We booked our flights to Kiev yesterday. (YAY!!!) We will leave early evening on January 28th and arrive early evening on January 29th. Our appointment is on January 31st, so hopefully we can use the 30th to rest and get our bearings.
Olga has had a few really good days since my last post about her being a bit homesick. She has been practicing her English writing skills and doing quite well. She still gets her vowels mixed up, but overall I think she is doing amazing! Her English speaking skills came back very quickly (she had "lost" quite a bit from being back in Ukraine for 5 months) and have improved dramatically. She is an amazing person, if I do say so myself. :)
We have 9 days left until O must return to Ukraine. We are so excited to be traveling just two short weeks after that! Having her here the last three weeks has really made the time fly by so quickly. I know the two weeks between her departure and ours will be a whirlwind of activities and preparations. I don't know that any of us (Jeff, our two younger children or even myself) are really prepared for the emotional impact this is going to have on us. Like so many parents, I've never been away from my kids for longer than a week. And the same is said for them. I am praying that they are able to handle not having Mom and Dad around for a few weeks. Jeff will come home after we have our court date, which will hopefully be less than two weeks after we arrive. I will most likely stay through the 10 day waiting period which puts me in Ukraine for about 5 weeks. Hopefully not longer than that!
I hope everyone has had a great start to their New Year!
S~
Neat... the extra day was really helpful for us. The couples at the SDA at the same time but didn't take an extra day were notably even more tired.
ReplyDeleteI think Melissa and Dennis are going to be in Kyiv when the kids are there heading back from hosting.
So excited for you Susan! How is Olga doing with the idea of returning back to the Ukraine? I can't wait to read about your experiences. Hope it goes smoothly for you all.
ReplyDeleteBrian~ After reading different views from different bloggers I knew *I* would want the extra day. Hopefully Jeff feels the same way. :) I am hoping M & D will be at least in Kyiv by the 15/16th. M had mentioned later dates, but I think she would rather be prepared for the worst and be pleasantly surprised by anything better. :)
ReplyDeleteTracy~ I plan to keep the blog going as long as internet coverage allows. It seems that some people have trouble with their access while others don't. Olga hasn't mentioned much about the return trip to Ukraine, but she was practicing one of her dances for school yesterday. I think she said she had a dance competition when she gets back.
Yes, we do hope to be in Kiev at the same time. If the girls know where they will be staying in the city before they get on the train, then we can meet up with them. Maybe they could find the Anna I'm wanting to meet and the 3 of them can hang out with me and Dennis and Olesyia to help translate. Dinner on me everyone!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they are staying overnight in Kiev this time around. Olga was pretty sure they would leave on the train the same day they got into Kiev. If we find out otherwise I will let you know! I'm sure O would love to meet you.
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