDA stuff pretty hard. It is amazing how much power they have and so little regard for the adoptive parents. We are grateful however to have that appointment behind us and Dave is glad that after tomorrow we never have to go back again. He actually started washing the wall on the stairs because it was so boring to stand and wait.

We went to the potato house for some dinner while waiting to try to get train tickets for tomorrow. I ordered a baked potato with Chili. It turned out to be a tiny potato and a little cup or chili sauce like salsa. Oh well, I actually saw some lettuce today at the open market and so I take back my statement that there is no lettuce in the land. We should have grabbed it . We haven't seen the T G I Fridays here yet. That is on my list for tomorrow.

I have to mention what a blessing it is to travel with Tyler and Dave. Tyler is so giving and doesn't feel imposed upon like so many his age would feel. My camera won't charge here and both batteries are dead and so I have kind of "taken over" his camera and he hasn't said a word like "hey Mom, don't forget that that is my camera." He just keeps tromping around with us translating everything and making sure we make it home safe at night. Dave is also a trooper. He has been at the end of his rope for a few days and still seems to find enough strength and kindness to persevere whatever the next step may be. It is hard to be torn between a love for Oleg and Vitaly and the love for our family at home and the responsibilities we are neglecting there. He is worried about his patients and if he will still be in business when he gets home. We are grateful for the patience of patients as we embark on this once in a lifetime adventure.

All is well

PS Amy, I had a thought. Maybe the reason your girls turn up their noses at cinnamon rolls is because they experienced the desserts in Ukraine and think they will be utterly disappointed. Or maybe they think that they will have a little surprise in them like a sausage or a pickle. Who knows.... just a thought.