Homesick

We are homesick. We knew it’s not going to be easy, but we didn’t realize it’s going to be that hard. It doesn’t help that we are having issue after issue and there is no end in sight. At this point we don’t even know when our court date is going to be. We miss our kids - it’s extremely hard to be without them for such a long time. We miss our house and our friends. I’m dreaming of being able to go to Wegmans, drive my own car, have my first morning cup of coffee at work, and even speak English :)

On a more positive note, we are spending a lot of time with Raya. She’s staying with us, so we are taking her to school in the morning, and picking her up in the afternoon. We are learning new things about her every day! She’s a good eater – you wouldn’t believe how much this tiny girl can eat! I think I eat about 4 times less :) I guess it’s common for the kids from orphanages – many adoptive parents shared their observations about it. Raisa loves to watch TV – especially soap operas :) She stayed in a very orthodox religious internat (orphanage) where the kids were not allowed to watch TV, so now she’s ready to watch it 24 by 7. For now I think it’s okay, but when we get home, we’ll have to limit her TV time. She also loves to color. We brought several coloring books for her as well as some kindergarten books I usually work with Victoria. We are using simple “color by number” or “connect the dot” projects as a starting point to learn English. Since we are speaking Russian all the time, her English is not improving very fast, but we are not worried about it. As soon as she immerses in English in school, she’ll pick it up very fast.

We are continuing to explore the city. There are 4 ways to get around in Odessa: trolley bus, tramway, bus or private car. Trolley buses and tramways are the least expensive – only 0.5 grivna (10 cents), but they are always so full, it’s almost impossible to get in. We tried one of each just for fun, but decided that this transportation is not for us. So- called “marshrutka” buses are supposed to be a more luxury means of transportation. They replaced regular buses about 15 years ago, you can read about the history of marshrutkas on this Wikipedia page. The ticket costs 1.25 grivna (25 cents), and there are a little bit less people than in trolley buses or tramways, but they are still very full. If we can’t get into marshrutka, we take the 4th option – a taxi. You can call a taxi by phone, or you can simply raise your hand, and one of the old “lada” cars will definitely stop and take you to your destination (of course people driving Lexus or Mercedes usually don’t stop :) It will be cheaper than taxi, and the drivers will earn some gas money We usually say the price we are willing to pay prior to boarding, so that there is no confusion later.

Here are some pictures:



Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers - we really need this court session soon! And thank you SO MUCH to all of you for your comments, messages, calls and prayers. It means A LOT to us to hear from home!