- Seeing the beautiful faces of all the children at Alex' school every day.
- Getting hugs from Alex' BFF, Violetta, every day.
- The relaxed pace of the last few weeks where the only thing on my agenda is going to visit Alex and deciding what to eat for dinner.
- City Cafe. (Hello? Cappuccino & hot chicken sandwich for $5!)
- Dinner out with Jeff & the Merritts...although the Merritts live 30 minutes away from us so dinner can happen again!
- The 999 Cafe. Good coffee, a great place to warm up and a clean bathroom!
- The two Sergei's. Our wonderful translator, and our always reliable driver. Except that one time he drank so much the night before he was still drunk and unable to drive us the next day.
- My daily trek to the supermarket to buy goodies for my girl.
- The insanely cheap food.
- Doing laundry for one person. :)
Things I will not miss about Ukraine:
- The fact that after 3+ weeks, the sidewalks are *still* icy enough to skate on! The sun melts just enough of the ice to smooth it out every day. It's natures Zamboni.
- Sitting on incredibly uncomfortable couches for several hours a day while visiting Alex.
- Turkish Toilets. If you don't know what they are, Google it!
- Taking 20 minutes to get dressed and/or undressed because it takes time to put on/take off so many layers!
- Going to the bathroom. Trying to peel three pants layers down while hold four shirt layers under my chin while simultaneously making sure the clasp on my money belt doesn't come undone sending all of my money along with my passport hurtling into the toilet is getting to me a little bit. And if using an above mentioned Turkish Toilet, add in holding the door handle while chanting "Please don't break, please don't break" to the mix. Have I mentioned in some places you have to pay 2 Greevna (25¢) to use the "facilities"?
- My hair. I'm not saying I have fabulous hair at home, but here in Ukraine my hair looks awful. Every. Day. :(
Things I am looking forward to in America:
- Obviously seeing the rest of my family, most especially my two littlest monsters, tops the list!
- Seeing my friends again.
- Church
- Tempurpedic mattress
- Keurig
- Driving (I hope I remember how)
- Weather that doesn't freeze the inside of my nose when I breath in.
This is by no means a complete list. While I do look forward to being home and squishing my two youngest kids, I will really, truly miss this place that I am in now. Not just being in Ukraine. The whole process. It has been a blessing to see Alex on her home turf. It has been humbling to meet and get to know some of the kids Alex calls her friends. It has been a tiny little adventure to be here sorta on my own. Okay, yes, I could call my translator at any time, but I almost feel like a real grown up here. I have at the least one more week here and at the most 12 days. To say it is bittersweet to be so close to the end of this journey doesn't even begin to cover it.
Oh Susan, I am soooo proud of you. I love you list and I get the bitter sweet thing...enjoy it all and take it in, the good and the bad. (Oh yes, turkish toilets are an experience!)
ReplyDeleteLOVE IT!!! :) Oh, and if you CAN fit Violetta into your luggage she can have a home at our house! We have an extra bed! :) When does she age out? Was she hosted or did I get to meet her when I was there? If you think I met her, look at my photos from the presentations and tell me which one she is! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nicole~ The bad makes to good so much sweeter.
ReplyDeleteMelissa~ V turns 16 on July 7th. She hosts in Spain so she wouldn't have been at school for most of your stay. I will send you a photo of her.
Nice list! Thankfully, in three trips to Ukraine, we've avoided winter weather and the required clothing layers. Turkish toilets are hard enough with one layer of clothing, thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteHow on earth did you manage no winter trips?! You should be traveling in warm weather again for your 4th trip, huh?
ReplyDeleteI noticed that folks driving in Ukraine are VERY cautious about drinking and driving. Where in the US you might have a beer or two or a cocktail and then drive home 2hrs later... if they touch alcohol they won't drive for 12hrs or more.
ReplyDeleteNice, isn't it?! Our first two trips were missions trips in May/June. And for our adoption, we hit perfect fall weather. This time, spring! God knows that living in SD for several years, we've dealt with enough cold!
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