Day 1

September 2, 2009
Dear Family and Friends!

Greetings from Ukraine. We made it! We had a very long journey, but we are safe and sound in our room in Kiev.

Yesterday's travels went very smoothly. We didn't lose any luggage, our flights were on time, and Yuri was there to pick us up. He drove us around downtown Kiev and took us to the store so we could buy bottled water (a must!), cheese, turkey, cereal, (supposedly) pastuerized milk, and whole grain bread. Yuri was very surprised by the amount of turkey and cheese we ordered. He said a pound was too much. (Apparently he hasn't broken bread with someone of Lamar's size and appetite). Then, Yuri went on his way and left us to our own devices. We unpacked and ventured out to find a fun place to eat for Lamar's birthday dinner. We found a Ukrainian Italian restaurant that was delicious. We struggled trying to order our food, only knowing minimal Russian. However, our waitress was very patient and tolerant of us. We had amazing pizza, seafood chowder, and salad. Afterwards we walked around the underground mall and found some delicious gelato (European ice cream) for dessert. It was all we could do to keep our heads upright. We knew we had to stay awake as long as possible to get back on track with our sleeping cycle. We returned to our room, showered, tried hooking up our computer (and failed miserably), and flipped through the Ukrainian TV channels. We were asleep by 9 p.m. We were both wide awake by 2 a.m. Fortunately, we got back to sleep and awoke at 7 a.m. We plan on going to a coffee shop to try and send this email out this morning since our internet isn't working right now. Yuri said we should be able to get it fixed today.

Even though we have been here for less than 24 hours, there are remarkable differences between here and USA. First of all, the driving is INSANE. We were warned, but there isn't enough warning in the world for what we saw. Every man is for himself. There are no lanes and if cops aren't around, no traffic rules have to be followed. People drive and park on the sidewalks. Pedestrians beware! There are no walkways so you just have to make a dash for it. We felt like Frogger dodging cars last night during our walk. If we can make it through this, we can make it through anything. Yuri is quite comfortable with this driving style, too. He missed a turn, threw the car in reverse on a main road and just started driving backwards...in the middle of oncoming traffic! Cars honked, but swerved out of our way. I wanted to kiss the ground when we got out of the car.

We have also tremendously enjoyed the people watching. Lamar and I have been to several countries in this world, but we both agree, people watching here has been the most fascinating. Even the older women take pride in what they wear and how they accessorize. In Japan, the ladies did dress very differently than Americans. For the most part, they had an edgy, 80s thing going for them. However, they ALL had the same "different" look. In Ukraine, it appears every woman is going for a special look of her very own. It is VERY interesting and fun to watch. I appreciate their efforts, and their ability to make walking long distances in heels look effortless.
The other difference we have noted is that in Japan, no matter how hard Lamar and I tried, we NEVER blended in. Everyone knew we were foreigners and respected that there was going to be a language barrier. However, here, apparently we look Russian or Ukrainian. People kept approaching us in the marketplace speaking Russian. We felt rude not responding, but we were clueless what to say. I must practice my "dumb foreigner" look a little more. Apparently I am rusty.

Well, Lamar and I are going to go for a walk/run around the area this moring. It's chilly but beautiful.

Our appointment is tomorrow. Please pray for us. We won't be able to leave Kiev like we expected right away. Apparently it takes a day or two to get our 'permission slip' to visit the orphanage. We might be here through the weekend. We will see and keep ya'll updated as soon as we can.

We love you all. Joshua and Jacob, we wish you could be here with us. We do look forward to someday bringing you back to the home of your future brother(s)/sister(s). It really is an amazing country.

God bless you all,
Kristina and Lamar