Wednesday was “Gotcha Day!” That’s the day that V*ktor got to leave the orphanage - happy dance!!! Because the last 2 days had been so exhausting, we all slept a little late and then started at 10:45. When we got to the orphanage. V*ktor and Mi$ha were waiting for us in the front hallway. Aleksey realized the social worker was waiting for us back at the courthouse area, so we went back there to do some quick paperwork. THEN, we went to get him. By that time, Mi$ha had gone back to class, and we all went in with the director. He told V*ktor good luck, thank you to me, etc. Then, we took a few pictures and headed out! V*ktor ran upstairs to get his suitcase and Mi$ha walked him back down and out. We are going to be in town for awhile, so it wasn’t really goodbye for good, yet (and hopefully he will be close enough to visit this summer). We waved and headed back to town while Aleksey did some paperwork. He caught up with us for lunch and then we just hung out in the room while C slept. Later, we went to supper at our hotel. V*ktor was really excited to sleep in the hotel, watch TV, and play video games on the tablet! I have been in this hotel room for 5 weeks. V*ktor showed me that the couch actually folds out into a big bed! LOL- I can’t believe we had no clue of that (not that we needed it, but still). He would have been fine on just the couch part, as you can see from the picture, but he made the bed and that was fun. Everyone settled down to sleep! Well, first there were a few calls from the roommates asking how he was doing and saying hello. I can’t imagine what it’s like for them to see his empty bed there, now. I know they’re happy for him, but it must be painful to see that he left and they are still there.
Thursday was a great day! We started at the Children’s hospital where C did not even cry one bit! That kid is tough. I can’t believe how much she just moves on and keeps going even though she has a bad burn on her. After the Children’s hospital, we went to a castle in M. They had statues and lots of beautiful views from up at the top. We took a lot of pictures and just toured the castle. Our plan was to go back to the orphanage for the kids’ concert that afternoon but we were having such a good time and there were several more castles right in the area to see. V*ktor said he would much rather keep doing the castles, so we continued. First, we stopped in the M City square and walked around - Aleksey telling us about different statues and buildings. We ate lunch at a cafeteria place before continuing our castle tour. The next castle was my favorite. It is kind of “as-is.” They put a new roof above it to keep further damage to it, and they’re working to restore it inside. You can see from my pictures the stones and the open ceiling in at least one area. They have a lot of period pieces. It was definitely cool! Our last castle-stop had the absolute best surrounding land. You can’t go in the castle since it’s part of a health spa, and there are several other buildings on the grounds. We walked up the hill on the stone street winding up to the castle. It was just gorgeous! Once we got to the top, we could see the castle - which was massive! They built it at the end of the 1700s. Past the castle, we walked by a beautiful pond. Aleksey said they sometimes have swans, but it’s too cold right now. You could see the little swan house (see picture) out there. Also onsite is a natural springs with fresh, cold water coming out. We, of course, had to go drink from the springs for luck! I really liked the second castle, but this one had such beautiful grounds that I might have to call it a tie. As we walked down the hill, we started talking about the fact that V*ktor’s first orphanage was only about 5 minutes away. He wanted to go, so we drove to the orphanage where he lived for about 5 years earlier in his life. They had a gate, so I kind of wondered if we’d even get in. Aleksey had been here for an adoption before, though, so he was pretty sure they’d let us in.
Well, I may not have seen the P orphanage concert with V*ktor’s friends, but we caught the tail-end of the one at this orphanage! It was really cute! On the way up the stairs, 2 teachers grabbed V*ktor for hugs. Then, we walked into the packed room full of kids watching the other kids perform. People jumped up and insisted that we sit down to watch. I knew Aleksey had a train to catch, and I was hoping we didn’t make him miss it. They were all just soooo welcoming and happy to have us there. After about 10 minutes, the show was over and people started leaving the room. I thought V*ktor wanted to see the director, but he hurried us out of the room and headed down the stairs. Aleksey and I were accosted by adorable children wanting attention, so it took us a little while to catch up. I later realized they remembered Aleksey from the adoption last year. Once we went downstairs, V*ktor led us through hallways and then back up another staircase- we were just catching the director at the other door. I soooooo wish I had done a video of when the director saw him. It was like a moment on Extreme Makeover. She squealed and laughed so hard she almost cried. She hugged and kissed him. It was just very touching to see that she still had such joy and love for him! So incredibly sweet! After that she ushered us into her office and had us take off our coats to leave there. (I was having moments thinking of my friend R in another director’s office for 2 hours. I was hoping we could gracefully get out before then or Aleksey would surely miss his train!) We were led up to his old room where lots of kids greeted us, asked how he was doing, and also a few asked about Mi$ha. There was a lot of happy, welcoming conversation. The director said she would go get some pictures for me. This orphanage had a completely different setup. The room looked like the living space for about 25 kids. They had desks, bookshelves, a small kitchen area (closed off by a door and used by staff), and couches. The bedrooms were pretty cramped with 12 kids in one room and I assume 12 or more in the other. However, the living area was phenomenal and if they’re only sleeping in there, then the sleeping area doesn’t really need a lot of rooms. The bathroom had towels and toothbrushes all lined up neatly for each kid in individual cubbies. Kids were all so polite. If you were standing for any length of time, a kid was running up with a chair to sit in - so sweet! After a few minutes in there, they had pushed the desks together to make tables and served cake and hot tea. (The reason for concerts was that there’s a Women’s Day holiday in Ukra*ne.) We ate quickly (train, remember?), got the pictures and email address from the director, and said our goodbyes. It was an amazing experience. So blessed that we were put in the perfect place at the perfect time to do that!
After dropping Aleksey at the train station, we went back to the hotel where we had Ramen noodles for supper and watched some of “Titanic” on TV.
This morning, the kids had oatmeal for breakfast. C’s bandage came off and we had to go to the local doctor for rebandaging. Then, we all just had PBJ for lunch. We’re heading to the market now to get a few last gifts for V*ktor’s friends. Then, I guess I’m heading back for orphanage “visitation” with his friends!
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