A Change in Plans

Two posts in one day. Can you handle it?

I have to get this in now because we probably won't have access to a computer tomorrow. Niko picked us up today to take us to get our referral. We got in the car and he said, "Change in plans. I go to buy your train tickets and no tickets. All trains full. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 2 weeks out...all trains full." Okay, so now what? "Iz okay," he says, "I drive you myself to Nikoleiv. We leave tomorrow morning at 7." WOO HOO!! And he even said he had some free time today and was going to get his A/C fixed. WOO HOO!! And the drive will only take 6 hours. WOO HOO! "It will cost another hundred dollars," he says. Hmmmm...we get to drive in an air conditioned car, during the day, that will take half the time of a 12 hour overnight train with no air conditioning. Totally worth a hundred bucks!

We still won't meet Vera until Monday, but at least we won't be getting off a train at 6 am, running around to get paperwork and then meeting her. At least I'll be able to shower before meeting her. And I may even sleep a little on Sunday night. We'll see.

We had a great time waiting for our referral. We arrived just before 3 and had been told there's no way to know how long we'll wait. No problem. We're patient. We went inside and there was another couple there that we had seen yesterday before our appointment. We started talking and enjoyed visiting with them the whole hour we waited. They are from North Carolina adopting siblings...a 12 year old boy and 14 year old girl. When they asked about our adoption, Jon simply said we're adopting a 6 year old girl. He didn't mention anything else at that point. We chatted for a few more minutes and their facilitator asks us, "Are you adopting Vera?" Now, why would she assume that just from what Jon had said? And how in the world does she know Vera? I said Vera must be famous! We chatted with Jody and Greg a bit more and eventually their facilitator asked me if I knew Rita Dixon. Why yes I do! Well, not personally (yet), but I do know her. It turns out that Olga was Rita's facilitator when she adopted her son from Vera's orphanage. Olga asked permission to tell Vera's story to Jody and Greg. We said it was okay and she gave a brief history of how Vera has CP, but because she is so smart and such a sweet girl, her caregivers have kept her at the baby home even though she's 6. If no one was coming for her, she'd be sent to a place where the children are forgotten. She also told of how the other family came for Vera and two little boys, met Vera, changed their minds and went home. Such a sad story. As far as I know, the two boys still need families.

The traditional photo in front of the SDA sign

For those of you coming after us, if a taxi brings you here, you may be like me and think you're in the wrong place because all the photos you've seen are the above (with different people, of course). If you see this (below), you're in the right place. The door (above) is just around the corner.

After we got our referral, Eugene took us on a tour of Kiev. There is so much history here. So much about WWII. And I was surprised how many ties Peter the Great (of Leanna's St. Petersburg) has here. Much of Kiev and Ukraine's history has to do with Peter the Great.

We started by going down a long, steep, curvy hill. It separates the upper part of the city from the lower part. It wasn't so bad at first. But the more we walked, the more I wondered how big this hill was. The curves made me think we were almost done. I kid you not, we walked down that hill for at least 30 minutes. We stopped briefly 2 or 3 times, but otherwise we were walking down that hill. And we weren't lolly-gagging. We were walking briskly. About halfway down I had a realization...at some point, we're going to have to walk back UP this hill. The car is at the top. Eugene eventually led us here...and all I saw were steps. We're going to take steps all the way up that hill? Oh Lord, have mercy! He did. See that big blue thing?

It was this...coming down to take us up. Hallelujah!

This is the KGB building. Eugene nonchalantly said, "My father, he was KGB."

This is the arch of unity between Ukraine and Russia.

Incredibly symbolic to me. Brought tears to my eyes.

Well, I have many more photos from today, but you'll have to wait. Jon needs the internet cable and I need to pack. Tomorrow will be an early, long day, but I am SO EXCITED! Tomorrow we go to Vera's city!! WOO HOO!!