Quality time w/Anastasia
Trip Start Dec 01, 2007
24Trip End Ongoing
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Hello! All is well here. Paperwork for the adoption is moving along smoothly. Yesterday we spent the morning attending to paperwork, traveling various places in town to get paperwork started and notarized. The notary process is much more complicated here, than in the states.
We have a favorite restaurant we visit each day for lunch and dinner, right next door to the hotel. It is very nice. There is a coat-check, singers (quite good) each evening, sit-down dining, and an English menu. Best of all cheap! Things are much less expensive outside of the capital.
As I am sitting here at the hotel writing, a soldier who appears to be escorting a man, entered the hotel with a machine gun! What a different world. Later found out it was their equivalent to "Wells Fargo". In Kiev we saw a squadron of soldiers doing their daily march through the city park.
Back to the subject: Yesterday we had quite a good visit with Anastasia. We spent probably 4 hours at the orphanage with her. They allowed us to spend around 2 hours alone with her in her classroom. We got to see her schoolwork, schoolbooks, some grades, artwork, etc. We practiced some English words with her, naming objects in her classroom. We took a pocket-sized spirograph to play with. She was challenged by it (even I was), but she kept trying and showed us alot of determination. Her handwriting is quite pretty. Her math work seems to be right on grade level, compared to US schools. Her caretaker, (school "Mama") brought her class to bring Anastasia back to her living area and we were allowed to go also. We got a tour of the area her class lives in. There is a den with a piano and TV and lots of couches, a playroom for when it is too cold or rainy outside, and a dressing room where all the kids clothes are kept. They take turns changing in the dressing room- 1st all girls, then boys. They do the same with the bathroom, except they must go to a different area of the building to take showers. In the sleeping area, 4-5 kids share a room.
Anastasia read a fairytale to us. She is quite a good reader! In fact she is excellent. At cartoon time, she wanted to watch, so we gave her a big hug and told her goodnight. She opened her arms wide to hug me.
Last night it snowed. This morning we moved to a much nicer hotel- brand new for only $10 more a night. Whew! We are very happy. God is just paving the way for us!
Today more paperwork and then go visit Anastasia.