Day 4

Still hard for me to get up. The bed is not helping, and in a bad way. The bed is not the kind you would jump up and down on, just like you would not jump up and down on a sleeping bag thrown on the ground. My back has been hurting, and I think it's because the bed is so firm. Maybe I'll sleep on the desk tonight.

Today was our appointment with the SDA, the State Department of Adoption (and youth and sports). Our translator Olga met with us at 11:15, we talked about what to expect, then hiked the short distance to the SDA entrance. Note: Those wanting to adopt now go in the front entrance. The back entrance is used for putting requests in a queue. The SDA is next to St. Andrews church. Both times we have been near there, we saw a pack of street dogs. NOT, according to Olga, wild dogs. We met a Canadian couple, currently living in Ukraine, who are wanting to adopt. They have been reading our blog, so of course we liked them right away. We stood outside until noon, then went through the threshhold, where we waited another 20 minutes. Then Maria escorted us back to her office. I was struck by her gentleness and genuine love for her work. She looked glad to have us.

Maria asked us to tell her about ourselves. Another chance to talk about our favorite subjects! After a very brief summary, she asked us the last name of the girls we wanted. She searched through her big book of children, and did NOT find them. At this point, we got scared. Out she went to the other half of the office, to get another book. Maybe a different age group. She flipped through that book, and we SAW the picture of Natiya, then Sasha. We excitedly told her to stop turning pages, there were our girls. Maria told us that many families that host children do not recognize the pictures of the children they hosted, since the pictures may be very old. Sasha and Nastiya were definitely younger in the pictures, but they were SO CUTE. Nastia still had her baby teeth. I hope we get to keep those pictures, they are so good.

Then we started to look for Vika. Flip through the book again. No Vika. Then Maria said she is quite certain that Vika was adopted, she remembered the name. Oh no. Well, if Vika is not available, how about another girl from the same orphanage, with no siblings? Flip through the book. Nope, no children like that. Back to the other office, back again with another, bigger book. Older kids. 1994. 1993. 1992. Nope, no girls without sibs. At this point, we were saying any girl, 6 to 15, without sibs. Maria kind of chuckled. This is the second time in recent months, a family has been disappointed they couldn't find THREE. Maria said she would call the regional social worker, and find out if there were available girls, and we could find out at 3pm.

So off we went to lunch, just down the street. We went to a place that had an English menu called "Cheers" (nothing like the sitcom, however). Eileen had cabbage rolls, which turned out to be very much like the kind she makes. "Traditional Ukrainian dish," the menu said. I had potato pancakes, country style, which meant it came with bacon and onions. Cubes of bacon. And we had a small bowl of borshch each.

At 3pm, we called back. There were no other girls without siblings available. So at this point, we are practically resigned to having 2 children. There is a very slim chance that we could find a third girl when we visit the orphanage, but really little hope. And after talking it over, we won't be able to take 2 more than the 2 we want. Four girls in our house at one time? I don't think so.

Goodbye Olga, goodbye Valentina. See you in a day or two. Now we wait for the written referral, which will probably be late tomorrow afternoon. The referral is our golden ticket to take to all the authorities. The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval from the SDA, as it were. Then we get to figure out how we are going to Donetsk: shake and bake (train), or plane.

What to do now? We are dazed, finding out that we do get to see Sasha and Nastiya, but sad that a third girl is not yet to be. We grab the laptop, and try to find the post office. The Canadians we met said there was internet access there. It's quite easy to find. We upload pictures, catch up on email. Then we explore the underground mall for a while. We run into someone we met last Sunday. This kind of thing never happens in Denver, but in the capitol city of a foreign country, why not? The Christmas tree is now unlit. The season must be over.

Back in our apartment, we eat some chicken soup, then I wash dishes. At 8pm, fireworks go off within easy view of our apartment. They last a minute or two, and the grand finale is 5 at once. Eileen picks up a guide and reads about Donetsk (THE major city close to Slavyansk, where Sasha and Nastiya are): "There's almost nothing to lure the casual visitor, but if you've always wanted to visit a coal pit or salt mine, now's your chance."