CAVIAR POTATO CHIPS, MOTHER THERESA & COMING HOME!

Wednesday April 13, 2011

For those of you preferring the Reader’s Digest version:

We made it! We leave Kyiv tomorrow and will be landing at SFO at 10:40 PM Thursday. We will be VERY tired (21 hours total travel time, 17 hours in flight; Kyiv à ParisàLAàSF) so please don’t show up at the airport. We’ll probably take S out this weekend for a little tour of the neighborhood if he’s up to it.

Timeline: From time dossier submitted to having him home= 6 months. Total time in Ukraine= 45 days. Our adoption was a difficult one and our time spent in Ukraine is NOT typical for our agency.

For all the details, read on….



Lana & S behind the American Embassey after recieving his visa!

 Today was magical. I think someone was definitely watching over us or else all of your prayers worked!! We were in and out of the embassy in around 1 hour. Our ”interview” took place at a “teller” window. I had to raise my right hand and take an oath, then sign a bunch more papers. S was anxious to see what was going on so I had to lift him up so he could see over the counter. He knew this was a very important moment! They didn’t ask him anything, even though he had been practicing his mama, papa and brother’s names and had them all memorized :-)  . We were actually interviewed by a nice guy from upstate New York.  In the end, S was handed his visa by a Ukrainian worker while we were standing next to the American flag. I was so happy I started to get weepy! It was a strange, feeling somewhere between maternal and patriotic. The visa consists of one of the pages in his Ukrainian passport, which is made into a visa with his picture on it. Once we get to the U.S., I need to apply for a U.S. passport (Yes, he will have dual citizenship. At 18 he needs to decide if he wants to renounce his Ukrainian citizenship. I want him to keep dual citizenship but the only downside is if he returns to Ukraine before age 25, he’ll be drafted – they have a mandatory draft here now. So I guess the key is to not visit until after age 25). The other interesting thing I learned is he doesn’t become a U.S. citizen until his feet touch U.S. soil. We clear customs in LA so that’s where it will be official!! Scott, so sad you missed all this! Of course security is EXTREMELY high at the embassy so no cameras are allowed. You can’t even take pictures OUTSIDE on the street.

I forgot to mention two items S did bring with him from the orphanage. He is wearing two small crucifixes around his neck on leather strands, one silver and the other gold. When we were with my friend Danyar walking around the soccer stadium last week in Donetsk, I had him ask S where they came from. His reply; “Mother Theresa.” Danyar and I burst out laughing! Danyar told him, no, it must have been somebody who looked like Mother Theresa since she’s no longer with us. S got a quizzical look on his face but accepted Danyar’s explanation.  Speaking of religion, I’d like to add to the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” “……nor as adoptive parents.” Our journey has been so trying at times! It’s a miracle it even happened with all the road blocks that were put in our way. But we persevered and ended up with a great kid! I couldn’t help think that maybe Mother Theresa WAS looking out for us from up above!

In front of St. Sofia's with S's Ukrainian passport and U.S. visa.

After our embassy visit, I asked our driver to please give us a tour of two huge cathedrals located downtown. It’s a bummer I cannot post pictures anymore, because these cathedrals were fabulous (built around 1017). Our driver was great and narrated the whole thing for S, teaching him about all the statues, history, etc. We strolled through a park around the churches that has an amazing view of the Dnipro River which runs right through the middle of Kyiv. We stopped at a stand in the park so mama could get an espresso and we also nibbled on some caviar potato chips (weird but good!). I hope S remembers this for the rest of his life. We also went to the big area of street vendors and bought some souvenirs (Christina, I got your 2 nesting dolls!!).

Placing sunflower seeds in a bird feeder in the park.

A view of Kyiv and the Dnipro River.

I know my blog is just a tiny portion of cyberspace but if any of you reading this ever wish to adopt, or know anyone who is thinking about it, please have them contact me. There are so many deserving children here in Ukraine who have so much potential but are victims of circumstance. I’d be happy to talk to anyone needing information. I never realized how much adoption GIVES BACK to the adoptive parents, but I felt it today.

For other adoptive parents following us, I intend to update this blog every 2-3 months and give a progress report on how S is adjusting to life in America.

Be on the lookout for your invitation to brunch at our home, to meet S and to donate a pair of kids’ shoes to the orphanage in the next few months! It may take S a while to adjust so be patient (please see the next blog for more information on this).

Thanks for reading!