Finally

Hello!  We finally have Katya with us.  Wednesday we were running all over town all day.  We woke up early, just eating a banana on the way to get Katya, and didn't stop until 5:00 p.m..  Poor Katya didn't eat at all!  After visiting two passport offices a few times each, and going to the notary repeatedly (no one signs anything until it's notarized,) and  the orphanage to meet the social worker, we finally got to sign her out of camp.  Oh, wait!  We took a very brief run to the stable to sit on some horses while someone walked us around with them.  It was a scheduled event with special trainers lined up for us.  We had invited people to go, so we HAD to be there.  Just squeezing it in really added stress to the day.  In the end, we flew by McDonald's, inhaled food, and crashed for the night.

Today was busy too, but different.  After we ate breakfast, we bought Igor a goodbye gift and met him at the movies.  We saw Transformers in Russian.  The first half left me confused, but when I figured out who was bad and who was good, I could keep up.  Then Hannah, Katya and I went back to Katya's old neighbor's house (Tamara.)  We then all walked down the street to another neighbor's house for dinner (Angelina, or Ella.)  Ella's son, Oleg cooked us pork skewers.  It was so good to have grilled meat!  We ate from the gardens of both houses.  We Americans don't hold a candle to Ukranian hospitality.  We took them flowers and a watermelon, but we received so much more.  They shower you with presents.  We came home with cucumbers, raspberries, apples, little plum like thingies, but they're small and green.  (I don't think we have a name for them in America.)  They served us home made wine and champagne.  And if there's any time between eating and activities, they find more food to serve you.  So we ate and ate and ate.  Then we went back to the apartment.

Tomorrow we will have a leisurely day.  I want to buy some more clothes for Katya.  A good friend here will meet us and shop with us.  We will get our bus tickets to Kiev for Monday.  Oh yes!  Mondey we should have Katya's international passport and can leave.  Then things will move quickly (Lord willing!)

I have some more pictures.

Tom and Mary.  More adopting parents.  New friends to us.

Waiting in government offices.  This is actually at the notary. 

Still waiting.

This is how they sweep.  Notice the length of the broom if you can see it.

Short broom and a rake-like broom (in the back.)  Used for leaves.  It's actually a bunch of sticks just tied to the end of a big stick.  It seems to work pretty well.

At the stable.

Hissing at a horse.  A perfect halloween cat.

Only a few more blogs to go I hope.  Until next blog.


Sarah