Gotcha Day and more

Hello!

First off we apologize for just getting our first blog up. This trip has been very busy and we are just starting to get some downtime. In addition, we think the power supply, or worse yet, the motherboard on the laptop may have been damaged in transit so the laptop is out of service. All updates will be made by NOOK, thanks to a most helpful Christmas present by my sister. Thanks, Sis!

That said, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. I will try to get you up to speed.

Monday February 24

We arrived safely in Kiev. I have to say, the allure and excitement of internationl travel has worn off for us a bit. Either that or we have watched every movie on the Lufthansa DC to Frankfurt flight. Whatever the case, we arrived better rested than either previous trip. At the airport we were greeted by our friend B and of course V, Angela's friend from Kharkiv, ex orphan, now daughter of B and K, sister of R and a new  baby, and current resident of Tennessee! They arrived home last night after more than 6 weeks in country!

After saying our goodbyes, we drove straight to Kharkiv to prepare for gotcha day, which is the day your child leaves the orphanage with you to officially start life as part of your family. I was a little dissapointed that we didn't have time to tour Yanukovychs' abandoned estate but priorities are priorities.

Tuesday February 25

This day was to be the culmination of this process. We were busy from 8am til after noon and then were finally enroute to the orphanage! We had a cake, drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and gifts for all the children, which is traditional. We also planned to talk to the other children in the groupa and deliver some messages from families in the US. However we learned enroute that all the other children were going to a movie in Kharkiv and wouldn't be back until 3pm. So, Angela was there pretty much by herself when we arrived. Not what we envisioned , but still a beautiful moment.

With teacher, a friend and us.

We brought a suitcase of clothes for Angela and were surprised at how much the orphanage provided her with. Overall, Angela seemed a bit subdued.  I think she has just been anticipating this moment for a long time. In any case we were in and out very quickly; probably less than 20 minutes. While not exultant, there was no hesitation, no looking back, no second thoughts about her home of the last 4 years. We were then on our way to Kiev.

En route to Kiev. Note the fancy new hat - thanks, Cheryl!

Up to this point in our trip, we have usually stayed in mid rise apartments in city centers. This time, we spent the night in an eastern suburb of Kiev on the 21st floor of a high rise apartment and it was very nice. We got a great nights rest and had an amazing view.

Mix of old and new in Kiev. 

Still many dirt roads.

Family picture.

Wednesday February 26

After getting to sleep in, we were driven to our home for the duration of our trip, an apartment in southern Kiev. We will be staying with L, a wonderful young Ukrainian woman who knows Angela from summer orphan camps. We spent the day settling in and resting, as we are all exhausted. Angela has a king sized bed and her own room, while Julie and I have a sofabed, which is quite comfortable. I ventured out for a time to try and find an internet café (unsuccessfully) and hit the local grocery store for supplies. Along the way, a nice fellow tried to get me to buy tickets for the national lottery. Tempting, but no. In the evening, our host got home and we had a good chance to have extended conversation with Angela as L speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, and German. Tomorrow we will have a medical appointment and our first visit with the American Embassy.

Things seem to have picked up right where they left off this summer in terms of our relationship with Angela, which is a true blessing. We're so excited to be reunited and continue bonding together as a family. We can't wait to return to the US to have Angela reunited with our bio kids. She asks about them every day!

Good night, and I will update you in Thursday tomorrow.

Michael and Julie