Well, the girls have been here for almost six months now, and everything is going great! They have fully integrated into the family, and it is like they were always here. They tell stories sometimes about their life before, and it brings tears to my eyes each time I think about the things that they endured. They are finally LOVED and SAFE!
Kristina was able to start at our private Catholic school in the fall, and I am homeschooling Anastasia until her english is more understandable. One of the pitfalls that we found was that neither girl knew how to read or write (barely even in their own language). So it has been a long, difficult summer for them with the ESL tutor. We literally had to start from scratch with them. They didn't know basic arithmetic, so we've been using some Kindergarten through 2nd grade materials to try and get them going. Kristina is in a special program at school that allows for her to catch up to the rest of the class, but she progressed tenfold when she started formal schooling (I think socialization has a LOT to do with that!). We're hoping for Anastasia to start in January, so keep your fingers crossed!
Both girls are very motivated to learn, and have gotten involved in some school activities. Anastasia has two 8th grade girls tutoring her on Thursdays after school, and both Anastasia and Kristina are running cross country (I am coaching this year). It is good for them to get physical activity because they sort of pigged out on every food that they could get there hands on for the past few months. They dont have much where they come from, and in fact were starving before they entered the orphanage, so the sheer abundance that we have here causes them to go overboard sometimes. They will quite literally eat an entire flat of strawberries or cherries in one sitting. The grocery bills have been ASTRONOMICAL!! It has slowed down now, but I still find them closet eating out of habit sometimes.
I will update more as I can, but rest assured, everyone is doing GREAT!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Day 39
Thursday, May 20, 2010. Alexey picked us up at 9:30am. Nastya was there, so we said our goodbyes, and then we were off to the airport! We waited for check-in to open, then stood in line forever and got our boarding passes. After dropping off our bags, we headed upstairs to the security checkpoint. It was busy. Sardines in a can would have been more comfortable. There was no apparent line, just people all crowding close to the front. This line was about 90 minutes long, no air conditioning, and people quite literally on top of you. Once we were through, we headed to the Passport Control line. It wasn’t long- maybe 10 people in each line, but it took a really long time. They started announcing the boarding for our flight. Pretty soon, it was the last call for boarding, and we were still in line. It looked as if they were questioning each individual for 10 minutes before stamping the passport and letting them through. It was excrutiating, and we still weren’t halfway through yet.
By the time it was our turn, we approached and Jerry gave the officer all of our passports and the visas for the girls. He stared at them for about 5 minutes before asking for the adoption decree. No problem- we had it in our hands. He read the entire thing, slowwwwwly. The whole time, Jerry is trying to tell him that our plane was leaving without us. This took about 15 minutes. Again, the announcement for the last boarding call for all remaining passengers on our flight. We were really getting upset. The officer told us to follow him into a separate room, where another officer had to write everything down, by hand, into a small book. We tried again and again to tell them to hold our plane, and they were getting nervous because we were getting so upset. I really think they had no idea what they were doing. Finally, they handed us our information back, and we literally ran to the boarding gate. Luckily, there were quite a few people that still hadn’t made it through the lines, so the plane was held for about 15 minutes.
The flight to Paris was nice, about 3 hours and easy. We landed on time, and made it through the airport with plenty of time to make our 1 hour connection (flying business class really helps, since you get to go to the front of the line!). We went to the Air France business class lounge, and the girls loved it since all of the food and drinks were free.
We boarded the plane, and the look on the girls faces was priceless when they saw our seats! They could fly comfortably, put their seats back all the way and sleep, and had plenty of room to relax with the tv and video games that are provided. It was a very nice 11 hour flight. About 30 minutes before landing, they asked us if we would be home tomorrow. You have to understand that the last two times that they came to America, it was 48 hours in travelling time, and it took us 24. When we told them that we would be home in 30 minutes, they were bouncing up and down with joy!
We landed and went through customs, gave them our sealed envelopes, and then were ushered into a room for secondary screening. It looks like Immigration has really beefed up security lately, because according to other adoptive parents, they normally just stamp the passports and say “welcome to America”. We were in the Secondary Screening area with
many other people for about 2 hours before they finally stamped the passports and told us that we could leave.
Many of our family members and our close friends were there to welcome us with balloons and open arms. It was quite the homecoming. After hugging and crying a little, we all headed back to the house for appetizers and nice conversation. Two children richer, many experiences and stories to tell, and much more knowledge about our new daughters’ backgrounds and cultures. We were finally, after 6 long weeks, HOME!
By the time it was our turn, we approached and Jerry gave the officer all of our passports and the visas for the girls. He stared at them for about 5 minutes before asking for the adoption decree. No problem- we had it in our hands. He read the entire thing, slowwwwwly. The whole time, Jerry is trying to tell him that our plane was leaving without us. This took about 15 minutes. Again, the announcement for the last boarding call for all remaining passengers on our flight. We were really getting upset. The officer told us to follow him into a separate room, where another officer had to write everything down, by hand, into a small book. We tried again and again to tell them to hold our plane, and they were getting nervous because we were getting so upset. I really think they had no idea what they were doing. Finally, they handed us our information back, and we literally ran to the boarding gate. Luckily, there were quite a few people that still hadn’t made it through the lines, so the plane was held for about 15 minutes.
The flight to Paris was nice, about 3 hours and easy. We landed on time, and made it through the airport with plenty of time to make our 1 hour connection (flying business class really helps, since you get to go to the front of the line!). We went to the Air France business class lounge, and the girls loved it since all of the food and drinks were free.
We boarded the plane, and the look on the girls faces was priceless when they saw our seats! They could fly comfortably, put their seats back all the way and sleep, and had plenty of room to relax with the tv and video games that are provided. It was a very nice 11 hour flight. About 30 minutes before landing, they asked us if we would be home tomorrow. You have to understand that the last two times that they came to America, it was 48 hours in travelling time, and it took us 24. When we told them that we would be home in 30 minutes, they were bouncing up and down with joy!
We landed and went through customs, gave them our sealed envelopes, and then were ushered into a room for secondary screening. It looks like Immigration has really beefed up security lately, because according to other adoptive parents, they normally just stamp the passports and say “welcome to America”. We were in the Secondary Screening area with
many other people for about 2 hours before they finally stamped the passports and told us that we could leave.
Many of our family members and our close friends were there to welcome us with balloons and open arms. It was quite the homecoming. After hugging and crying a little, we all headed back to the house for appetizers and nice conversation. Two children richer, many experiences and stories to tell, and much more knowledge about our new daughters’ backgrounds and cultures. We were finally, after 6 long weeks, HOME!
Day 38
Tuesday, May 18, 2010. As it turns out, the delegation that shut down the restaurant last night was because the Russian President was actually staying at the hotel. We found this out when leaving to go to the US Embassy, since there were Russian Secret Service all over the place. We waited out in front of the hotel for Alexey, but apparently all of the streets were closed down because of the President. So we waited… and waited… and waited, and all the while the Secret Service stared at Jerry since he was the only one who looked different. They probably thought that he was a Cuban assassin! After a while of the Secret Service apparently being very nervous, the manager of the hotel asked us to please step inside or go for a walk. We could no longer wait outside. So we went walking down the street and let Alexey know where we were headed. We ran into him, and he took us to the Embassy.
When we got to the Embassy, Anastasia had to be fingerprinted. Normally they only do this with ages 14 and up, but there was a problem with the system so we went along with it and had them do what they had to do in order to get the visas. They were issued to us with no problems, and we were finally DONE with all paperwork!
It took us almost 2 hours to get back to the hotel (about 4 miles away) because of the road closures, but we were happy that we finally had everything in order to go home on Thursday!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Today was a free day, so we decided to try and find the Harley Davidson in Kiev. The concierge desk told us that it was about a 30 minute walk and gave us a map. We walked for 4 hours (McDonald’s break in the middle) and still did not find it! There was almost mutiny since the girls were exhausted. We found a taxi finally, and he had no idea where it was either, so after driving around for about 30 minutes, we gave up and asked him to take us to the hotel. He had no idea where it was either! After driving about another 30 minutes, his car just stopped. In the middle of the road. Needless to say, we bailed out, paid him, and started walking. We were back at the hotel in about 5 minutes. We found out later that if we had gone 2 more blocks, we would have found Harley. *sigh*
When we got to the Embassy, Anastasia had to be fingerprinted. Normally they only do this with ages 14 and up, but there was a problem with the system so we went along with it and had them do what they had to do in order to get the visas. They were issued to us with no problems, and we were finally DONE with all paperwork!
It took us almost 2 hours to get back to the hotel (about 4 miles away) because of the road closures, but we were happy that we finally had everything in order to go home on Thursday!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Today was a free day, so we decided to try and find the Harley Davidson in Kiev. The concierge desk told us that it was about a 30 minute walk and gave us a map. We walked for 4 hours (McDonald’s break in the middle) and still did not find it! There was almost mutiny since the girls were exhausted. We found a taxi finally, and he had no idea where it was either, so after driving around for about 30 minutes, we gave up and asked him to take us to the hotel. He had no idea where it was either! After driving about another 30 minutes, his car just stopped. In the middle of the road. Needless to say, we bailed out, paid him, and started walking. We were back at the hotel in about 5 minutes. We found out later that if we had gone 2 more blocks, we would have found Harley. *sigh*
Day 37
Monday, May 17, 2010. This morning, Alexey arrived at 10am to take us to the US Embassy in order to get the U.S. Immigrant Visas for the girls. We realized how nice it is to hold a U.S. passport, since we were able to go ahead of the long line waiting to get in.
Once we wound our way inside and checked in, they told us that one of the papers was still missing from Washington but that it should be in after 4pm and they could give us our interview anyway. However, we would have to come back tomorrow to pick up the visas.
We had our short interview, handed them our packet of completed papers and all original documentation and then left them with our contact information so that they can call us to give us a time to come in tomorrow.
We tried to have dinner at the Italian restaurant at the hotel, but apparently there was a Russian Delegation in town and the restaurant was closed for the private event. We had made a reservation with the concierge, but there was still nothing to be done since apparently the concierge was unaware of the restaurant closure. Jerry discussed the situation with the hotel manager, who was very apologetic and said that the situation would be “investigated”, so we had dinner at another restaurant there instead. After dinner, the concierge brought us a nice bottle of wine as an apology for the misunderstanding.
When we returned to our rooms, there were gifts that the girls were ecstatic to show us! Fruit baskets, cookies and milk, brownies…. It was heaven for them! They really got a kick out of Papi complaining to the “director” (a.k.a. management), and then having the “director” apologizing profusely with gifts and an apology note.
Once we wound our way inside and checked in, they told us that one of the papers was still missing from Washington but that it should be in after 4pm and they could give us our interview anyway. However, we would have to come back tomorrow to pick up the visas.
We had our short interview, handed them our packet of completed papers and all original documentation and then left them with our contact information so that they can call us to give us a time to come in tomorrow.
We tried to have dinner at the Italian restaurant at the hotel, but apparently there was a Russian Delegation in town and the restaurant was closed for the private event. We had made a reservation with the concierge, but there was still nothing to be done since apparently the concierge was unaware of the restaurant closure. Jerry discussed the situation with the hotel manager, who was very apologetic and said that the situation would be “investigated”, so we had dinner at another restaurant there instead. After dinner, the concierge brought us a nice bottle of wine as an apology for the misunderstanding.
When we returned to our rooms, there were gifts that the girls were ecstatic to show us! Fruit baskets, cookies and milk, brownies…. It was heaven for them! They really got a kick out of Papi complaining to the “director” (a.k.a. management), and then having the “director” apologizing profusely with gifts and an apology note.
Day 36
Sunday, May 16, 2010. Nataliya’s husband, Artem, picked us up at 12:30 and drove us to their hometown which is an approximate 90 minute drive into the countryside. We got her parent’s house and were warmly greeted. It looked as if her mother had been cooking for days! We found out later that we were the first Americans that they had ever seen, and were quite nervous about meeting us. We were also the first people from Nataliya’s work that they had ever met, and she’s been facilitating adoptions for 8 years!
It was an honor to meet them and share so much time together. Nataliya’s parents are wonderful, warm people. Of course, we did like the natives… vodka with our meal instead of wine, toast after toast, and sampling the many wonderful (and sometimes odd, if you’ve never been in this country and don’t know the customs) dishes that were prepared for us. Lunch slowly bled into dinner time, then cognac and cigar time… before we knew it, it was very late and we had to have Artem take us back to our hotel. The whole affair was a wonderful, enriching experience that we will remember for years to come.
It was an honor to meet them and share so much time together. Nataliya’s parents are wonderful, warm people. Of course, we did like the natives… vodka with our meal instead of wine, toast after toast, and sampling the many wonderful (and sometimes odd, if you’ve never been in this country and don’t know the customs) dishes that were prepared for us. Lunch slowly bled into dinner time, then cognac and cigar time… before we knew it, it was very late and we had to have Artem take us back to our hotel. The whole affair was a wonderful, enriching experience that we will remember for years to come.
Day 35
Saturday, May 15, 2010. Our flight was nice and uneventful. We arrived in Kiev, said goodbye to Nataliya, and then Alexey drove us to the Intercontinental Hotel. We checked in, and the girls thought they were in heaven when they got to their room. We let them relax a bit before heading to lunch and then going for a walk to get them some clothing and shoes. After returning and resting for a bit, we had a nice dinner at the hotel later, and then went for another walk afterwards.
Day 34
Friday, May 14, 2010. This morning, we were at the orphanage at 8am to sign the discharge papers, gather the girls and their things, and say goodbye to Severodonetsk orphanage. Jerry and Nataliya stayed for the signing, and then had to leave right away to travel to get the new passports. Kelly stayed and got the girls squared away.
The girls said goodbye to everyone, and there were many tears from the staff and friends. Anastasia wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything. When leaving, the girls wanted a photo of them waving goodbye to the orphanage forever.
They came to the hotel and changed into some clothing that we had brought with us, as they had to take back what they were wearing. Basically, they give you naked children since they are not supposed to take anything with them but some personal items such as photos or religious nicknacks.
Jerry got back from the first passport stop in time for lunch, and then had to leave a few hours later to travel to Lugansk to finalize everything and get the actual passports. The official in charge of this really liked Jerry and the fact that he is Cuban, so he moved it along very quickly for us (getting passports can normally take up to 45 days, but we got them in just one day!).
After he got the passports, Jerry went to the travel agency to book our flights to Kiev for tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves out of Lugansk at 7:45am, which means that we need to leave the hotel by 4:30 in order to make it there in time.
We had a late dinner at the hotel, and there was another convention there so it ended up being even later than we wanted. We were in bed by 11:30pm, up by 3:30am and out of the hotel on time. Anastasia & Kristina with the Director with one of the caretakers
The girls said goodbye to everyone, and there were many tears from the staff and friends. Anastasia wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything. When leaving, the girls wanted a photo of them waving goodbye to the orphanage forever.
They came to the hotel and changed into some clothing that we had brought with us, as they had to take back what they were wearing. Basically, they give you naked children since they are not supposed to take anything with them but some personal items such as photos or religious nicknacks.
Jerry got back from the first passport stop in time for lunch, and then had to leave a few hours later to travel to Lugansk to finalize everything and get the actual passports. The official in charge of this really liked Jerry and the fact that he is Cuban, so he moved it along very quickly for us (getting passports can normally take up to 45 days, but we got them in just one day!).
After he got the passports, Jerry went to the travel agency to book our flights to Kiev for tomorrow morning. Our flight leaves out of Lugansk at 7:45am, which means that we need to leave the hotel by 4:30 in order to make it there in time.
We had a late dinner at the hotel, and there was another convention there so it ended up being even later than we wanted. We were in bed by 11:30pm, up by 3:30am and out of the hotel on time. Anastasia & Kristina with the Director with one of the caretakers
Day 33
Thursday, May 13, 2010. This morning, we drove to a town about 40km away to start the process of getting the amended birth certificates. We dropped off what we had, then to a town closer to Severodonetsk to get some documents sewn together (yes, they actually hand sew and seal documents to prevent alteration). After that, we went back to Severodonetsk for lunch and a short break before having to drive back the 40km to pick up the new birth certificates.
After that, we drove to Lysichansk to get the girls new tax ID numbers with their new names (kind of like a social security number here). By that time, it was quite late, but we decided to try and make it to a notary to get some documents taken care of, since we would need them in order to get the passports.
It was a good thing that we did this! We found out when we got there that all notaries are closed tomorrow for a conference in Lugansk. If we don’t get things done right away, we have to wait until Monday, which delays us 4 days! As it turns out, the notary was actually closed. Nataliya had to work her magic and beg for him to re-open and get our documents taken care of. He finally agreed, but we had to go and pick up his secretary from her home since she was already gone for the day. Once things were rolling, we had to get an official translator to come and translate the documents for us (as our representative, Nataliya can not officially do this since it is a conflict of interest). It was an orthodox holiday apparently, because the translator showed up a wee bit tipsy and told us that she was in the middle of a celebration dinner. In the end, we got the documents notarized and all set to leave first thing in the morning to get the new passports.
We had a late dinner at the Golden Palace with Larisa, her husband “G”, her son Sascha, daughter Alyona, and Nataliya. We had a great time, and it was a nice send-off.
After that, we drove to Lysichansk to get the girls new tax ID numbers with their new names (kind of like a social security number here). By that time, it was quite late, but we decided to try and make it to a notary to get some documents taken care of, since we would need them in order to get the passports.
It was a good thing that we did this! We found out when we got there that all notaries are closed tomorrow for a conference in Lugansk. If we don’t get things done right away, we have to wait until Monday, which delays us 4 days! As it turns out, the notary was actually closed. Nataliya had to work her magic and beg for him to re-open and get our documents taken care of. He finally agreed, but we had to go and pick up his secretary from her home since she was already gone for the day. Once things were rolling, we had to get an official translator to come and translate the documents for us (as our representative, Nataliya can not officially do this since it is a conflict of interest). It was an orthodox holiday apparently, because the translator showed up a wee bit tipsy and told us that she was in the middle of a celebration dinner. In the end, we got the documents notarized and all set to leave first thing in the morning to get the new passports.
We had a late dinner at the Golden Palace with Larisa, her husband “G”, her son Sascha, daughter Alyona, and Nataliya. We had a great time, and it was a nice send-off.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Day 32
Wednesday, May 12, 2010.
This morning, we got the “pink slip” for the girls (a.k.a. court decree that makes them legally our daughters!) And the great paper chase begins! To be continued…
This morning, we got the “pink slip” for the girls (a.k.a. court decree that makes them legally our daughters!) And the great paper chase begins! To be continued…
Day 31
Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Today is a “relax” day. We cannot pick up the court decree until tomorrow. We also found out that the Registry office is closed tomorrow, so we can’t get started on the birth certificates and passports until 8am Thursday morning.
We went to the orphanage at 2pm as usual. The girls were waiting for us, and wanted to know if it was okay if their brothers came to meet us. Of course! This was a very exciting time. We found out the entire story about their family. Before, we thought that the girls were 2 of 5 children. Today, we found out that they are actually 2 of 7! They have 4 older brothers and their older sister. Their oldest brother has lived in Russia for the past 9 years and has not seen the girls during that time, but saw the other brothers about a year ago. We met the other three brothers: Roma is 19, and the twins Denis and Dima who are 25. One twin is married to a nice girl named Kristina and has a 14 month old daughter named “Gianna”.
Something that I find interesting is that our girls are going from a sibling group of 7 here in Ukraine to a sibling group of 7 in America… and both groups with a set of twins! Coincidence? We exchanged contact information with them so that the girls can keep in touch, which I think everyone really liked. They were all so loving and caring, and you can see that in the photos that we took. They were respectful, and said that they were happy that Anastasia and Kristina were being adopted and going to America.
From the left... Roma (age 19), Dima (ID twin, age 25), Anastasia, Kristina (sister in law), Gianna 9age 14 months), Denis (twin, age 25), and Kristina:
We went to the orphanage at 2pm as usual. The girls were waiting for us, and wanted to know if it was okay if their brothers came to meet us. Of course! This was a very exciting time. We found out the entire story about their family. Before, we thought that the girls were 2 of 5 children. Today, we found out that they are actually 2 of 7! They have 4 older brothers and their older sister. Their oldest brother has lived in Russia for the past 9 years and has not seen the girls during that time, but saw the other brothers about a year ago. We met the other three brothers: Roma is 19, and the twins Denis and Dima who are 25. One twin is married to a nice girl named Kristina and has a 14 month old daughter named “Gianna”.
Something that I find interesting is that our girls are going from a sibling group of 7 here in Ukraine to a sibling group of 7 in America… and both groups with a set of twins! Coincidence? We exchanged contact information with them so that the girls can keep in touch, which I think everyone really liked. They were all so loving and caring, and you can see that in the photos that we took. They were respectful, and said that they were happy that Anastasia and Kristina were being adopted and going to America.
From the left... Roma (age 19), Dima (ID twin, age 25), Anastasia, Kristina (sister in law), Gianna 9age 14 months), Denis (twin, age 25), and Kristina:
Day 21-30
Saturday, May 1 through Monday, May 10. We spent our entire 10-day waiting period in Rome. It ended up being 13 days, since the judge did not count the holidays towards that period. We found out that the flight that we took from Donetsk to Rome was the first ever flight between those two cities. Pretty neat!
The day after we arrived was May 1st, a very large holiday here in Europe. Rome was packed full of people. We saw all of the sights, and walked absolutely everywhere (only took a taxi to/from the airport the entire time!). We must have walked 10 miles every day, and got to know the city very well in the process. The shopping here is incredible- all of the big designers and well-known brands... Gucci, and Prada, and Armani... oh my! This place is a shopaholic’s dream!
Our current favorite restaurant in Rome, called Girarrosto Fiorentino, is incredible. It is a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but always packed with people with incredible service, food, and wine. If you happen to be in Rome, please visit this restaurant and sit with Benedicto or Evaristo.
There are so many things to see and do in Rome. We went to see the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Palatino, the Pantheon, Vatican City, St. Peter’s square and the Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel… all amazing sights and feels. We took pictures of almost everything (the Sistine Chapel pictures were not allowed, unfortunately).
We left Rome the morning of May 10th, bound for Donetsk. The trip to the airport by cab was easy- about 45 minutes. The flight was equally as nice, about 3.5 hours and uneventful. We arrived in Donetsk about 5:15pm and cruised right through immigration, and no customs! This was a very different airport experience from Kiev. We did have to wait in the line, and they only asked us where we were staying before stamping our passports and sending us to baggage claim. No other questions about ANYTHING. And no Customs department!
Natalia was waiting for us with a cab, and we drove the two hours back to hotel Mir in Severodonetsk. They are so nice, they saved our old room for us and one of our bags. We even have two towels and real toilet paper in our room this time!
Colisseum:
Palatino:
Trevi Fountain:
Caesar:
Vatican Museum Doors:
Vatican Gardens:
Gelato!! (everywhere in Rome)
Michelangelo's "La Pieta", located in St Peter's Basilica:
Kelly's New Ride (fully loaded with guns and seating for 12):
Cuban Cigar:
Where the heck are we?!?:
Pantheon (under reconstruction):
LUNCH!:
The famous Carabineri:
The day after we arrived was May 1st, a very large holiday here in Europe. Rome was packed full of people. We saw all of the sights, and walked absolutely everywhere (only took a taxi to/from the airport the entire time!). We must have walked 10 miles every day, and got to know the city very well in the process. The shopping here is incredible- all of the big designers and well-known brands... Gucci, and Prada, and Armani... oh my! This place is a shopaholic’s dream!
Our current favorite restaurant in Rome, called Girarrosto Fiorentino, is incredible. It is a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but always packed with people with incredible service, food, and wine. If you happen to be in Rome, please visit this restaurant and sit with Benedicto or Evaristo.
There are so many things to see and do in Rome. We went to see the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Palatino, the Pantheon, Vatican City, St. Peter’s square and the Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel… all amazing sights and feels. We took pictures of almost everything (the Sistine Chapel pictures were not allowed, unfortunately).
We left Rome the morning of May 10th, bound for Donetsk. The trip to the airport by cab was easy- about 45 minutes. The flight was equally as nice, about 3.5 hours and uneventful. We arrived in Donetsk about 5:15pm and cruised right through immigration, and no customs! This was a very different airport experience from Kiev. We did have to wait in the line, and they only asked us where we were staying before stamping our passports and sending us to baggage claim. No other questions about ANYTHING. And no Customs department!
Natalia was waiting for us with a cab, and we drove the two hours back to hotel Mir in Severodonetsk. They are so nice, they saved our old room for us and one of our bags. We even have two towels and real toilet paper in our room this time!
Colisseum:
Palatino:
Trevi Fountain:
Caesar:
Vatican Museum Doors:
Vatican Gardens:
Gelato!! (everywhere in Rome)
Michelangelo's "La Pieta", located in St Peter's Basilica:
Kelly's New Ride (fully loaded with guns and seating for 12):
Cuban Cigar:
Where the heck are we?!?:
Pantheon (under reconstruction):
LUNCH!:
The famous Carabineri:
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 20
Friday, April 30, 2010. Today we left about 5:30am, enroute to Donetsk. It is about a 2 hour drive because of the road condition. Donetsk is a large, newer city that is much better taken care of than the smaller towns. According to Natalia, the richest man in Ukraine lives here.
The airport is small but everyone was very nice and efficient, and we had no problems whatsoever. We never felt uncomfortable or harassed at any time. We breezed right through customs with no questions, and even the boarding for Rome was announced in English as well as Russian. We chose to fly Ukrainian Air instead of Alitalia so that we could experience a Ukrainian airline, which was actually a very nice flight. Everyone was courteous and spoke English and Italian. Before boarding, we noticed that all of the Ukrainians lined up outside of the boarding area and were smoking as many cigarettes as quickly as they could. It was literally a huge cloud of smoke. For people not used to that, you really need to hold your breath when walking through there!
We arrived in Rome a little after noon. The line through Immigration was long, but easy. Our passports were stamped and we went to get our luggage. We had the same experience here as in Paris- people asking you if you need a taxi before you even exit the airport. Please- DO NOT do this in an airport ever! You will get scammed and pay three to four times the amount of a regular cab. Wait in the normal taxi line outside and get an actual car that says “Taxi”.
Rome!
We arrived at our hotel- the Intercontinental De La Ville, which is located directly at the top of the Spanish Steps. Beautiful location! We had dinner at the hotel, which was lovely and delicious. Everyone here is extremely helpful and accommodating. We love Rome!
Our hotel:
Spanish Steps and fountain at the bottom:
Furniture Delivery Truck. What fits in there?!
Habana (Havana)! Even spelled correctly!
The airport is small but everyone was very nice and efficient, and we had no problems whatsoever. We never felt uncomfortable or harassed at any time. We breezed right through customs with no questions, and even the boarding for Rome was announced in English as well as Russian. We chose to fly Ukrainian Air instead of Alitalia so that we could experience a Ukrainian airline, which was actually a very nice flight. Everyone was courteous and spoke English and Italian. Before boarding, we noticed that all of the Ukrainians lined up outside of the boarding area and were smoking as many cigarettes as quickly as they could. It was literally a huge cloud of smoke. For people not used to that, you really need to hold your breath when walking through there!
We arrived in Rome a little after noon. The line through Immigration was long, but easy. Our passports were stamped and we went to get our luggage. We had the same experience here as in Paris- people asking you if you need a taxi before you even exit the airport. Please- DO NOT do this in an airport ever! You will get scammed and pay three to four times the amount of a regular cab. Wait in the normal taxi line outside and get an actual car that says “Taxi”.
Rome!
We arrived at our hotel- the Intercontinental De La Ville, which is located directly at the top of the Spanish Steps. Beautiful location! We had dinner at the hotel, which was lovely and delicious. Everyone here is extremely helpful and accommodating. We love Rome!
Our hotel:
Spanish Steps and fountain at the bottom:
Furniture Delivery Truck. What fits in there?!
Habana (Havana)! Even spelled correctly!
Day 19
Thursday, April 29th, 2010. Today we spent the day packing since we’ll be leaving for Rome, Italy in the morning to wait out our 10 days. We went to a travel agency and booked our flights from Donetsk to Rome (direct, and about a 3 hour flight), and Natalia’s flight back to Kiev. The direct flight from Donetsk to Rome is brand new and only on Fridays and Mondays, so it worked out perfectly. The costs of the flights were about $1100 roundtrip for both Jerry and I, and about $208 for a roundtrip ticket to Kiev for Natalia. We will all return on Monday the 10th in preparation for getting our official court decree, amended birth certificates and passports for the girls, and “Gotcha!” day when we finally leave the orphanage with the girls.
How they expand their privately owned apartments here:
The path to the orphanage:
We went to the orphanage about 3:30 and picked up the girls and the lawyer from the orphanage. We were able to snap a few pictures before court which was scheduled at 4pm. We waited out in a waiting room before heading into the court room. When the judge walked in, we all stood up until he sat, just like in an American court room. We all (including us, Natalia, the orphanage lawyer, the Inspector, the Prosecutor, and the girls) had to stand, state our names, positions, addresses, and birthdates. With Natalia translating for us, the judge read our entire dossier, each document included therein, and then asked us questions such as why we want to adopt these girls, what we think that we can give them that they cannot get here, and how long we have known the girls. Something to make note of here- when the judge asked us this, Jerry started to talk about the hosting program, how the girls spent 11 weeks with us, and that we have known them since last summer. The judge then stopped Jerry and restated his question and asked how long we “officially” have known the girls in Severodonetsk. He does not want to hear anything about the hosting program! Apparently this has to do with a law stating that children can’t be preselected and that we must “meet” them here.
Getting ready to go to court:
In front of the courthouse with Natalia and the orphanage attorney:
Waiting to head to the courtroom:
He then asked us if we think that we can afford adding two more children to our family, the make-up of our family including the children’s birthdates and our wedding anniversary date, etc… The judge had a sense of humor and asked Anastasia if she would stay here if he built a swimming pool in the orphanage, and we all laughed. The girls were nervous, but ultimately all went as planned.
The judge locked us up for psychological evaluations after he found our that we already have 5 children and want to add two more!
The whole process took about an hour, and everyone was very nice and polite. We spoke afterwards with the Prosecutor (who asked Jerry to host her in the USA). She is a very nice lady.
After a short break, the judge came back with our ruling, and our petition to adopt Anastasia and Kristina was approved! According to the judge, our “10-day waiting period” doesn’t end until May 12th, which is a couple of days longer than we had hoped, but we will do what we have to do.
After court:
When we left court, we headed back to the orphanage to say goodbye to the girls since we are leaving very early in the morning. We showed them on the calendar when we will return, and they were very excited. We went and had a celebratory “martini” at the hotel. (*note, the “martinis” here are not like in the USA. Apparently “martini” is the name of a liqueur and not a type of drink. I believe their version of a martini is 2 parts vodka and 1 part “martini” liqueur, which is a bit sweet.) After, we picked up Larissa and her son and had a celebratory dinner at the Golden Palace.
How they expand their privately owned apartments here:
The path to the orphanage:
We went to the orphanage about 3:30 and picked up the girls and the lawyer from the orphanage. We were able to snap a few pictures before court which was scheduled at 4pm. We waited out in a waiting room before heading into the court room. When the judge walked in, we all stood up until he sat, just like in an American court room. We all (including us, Natalia, the orphanage lawyer, the Inspector, the Prosecutor, and the girls) had to stand, state our names, positions, addresses, and birthdates. With Natalia translating for us, the judge read our entire dossier, each document included therein, and then asked us questions such as why we want to adopt these girls, what we think that we can give them that they cannot get here, and how long we have known the girls. Something to make note of here- when the judge asked us this, Jerry started to talk about the hosting program, how the girls spent 11 weeks with us, and that we have known them since last summer. The judge then stopped Jerry and restated his question and asked how long we “officially” have known the girls in Severodonetsk. He does not want to hear anything about the hosting program! Apparently this has to do with a law stating that children can’t be preselected and that we must “meet” them here.
Getting ready to go to court:
In front of the courthouse with Natalia and the orphanage attorney:
Waiting to head to the courtroom:
He then asked us if we think that we can afford adding two more children to our family, the make-up of our family including the children’s birthdates and our wedding anniversary date, etc… The judge had a sense of humor and asked Anastasia if she would stay here if he built a swimming pool in the orphanage, and we all laughed. The girls were nervous, but ultimately all went as planned.
The judge locked us up for psychological evaluations after he found our that we already have 5 children and want to add two more!
The whole process took about an hour, and everyone was very nice and polite. We spoke afterwards with the Prosecutor (who asked Jerry to host her in the USA). She is a very nice lady.
After a short break, the judge came back with our ruling, and our petition to adopt Anastasia and Kristina was approved! According to the judge, our “10-day waiting period” doesn’t end until May 12th, which is a couple of days longer than we had hoped, but we will do what we have to do.
After court:
When we left court, we headed back to the orphanage to say goodbye to the girls since we are leaving very early in the morning. We showed them on the calendar when we will return, and they were very excited. We went and had a celebratory “martini” at the hotel. (*note, the “martinis” here are not like in the USA. Apparently “martini” is the name of a liqueur and not a type of drink. I believe their version of a martini is 2 parts vodka and 1 part “martini” liqueur, which is a bit sweet.) After, we picked up Larissa and her son and had a celebratory dinner at the Golden Palace.
Days 16, 17, and 18
Monday, April 26, 2010 through Wednesday, April 28th. These days just kind of blended, one into another. We spent the days waiting for our court date, visiting with the girls, and walking around town. We finally got our court date late on Wednesday, for Thursday at 4pm! This is great news, because we get to start the 10-day mandatory waiting period which goes by calendar days (as opposed to working days), so weekends count as well.
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