Crocodiles and Chicken Chips
Exactly five years ago, we were in Ukraine, just a week 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…
Tuesday, 22 May, 2007 – Banana Split
… things don’t always go as planned around here! Just as we were wrapping up at the internet café, we received a call from Sveta, our facilitator, telling us that a driver was waiting for us outside, and we needed to get over to the courthouse right away. We launched into action-mode.
…From the courthouse, we drove to the orphanage…At 3:30, ready to gnaw our own arms off in hunger, we finally left the orphanage with the girls, headed for the cafeteria for lunch (Note to those following us: Always keep snacks and bottles of water with you!!) . We knew that Sveta had an appointment to deliver some documents at 4:00, and as we sat down, Sveta turned to us and announced, “You have ten minutes.” I’ve never eaten so much food so fast in all my life.
Sveta piled us into our cars and dropped us off at a park while she went with Sasha for her 4:00 appointment, and made arrangements to meet us back at the entrance to the park at 4:45 so we could get the girls back by 5:00. Rush rush rush!
The park was very nice, with many trees and wide brick walkways. On one side of the park, they also had some rides that looked like they had been retired from a 1950s street fair for safety concerns and shipped off to Eastern Europe! Masha and Khrystyna rode a strange little roller coaster guarded by a very large and angry bear-like dog, but the best attraction was a giant inflatable crocodile that the kids could climb into and bounce around. They had a grand time climbing all over each other and jumping around!
We walked around the park a little more, and Masha munched on some chicken-flavored potato chips that we had purchased at lunch. Yes, you read that right. Chicken. It tasted like potato chips coated with the flavor packet from chicken ramen noodles. Seriously. Chicken. There’s a chicken leg on the bag. It’s a strange land. 
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? 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.
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The strangest thing I’ve ever eaten… “the soup” from a local place in the Bahamas… tasty but didn’t agree with me and I was overwhelmed with illness for a day after. I later asked my friends what was in “the soup”… it was SHEEPS TONGUE SOUP!!! EEEEKS!!!!!!
They have sheep in the Bahamas?? That sounds pretty gross!
Actually, chicken flavored potato chips sounds kind of good. I haven’t been eating well these past few weeks, so maybe it’s just me.
My dad used to regularly cook cottage cheese and eggs. I think it rocks, but every time I mention it, or even cook it, people run for the hills.
Also, as a kid, we had cottage cheese and spaghetti. Don’t knock it till you try it!
Cottage cheese and spaghetti?? Like with spaghetti sauce? Who would ever think to eat such a thing?