Skype with brother

We’re getting adjusted to the time change, but end up sleeping late. This is fine since we really don’t have anywhere to be until 3pm when V*ktor is finished with classes. Aleksey went on a paper chase to another city Friday, so we were on our own anyway. I ventured out for SIM cards and minutes. We ate PBJ in the room for lunch. Later, we walked to the orphanage. Now, when I say “walked,” what I really mean is slipped, slid, and swam (haha). The sidewalks are VERY slushy, have many potholes with giant puddles, and have patches of ice. It makes for an interesting walk pushing C in a stroller while Brian carries a heavy backpack. If you are coming here in winter months, you MUST bring warm waterproof comfortable boots. Seriously, worth every penny. In Kiev, even with snow boots with decent traction, Brian and I both took hard falls. The knot on my head is smaller and doesn’t hurt as bad. Brian was holding C, but made sure to fall on his other side. Scared her, but she was fine. He was pretty sore, though. Ahh but I digress.
After our journey to the orphanage, we sat with V*ktor and S (a girl who was hosted this summer) in the girls playroom. We played cards, and they ate a lot of jerky. Actually, V kept forcing it on her because she would only take tiny pieces (but you could tell she really liked it). It was sweet. We gave her the gifts from her host family. Since I had to take out the candy (by director request), I stuffed some more things in there for her. We had a really good time, V and S loved on C for awhile. V*ktor had to go with Aleksey to ask about our “visitation” tomorrow, so S and Brian played War. As we left, we gave a giant bag (that many of you contributed items for) to the deputy director so she can pass them out to the children. There were at least 20 stocking caps, gloves, 60-70 chapsticks, 50 bouncy balls, 20 handwarmers, and several other items. Thursday, I only received scowls from her. Friday, she was very friendly and lots of smiles. Progress J Friday night, we walked over to the “white hotel” restaurant. Oh my goodness! Best food I’ve had since we got here. Something we would call a dip with lots of garlic inside a hollowed out tomato, chicken with mushrooms and cheese, and some to-die-for hot chocolate that was more like drinking chocolate fondue. Brian left before the hot chocolate came hoping to get back and work that night. C started screeching and squirming. Aleksey reached for her, and she went to him quiet as a mouse. Sat there the whole time we drank hot chocolate with her thumb in her mouth! I’m calling him the “baby whisperer” now. Seriously! Hmmm - maybe when she starts screeching at 12Am he will want to take her - haha! After supper, he wanted to go in search of a gym so we walked down this pitch black street to a gym. It was apparently not for public use, though. Ah well, back to the hotel. C actually slept all night. It was nice!

Yesterday, we slept late again. We planned on leaving for the orphanage at 2:30, but Aleksey called at 2 and said he had to go early for paperwork. Since he was taking a car (apparently needed to get there right then), we threw on our coats and ran out the door. We were early to the orphanage, so we had to wait a little while for V*ktor to come out of the lunchroom. When he did, we headed up to his classroom for him to get his coat. We gave J his care package from his host family and took a picture. Adorable kid! After catching up with another host kid O, we headed towards town. It was raining and not a super-pleasant kind of walk but oh well what do you do? Aleksey asked V what he wanted to do, and he said “talk to his brother and sister” so we went into a restaurant with wifi and ordered drinks. We skyped with Mom and A. A was still in bed, so Mom just took him the computer! For probably a good 45 minutes, we talked and watched A show us various things. I switched over to google translate every now and then (Aleksey was making some phone calls). Then, we started walking a little more, saw the school in town where J attends and where V*ktor visits the library. We stopped at the candy store (oh yum yum yum) to get Viktor something. He wanted to show us the statue in town. It’s in memory of a mail carrier who slipped through the ice and threw the letters to the side of the river to save them. The carrier, unfortunately, did not survive, but the mail was delivered. We took some pictures there and it continued to rain. V*ktor wanted pizza, so we went for supper at “Family Pizza.” Brian and V*ktor had a really good meat on their pizza - kind of like bacon.

We took a cab back to the orphanage and V*ktor showed us to his room. I went to the restroom which involved walking about 120 ft down a hallway, down stairs, 120 ft down the hallway directly below the other one, another 50 ft to the boys bathroom (the only one in the entire school), and another 50 ft to the girls bathroom (only one in the school). When I got there, a group of little boys were hanging around and politely showed me the door. They followed me back to V*ktor’s room. I have no idea why. I think they wanted gum or something. They were so adorable, and I kind of felt like the pied piper with all these kids following me! They walked into V*ktor’s room where they stayed a few minutes with us until he shooed them on their way. We looked through his picture album from summer hosting. Then, his friend, who was in the room with us, wanted to show us his room. So, we walked alllllllll the way around the school to get there. Picture a U shaped building. The Top corners of the U have stairs that go to the hallways on the sides of the U. The bottom corners of the U have staircases that only go to the bottom part of the U. So it’s quite a maze and not well connected. By this time, our “visitation” was up so we went to ask the teachers if/when V*ktor could attend church on Sunday. After a long conversation between V, Aleksey, and the 2 teachers, it was determined that we should be at the orphanage Sunday at 9:30AM to take him to church.
This morning, we had to wake up early (after C screeching until 1AM) for church. It was still raining, so we took a cab. We originally though at teacher was going with us, but they ended up sending V with us. So, a mile walk in the rain turned to snow and we ended up at the church (only about a block from our hotel). Apparently, their church services are very long and people just come and go for as long as they want to stay. We went upstairs and over to the very last bench way on the front corner of the curved balcony. It’s kind of sad to picture V sitting there alone (or maybe with a friend) every Sunday. After about 40 minutes C started squealing, so I took her out. There was only one room separate from everything and I wasn’t sure if I could go in there. Our coats were still upstairs so outside was out of the question. I tried gesturing to a lady to ask if I could go in there, but she didn’t understand. Another lady seemed to understand my wild charades and opened the door motioning me in there. I was in there with C for about 10 minutes before V, B, and Aleksey came downstairs. We went to our hotel to change clothes and get C her snowsuit. Back to the orphanage we rode! V said he had to go do lessons (which was different than what we were originally told), but we could come back at 3. It is time to wake up Brian and C from their naps so we can head that way!
written Sunday, Feb 3, 2013