Court
Exactly five years ago, we were in Ukraine, just two weeks into our five-week adventure for Masha’s adoption. For the next few weeks, 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…
So….we’ve been doing a lot of hanging out with the kids, and many of you are probably thinking “why aren’t they doing anything that’s actually related to adopting Masha and getting back home?” Yeah, we’re thinking that, too.
The risk manager in me kicked in when I woke up this morning, and I thought, “Gee, I have some free time, perhaps I should iron our clothes for court now rather than wait until the last minute.” And boy am I glad I did.
As I was finishing up Mark’s shirt at about 10:00, our phone rang. Mark was in the shower, taking advantage of working hot and cold water, so I answered it. It was Sasha calling us from Kiev to tell us that our court hearing was in one hour, and that Sveta would be calling us to arrange to pick us up. ACK!
After an hour in a very hot, stifling courtroom, the judge approved our petition to adopt Masha, and told us that the decision would be final in 10 days. As people stood up, everyone finally smiled and congratulated all of us, and we were able to hug Masha as her almost-real Mama and Papa.
In the whirlwind of arrival and the rush to get out of there, we didn’t get any pictures of the courtroom. We had wanted to get a photo of us with the judge, but it just didn’t happen….Oh well.
Sveta was able to talk with the Director, and got permission to take the girls out later than usual so we could go see Shrek III at the local theatre. She gave us the OK just 10 minutes before the show started, so we raced back into town, bought tickets and settled in just as the show was beginning.
Side note: Movie theatres in Ukraine have assigned seating. Confused the crap out of us when they lady was asking where we wanted to sit, and even more when we got into the theatre and people were sitting in our seats. We sat where we felt like sitting, and all was well.
Have you ever watched a movie in a language you didn’t understand? 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.