Ukraine in the membrane

Catching up on the last couple of days

There are very vivid memories I have of Ukraine from the last time we were here.  It was very cold, snowy,and wet.  The sun rarely came out and it was 30 degrees below 0. It seemed everyone wore black and nobody ever smiled.  Now at that temperature I was not smiling much either, but there just seemed to be a dark cloud over this country.  When we decided to adopt here again I have to say that I was not looking forward to coming back to the land of gloom and doom, but I knew our mission and coming here was part of it.  Well you always hear people talk about first impressions and giving things time; this is one of those great examples.  Now I am not saying the difference is night and day, but the town of Kiev is just much more vibrant and people just seem happier.  Maybe the Cold just depressed them or maybe a new government gives them a sense of pride or hope again. I don't know what it is, but I have enjoyed walking the streets of Ukraine's capital city. Along with more smiles, I have seen and learned some new and interesting things.

Two days ago we went back to the DAP office to get our referral for Georgina. We found out we will be headed out on Monday and will hopefully get to meet her on Tuesday.  Although we are enjoying our stay in Kiev, we are so ready to extend our journey to the Zhytomyr region where her orphanage is. It is so strange and exciting to think that both her life and ours is going to change forever in a couple of days. With everything that we know about her, she knows nothing about us.  In fact, she has no clue we are even coming.  That just seems so surreal to me, but is a reality all orphans have.  I assume that many wonder if they will ever receive something better...and then for some one day they find a family. What an honor it is for us to be a part of that.  I wish so many more families and orphans could share this type of experience. Of course with all the excitement we have with our new family member, it is impossible not to miss our boys at home.  They are being well entertained by family and friends, but leaving them has been very difficult.  Hopefully they will understand and one day this whole thing will be an amazing bedtime story we tell them at night..."The story of us".
Getting our referral was very easy and as always we have a lot of time to kill so we went out to tour Kiev after we were done.  We are hanging out with some other adoptive parents and we are having a good time. We are all here for a return trip so the familiarity of Kiev and our process gives us all something to talk about.  I have found that Kiev is definitely a city of maybe's and whatever's.  It has it's own unique fashion and principles governing behavior....and I use the term fashion lightly. In context, fashion is a revolution; trends leave and come back around over time. Here in the Ukraine, it is a hodge podge of decades and I think nothing is in style or out of style.....it just "is". So that brings me to the maybe's.  Ummm...maybe I will wear a bra today..or... maybe I won't...maybe I will wear underwear today...or...maybe I won't.....maybe I will wear shorts today...or...maybe I will roll my pants legs up over my knee.....maybe I will wear a skirt that covers my butt...or...maybe I won't.  Then there are the whatevers.."Hey man that AC/DC shirt doesn't look right with those turquoise shorts and yellow Sperry's"  Response, "yea, I thought maybe I would change before I left the apartment, but....man whatever."  The biggest whatever came when we left the DAP and headed back to the apartment. As parents of two boys that we are trying to potty train, we know timing is everything.  Potty before you leave the house, potty at your next stop, potty when you get home.  It is part of it that takes planning.  Apparently in Kiev you don't need a plan...just some strong biceps and good aim.When a two year old needs to pee, just pull her pants down, hold her like a Nerf super soaker and aim her at a tree. Nope, don't worry about the two Americans that just walked by....if there is a tree, let her pee.  I spent the day taking pictures, but I passed on this one, I will let you do the visual..  No bathroom for my kid to pee.....whatever!!  Don't get me wrong, I am not judging...in fact I think it is awesome that a person can do and be whomever they want and no one cares. Maybe we need more of this in the U.S. In fact I think the only guy getting strange looks was the American wearing the maroon fighting Texas Aggie T-Shirt.  Guess I should have worn it with my yellow and blue plaid shorts!
Yesterday we walked out of our apartment in Kiev and our street was a ghost town. Police officers

everywhere directing pedestrians and restricting auto traffic. We continued to walk to a coffee shop when a US motorcade ran through. In one car John McCain and in the other Joe Biden. Of course we follow the motorcade on foot as far as we could go until a secret service guy stopped us. He looked at my Texas A&M Shirt and asked if we were American. We said yes and he came to shake our hand.  We asked him what was going on and he told us "your Vice President is here." Apparently, Petro Poroshenko, the new president was giving an inauguration speech right around the corner from our place here in Kiev and Amtrak Joe and John "maverick" McCain were here to support the guy they call the "candy man". U.S. snipers were right across the parking lot talking on their phones before they walked off with rifles in tow to get to their perches. Just another day at work I guess. Later in the day there was a delegation at St. Sophia's Church and Biden was meeting with dignitaries from several countries including Russia and the Ukraine. The Ukrainian revolution and current election could prove to be a pivotal time in Ukrainian history and it was neat to be here to see some of it.

Independence Square (Maidan Nezalehnosti) is where we have seen the most change. When we were here in the winter it was a beautifully lit and decorated street. A large Christmas tree marked the center of the square and it was bustling with spirit. It had the feeling of holidays and reminded me very much of an American city with shops and restaurants all within walking distance. After the revolution many of the buildings along with paved walkways and roads were destroyed.  Now, the streets and sidewalks are lined with tents and inhabitants that have chosen not to leave.  There are signs posted and all sorts of propaganda isolated to whatever causes they may have.  We have been told that many of them are waiting to get paid for their service to their country, but we can not say for sure. The Guardian Angel that overlooks the square remains the same, but what she views                                                       below her has changed dramatically.
In the square is a buffet restaurant we like to eat at for dinner.  It is very cheap and you can just point at food and smile. They load your plate(s) and when you sit down and eat you have a smorgasbord of items that you have no idea what they are.  What's more fun than that? After we eat we walk the streets and watch street dancers, street wannabe dancers, meditators, a guy that plays a violin, a guy that plays an air guitar, a guy with a real guitar, a guy on a piano, and a guy with a pot bellied pig.

By far the musicians are the best street performers, but there is a break dancing group that is fun to watch.  Guys between the ages of 22-35 doing windmills, flares, back spins, and head spins. Oh, if I were just a few years younger.....  Not sure what the guy was doing with the potbellied pig, but apparently whether you have talent or not you can make money down on the square.  I would not expect too many of them to be on Ukrayina maye talant (Ukraine has talent) anytime soon. Oksana Merchenko or Simon Cowell was not in attendance.
Yesterday we walked down to where our DAP appointment is where they have a bunch of shops.  We walked down a hill for about half a mile just looking at all the trinkets people are trying to sell.  We bought Georgina a handmade pink Ukrainian bonnet and Debbie bought a pink floral fedora.  All in all a good day. As fate would have it on our way back to the apartment there was a street singer singing Georgia on my Mind.  How random is that...so Debbie and I started singing along..Georgina on my Mind!!
Tomorrow we head to her region and I will post again as soon as I can. Dasvidanya!