On The Road Again

So, we're on the road again.  Off on another fun filled Ukrainian adventure.  We arrived at SFO right on time, but, due to poor planning on my part, had to rearrange stuff from one suitcase to another, trying to minimize weight.  We ended up with suitcases wide open at checkin grabbing stuff and putting it on the scale.  It was quite a sight to be sure.  Finally with only one overweight bag and 2 extra pieces, we got four of our 6 pieces checked in and we were off.

The flight was took us from SFO to Washington Dulles to Vienna to Donyetsk, Ukraine.  The flight was not so friendly with 2 pieces of our luggage.  They went to Rome, Italy!  I know people losing luggage is a common thing, but it's never happened to me.  It's one of those "happens to other people" things.  Luckily we had our personal things and the things for Misha and Anna.

As we were getting ready to land, I was overwhelmed with feelings of excitement, anticipation, and impatience to see my kids.  I knew I couldn't see the orphanage city, but I pretended I could and waved to Misha and Anna.  (Goofy, I know.  Just chalk it up to a "Mom" thing.)

As we cleared customs, our coordinator was their to greet us with hugs.  She really is awesome.  She promptly set off to find our luggage with William, while I stayed with the other 4 pieces, plus our backpacks.  Now, just to be clear, all this luggage was not for us.  Three of the pieces contained clothes donations for the orphanage and one piece held gifts for people who had helped us, along with activities and snacks to entertain Misha and Anna on the flight home.  (The gifts are not obligatory - just something we decided to do.)

That night we stayed in Donyetsk at the Liverpool Hotel.  It is, of course, themed after the Beatles.  We decided on Mexican food for dinner and enjoyed fajitas at a nearby restaurant.  Later, we walked to the new soccer stadium.  It was huge and beautifully lit.  There is lots of grass nearby with plans for a children's park, along with fountains.

In the week we had been gone, fall weather had set in.  We went from warm days and evenings to morning clouds and chilly nights.  The days were still very nice, but didn't warm up until late morning.  I, trying to be frugal in my packing, didn't pack jeans.  We were also told that the train ride back to Kiev would not have heat until October 15 and that blankets were not provided.  BRRR!  (I'm cold all the time anyway.  I was not looking forward to that train ride!)

Finally, we fell into bed.  It was to be an early day tomorrow as we set of at 6:30 for our 2 hour drive to the orphanage city...