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(s) So we’ve had a completely lazy Sunday. We got up earlyish (I woke up at 6:30 but made myself stay in bed until 7:30) then just lay low, watched the news, had breakfast and then got ready for church. It was a good service although the sanctuary, being in the top floor of a non air-conditioned 4 storey building was very, very hot. Darren was pouring sweat just sitting there. I alternated between feeling overwhelmingly hot, to tolerably hot when I used my bulletin as a fan. Despite the heat, we enjoyed the service. We sang ‘Indescribable’ and the old hymn ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ this morning – both were really meaningful to me today.
(d) After church bought water and pop (to replenish the litres we sweated out) and walked over to the children’s shopping area by Darnytsa metro. As we have discovered that Ivanna’s feet are closer to size 21 than 23 (the pink shoes we bought), we looked for some sandals for her. Plenty of options – we didn’t buy any though. On the other hand, we did buy her a cute hat and shorts. If the weather keeps this up, she’ll need those. After that, we went to McDonald’s for sundaes (and to stand in the childrens’ play area, which was beautifully air-conditioned). They (the cool sundaes and room) were nice while they lasted, but eventually we had to go back out into the heat and home to our oven. After cool showers, we managed to nap a bit to catch up on sleep lost in the early mornings. It was nice. We have just finished our supper (leftover sauce, chicken, and bread – yum) and are going to do a little reading (starting ‘Voyage of the Dawn Treader’) before heading to Mario’s for dessert. All in all, it was a pretty relaxing and restful day. It’s almost like (despite the little bit of shopping) we found a bit of Sabbath.

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little helper - pushing a friend on the swing



Happy belated anniversary Jonathan and Tanis (May 18th)!


Well, it’s actually Friday night and we’ve just arrived home after spending a couple of hours at Marios – thoroughly enjoying our dinner and your company (your blog comments and emails :)! We just wanted to update you all to say that our tickets are on their way (to BC where the Canadian family we’ve been in contact with will bring them to Kyiv for us). My mom has spent many, many, MANY hours over the last several days on the phone and internet arranging for our change in flights and tickets. Thank you SO much Mom. Anyone who sees her, would you give her a pat on the back or even better a big hug from us please? Thanks! It is such a huge relief to know that the details are all organized and that we really and truly ARE coming home in 2 weeks!
Happy Anniversary Val and Jason (May 19)!
Saturday now…One month ago today we had our appointment at the SDA and were presented with our daughter. In some moments it feel like that was just yesterday and in others like it was a lifetime ago. It’s been quite a month. We are finding it hard to believe that we actually get to take her home with us – it feels very surreal. Somehow it feels like we are just visiting this darling little girl in an orphanage everyday and not like she’s coming with us someday soon.
It is very hot here again today – we are feeling very wilted and have little motivation to do anything besides wash repeatedly in cold water and drink cold drinks. Our apartment is sitting at 26 degrees. The train was again quite cramped today (seems to be the pattern on Saturdays). We were early enough for seats but weren’t quite sure we’d get OFF at our stop. As the train started moving on the stop before ours we got up to start making our way towards the entrance. There was a serious blockage of people in the entrance area. I couldn’t move forward or back. I could tell a couple of babushka’s were trying to make it toward the door so I figured we could sneak into their wake once the doors opened and they cleared a path (I wasn’t positive this plan would work, but had no options). As the door opened and the crush began from behind us and we muscled our way out, Darren who was holding my bag over his head, says he felt quit bad eliciting groans from several older women on our way by (he says he had to ‘reshape’ them on his way through). We have unanimously decided that today’s was our LAST Saturday train trip out to Boyarka. Next week we will take the weekend to celebrate our last weekend as only a couple.
This morning was another good visit with Ivanna. It is fun to continue seeing and learning more and more about her. Today she really wanted to play near and with her group and would get briefly upset when we took her away for periods of time (and she kept trying to go back!). I actually like seeing her with the other kids and don’t mind her spending some time with them while we are there. It’s good to see how she interacts with the other kids and caregivers. When we were around them today, the caregivers would tell her to go to us instead of them. I was sort of getting the feeling they didn’t want us to play with her near them, but Darren is thinking that they are probably trying to help in her attachment to us and separation from them. That is probably good. We are learning that she really is quite a social kid (although we still think she is introverted). She really likes to be around other children and watches them constantly (which bodes well for all the little people back home that are anxious to meet and get to know her!). We have also figured out she is quite a rule follower and helper in the groups. If other kids are wandering outside of where they are supposed to be – she will stop them or point at them and look at us or a caregiver as if to say ‘hey – deal with that’(although, like we’ve said before: we think she really likes her freedom from the wandering rule when we are around!). Today, a little girl stood up on a wooden swing when the caregiver left to go deal with another child, Ivanna pointed to the little girl and looked up at me expectantly (I told the child to sit in Russian – thanks for that word Jonathan! – which she did). Also, one of the children was sitting on a wooden swing looking rather forlorn and she went over and started to push him – she just grinned and so did the other little one. We also are discovering she seems to be quite tender hearted when it comes to other children being upset. If a child is crying she tries to comfort them or points at them to her caregivers. Sometimes when we’ve been outside and she here’s a child crying inside she tries to head in to where they are. It’s pretty dear. As far as she is concerned she’s pretty tough though. She doesn’t blink twice if she falls – just gets up and keeps on going (but she doesn’t like her hands being dirty so likes to have them brushed off!) (she’s just fine with the rest of her being a disaster with dirt – just not her hands!).
It is hard to think about taking her away from all that she knows and loves – even knowing that she’ll be with us and well loved and cared for by us and all our family and friends. I just pray that the transition is not too traumatic for her. She has absolutely no concept of what is going to happen to her in the next few weeks.
I also sooo wish we could take home more children! When we do go play around the groups, many of the kids come over and either want a hug or to be picked up or to show us something – basically they want attention (and remember this is a good orphanage where there is a decent ratio of caregivers to children and most seem to be quite loving with the kids). (D: one little girl in Ivanna’s group came over to me several times today – twice carrying a stuffed animal for me to hug along with her, once without the animal. She just hugged my leg. I’m not really used to that – I mean, when I am with kids, there are usually several other more huggable targets for kids besides me. As Shona says, I am usually a bit stand-offish with kids. And I was actually standing just outside the area in which the group was playing all three times the little girl came looking for hugs.)
(S) Many of the kids call Darren ‘papa’ (Ukrainian for daddy) and me ‘mama’ (sometimes ‘Ivanna mama’). They should be growing up in homes – not orphanages. I get quite frustrated and sad when I think about the fact that this is just one orphanage with 100 kids and there are hundreds or thousands more – in Ukraine alone. It’s just wrong.
Well that’s my soapbox for the day. I’m not sure if we’ll be very ambitious today about getting out because of the heat, but we’ll see. We do feel like we SHOULD get out and do stuff while we can here. We are very glad it is Saturday and that we have a day ‘off’ tomorrow. We are both feeling quite tired (it’s been a crazy, emotional week – was it really just Monday that all that uncertainty took place?!) so maybe laying low isn’t so bad. Anyway, that’s all for now. One more day closer to getting home…paka!

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Another early morning. Another hot day. Another delightful (Shona’s word) visit with our daughter (I’d say fun and/or good). Another stifling train ride (X 2). Another napoleon for dessert (we are trying to be patient enough to wait until after supper to eat most of it).
We’ve had a pretty good day so far. Ivanna was outside with her group when we arrived today. As I walked towards her, she looked at me and then started walking towards me, and seemed to be looking for Shona. Sure enough, when Shona came up, Ivanna smiled and hurried into her arms. It was nice. The next 90 minutes were pretty active with Ivanna walking and running all over the place. She definitely really likes some of the caregivers in particular. On several occasions, Ivanna picked up toys (and a dandelion once) and gave them to a caregiver. The caregiver was very warm and invited her to sit on her lap and gave her kisses and hugs. Very good to see. It also seemed at some points today, that Ivanna knows she can do things when we are around that she cannot at other times. For instance, she can walk into any area of the playground as she pleases with us, while without us, she has to stay in her group’s area. Also, she can walk on the driveway with us (something she seems to want to do virtually everyday). She seemed pretty pleased with herself (or chuffed as Shona’s dad would say) that she had that independence and freedom. We laughed as she truddled off swinging her little arms. It’s pretty cute. I (Shona now) have booted Darren off because he’s too slow and I do want to eat sometime tonight! At one point near the end of our time we were at the front of the orphanage looking out the gates and she decided to take off the way we had come. We wanted to head around the other direction so I called her name several times. She just looked back with a very impish little grin, swing her arms a little more. Finally I said ‘Ivanichka, suda’ (which means little Ivanna (diminuitive x 2) come here - we think) and I squatted down and opened my arms to her – she actually turned around and came trundling back for a great big hug and snuggle. It was great (the snuggle and that she actually listened!). She had a little snack of a cookie and some gummy bears (way to ruin her appetite for lunch!) and most of her juice then it was time to head back to her group (they had already headed in).
This afternoon after a shawarma – our regular guy is back, and dropping the kid stuff off at the apartment we walked a bit and then ended up at the ‘Ykraina’ mall for a bit this afternoon (air conditioned!!! :) and got some groceries (including the delicious Napoleon). We’re now heading out for supper, to post this and do some emailing.
2 WEEKS TOMORROW WE LEAVE TO COME HOME!!!

WE'RE COMING HOME!!!!!!

We have just received an email from my (Shona's) parents confirming that our return flights have been booked and we are coming home! We will be leaving here on Saturday June 2nd, flying to Munich (for about 30 minutes), on to London then to St. John's Newfoundland for an overnight stay (at least we'll be on Canadian soil). Then we'll be flying to Toronto, Winnipeg and finally home to Saskatoon around 8:30 PM on Sunday June 3rd. YAY!!!!!! We are thrilled, relieved and counting down...(and yet still trying to live in the moment and enjoy our last 2 weeks in Kyiv!)

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Despite a new tentative booking to leave Kyiv (on June 2), we did not have great sleep last night. Shona woke around 4:30 and was up for the day. I also woke around then, but was determined to get a bit more sleep (and did, eventually). So, we’re both a bit tired today. But we had another good visit with Ivanna this morning (who was not off visiting the doctor for a change). Once again, we were all over the playground today, doing a variety of things. The biggest hits were still the swings and the chickens (personally, I find birds a bit creepy – they look like feathered reptiles to me). On the whole, it really seems that our little Ivanka is growing kind of fond of us. She seems to genuinely enjoy playing with us, snuggling with us, and generally just hanging out with us. We are very glad. I just can’t get enough of her smiles, which thankfully she seems quite generous with now.
After our oven-like ride home on the train (I believe the thermometer on the wall read 30C), we kind of oozed into our apartment and promptly took off our clothes (no, not for any fun - it’s way too hot for that – just hoping to feel a bit more like humans). We are going to Mario’s for lunch to do some emailing and to try to work out some of the details for our trip home (we are so looking forward to that!).

Shower for Ivanna

There will be a come and go shower on Thursday, May 24th from
6:30-8:30. Everyone welcome. The shower is at Shona and Darren's.
Bring your gift unwrapped and labelled with who it is from.
You will be able to put it in Ivanna's room ready for her to use.
Look forward to seeing you there.
If you have any questions please contact
Tanis 244-1723 or Val 956-3981

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swingin' again!

bubbles taste good! (wrong kind kiddo!)

Rainbow arch with friendship monument underneath (between Ukraine and Russia)

On the beach near the pedestrian bridge (on Trukaniv island)
First things first. HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY MISHA!!!! We hope you have a wonderful birthday and soooo wish we could be there with you. We hope you like your birthday cake and have fun at your party! XOXOXOXOXOX
It feels wrong to be away from home today, but alas, here we are. One day down, 11 to go (until we can pick Ivanna up). We only have 9 more days of riding on the train. While we still think it is an efficient way to get around – it has kind of lost its glamour. With the warmer weather the train is usually quite hot – although bearable if some windows are open (and I’ve eaten and am well hydrated). Quite often some babushka will ask to have the windows closed (and they are usually wearing several layers including a sweater, while I’m roasting in a t-shirt!). Thankfully, many of the windows are stuck open. :)
Today we are feeling tired - probably a combination of the emotional roller coaster over the last several days and the heat. Darren is currently napping in the other room. I tried for a while but have enjoyed several solid nights of sleep and don’t want to mess up my sleep tonight, so I came out here to write. Our morning with Ivanna was great, although she was at the doctor again when we arrived. This time the nurse pointed to her own ears and indicated we should wait (so now she’s getting her ears checked?). She was back before long though and when she came in she headed right for us and I got another wonderful snuggle for several minutes. The nurse she came back with seemed to indicate (we think) that she’s ok. I will be VERY glad to take her to Kelly and actually know for sure that everything is ok and be able to communicate. We’re glad that they seem to be on top of things though, and Ivanna does appear to be a lot better than a week ago (still some snot, but not as copious and she’s not really coughing anymore). Today she was VERY active and not behaving sick or tugging at her ears or anything (mind you they were well hidden under her toque!) so hopefully she’s on the mend. It would be GREAT to be able to communicate better with the nurses here. Alas, our limited Russian (maybe 10 words) and sign language will have to do. We had a great time playing outside, spending some time with what we think is her group and caregivers (the nurse, Lesya, who came with us to her medical check was there) and sometimes leading her away for some time with just us (we figure she gets most of her time with her group and very little with us). We had some fun with bubbles for a while, and Ivanna apparently doesn’t think the solution tastes too bad – we had quite a chuckle with her. She seems to get now that you need to blow to get the bubbles to come out (although today it is windy enough, all you have to do is hold the wand up).
The train on the way home was late and long (Darren’s comment as we got off was – ‘that felt like an overseas flight’). It has been a few days since we’ve had a shawarma fix so we headed there for lunch (our usual guy wasn’t there but his helper was – good but not quite the masterpieces they usually are), then back here. After Darren’s nap I think well go exploring a bit more and then plan to ‘make’ supper (aka get a chicken already cooked, make some sauce and pick up bread), then head out for dessert and the required internet fix.
We have not yet heard from Lesya re: our flights (whether we need to change them) so we’ll probably give her a call. We expect we’ll need to change them, so prayers for seats to be available on Friday June 1st would be appreciated (or Saturday June 2nd if necessary!) Thank you!
Paka!
D: Well, we are back. We had a nice walk down to friendship park and over to the island. It was warm and sunny – perfect for recharging Shona’s solar cells. As we were taking our shoes off to walk on the beach, Lesya called to suggest that we change our flights to Friday, June 1 – assuming that Thursday is not a holiday in Canada, and the embassy will be open. I assured her that May 31 is not a holiday in Canada. She told me to call anyway, just to be sure. After a very brief barefoot walk on the sand (much more romantic in thought than reality), we decided to put our shoes on to prevent losing a toe to the sharp glass, rocks, and shells. We also decided that the island deserves a whole afternoon. So, we headed for home, to make supper and call Shona’s parents about changing our flights. Once across the bridge, and part way up the hill, I decided that we should try a different way home. Despite Shona’s better judgment and voiced fears and concerns, she caved in and accompanied me. Well, after an extra 50% walking distance, we finally made it back to familiar territory – not much worse for the wear (mostly). I really thought that the Dnipro ran more parallel to Kreschatyk at that point. I think the lesson for me here is to limit the adventurous orienteering in big cities to days when we have a map with us. (oops) On the plus side, we did see some new territory we would not otherwise have seen.