Friday - Fun Day

Friday was another lazy morning. After making sure lunches were packed and gifts were collected, we left. First stop was the notary - we waited in the car. Our coordinator picked up our paperwork confirming that we would have our court date next Thursday 9/10. Yea!!! (This of course still needs to be confirmed with the SDA, but no one seems worried.) Our driver, Olga, then took us on a bit of sight seeing. We went to see a memorial to loca war heros who had died in the great patriotic war. We also went to a bluff where we could look out over the Azov Sea (next to the Black Sea). From here we could see the steel mill as well as the port. We had an impromptu mini picnic of salami and cheese.

After our sight seeing excursions we went to the orphanage. We came loaded down with gifts. I had collected clothes to donate to the orphanage and they filled an entire large suitcase (which, by the way, barely fit in the trunk of the car). We were also allowed to distribute gifts that had beed sent over for other children from the same hosting program where we met Misha. I had spent a lot of time with these children when they visited and it was wonderful to see them. The kids were thrilled to receive their special gifts from their host families. I tried to take lots of pictures to bring back. They stayed with us in the green room for about an hour and played with their gifts and Williams electronics. For Misha and Anna there were markers and coloring books. Misha's were more along the lines of how to draw stuff and Anna's was the paint with water book. Luckily I had the small bottle of water from the airplane in the bottom of my backpack so she could paint. The rest of the children (except for Misha's friend) finally had to leave and go back to their routine. We were able to stay another 2-3 hours with the kids.

Again, entertainment became very creative. In the room was a toy horse that Anna could sit on. She managed to have Viktor dragging her around the room for a while and then got Misha and William to do it. The game evolved into her falling off the horse and laughing. We finally told her the horse needed to sleep. We also played cards again and taught the boys how to play Crazy 8 (similar to Uno, but with a regular deck of cards).

Our next destination was the grocery store. It was time to teach me to make Borsch!

I have really enjoyed getting to know our coordinator. She and I have many similar likes and dislikes. William says it's a bit scary how well we get along. We even where the same shoe size. :0) We had a fun time making Borsch together. My next post I will share the recipe as I understand it. She's going to teach me to make Ukrainian Salad and Russian Salad, too. I would love to be able to serve Misha and Anna foods that they enjoy and are comfortable with, as well as expose Emily and Mason to new flavors.

To back track a bit, last night we left the windows open to dry our laundry. We (or at least I) got eaten alive by mosquitos. Apparently, they are common year round. Friday night after airing out the apartment, we closed the windows to minimize the mosquito intake. Too Late! I spent several hours chasing the blood suckers around the room with a rolled up piece of paper. I think they still won. William just kept shaking his head at me. Tomorrow, I will win.