Got some disappointing news Monday. Our facilitator called to say he was coming over Monday afternoon. We thought it was to go over what we needed to do for court Tuesday. Unfortunately, it was to tell us that when he'd gone to pick up our final paperwork at the SDA for court, it wasn't ready. This meant no court Tuesday. The SDA now falls under the Ministry of Family and Children, a new ministry formed at the beginning of this year. Instead of all adoption related paperwork staying in one department, the SDA, it now has to go through the ministry's office as well. Our paperwork has to pass through five people, with each of them signing off. We were missing one signature. Our facilitator was able to pick up our paperwork Wednesday and now court is scheduled for Monday, April 8th @ 11:00.
We are glad that we finally have all the paperwork and know that court will definitely be on Monday, but this puts a major strain on our budget. This means a whole other week Bill will be out of work, another week paying for an apartment big enough for all five of us, and meals for five people for another week. The good thing though is we are getting more time to explore the city and visit old friends. There are so many parks and attractions you can see for free here. We have plenty to do to fill our time. With all the snow we've had, it hasn't been favorable for seeing the sites.
This week we've gone to a huge park overlooking the Dnieper River. There are beautiful views of the city from there and interesting sites to see. The Parliament Building is there. It was the Russian Tzar's Palace when Russia's capital was Kiev. It was all covered in tarps and scaffolding for restoration, so we weren't able to get any good photos of it.
Children's Puppet Theater
Daniel and his sisters
Big Frog in the Park
Kiev Dynamo Soccer Stadium
View of Kiev
Freedom Arch
Tradition here for engaged couples to put locks on the railing.
The next day we went to Babyn Yar. It is a large ravine in Kiev where the largest 2-day massacre of Jews during the Holocaust took place in September 1941. 33,771 Jews were murdered and thrown into the ravines on September 29 & 30, 1941. Between 100-150,000 Jews, Ukrainian citizens, and gypsies were killed here between 1941-1945. It is very sad what the human race is capable of.
Walking up to the main monument.
This photo doesn't begin to show how large this monument is.
Over the last couple of days, it has been obvious that there has been something on Daniel's mind. He has quit taking calls from one of his brothers. We had noticed him hitting ignore every time he would call. I was finally able to get him to talk about it last night. It was not at all what I had imagined in my head and after we talked he seemed to feel much better. I told him (through Google Translate, of course), that he doesn't have to go through things alone anymore. That's what we're here for, to support him through any problems. I told him we love him very much and he will never have to go through things alone again. When he finished reading my message, he looked at me and said, "I love you, Mama." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him that I love him too. Then I had to leave the room so I wouldn't burst into tears in front of him. It was an awesome moment that I will never forget.
We are glad that we finally have all the paperwork and know that court will definitely be on Monday, but this puts a major strain on our budget. This means a whole other week Bill will be out of work, another week paying for an apartment big enough for all five of us, and meals for five people for another week. The good thing though is we are getting more time to explore the city and visit old friends. There are so many parks and attractions you can see for free here. We have plenty to do to fill our time. With all the snow we've had, it hasn't been favorable for seeing the sites.
This week we've gone to a huge park overlooking the Dnieper River. There are beautiful views of the city from there and interesting sites to see. The Parliament Building is there. It was the Russian Tzar's Palace when Russia's capital was Kiev. It was all covered in tarps and scaffolding for restoration, so we weren't able to get any good photos of it.
Children's Puppet Theater
Daniel and his sisters
Big Frog in the Park
Kiev Dynamo Soccer Stadium
View of Kiev
Freedom Arch
Tradition here for engaged couples to put locks on the railing.
The next day we went to Babyn Yar. It is a large ravine in Kiev where the largest 2-day massacre of Jews during the Holocaust took place in September 1941. 33,771 Jews were murdered and thrown into the ravines on September 29 & 30, 1941. Between 100-150,000 Jews, Ukrainian citizens, and gypsies were killed here between 1941-1945. It is very sad what the human race is capable of.
Walking up to the main monument.
This photo doesn't begin to show how large this monument is.
Over the last couple of days, it has been obvious that there has been something on Daniel's mind. He has quit taking calls from one of his brothers. We had noticed him hitting ignore every time he would call. I was finally able to get him to talk about it last night. It was not at all what I had imagined in my head and after we talked he seemed to feel much better. I told him (through Google Translate, of course), that he doesn't have to go through things alone anymore. That's what we're here for, to support him through any problems. I told him we love him very much and he will never have to go through things alone again. When he finished reading my message, he looked at me and said, "I love you, Mama." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him that I love him too. Then I had to leave the room so I wouldn't burst into tears in front of him. It was an awesome moment that I will never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment