If you going to adopt in Ukraine I don’t think there is an easier time to adopt then this. This trip is a vacation for all of us (except for maybe Koyla). The weather is beautiful, warm but not too hot and the nights are jacket temperature. Since the church apartment that we were hoping to get wasn’t available until June 12th, we are living in an apartment about two blocks from the beach, two blocks from the outside mall, with small markets everywhere. The apartment we live in is in a housing project that looks old from the outside, but the inside is new. The inside is a simple Ukrainian home that is extremely comfortable. Many things about this area are appealing to me, especially the simplicity of lifestyle of day to day living. Notice I did not say the simplicity of women’s fashion that is far from simple. There is so much emphasis on beauty, sexiness, youth, worldliness, for the women, yet the men dress so plain and simple. Every time we go out we view a fashion show. The clothes don’t interest me as much as the shoes. Most of the women wear heals, the younger women where high, high, heals in their daily living. The lifestyle here is walking, and public transportation, the high heal shoe doesn’t fit the picture. Even the little girls and old women walk around in heals, just not so high. The outdoor mall has a smooth sidewalk, it was just redone last year, but the rest of the town is not smooth at all. Navigating the sidewalks in town is difficult with gym shoes on.
The days in the summer are long, the sun is up by 4:00 a.m. and about 9:00 p.m. it is dark. In July, August and September the streets are crowded with people. We are getting the benefits of the summer activities without the crowds. This is the Berdyansk that Yana misses. You spend all your time walking and there is something going on all the time to capture your interest. The beach is right here walking distance from the orphanage. As you walk to the beach there is dry fish everywhere along the way. It is so sad that life is so difficult here. I see in Yana how she loves this place, but she is mature enough to know that her life here would be hard. She has many friends here, but there are 3 that are real close to her. They spent the weekend at our apartment. The last day of school ceremonies were Friday, then the 4 girls came over to drop off their belongings and went on a marathon of playing and catching up. By the time the 3 went back to the orphanage they were exhausted. Yana asked Rick and I last night if there was any way to adopt the 3 girls. Two of the girls will leave the orphanage this year, the other one will stay. Only one of the 3 is eligible for adoption and she has a beautiful sister at the orphanage also. Knowing the tough life these kids have in front of them, it is difficult to leave them behind. Yana is willing to get a job to come back for them. My prayer is Yana will always have a heart for these children.
Yesterday we took Koyla to the waterfront, where there are games and rides. It doesn’t take too much communication to have fun. He had a really good time. This is his first time seeing the waterfront in Berdyansk or going on rides. He is in for a shock when he gets home. Can’t even imagine what Busch Gardens is going to look like to this little guy. Every day our relationship is growing. It is pretty uncomfortable for both him and us. Little by little we are getting to know how to break the silence and communicate our thoughts to him. He is doing the same. We are spending a lot of time with him without Yana. The nice part is if we get stuck we can call Yana and she will translate.
I have been up since 4:30 a.m., washed some clothes (by hand) and have to wait until Yana is a wake to hang them (outside). Fortunately our landlord and his wife came over yesterday, a very sweet couple, and she insisted that she wash the difficult clothes in her machine at home. When we came home from the orphanage, I looked out the window to find our clothes were hanging outside on the balcony.
Sunday, we will go to church and hopefully we will be able to visit a woman that Yana calls Grandma. She is not Yana’s grandma, but she is a sister to her real grandpa. The women used to have Yana come for dinner when she lived in the orphanage. Yana has very fond memories of the woman. Yana is touching bases with her past, lots of emotions. It is a privilege to walk this journey with these children, even when it is difficult.

The one picture of Rick and Koyla gives you an idea of the size of Koyla to his papa. The class picture is taken on step up day, this happens on the last day of school in all Ukrainian schools. The dress is traditional. This is Yana class they will all leave the orphanage. They all look like children to me, not ready to be on their own. Yana got to share the festivities, even the hair piece.