Good morning! (Or evening, afternoon, night, etc.)

Well, after about 20 hours of travel Julie and I landed safely in Kiev 1pm on Sunday. The travel was largely uneventful, and we were thankful to have a very comfortable 7 hour flight from DC to Frankfurt during which we watched Despicable Me 2 (made us miss our kids) but weren't able to sleep much. We arrived at Frankfurt at Gate Z69, and had to get to Gate B32. Needless to say, we had quite a long walk on our hands. There was one anxious moment going through security when we were made to take our passports and money pouches off our persons. Thankfully everything was in order and was returned. Along the way we met a couple (J and B) from Brentwood who are traveling to adopt a boy that they had hosted previously. It was nice to have their company.

The flight to Kiev was also uneventful. It was interesting to hear all the announcements made in German and then Ukrainian, and finally in English. I found it exciting to be surrounded by conversation I couldn't understand. After we landed, I heard someone in the seat behind me and knew he was no Ukrainian. I turned around and found myself looking up at an old boy from South Georgia (USA, not Republic of Georgia) wearing a camo jacket, three day beard, and UGA hat. It was fun to have a quick college football conversation, although the Ukrainians jammed around us on the plane were a little puzzled. He and his wife are also here to adopt. It is, as they say, a small world.

Based on all we had read, we were prepared for trouble going through customs in Kiev but it couldn't have been easier. The attendant simply asked where we arrived from and stamped our passport. This was an unexpected blessing, as we were prepared to be detained, have our things searched, and be questioned extensively. Our facilitator found us quickly after we picked up our luggage, and we were on our way! No snow on the ground, but moderate winds to go along with a strong chill in the air.

Here we are at the airport in Kiev. I am of course under dressed and look completely American. Julie is pulling off the Ukrainian "look" pretty well.

Once we arrived in Kiev proper, we passed dozens of these apartment high rises. There are some small shops in the vicinity, but for the most part people live here and commute to work. There is an extensive public transportation system and many people were out walking as well. I would say Ukrainians are aggressive when driving, even compared to the most aggressive Americans.

Apartments in Kiev

We went from the airport to exchange dollars to Hyvrina (Ukrainian currency) and then to a grocery store to get some supplies. While it wasn't Publix or Kroger, the selection was pretty good and the prices pretty reasonable. You bring your own bags for groceries here, or else you buy them at the checkout. Our total came to 376 Hyvrina, which is about $45. Julie handed the clerk 500 Hyvrina, which was the smallest bill we had, and an issue arose because the clerk couldn't make change. Luckily our facilitator helped us out otherwise we would simply have had to give the store a donation (or the cashier a generous tip). It was interesting that there didn't appear to be any desire to get a bookkeeper or manager to make change for us. Rather, this would have to be handled at her level. All in all though, it was a good experience, and we got bread, juice, soda, eggs, butter, ham, bell peppers, oranges, and some treats for the kids when we go to the orphanage.The eggs, bell peppers, and bread made a delicious dinner and I'm happy to report that Coca Cola in Ukraine tastes just like Coca Cola in the US of A.

                                                               Ukrainian groceries.

We were definitely noticed and stared at while we were out and about, as the way we walked (more slowly than the locals) and acted (more passive) appeared to give us away as American. The concept of personal space is pretty much unknown here as well, and the people would jam themselves into tiny spaces at the grocery store. For example, I watched a line form at the produce scale and saw someone place their items on the scale and then turn to the side briefly to speak to a companion. No sooner did she turn than the guy behind her stepped up and tapped her brusquely on the shoulder and asked her, I assume, to make haste. Thus began an increasingly loud back and forth that didn't stop until the lady moved on, which couldn't have been more than 20 or 30 seconds after she first got to the scale. Needless to say, I just tried to keep our grocery cart, which was impossible to steer, out of everyone else's way.

We arrived at our apartment in the early evening and it's terrific! There is a small kitchen with a gas stove, bathroom, and bedroom. We estimate the ceilings to be 14 feet or more high. There is a small washing machine in the bathroom as well. We have free Wifi, and about 100 channels including BBC and CNN. Many apartment buildings here, ours included, appear from the outside and even along the inner corridors to be crumbling, but once you go inside the unit, things tend to be nice and well kept. We're on the third floor, which you can reach via elevator or stairs. We will opt for the stairs in the future as the elevator is Soviet era and can hold at a maximum 2 people at a time. The doors also open and shut very quickly and violently. Julie and I just made it in on the way up, although my jacket got stuck in the door, and no Herculean effort on my part could release it. If I'm not mistaken the doors opened and shut twice before Julie could get out when we got to the top.

                                                                   Our bathroom.

                                                                       Our bedroom.

Early this morning we received this picture via email from our friends (B and K) who are adopting a girl (V) who is a friend of A and who lives at the same orphanage. We got to know B and K this summer when they hosted V. It was such a blessing to know that she's waiting for us, and of course we can't wait to see her.

                                      "A", taken today at GFI. Thanks to B and K for the picture!

We have our appointment with the SDA in a few hours at which time we will learn her full family and medical history and then receive official permission to travel to her city on Wednesday morning. We should have a lot of free time until then, which we hope to spend resting, sight-seeing, and taking in the local culture. There are many churches, museums, and historic things to see, but the cold may make it difficult to enjoy. I saw a Domino's Pizza, TGIFridays, and McDonalds on our way to the apartment but Julie insists these don't count as local culture. I'm not sure I agree, but as Paul said, in non-essentials, charity.

Special thanks to my Mom, Dad, and Sister for helping us get here in so many ways; I will keep ya'll much better informed the next few days! Thanks to Julie's Mom, Dad, and family for watching our kids, and to the Johnson family for an emergency run to the airport to deliver Julie's parka, which will be helpful with the single digit temperatures coming our way.  Thank you as well to our church family. You've all been such a blessing to us as one body and as individuals. This entire event has been covered in prayer, and we're so thankful to all of you.

We'll update you all tomorrow.

Michael and Julie

*****UPDATE: Just got back from our appointment. All went well. Yay!