Headed to Kiev
Exactly five years ago, we were in Ukraine, in the home stretch of our five-week adventure for Masha’s adoption. For a few more days, I’m posting excerpts and a photo or two from each day. Sometimes funny, and sometimes proof of how naive we were, I hope you’ll enjoy our little trip down memory lane…
Monday June 11th, 2007 – Headed to Kiev!
Our last full day. We had recently become less diligent with our “shower whenever you can” strategy; the water hadn’t gone off in nearly a week. However, we woke up to find that our hot water was out again. We made do, and Lisa arrived at our apartment about 10:30.
Because so many of the kids would be gone later in the week, it was decided that Masha, Khrystyna, and Amina would have a joint going-away party. Normally, these parties include a dance/singing performance for the parents, and then some fruit and juice for the kids. Since we had been able to see the big 1 June celebration performance, everyone decided it was best to forego the performance, and just have an informal “hangout” time in the girls’ rooms.
We gave Masha her clothes for tomorrow, and a small purse with some hair ties and a new watch—She had broken a watch early during our trip and we got her a pink bangle watch to replace it. Since we knew that she would need to leave that at the orphanage, we picked another one up for her.
As this was all going on, we noticed that Masha’s best friend wasn’t in the room. We stuck our heads around the corner and found her sitting by herself in the next room looking very sad. Masha went in with her new stuff, and we gave her friend a small stuffed toy that said “I love you” when you squeezed it. We all hugged on her a lot while she cried. When Masha saw the new watch in the bag we had given her, she got the other one and put it on her friend’s wrist (along with the Dora watch from Masha’s US trip). They seemed connected by their matching watches, and her friend started to cheer up.
I think we are ready to hit the road!
What’s the longest trip you’ve taken? Leave a comment…
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About Christine
I am a writer, a project manager, and a corporate refugee with a heart for orphans around the world. My two daughters were adopted from Ukraine at ages 12 and 14. I post about writing, chasing dreams, and making a difference in the world, and sometimes I share fun snippets of fiction in-progress.