R & R (Rush and Reflection)

Dateline – Williamsburg Virginia, USA, 0500 local (noon Kyiv time) –

It’s been almost a week since the last post. As I mulled over what to write about, I decided my thoughts fit into two general categories – Rush and Reflection.

Rush & Reflection – since the last post, life has been a series of rushed events separated by wonderful times of reflection. Kind of reminds me of the first time I ever ran a large deck (floor) buffer. It looked pretty easy to use as it sat peacefully in the closet. I wheeled it to the middle of the newly waxed deck and thought it would be kind of fun. When I fired that baby up – wow was I in for a ride. STOP – and then all was peaceful again……

We rushed to the Gorodnia passport office, then we rushed to the notary, then we rushed to the birth certificate office – then had a leisurely lunch. It was an interesting time. Ultimately, your prayers and Oles’s skillful facilitation led to us departing Gorodnia for Kyiv on Tuesday night. We got into an apartment about half a block from Independence Square at 10:00 pm and crashed for the night. On Wednesday, we had a medical appointment and then an 1100 meeting at the US Consulate office.

The Consulate meeting was interesting - lots of paperwork, but ultimately a very professional staff. We were told that it would likely take until Thursday for the visa to be issued - which it did. We had a leisurely lunch in Kyiv and visited the travel agency to make return flight reservations. Visiting Svetlana (the travel agent) was an unexpectedly interesting experience. We found her office, then found her . We sat down at her desk and watched her type for about 15 minutes with not a word said. He typing was very dramatic – like a concert pianist actually. Finally, Charlene and her Russian came to the rescue. We found out she had a 6 year old son (and saw his picture) and learned that she liked science fiction novels. Not seeing an opportunity to use “Very interesting” in the conversation, I told her we wanted our flights “bez” crashes (meaning without crashes). “Bez” is an important word. If you forget to say “bez gas” when ordering water, you end up with fizzy mineral water instead of the regular stuff. She told us the word for crash was “catastrophe” but with a different pronunciation than in English. OK – “Bez catastrophe” I said!

Thursday we had a wonderful final meeting with Oles. We found an Indian restaurant and took him for his first Indian meal. That was an experience… Oles was bound and determined to eat what and how real Indian’s ate. When two Indian men sat down near us – at about the end of our meal – he ordered everything they were eating and then copied the way they used bread instead of utensils to eat. In hindsight, it wasn’t that expensive if I think of it as actually two complete dinners.

Friday was a blur. Up at 0330 local. Meet the driver at 0415. Drive to the airport. Check-in, clear customs, wait, board a 0655 flight for Prague. 4 hour layover in Prague and then nine or so hours to New York. I don’t want to spend much energy talking about the absolute worst part of the entire adoption trip, so we’ll just skip the JFK airport experience. If you’re returning from an adoption trip overseas, and you have time, I would strongly suggest entering via Chicago or Atlanta.

What a great joy and relief to get off the plane in Richmond with our new daughter and have the Bruce’s and Briskey’s (Charlene’s sister-in-law & niece) waiting! Erin Bruce greeted Sophie in Russian - or maybe Ukrainian, and helped her feel right at home! We are so thankful for everyone who prayed for this entire process and supported us through it!

Saturday and Sunday were blurry and jet-laggy though we all remember the warmth of our friends as we met after church for a big lunch. As I count now it was about 7 families and 8 or 9 children from Ukraine! Three kids (Sophie, Art, and Ella) had been in America less than two days!

Final reflection… We both miss the people and the pace of life very much. I find myself looking at the watch and thinking – oh it’s 1100 there, we would be doing such and so. We also think about and pray for Sophie’s best friend Katya, who is left behind.

Sophie seems to be doing great. She has started to pester he brothers – lust a little now - so we’re sure she’s going to fit in perfectly!


Tim and Charlene

Mill About......SMARTLY!

Dateline – 0800 local – Tuesday 20 Feb 07 – Chernigov …….

Well – yesterday was a bit frustrating as we hit bureaucracy full force. We thought it would be our final drive to Gorodnia for a quick pickup of the court decree and some records from the orphanage. Instead we ran around town getting paper to make copies of the decree, made two trips to the orphanage, had an interesting experience changing money, etc.

We arrived in Chernigov around noon to get the new birth certificate and passport, only to discover both offices were closed. We ate a leisurely lunch and then Oles taught us (what he claims to be) the favorite card game of all Slavic people – duroc. Now I thought it was a bad word, but he told us it was OK to use only in the context of the game itself.

How can I best explain the game – hmmm – the first game was held with a running narration of everything from when children first learn the game, to the finer points of cheating during the game, to rules that only seem to be rules when they work in Oles’ favor. The narration dwindled as it appeared that the American male was going to win the game – which he did! Now, rather than explaining that I had won (I didn’t realize it at the time) we launched immediately into a new game, which Oles won. Only then were we allowed to stop playing. So, I said, “Oles – you just won a game you have been playing your entire life with passion against a 12-year old girl and two American’s that don’t have a clue about the game – you are Chocolate Pie!” My assessment didn’t dampen his enthusiasm and we never did discuss me winning the first round. (Beverly, I’m on your side about this one ;-) Very very suspicious (in Russian) said I!

The good news is that the Ukrainian court has issued its final decree and we now officially have a daughter! We are anxious to return home now so please pray for quick movement through the myriad details required to finish the process here. It doesn’t look like we will travel Wednesday, we’re hoping for Thursday or Friday now.

Tim and Charlene

All Ahead Flank

Gorodnia – 18 Feb 07- Sunday

Dateline – 1530 local – TV Room – Gorodnia Orphanage. Today we had the going-away party for Sophie at the Orphanage. We had cake and soda for her entire class! Many pictures and videos; a Ukrainian break-dancing demo by Vova (4 Vova’s in her class); and a real – live mouse appearance during the group photo (much to Charlene’s surprise). It went perfectly and seemed to be a very fitting way to say good-bye.

I have a picture of the entire class on this entry. We spent some time talking with the director on Saturday regarding the possibility of setting up a class sponsorship program. Sponsorship would involve a small group or family committing to pray for the children and teachers, write to them, send small gifts, etc. The director thought it would be a good idea, and we said we’d start with Sophie’s class. We asked Olha what the children in the class need most – “socks” was the answer.

Sophie spent her last night at the orphanage on Saturday. Charlene had purchased some glow-in-the-dark bracelets at the dollar store. We showed Sophie how they worked, then gave strict warnings not to break them open as the chemicals inside can stain and they could get cut on the glass. Today at the party, we learned that all the children took their bracelets, broke them open and then slung the chemicals on the walls of one of the rooms last night. They turned out the lights and had a going-away disco party! Got to admire that trained initiative.

We think this may be our last post before departing Ukraine. By all accounts, our life will go into overdrive starting tomorrow. As far as we can tell, we need to: get the court decree, get a Ukrainian passport, get the new birth certificate, pick up medical and educational records, travel to Kyiv, get a medical checkup, apply for a visa, visit the US embassy, purchase airline tickets, etc. – before we leave. If it all goes smoothly, we’ll fly out Wednesday AM. If we have any glitches, we’ll fly out Friday. Please pray for Godspeed through this hectic time!

Sophie seems to be doing well. The going away was very emotional, but she’s already looking ahead. Tonight at supper she asked many questions about her new brothers – what are they like, what do they do, etc.

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

To Market to Market to buy a ...........

Chernigov – 16 Feb 07- Friday

Dateline – 1230 local – Chernigov Market. Today we went back to the big outdoor market to explore and pick up a few souvenirs. If you’re a teenaged male living in our house in Virginia, then you will receive your ochen intere-estna present only if you send your parents’ a personal e-mail. One of the pictures is from the meat section of the market. See the long-ish piece of meat on the hook above the lady that looks a lot like a cow sticking its tongue out at you? Know why it looks like that? Cause it is!

If you can think of something, I bet you could find it at the market. Need a new pet bird – no problem. Plumbing?-Got it. Duct tape?-what color would you like? Clothes of any type – boots, coats, hats, wedding dresses? – everything. It was an exciting adventure for us all.

By the way, day three of my “Ah-rahn-zheh-vwee sake” crusade met with mixed success. Though our waitress, Katya, brought orange juice when I asked for it, she corrected my Russian and pointed out that is was apple-sin-eh-vweeh. This might be harder than I first thought.

We have mixed emotions as the end of our ten-day waiting period approaches. Most strongly, we can’t wait to get home, see our friends and family and introduce Sophie to America! We are also going to miss Ukraine. We have become a bit attached to the people here, the children in the orphanage, and the adventure of the place. Also, the pace of life since our court date has been relaxed and enjoyable. We know that things will speed up when we get to Kyiv and make preparations to return to Virginia. Speaking of Virginia, we have made plane reservations for Wednesday (Feb 21) and Friday (Feb 23). We’ll see how quickly things go in Kyiv.

Sophie has really opened up in the last couple of days. She now likes to wear Dad’s hat (the second picture). The third picture is taken at our favorite restaurant in town, Mama-Mia’s. They have the best salads, borsch, everything. Clean bathrooms, great service, and an English menu. I (Tim) will miss eating together there.

Though we know things will be hectic in Kyiv, we hope to see some fellow Virginian’s, and our Kyvian friends. We miss you all!

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

The Long Good-Bye

Chernigov – 14 Feb 07- Wednesday – Valentines Day

Dateline – hotel restaurant – Predeyanask Hotel – 1007 local. It’s recently dawned on me that I should really buckle down on my Russian language study. I’m in the perfect place to hear proper pronunciation and try out what I learn. Instead of focusing on two well pronounced phrases that give the illusion of understanding, perhaps it would be better to actually try and broaden my vocabulary. In the pursuit of my new goal, I have noted several interesting Russian language phenomena (much to the chagrin of Vassa our driver who patiently corrects my pronunciation). One peculiarity makes all others pale in comparison; it demands immediate action. Heretofore I have started the international crusade to change the Russian name of Orange juice. Instead of Orange (the fruit) pronounced something like Apple-sin-eh-vweeh it will be called orange (the color) pronounced ah-rahn-zheh-vwee. Phase one of my plan was completed when I asked for ah-rahn-zheh-vwee sohk this morning and the waitress produced orange juice!

On a more serious note, our 10-day bonding period goes well. Sophie has opened up and relaxed. We have learned more about the music she likes, about her taste in clothes, and a tiny bit more about Vova (the boyfriend I haven’t met yet). We took her and her best friend Katya to the café yesterday. They ordered pizza that we all shared. Lunch for four cost about $10. It was heartwarming to hear Sophie tell her friend all about the things she had done, her new clothes, and what she’s learned about her new family. We called the boys in Virginia yesterday and Sophie got to say “Hi” to three of her sleepy brothers. From what we could tell, the house is in one piece, the laundry is getting done, supper is being cooked, and the dog land-mines are being picked up. Thanks John! Way to work together boys, and thanks for the oversight Dr. Mark, Beverly, & Gary!

Sophie showed off the new card trick that Charlene taught her, and she demonstrated her father’s well-honed tripping gag. The physical gag is a Quiram tradition, handed down from W. Arthur, who perfected the fake chair-pulled-out fall. Sophie has the rudiments of the simulated trip perfected.

I’ve entitled this blog, “The Long Good-Bye”. I can’t say for sure what’s going through Sophie’s mind, but she appears excited about the future while a bit sad at those she’ll leave behind. One of the pictures is from today’s international Uno semi-final tournament. In the picture is (left to right) Lena, Katya, Sophie, Yanna, Charlene, and Vita (in front). Yanna is 16 and has been like a big sister to Sophie. We went to the post office yesterday and bought 20 envelopes w/ postage and stationary so her friends can write to her. I told her she could even give a few to Vova ;-).

We have a guest blogger now that is going to tell you some more about Sophie – now, miya-lu-be-miya, Charlene:

Sophie is in many ways a normal 12 years old. She enjoys listening to pop music, shopping, watching TV (The Simpsons seem to be her favorite) and movies. She is the normal mixture of young child and young woman. Sophie’s favorites include animals=horses; fruit=bananas; ice cream flavor=vanilla, color=blue, dogs instead of cats (because cats pee under the bed and make the room stink—this is verifiable by the odiferous nature of her room). She enjoys drawing and is very good. She shared with us that she would like to learn to play the piano. She likes Math best in school but had several teachers that she didn’t like so perhaps the subjects suffered because of the teachers. She is a very persistent and conscientious English student as we’ve been having classes almost every day and her vocabulary has picked up quite a bit. She is in the 6th grade here but I strongly suspect that I will need a lot of prayer and support to get her into an American 6th grade in the fall. She is usually tentative at first, but when she feels comfortable, she is very funny and outgoing. She is introspective and it is apparent that the imminent separation from her friends is weighing heavy on her despite the growing bond we share. We gave her a journal to record her thoughts and feelings at this very important juncture in her life and last she showed me, she had written over a dozen pages.

If all goes as we hope (and Oles gets back to Chernigov soon), we hope to finish up here next Monday, leave for Kiev, and perhaps be on a jet for America as early as Wednesday or Thursday. Please keep the prayers coming, specifically for peace for Sophie and Katya regarding the upcoming separation, health for all of us including Oles, and a safe and uneventful exit and trip home. We miss you all!

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

"Impulse Power Scottie"

Chernigov – 12 Feb 07- Monday

Dateline – an undisclosed location on the way to Gorodnia Ukraine, Saturday 10 Feb 07 – Traveling on the road to Gorodnia headed to take Sophie back to the orphanage for an overnight stay, we came upon one of the many horse-drawn sleds here. We stopped for a picture. These are not romantic, ride into the sunset after a wedding in Colorado type sleds, these are the things that country people use to transport things in the winter – hard scrabble affairs (been reading the thesaurus as I’ve run out of other books ;-) . As I took the picture, the men yelled something to me – it didn’t sound too bad, but what to say in return? “Good Morning” sounded too proper. “Cat under the table wouldn’t work”, “I would like something to eat” might result in an offer that would be rude to deny. Luckily, Oles told me now was the perfect chance to try my new phrase. I mentioned in a previous post, the utility of a well pronounced Russian phrase. At that point in our stay I only had one – “very interesting”. Now I had two. The second surely made them wonder as I yelled “very very suspicious!”

When we returned to the orphanage, we walked Sophie to her room and then Charlene broke out the bead case, and the ladies made bracelets. We also played Uno (Oles never wins despite believing that he should). Sophie’s best friend Katya, is adorable. They seem to be almost inseparable – sitting together in school, eating every meal together, sleeping in beds 3 feet apart. We would love to bring her home too, but her mother has not given her permission for her to be adopted. It’s hard to find words to describe the feelings associated with leaving Sophie at the orphanage. Suffice it to say it’s been the absolutely most difficult thing we have done during this entire adoption. We have a little cot set up in the hotel room for her – going to bed that night with the cot empty drove us to our knees for some very serious prayer.

Sunday morning we picked her up sans Oles. Oles is heading to Russia to get the birth certificate for another child that is in the process of adoption. We arrived at the orphanage, went to Sophie’s room and began the Uno tournament. Sophie has opened up quite a bit. Most interestingly, we’ve learned that she has a boyfriend, Volva. Coming from a family with three brothers, and having four boys now, I have thought a lot about what it will be like to have a daughter. One of the things I think will be great fun, will be intimidating boyfriends. I’ve already hatched several schemes – many involving cleaning guns and wearing camouflage, to put into action when a boy arrives to take my daughter on a date (probably 25 to 30 years from now). With my new information, I ask every boy I meet at the orphanage if they are Volva – to which I get a big smile from Sophie.

Some sort of cold/flu is still running rampant at the orphanage. Sophie spent all night pretty stuffed up. It breaks your heart to see so many children coughing and sneezing, with no parent to comfort them. I do hope our donation will help them get over this. Please pray for the health of the children there.

Finally – we’re into day 4 of the 10 day waiting period. It’s an odd situation. Everything to this point has been fast paced, new and exciting. Now it’s like we’ve dropped out of warp speed and are orbiting the planet Gorodnia. I’ve read every book I brought, have learned how to play Gin, and figured out the hotel restaurant menu. We hope to talk with the orphanage director this week and discuss setting up a class sponsorship program through our Heart for Orphan’s organization.

We appreciate the blog comments very much. E-mail is working now for both of us, so you can send Charlene e-mail at Charmq@cox.net and me at tjamesq@cox.net.

Sorry we missed the wedding in Sofa-City - hope it went well.

Pictures - one is of Sophie and her best friend Katya, the other is a Ukrainian sneg motorcycle

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

10 Days of Bonding

Chernigov – 09 Feb 07- Friday

Dateline – Gorodnia Ukraine, Thursday 08 Feb 07 – We walked into the courtroom at 1600. It was a little intimidating. We sat on a bench in the front row. A prosecutor, secretary, the orphanage director and the orphanage inspector all came in and sat down. On our right was a metal cage (for criminal cases). Oles explained what would happen, then the judge and two stern-looking jurors walked in. The court hearing was quite formal. We rose and gave our full name and place of birth, address, employer, etc. I was asked why we wanted to adopt. Each one was then asked for their opinion of the adoption. The jurors then asked one question. The sterner one asked how long we had known Alyona. One week was the answer. Did we think that was long enough for us to know whether we wanted to adopt her. That was a great question and got me thinking philosophically. So how long would it take to know a 12 year old girl who can’t speak English well enough to know whether you wanted to be her parent’s? It took me all of about 5 minutes when I met her. I said yes, it was long enough. Then it was Sophie’s turn. The judge called her to the front and asked if she wanted to be adopted. She said yes. Then he asked if she wanted to be adopted by us – she said yes again – whew! The judge and jurors left after about 30 minutes to make a decision. They returned in about 10 and announced the decision to grant the adoption. Needless to say we were overjoyed!

We returned to the orphanage and then met with the assembled orphanage leadership team and provided a donation. I made a short speech (I love to make speeches) thanking them for their obvious love for and care of the children. It was all very up-front. We had learned earlier in the day that 80 of 200 kids were sick with the flu. The director told us that the money would be used to buy medicine. He also said that Sophie was one of their favorite children and they were sad to see her go, but happy to have her adopted.

Since all three of her roommates were sick, we asked for permission to take her back to our hotel, and it was granted. She had her things packed in a superman backpack. Olha (mentioned in a previous blog entry) said a tearful good-bye.

Today was spent at the outdoor market buying clothes for our new daughter. It was quite an experience – fun. Oles explained about the 10-day period we have now entered. For the next 10 days, anyone can appeal the adoption or Sophie could change her mind. Oles told me to be on my best behavior. It’s hard enough for me hour by hour, 10 days will be difficult (right Lynne and Sandy) ;-)

We’ve been having difficulty connecting to the internet from the hotel. Yesterday I spent almost 45 minutes trying to connect to cox.net for my e-mail. If I don’t get this updated every-other day, then that’s why.

(Pictures - one on the left is Mom, Dad, and Sophie in court. On the right is Mom, Dad, and Oles)

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

COURT TOMORROW !!! (1600)

Gorodnia – 07 Feb 07- Wednesday

Dateline – Gorodnia Ukraine, Tuesday 06 Feb 07 – We have settled into a routine in our two-hour visit’s with Sophie. She meets us and leads us to her room. Papa wants to stop and pet the dogs on the way (my favorite is called something like a cross between “ship” and “chip” – he’s a dachshund). Momma always needs to make a little stop on the way and insists on stopping in the building with the smaller children (as it’s much much cleaner). As we head to Sophie’s room, dad – the apprentice Sherpa – tries to keep up while the ladies talk in Russian. We get to the room and it’s time for a game of Uno.

On Tuesday, shortly after our Uno game began, Sophie’s teacher Marie came to the room. She and Oles (our facilitator) had a long and sometimes quite animated talk about many things – culminating in her being very happy that we were adopting Sophie. We have been ochen ochen impressed with Oles – and we know your prayers made all the difference with Marie. Marie was very happy that Charlene could speak some Russian, and that we wanted Sophie to write her to tell her about life in America. Her husband was a fisherman and spent some time in the Bering Sea. I told her about my time there in the Coast Guard. During Soviet times, her husband had saved 60,000 rubles (a new car cost 4000 rubles at the time). Overnight their savings were nearly wiped out during the Soviet Union’s breakup. Everyone we meet seems to have a powerful story of resilience. We got a picture before she left and Oles told her to say Hi to her husband from the U.S. Coast Guard ;-)

We stop in Chernigov for a late lunch on the way back from the orphanage each day. On Wednesday, we were discussing the menu in the restaurant (Mama-Mia’s). By the way – the hotel restaurant has already fixed their menu. No more boiled language. I was a little upset that Oles had told them because I was working up a scheme in which I would translate the menu (maybe subcontract some of the work to Oles) in exchange for free internet access. Back to Mama-Mia’s… One of the desserts was translated as “Desire of all Women”. Not sure who coined it, but it seems I have a new Russian nick-name ;-) The best Oles could come up with was “Chocolate Pie”.

Dateline – Wednesday 07Feb 2007 – Charlene has had just about enough of the new Russian phrase I’ve learned. After repeating “Where is the snow plow? several hundred times in Russian, Oles taught me to say “Very Interesting.” By increasing the number of “verys” and scratching my chin, I can now seem to be both fluent in Russian and quite thoughtful. We went to the pharmacy to get something to help Charlene sleep, and I listened intently to the interchange between Oles and the Pharmacist, not understanding a word, and then said “Ochen Ochen Intere-estna” (my apologies to real Russian speakers for my spelling). She said something that sounded equally thoughtful to which I replied, after a slower chin scratch, “Ochen Ochen….” You get the picture.

When we arrived at the Orphanage on Wednesday, we met Sophie, followed our normal routine, and then arrived at her room. Her roommate and best friend Katya, was sick in bed. Sophie told us several days before that Katya was an Uno master. After showing her our pictures on the laptop, she was able to muster the strength to play several rounds. Katya is a delightful girl and their deep friendship is very obvious. She lives in the Orphanage because her mother drinks and can’t take care of her. On the weekends she goes home to her grandmother’s. During our game, Oles went to see the judge and came back with excellent news – WE GO TO COURT TOMORROW!!! Please pray that it goes smoothly!


Pictures (our connection is very slow, so I'll try them later)– one is Charlene and Sophie walking hand-in-hand, and the other I Dad and Sophie petting my favorite dog.

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

Two Days to Remember

Gorodnia – 05 Feb 07- Monday

Dateline – Gorodnia Ukraine, Sunday 04 Feb 07 – We arrived for our daily visit and couldn’t find Sophie. We looked in her room, asked the other children and after about 10 minutes found her. She was more reserved than normal, but we didn’t think much of it. As we sat in her room, Sophie’s weekend floor caregiver, Olha, came in and sat down. Oles (our facilitator) was busy working with the inspector (on a Sunday!). Charlene was able to communicate with Olha, who obviously cares very much for the Children, and learned that she had braided Sophie’s hair that morning. When Oles arrived back at the room, we learned why Sophie was so apprehensive. Turns out one of her teacher’s told her that American couple’s adopt children and then sell their body parts. Imagine that – on top of just meeting us and wondering what we’re like, and thinking about becoming part of a family, to add that horrible idea! We immediately prayed that she would have peace, and after the visit I sent some e-mails asking for the same from the U.S.

Olha (the caregiver) had her 19 year old daughter come in to speak with us in English (she is studying to be an English teacher) and I think to help size us up. We had a wonderful time getting to know Olha and her daughter (named Sophie!). Big Sophia helped translate for us and little Sophie – allowing her to ask us many questions about our family.

Dateline – Monday 05 Feb 2007 – what a difference your prayers made! We showed up at our normal 1100 at the orphanage and who was waiting in the parking area? Our intelligent and beautiful daughter Sophie. She introduced us to an old lady that turned out to be her teacher. Then, she took Charlene’s hand and led us to her room, talking all the way. I brought my laptop and showed her a power point I put together the night before with all our Ukraine photos and the short video clips I had taken. We tried to reassure her that we weren’t monsters! We played Uno – which she won – and then she took us on a tour of the Orphanage. First to the little store, then the library, then we met the 2 dogs that live there. We returned to the room just in time to see a few pictures she drew and then had to leave.

These last two days are ones we will never forget. I have so much more to say (I know imagine that), but it’s best saved for a face-to-face meeting back in Virginia.

We continue to enjoy the genuine warmth of the people we’ve met. For example… Last night at supper, the waitress presented us with a newly translated English version of their menu. It was very thoughtful, but the translation reminded me of how I must sound to them. “Boiled language” – that one threw us for a loop until Charlene figured out that the Russian word for “language” and “tongue” are the same. Needless to say, I haven’t ordered that yet. As we happily chose things from the English menu, we quickly realized another problem. The menu didn’t have any Russian or Ukrainian words, so the waitress still couldn’t understand what we wanted. To our rescue came an enthusiastic young stranger who introduced himself and explained that he would try to help. He was Ukrainian, but had studied English in school. What a gentleman he was and how genuinely happy he was to help!

We had another encounter during a walk in the park behind our hotel. Charlene found a stray cat and couldn’t help herself. She picked it up and it purred like – well like a kitten. An older man on cross country skis struck up a conversation. Once again our traditional dress threw him off :-) After realizing we were a little slow in Russian, he switched to German. I replied – “Raise ze schnorkle!” and he switched to English. We had a nice conversation then. He told us that the cat lives in the park and several people feed it. We asked how he knew English so well, and he told us about his fascination with English as a boy and how his interest almost got him sent to Siberia (lots of sneg there) during the Soviet years.

Pictures – one is me (Tim) and Sophie outside the little store at the orphanage with the village in the background. The other is Charlene, Sophie, and Olha (the kind caregiver) in Sophie’s room.

Thank you for your prayers, Tim and Charlene

Chernigov - Gorodnia Routine

Gorodnia – 03 Feb 07- Saturday

Dateline – Chernigov Ukraine, 1000 03 Feb 07 – We have settled into something of a routine here as we mark 1 week in Ukraine. Up at the crack of dawn (it cracks a little later here), breakfast at 0900, in the taxi at 1000 for an hour ride to Gorodnia. Arrive at the orphanage and go to Sophia Alyona Quiram’s room (oh did I mention that Mom and Alyona have settled on her American name?). Spend some time getting to know her & her getting to know us, then back in the taxi, usually some business stops on the way back to the hotel then it’s time for supper! Whew – doesn’t seem like much when I write it, but it makes for a full day!

Close-up on Sophie – Today we spent some time learning about what she likes and doesn’t and Charlene gave an English lesson using one of her books. The interaction that led to her new name was very interesting; I mentioned part of it in a previous post, but here’s the unabridged version. We first asked if she wanted to keep her current name, she said “no” she wanted a new name. We asked what she had in mind and she gave the universal kid answer (shrugged shoulders). Charlene presented the possibilities we had come up with. I was rooting for my choice (Kathryn), thinking I was on a roll since she had just told us she liked dogs better than cats. She didn’t like Kathryn, next was Marie – “no”, Sophia - she smiled and shock her head yes. We said we would call her Sonya as the nickname and she didn’t like that; she told Oles that Sonya meant “lazy” – sharp girl, doesn’t want to be called lazy! Oles asked her what she wanted to be called and she said, “Whatever Mama Charlene wants.” So there you have it Frieda Quiram (just kidding) the final decision was Sophia (Sophie day-to-day) Alyona Quiram.

Close-up on Orphanage life – here’s the daily schedule. Up at 0700 – make bed, clean room, etc. 0800 – breakfast – this morning’s was something like oatmeal (we’re not sure exactly what), orange juice, strawberry yogurt. 0900 – school until 1400 then lunch (not sure what they have). Free time until 1600 (watch TV of all sorts, play outside in the sneg, etc.). 1600 back in the classroom for homework until about 1900. Supper, free time, bed at 2100. Sophie has 3 roommates in a pretty small room. They all share one closet and have some things under their bed.

Friends – Sophie has a best friend, Katya, who sleeps in the bed next to her, sets next to her in school, and is in every class. She’s very sad that Sophie is leaving. Not sure of her status, but do know her sister and mom came today to take her out for awhile. We will get some self addressed and stamped envelopes so she can write Sophie in America.

Interesting observations – We have been so excited that it’s hard not to shower her with gifts. Oles (our facilitator and part time child psychologist) suggested we take it slow with the gifts – one a day max and maybe skip some days so she doesn’t begin to think that we’re Mama and Papa Claus! It’s hard to follow his advice when we’re so blessed. We have scaled back the magnitude of what we bring. Yulia, our Kyiv facilitator, suggested brining her some fresh fruit because she probably never gets any. Today’s present was some fresh bananas (Sophie’s favorite fruit). It doesn’t seem like much to us, but she was genuinely happy with it! We’ve also been impressed with the warmth of the people here. Even on the coldest days, the streets a full of people walking, riding bikes, horse-drawn sleds, parents pulling children on wooden sleds, motorcycles with side cars, etc.; the people here are very hardy! Every day is a living illustration of the importance of community in our lives.

We’re very thankful for our community of friends in the U.S.A and now here in Ukraine.

Thank you for your prayers – we want to make the most of our time here, but can’t wait to get home and have our family together.

Tim & Charlene

Meeting Alona

Gorodnia – 01 Feb 07- Thursday

Dateline – Kyiv Ukraine, 0600 01 Feb 07 – Sneg, sneg, sneg, and more sneg (snow). We awoke to a snowy morning at 0500. After quick preps, we met Nicoliy (our driver and Oles (our on-the-road facilitator), packed everything into the trunk of Nickoly’s Passat (just like Lee drives) and hit the road. We arrived at Gorodnia about 1000. Oles got permission for us to go straight to the orphanage and meet the assistant director and Alona, but we had to wait until 1100. We cooled our heels (literally) at the only cafe in Gorodina. There was a poor skinny cat at the door. I (Tim) let him in and then got to say “Cat under the table” in Russian ( I had been practicing that for months!). At 1100 we arrived at the orphanage.

Quick digression….we were forewarned (by Gary) that not a day went by when it looked like the whole adoption may fall through. That was yesterday for us. The Official at the SDA had mentioned that Alona had visited a family in Spain, but they didn’t want to adopt her. We didn’t think much of that, but when we mentioned it to Yulia Wednesday night, she became concerned that Alona may have a family from Spain that is trying to adopt her which would, of course, create a terrible situation for a 12 year old girl to have to decide upon on a family she just met from America that was at her orphanage and a family she knew but wasn’t here yet. Of course we prayed for clear direction for us and for her.

Back to the dateline…. We showed up at the orphanage and were met by the lawyer who escorted us to the main office. She was very pleasant and talked with Oles the entire walk. We next met the assistant director, who was also very pleasant and kind. She had Alona’s file and asked what would we like to know. Now that was a good question we should have been ready for. Charlene jumped in and asked many questions. After a few minutes her medical record arrived and the Assistant Director briefed us on its contents. We were excited and a bit apprehensive wondering if she would cry, laugh, run away - who knew? When she came in we were very excited. I gave her a small box of chocolates as a gift. Charlene then opened the picture album and told her all about our family (she had done the same thing minutes earlier for the assistant director and lawyer and they had been very interested in all the details). Alona was obviously nervous, but very attentive. When we finished, we talked some more and she told Oles she would like to be part of our family and she wanted brothers (quite the diplomat I think).

Turns out that unbeknownst to us, several important things had been communicated: First, during our walk into the orphanage, Oles learned that Alona had been told earlier that a family was coming to adopt her. She had asked, “are they Ukrainian?” – no, “Italian?” – no, “Spanish?” – no, “American?” – yes – to which she responded with a big smile! Also, during Charlene’s explanation of our family, the assistant director and Alona had made eye contact and exchanged non-verbs that told her she liked us and our family! (we learned from the assistant director later). Whew – funny, but I never considered that part of our job would be to convince her that we would be good parents and a good family to be part of (no comments otherwise on the blog please ;-).

We spent some additional time with her. Charlene asked what she liked and didn’t like, They spent some time going through an English / Russian basic text book and we discussed names. Diplomatically (once again) she said she would like any name that Mama Charlene picked (smart girl not to trust Papa Tim as I had some pretty interesting ones ready).

We left after about an hour, then spent about 3 hours in the car while Oles talked with the Oblast inspector. During that time (still snegging) we saw horse-drawn carts and sleds, motorcycles with sidecars, cars and trucks of every type and bicycles (snow was about 8 inches by now). It’s true the bicycles are better here!

After about 11 hours in the car we arrived at a nice hotel in Chernigov, checked in and had an excellent supper for three for about $15.00.

Alona seems like a wonderful girl and we’re excited to move ahead with the adoption!

Regarding our (common now) problem of being mistaken for a Ukrainian couple… Though some (especially our Ukrainian readers ;-) might not believe it, we have been asked, by real Ukrainian adults – not once, but twice – for directions. Unfortunately our cover is blown immediately when we open our mouth!

Thank you for your prayers and support – please continue them, Tim and Charlene.

Still snegging!