For those of you have been on this "ride" before and before I head home next week, I hope, I hope, I hope, what do you wish you would have done, eaten, taken pictures of before you left Ukraine? What do you wish you would have brought home, maybe a decoration of sorts, a picture? What? Also, I think I may have a little bit of room left in my suitcase if there is anything you would like me to bring home for you. Wendy, Oksana told me there is a particular chocolate that you love to cook with, may I bring some home for you? Please let me know.
Christy and Wendy THANK YOU so much for suggesting we go to the Potato House and yes we did find it with no problem at all. It was the building that had POTATO HOUSE written in huge ENGLISH letters on it, go figure. Well, after the boys said goodbye to their friends at the sanatorium we decided to venture down into downtown Dnipro, after much walking and once we arrived to the Potato House the boys decided they were no longer hungry. What? No longer hungry? It had been over 2 hours since they last ate, sigh. So we turned back around and then a miracle occurred. Just as we were walking out the front doors, I heard Bogdan yell, "Lena," what, we ran into someone he knew? Lena and her daughter, Tanya, are close friends of Bogdan's and actually considers Lena's mother, Babushka Luba his grandmother. She would bring Bogdan to her home during the holidays and on long weekends for the past 7 years, but since the orphanage has a new director she has not been able to see Bogdan for a while. In fact, over the last 7 years or so she has cared for approximately 25 children and has seen 10 of them adopted. (Nanette she asked about Benson and I showed her your blog, she cried when she saw photos of him). Lena and Tanya then invited us over for dinner on Sunday and we more than honored to go. So after church, which was sooo boring for the boys, Yura, the couple missionaries' driver drove us to Lena's home. Yura stayed and translated for us, they spoke no English and you know how well I DON'T speak Ukrainian. Yesterday was the ABSOLUTE greatest day, aside from getting the boys, that I have had in Ukraine. They treated us and fed us as if we were royalty. It was an unbelievable afternoon. We had traditional Ukrainian food and Lena made an amazing fruit juice out of roses and a little bit of fruit. Even though I had missed my most favorite holiday back home I would have traded a lifetime of Halloweens for another afternoon like we had. Bogdan, Ruslan and Tanya played the whole day away while Lena, Babushka Luba, Yura and I talked, we were all complete strangers just a week or so ago and now dear friends, isn't it amazing how life is? We have been invited back for dinner tomorrow and we are ALL anxiously awaiting for 4pm to arrive.
Today we traveled to Dnipropetrovsk for passport pictures. They say if all goes well we should have them back in 3 working days, WE all sure hope so. The boys are STILL exploring their surroundings and because of their curiosity we have lost power in our apartment twice today because they are plugging too many things in at one time. Now with the power being out again, actually it's just power to one side of the apartment, but it so happens to be the side where the kitchen is and where our heat and hot water is controlled. So now I sit and type this blog in the cold, with a washing machine that is full of water and clothes that I'm not able to open and with puddles of water on the floor from a freezer that is slowly melting. And to top it all off we just went grocery shopping today and now the food is going bad, but on the bright side it's colder in here then the refrigerator so I actually think the food just might be okay. Also the clothes I washed last Saturday are finally dry and that means I get to sleep in my pajamas tonight instead of my jeans and sweatshirt, yay. Isn't life good...
All in all we are doing just fine. As I have typed this blog tonight I have had to go into the boys room at least a dozen times to remind them it is bedtime and at this moment they are still in there laughing under their blankets hoping I will not hear them. Oh, here I go again...hold please...okay, I'm back. I think it's going to be a long night, but it's a good thing listening to them in there. Their enthusiasm is simply amazing. Goodnight...I hope.
Loves and kisses!!
Tanya, Bogdan and Lena.
Bogdan and Babushka Luba.
Babushka Luba, isn't she beautiful!!
Yura and Babushka Luba right after dinner. We had fruit for dessert, and what wasn't eaten she packed it up for us to take home.
Ruslan, Lena and Bogdan. Tanya and Bogdan have been close friends for since they were seven and five years old.
We were just getting ready to sit down for dinner.
I hope you read this before you go to bed. There are switches over the door if you push the red one that is sticking out you will get electricity again. YOu could put your food out on the cold deck also. I am so glad you are happy and hanging in there. We can't wait to see you. Tell everyone Hi from us!!
ReplyDeleteI keep posting comments and it won't save them!
ReplyDeleteYou are on top of the world again! How wonderful! Babushka is indeed beautiful and I wish I had been there for dinner!
I brought home fairy tale books to my 15 yr old girl bc she is a girl and bc I loved the illustrations. I also bought her classics...she looooves reading. I bought painted wooden christmas ornaments and a wooden trivet that smells good when a hot dish is put on it. I wish I had taken pictures of the cats and dogs as they looked so happy and healthy where I was, as well as non agressive. My daughther's friend who was adopted from Ukraine suggested to bring home chocolates to put in their stockings.
You are such a good sport!! There you sit with no electricity, melting food and a cold apartment that is comparable to a fridge and you are so glad to have dry jammies. We all want to be like you when we grow up :) I am SOOOO happy that you got to mingle with some good locals and have some real Ukrainian food. That was the best part of Ukraine for us and I am sure that Heaven arranged that one for you. Margie suggested that I bring home a soccor shirt from Ukraine for Vitaly and we got one at the shops by the SDA in kiev and sure enough it is dearly loved and a source of identity for him still and so if your boys like soccor that may be a good thing. I am glad that you found the potato house. If your boys ever get hungry try that hot chocolate and the premade salads are good (not the one with raw fish in it though.) My boys loved the sausages. I am sure the hot chocolate will be anticlimatic now after we have made such a big deal out of it :) Is the missionary couple from petrovsk or do they live in Jerjinsk. We need someone to contact George's family in elizabetica.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see more pics inside your apartment. On my London trip I liked having pictures of the street signs of places important to me and my family -- the street the BYU London Study Abroad Centre is on, etc. It's getting close to coming home! We are so anxious for your safe return!!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to think about what chocolate Oksana is talking about. I ATE a lot of chocolate-I loved those coconut chocolate bars-similar to our almond joys but without the almonds.
ReplyDeleteI got a Father Christmas to add to our Christmas ornaments. There are beautiful hand painted one's at the SDA. I also got a few hand painted Ukraine eggs (wooden one's that wouldn't break) and a TON of toothpick girls to give as gifts. (I even had some more brought home for me!) I received a lovely wooden spoon/spatula that was hand painted from Alex's orphanage director and I love it! I cook with it all the time. We also bought a chess set and we've really enjoyed it.
I love the soccer shirt idea, I wanted to get Alex a traditional white shirt with embroidery but he refused! A couple of the kids wore them last night at the benefit concert where they played the flute.
I can't think of anything I really need-unless you can find some more wooden spoon/spatula's but if they cost more than 8 grivna.....forget about it-there not worth more than that! SDA market has the best shopping so be sure to hit it when you get back to Kiev.
The one think I wish I had done was gone to Alex's fathers grave and take a picture. Not sure that's applicable to you but I wish I had that for him and it would have helped in getting his temple work done.
Just soak it in, you're on the downhill side!
W
I took pictures of their old apartment and video of them in front of it. I think it will be useful someday, because I don't plan to return.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the beautiful tablecloths at SDA. They are great gifts and wash well.
In Kiev we loved eating at "La Borscht" (roughly translated) it is on the main street from Independence square up to the parliament building. It is family owned and has the most wonderful chicken dishes. DON'T go to the sushi place just up the street (they have naked women on TV)! So embarrassing, thankfully the man respected our request to turn it off!
Good luck and congrats. It looks like you are on the home stretch!
Oh I forgot about the table clothes! Beautiful! And I got hand painted napkin rings. Gosh. I really bought a lot of stuff now that I think about it. I helped Amy pick out table clothes and napkins too. We used them when we had our Ukraine Christmas party in January.
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