Our Second Appointment is on Monday

Nothing much has happened over the last couple of days since my last post.

Amanda and her family are still here waiting for their visa for Stefan before they can leave.

Christmas decorations are coming down in the square. We were watching them dismantle the large Christmas tree. It looks like they used real branches from trees to make this tree. Quite an amazing job.

We have been hanging around the apartment and taking trips to the park for Nathan to burn some energy.

Thursday was a PJ day in our castle unit mid afternoon when we ventured out to the park once again and did some shopping for groceries.

It wasn't until dinner time when all the flury of activity started. I was skyping with the office when our cell phone rang to inform us that our second appointment with the SDA would be on Monday. No details of the time for now. Hopefully we won't get the phone call at 8am on Monday to say be ready in 10 mintues as your driver (Vladmir) will be outside at the corner waiting for you. This is how things work in Ukraine. Just be ready to go at any time.

Enjoy the pictures from the last couple of days! Joe.

Still Waiting but it Snowed!

Not much has happened over the last couple of days. It has been very quiet for us as we hang around the apartment waiting for our next SDA appointment.

We did finally see a light dusting of snow on Tuesday morning - about 2cm. Temperatures are now below the freezing mark with the forcast for the next few days between -4 to -10. The sun is shining but only for a few minutes every now and then.

Nathan had a great time at the park again as he played with a little Finnish boy.

Amanda and her family are still waiting for their paperwork to be finished before they can leave.

That's it for now. Joe.

What a Ride!

Sunday, January 23

There was a small sprinkling of snow when we woke up this morning. The temperature had finally dropped to below zero.

Amanda called us to see if we were interested in taking a ride on the subway to a shopping mall called the "Caravan". It was supposed to have rides and games for kids as we both needed to get the kids out and about to burn off energy.

On the way to meet Amanda, festivities had started on the main street. This time it was blocked to allow some racing - go karts vs rally cars. They were drag racing down the main street. The go-kart always won since it was a short distance they were drag racing. Nathan was very excited to watch for the short time we had before we met up with Amanda.

Amanda and Jeffrey had riden the subway already with Igor (their facilitator and our's two years ago). They warned us of a 3 minute ride into the bowels of the earth - like going down into a mine shaft. We entered the subway which cost $0.25 per person and boarded one of 4 escalators that went down to the train. And it kept going and going and going - about 2.5 minutes long. The train itself was very similar to the TTC but it seemed much faster. After six stops we got off and went to the street to catch a bus to the shopping mall. After asking a local vendor which bus to catch, three stops later, we arrived at the mall.

It was no different than your typical shopping mall in Toronto other than the skating rink that was inside. It had many stores and a food court. On the second level, was the kids play area where we spent all of our time playing games and riding a jeep, horses, and a motorcycle.

McDonald's was on the menu for dinner today.

Once back at the square, we said our goodbyes, wished each other luck in moving foward in the adoption process as business would be open tomorrow.

Joe

Pictures from Today

Videos from Today Independence Day

Celebrating Independence Day

Today is the anniversary of Independence Day in Ukraine - declared in 1918 from the Soviet Union.

We were unable to meet Jeffrey and Amanda yesterday as they were too busy trying to complete their paperwork so they could leave Ukraine. They were available today so we met for lunch at Obrien's. We spent next couple of hours drinking and eating (and for those that know Martha and I, we were not the one's enjoying a draft). We exchanged stories from two years ago - how our children have grown up and adjusted to their new surroundings. It's amazing how you always think that you are the only one in the world experiencing this or that. Then when you talk to other families, they are experiencing the same issues and you are relieved (if you know what I mean).

We were also introduced to their new son, Stefan, who is 5 months older than Nathan. He has a great smile and is very happy with his new mama and papa.

After lunch we walk down to the square to see the festivities. There were flags everywhere. Some Ukrainian and some from the different regions in Ukraine. There was mostly singing on stage while were there. On the street, there was singing and dancing.

Back in our castle, we finally caught Nathan on video commenting on the castle. We even managed to have our own Hockey Night in Ukraine before it was time for bed.

Before I sign off, Nathan did something for the first time in his life - he enjoyed a bath in the Jacuzzi. Afraid at first because of the noise but he enjoyed the bubbles. Watch out Martha, you now have some competition for the tub!

Joe

Waiting for our next appointment.

Thursday, January 20

Weather in Kiev has been the same for the last few days - just above freezing with overcast skies and a little rain every now and then. All the snow is gone. We don't expect to see any sun until next Wednesday. I hear Toronto is just a sheet of ice right now!

It was a late start to the day as everyone slept in. We went out for a short walk to the park where Nathan played on the swings and teeter-totter. We could not let him do much as the play ground was all muddy. The real adventure of the day started when I attempted to use an ATM. It was looking good until the message on the screen read "You card has been retained at the request of the issuer". You can imagine the expression on my face when I turned to Martha and said "the machine just ate my card!"

We could not believe it. We both looked at the ATM thinking it was a mistake hoping the card would come back out but it did not. We went inside the bank and approached the security guard to see if he knew any English. Nope. So here I go using broken English and motioning with my hands trying to show them what has happened. They motion me to go to the office on the side and see the "Boss". So I open the door and the Boss is a tellers window. Neither lady speaks English. I motion to one lady to come out from behind the glass wall so I could show her what has happened. With my luck, there happens to be a lady at the next window who could speak English and asks what is wrong. After hearing my explanation, she says don't worry, we will fix the problem and get your card back. Just wait a few minutes. Of course, in this situation, a few minutes seems like hours. In the end, I did get my card back and the bank officials were very helpful.

Back in the castle, we Skyped with friends, families, and my office for the next couple of hours. We caught up with another family that was here with us 2 years ago - Amanda and Jeffrey. They too have returned to adopt another child. They are just waiting for the visa for their son to be completed so they can return to Trinidad and Tobago.

We made tentative plans to meet with them tomorrow.  Joe

Pictures from the last couple of days!

Nathan has a Girl friend!

Yes, Nathan has a girl friend. Her name is Lesya. She just happens to be our facilitator so we will be seeing a lot of her over the next week. He took to her instantly as he is her little friend.

I will try to catch you up of what has happened in the last two days.

Tuesday, January 18

Yesterday (Tuesday), we woke up at 10am had some breakfast and we out of the apartment by 12:30 to meet our fellow Canadians Scot and Patti from Thunder Bay. They have their appointment tomorrow as well. We walked around showing them some of the grocery stores we had visited two years ago. Much to our surprise, the main grocery in the square was not there but the other two grocery stores were. We also found our favourite restaurant - Le Borsch.

We continued our tour with Scot and Patti until we arrived back to the square and then said our goodbyes. We hope to meet up with them tomorrow after the SDA appointments for lunch/dinner. We went and did a little shopping under the square, visited the temporary outdoor skating rink and then took some pictures in front of the Christmas Tree. Then we were ambushed by Bart and Shrek who started to pose with Nathan and Martha. They came out of no where and when all was said and done, held their hands out for payment. Of course they took advantage of the fact were were tourist and demanded $200 Grivnas ($25 USD). After refusing to pay this amount, I gave them what I felt was reasonable and walked away.

After having a late lunch at Le Borsch, we were back at the "Castle" as Nathan calls it for a quick break. We were back out at night to catch the Christmas lights and take some pictures up and down the square. Just as we were settling down for the night, we took a call from Lesya to plan our itinerary for tomorrow. She also asked to have our bags packed as she was moving us out into another apartment as she was not happy with the conditions - not that we complained. She felt that for the price we were paying we could do much better.

Nathan had a rough night is a nice way of saying no had any sleep or very little. He was in no mood to sleep even after our walking tour. He was wide awake ready to play and both of us were in no mood for it as we are sharing a bed together. After about an hour of this horseplay, Martha abandoned ship for the couch. Another hour passed until he finally fell asleep and I was right behind him.

Wednesday, January 19

Our appointment lasted just over an hour. We were presented with several profiles but none of the children were healthy enough to pass immigration requirements. We were expecting this so we are not disappointed at this point. We were then driven to our new appartment which is close to TGI Friday's restaurant to wait for our next appointment at the SDA.

This apartment was much nicer. According to Nathan it is gorgeous!! Flat Screen TV, modern bathroom with a jacuzzi tub (I don't think I will be able to get Martha out of this one), and a more modern furnishings.

After settling in, we were out walking again. Weather was still overcast +1C. We found another two grocery stores - one that was small and one that was very large with a full assortment of fruit and vegetables (Peter, Martha promises we will start eating our share of veggies and fruit as you instructed). Lunch was at TGI Friday's. After that it was a quick walk back to the SDA to sign a register. While waiting at the SDA, we bumped into Scot and Patti who told us they were presented a profile of a little boy.

Lets hope that Nathan has a better sleep tonight.

Joe

We have arrived!!

We finally made it to Ukraine - all in one piece with no missing baggage or missing family members. Nathan was great on the plane. He only had one crying time when he fell asleep on the connecting flight from London to Kiev as his ears were popping. He has also been doing his part carry his knapsack and dragging his luggage on behind him - child labour at its best. He runs into other travellers from time to time but has not caused any serious accidents.

Getting through customs in Kiev as so much easier this time. For one thing, they had a new building. The lines were moving much faster and there were less people. I think we were through in 20 minutes compared to the 2 hours from 2008. Lesya, our facilitator, met us at the airport and had us in our apartment by 4pm. Our apartment for now is located up the street from the McDonald's.

As we were driving in from the airport, we began to recognize buildings and statues from our visit in 2008. It only seems like we were here yesteday as all the memories came back quickly. We were pointing out all the places of interest we had in our first trip, hot spots that we visited all the time, and the various buildings we stayed in before. Even Nathan took interest as he spoted the big M and began to say he was hungry.

Independance Square was still lit up for Christmas tonight. They have a huge Christmast tree lit up. Hopefully the weather tomorrow night will be better for us to venture out and take some pictures to share with everyone.

Weather in Kiev today was rain and +2. Most of the snow has melted and they are calling for mild weather for the next few days.

Our appointment at the SDA will be Wednesday at 9am. Until then we are resting.

Joe

Look Out Here We Come!!!!

We`ll the day has finally arrived - it only took us 10 months compared to the 4 years from the last attempt.

Only a couple of things left to be done today before we board the plane. The most difficult will be dropping of Jordie (our miniature schnauzer) to Martha's parents. Unfortunately, he can't make the trip as much as Martha would like.

Luckily I was up early this morning and got more of my tasks done before trouble started with a loud scream upstairs. Nathan was sitting up in his bed with his glasses in pieces - two of them. Some how he managed to take the arm off for no apparent reason. He was so happy of his accomplishment. I can't say the same for Martha. For the next hour, I was attempting to glue the arm back on - we will see how it holds up. We had planned for this type of an accident but not so early in our trip.

The airport check in was a breeze as we were the only ones in the line up. Security was no issue. Nathan was even helping stack the plastic trays for the security staff.

I will sign off sitting in the boarding area waiting for our turn to get in the plane. The fun is about to start!!!

Joe

2 More Sleeps

Well the day is almost over and Nathan has finally put his head down for a nap after helping me pack my luggage. We all know how much help a 4 year old can provide. First he tried to use it as a car. Then he tried to pack himself in it. Then he questioned every single item I put in it. This then turned into a tickle match. I was all done in about 20 minutes. Well that's what I thought until Martha came home.

First question out of her mouth - "You can't tell me your packed already!" Much to her surprise, I was done. So then came, I thought you were going to pack light as I have this, and this, and that, and don't forget these to go in your luggage.

We'll, I am going to have to repack tomorrow morning as I am off to play one final game of hockey before I leave.

For those that don't know, we leave on Sunday at 6:30pm and arrive in London at 6.25am. From there we catch a connecting flight at 8:05am and arrive in Kiev at 1:20pm Monday. Looking at the weather forecasts there is another snow storm brewing. I hope they learned their lesson over Christmas in London on how to plow the runways. We do have a couple of days of buffer, but if we miss our appointment on Wednesday at the SDA (this is the government agency in Ukraine that oversees adoptions), the length of our stay just became longer.

For those that were with us in 2008, we are staying away from Germany this time around as we don't want to miss our connecting flight again and have to spend the night in Frankfurt. Our plans this time call for us to stay overnight in London to break up the long flight.

Thanks to everyone at work, our friends, family and other families that are planning their Mission to Ukraine for all the well wishes and thanks. We wished we could call you before we leave but time is precious now and my list of things to do before we go has not been completed.

Joe