Worn Out

Hey All, well our day is done for now. We left around 9:45 and went to the doctor for the US Embassay. There was a lot of people waiting and as usual, we breezed in and out in about 30 minutes and again just like at the passport place, a woman got mad that we came and went while they were waiting. Our facilitator said most of those people there are not for adoptions and they give adopted children priority. So, from there we went to the US Embassay and applied for her visa to travel. That took about 45 minutes and then we were done with paperwork stuff until tomorrow. We have to go back at 2pm and 4pm tomorrow to answer a few more questions and then pick up the visa.

So, after we finished there, we went and got the medicine we needed for her and then we went to Delta Airlines main office here in Kiev to see if we could change our flights. Well, because we got a special rate for an adoption, they could not change our flight here, but told us our travel agent in the states probably can. So, we have emailed him and left a message for him to check on this and let us know. We want to fly back on Thursday, Friday or Saturday if possible. If we can't then I guess we'll do some sightseeing.

So, after that we went to a children's store to buy Marina some clothes. She got a new pair of jeans, a top, a fleece jacket/pant set, underware and socks. Then she took off for the shoe department and tried to suck us into buying new shoes too, but we stood firm and made our way to the checkout. She of course wanted skinny jeans with gold embellishments all over them as that is what is in style here, and she thought the pair she bought was too big, but we told her she would gain weight when she gets back to the states and that she needed growing room. Anyway, they look great on her - not too big.

After that, we headed back towards home with one more stop to make - the grocery store. The whole way Marina begged and whinned for us to carry her bag of clothes for her, but we were already worn out and I had my big purse which is a catch-all for everyone elses stuff and I was not about to carry that too. I told her I'd carry her coat. Then she thought she'd outsmarted me by telling me to hold her bag while she put her coat on . . . this was taking forever and once the coat was on and zipped . . . the shopping bag "slipped" out of my hands and I kept walking. She quickly picked it up and didn't ask me again to carry her bag :) She knows how to nag and nag until you can hardly stand it anymore. We'll have to put a stop to that - it gets old FAST.

We also rode the subway here today to get us to the children's store and that was an experience in itself!!! I had read that the subway system ran DEEP underground, but let me tell you that it is SOOOO DEEP underground that the escalators that take you down there are so steep that I kept feeling like I was going to fall forward down the escalator!!! It was a very bizzare feeling. I don't know if you've ever gone skiing in the Colorado or anywhere like that, but if you have ever gotten onto a slope that was just too steep to ski and you get what I call the "pucker butt" syndrom - where you don't want to face the "fall line" . . . well that's the feeling I had going down this escalator!!!!!!!!! I have never seen and excalator that long either! Our facilitator said this wasn't even one of the deepest ones either!! When we got off the subway we had to go back up and this time it took 2 escalators to get to the top. You can not even imagine how deep these subways are. By the time we got home, my feet hurt and my legs hurt on the backs of my knees and I am just worn out. I felt like everywhere we went we were speed walking and I was having trouble keeping up! It's no wonder everyone is so thin . . . . they speed walk everywhere they go and do a lot of it at that!

Well, we are pooped out and James is . . . taking another nap :) Marina is watching tv and drinking Fanta (orange soda) and eating crab meat sticks (only they aren't immitation like the ones at home) and sausage. I am sipping a Coca-Cola and resting my weary body. Oh, now she is trying to call her girl friends at the orphanage. She is really going to miss them. Okay, that's it for now.