Trip 2 Day 7 Saturday May 22

Today being Saturday, we get to visit Julianna twice today. We went over at 10 for the first one. She wanted to finish watching the movie Hairspray that we started yesterday so we did that up in her bedroom area. After that we went outside to throw the frisbee around. There were lots of younger kids around so we started handing out the balsa planes I had from the Boeing Store. We were swarmed but for the most part they don’t ask for anything. I also had a bigger 787 foam plane with me that you launch with a rubber band. It took some time to assemble and I was completely surrounded by kids. I told them to expect some schedule slides in the assembly process but they didn't get it. That turned out pretty cool because I was able to let them take turns launching it and we got lots of video. Diane handed out some sidewalk chalk and little stretchy animals so we were pretty popular today. Jillian was also actively involved playing with the kids and really enjoyed it. Boredom is a big issue here, so it's nice to make a difference, even briefly.




We quickly gathered a following as we went in for the second visit but some of them gave up when we went up to Julianna's bedroom. Diane and Jillian got started on some craft projects with the kids. We had a real mixture of ages and genders so it was pretty cool. Julianna stuck with that for a little while but then she and I played games on the computer. Justine called while we were there and said, “Hi sister!“ to Julianna on the phone. She really seemed to like that.




We went to our usual dinner spot but tonight it was rockin'. The women were out on the dance floor shakin' it and the men were sitting around watching. I like the concept. Some guy accosted us when we went in but our waiter Misha scared him off pretty quick. Lucky for the guy because I was about to assume the crane position (similar to the Karate Kid but I need to hold on to something).

Tomorrow we're expecting Gramps & Granny to show up early to take us to Chernigiv to pick up Alona R. Since this would amount to 6 people in the Lada, I've selflessly volunteered to stay behind and visit Julianna. I don't seem to be getting the proper appreciation for this gesture. It will be nice so see Alona again and I know Jillian is excited.

Interesting Julianna facts for today are that she likes scary movies and she's excited about swimming.

Friday May 21 Trip 2 Day 6

Apparently they found some internet!



This morning we walked to the foster home to visit and to get computer access. This connection to home is a big deal to us. This stranger in a strange land thing gets a little wearing at times. Oksana did her job with the tea and snacks. Diane and Jillian did their jobs with disapproving looks related to my fondness for the latter. We handed out some balsa wood planes to the boys and they had fun throwing them around while Oksana and Pasha were trying to get the baby to sleep. Oops!



We visited Julianna in the heritage room, my personal favorite. Her “friend who is a boy“ joined us. His name sounds like Dennees. This changed the dynamics a little but he seems like a nice kid and it's obvious they like each other. This makes it all the more amazing that she is so ready to leave. I don't know how somebody her age, who has lived all her life in this poor town, can be so aware there's a better life for her in a strange country. I hope it's partly a testament to our obvious love for her, but I also think it speaks to her character.



We gave Julianna a shoulder bag with her full name embroidered on it that Auntie Terri got for her. She had a cute smile and we took some pictures. She said she would use it for school. I also explained it would be good for on the plane. We started watching the movie Hairspray and she loved it. She loves music and dancing so no surprise there.

A New Phone Number/Update

The foster homes computer broke down. This is the only place where my dad can e-mail me his blog posts from.

Things are going well. They are starting to get pretty bored in Shors. The highlight of the day has been visiting the orphanage and playing with all the kids, which doesn't start until 4 pm on weekdays. They'll be in Shors until next Tuesday, then off to Kyiv for some paperwork. The current plan is for Jillian and my mom to come home on June 5th and my dad and Julianna to come home on June 11th. We'll have a welcome party at the airport on that night so try to keep it free if you want to welcome her.

We can hope that they will have access to the internet before going to Kyiv!

Here are the two numbers to get a hold of them:
380-964572833: Primary Phone Number
380-934255041: Secondary Phone Number

Just remember they are 10 hours ahead.

FYI: Skype is a great way to call. You can download it onto your computer, create an account, add minutes on your credit card, and call for $.18 a minute. Like I said, they are BORED, so don't hesitate to call.

If you need help with calling on Skype, feel free to call me: Justine Cell: (206) 310-6045.

Thanks Everyone!

Trip 2 Day 5 Party On, Ukie Style

Julianna called me this morning sounding like she wanted us to come to the Internat (orphanage) and go to the store. She decided rather quickly it was too complicated for me to understand so she called Nastya to translate. Nastya explained that Julianna wanted to have a party with us and her friends to celebrate the favorable court decision so she was requesting that we bring food and drinks. So the early part of the day was spent gathering up stuff for the party. Diane and Jillian, smelling much better today, also bought a few soccer balls to bring along.

We went to a classroom in the orphanage and Julianna and a few friends prepared for the meal. They were very meticulous in every aspect of setting the table. The sausage and cheese had to be cut a certain way. Everything we brought was nicely arranged on plates or bowls. They arranged the desks to form a big table and covered it with a tablecloth. Jillian and Julianna sat at the head of the table on one end and Diane and I were on the other end. During the meal the girls told Jillian “You are very good”. I told Jillian later that I’m fairly sure they meant to say “pretty“. Either that or they meant she was good at eating. We had a nice time and they all said “Thank you” in unison at the end of the meal.



Afterwards we moved to the bedroom area and Jillian started a hemp name bracelet for Valia, who has the bed next to Julianna’s. Nadia was in bed and Diane noticed something looked wrong with her mouth. We took a look and determined that she has a rear molar that is badly decayed. After checking that it was allowed we gave her some Advil. We have Nastya lining up a dentist so we can hopefully get her taken care of but there’s some red tape to clear with the orphanage first.



Last night I was able to reload music on the green Ipod shuffle we had given to Julianna last trip. She thought it was broken so we replaced it with another spare we had at home when we arrived this time. With Julianna’s consent I gave the green one to Nadia. Her look of gratitude is hard to describe. Any act of kindness has a big impact on these kids.

On the way out we saw a young girl standing by herself watching some boys play soccer. Jillian walked up and gave her our one remaining soccer ball. She was awestruck and the expression on her face was priceless.

Trip 2 Day 4 Happy Days are Here Again

Here's the same day I (Justine) wrote about in the previous post, but in my dads words:

I won’t keep you in suspense. Today was as good as yesterday was bad. The day got off to a good start because I was up early and got all clean and pretty while Diane and Jillian were still lazing around in their sleepwear. Sure enough Alona R’s guardians came busting through the door and sent them scrambling. They didn’t have Alona with them because she’s in Chernigiv with Uncle Wowza and family while she’s participating in some sports competition. Eventually Nastya showed up and we were all able to converse productively. It turns out Granny knows Julianna’s aunt and they had talked yesterday about the adoption. I guess small towns are the same everywhere. Granny reassured her that she knew us and we were a good family. Granny also told us that a fortune teller had told her that Alona would be rich but living in another country. The guardians told us they would be back to pick us up later and also that we would be going with them this weekend to pick up Alona. The LADA 1500 post traumatic stress disorder will be kicking in soon.

Nastya, myself and my two unbathed companions headed to the foster home to do some computer work. This is a really comfortable place to visit and Oksana feeds me lots of pastries and sugary tea so this place rates four stars on the Schors travel guide. Oksana was happy because up to this point she didn’t realize who we were adopting and she knew and liked Julianna. I was able to send some blog updates and Jillian sent her journal entries to her Senior Issues teacher. He was nice enough to cut her some slack for leaving early in exchange for reporting her travel experiences. It’s interesting to get her perspective. I think I’m funnier but she’s very insightful.

From here we went to pick up Julianna for Court Part 2. After yesterday’s fiasco we didn't know what to expect so the stress meter was pegged for all of us. Fortunately one of the Witnesses came by while we were waiting for Jerkov to show up and told Julianna that it was good and she had nothing to worry about. As long as I live I’ll never forget the look of pure joy that transformed her face. Diane and I were somewhat relieved but we wanted to hear it from the judge before celebrating.
We all entered the room and stood while the judge read a lengthy decree that summarized everything that happened yesterday (I could of summed it up with a couple of choice words but they didn’t ask me). Finally she got to the last statement granting our petition for adoption. The judge actually seemed very happy and the secretary started crying again so it was nice to see they cared. We all hugged Julianna and took some pictures with the officials we liked before we left the courthouse.




The prosecutor had given Nastya a note with his email address on it to give to Julianna so she could contact him when we abused her. Nastya gave it to me at the start of the official court proceedings and I immediately handed it to Julianna in full view of the court to show the prosecutor I wasn’t afraid to give her this power. After the court decree was read she walked up to the prosecutor and handed him the paper without a word and turned her back on him and walked away. Evidently she didn’t appreciate his insinuations about her family. Simply amazing.

After we left court to walk back to the orphanage she was actually jumping for joy. At one point she hugged me with her full strength and looked up into my eyes and said “I have a family now”. I told her “Not for long, you’re going to give me a heart attack”. Just kidding. Jillian told her she would have sisters to go shopping with and big brothers to protect her and scare the boys away. She was all smiles. I can’t wait for her to meet her other siblings.



We took a short break at the hotel and Nastya caught the bus back to Kiev. She’ll be back after the 10 day waiting period is over for the final court decree. There can be appeals during this waiting period but none are anticipated. Julianna has to stay at the orphanage during this time so we went over for our normal visit at 4:00 PM. This time we were in a different locked room adjacent to the entrance that has lots of plants and cultural artifacts.



Nadia was with us and Jillian spent most of the time working closely with her on a hemp bracelet. I was happy to see this as Nadia is a very hurt child and I worry about her when we take Julianna away. Julianna worked on some other crafts for a while but then she picked up an English book we had and told Diane she wanted to read to her. I’m not sure she understood everything she was reading but it was a difficult book and she did very well. I secretly videotaped her until she caught me and I had to stop. At one point Diane left the room to go outside and talk to her mom on the phone. Some of the boys must have been yelling something at Diane because Julianna was out of the room like a shot and let the boys know her thoughts. They stopped but she made Diane come back inside the room anyway. Feeling a little protective of her new mom I guess. We left just as they were unlocking the front door to let the kids outside to “play”. This was the first time I really got a sense of the large number of kids that are here. I wish we could do more.

G & G showed up soon after our return to the hotel. We bounced down the road and dropped Granny off at what appeared to be a random location. Maybe the fortune teller told her to get out there. We continued on to Alona’s school and Jillian was able to get a few pictures. Next we stopped by the farm to take care of the animals. We watched as Grandpa put the chickens away for the night and did other assorted chores. Granny showed up with the cows so evidently she had a reason for falling out of the car. They put the cows in the ramshackle shed and Granny started milking. Jillian was surprised that milk came from cows. She wasn’t too happy when I explained why they had pigs. I asked her where she thought her ham sandwich came from? The cow stepped in the bucket of milk so Granny wasn’t a happy camper. This didn’t stop them from serving it to us at dinner though. I thought it was really good but Diane wasn’t going to chance it and secretly changed glasses with me after mine was gone. I was tempted to switch back and ask her loudly how she liked her milk while pointing at her full glass but I wanted to sleep in peace that night so drank it down myself.
We were really tired and the communication barrier was making things very tough. Finally I asked if we could go back to the hotel but it turned out the car was gone with grumpy son Roma so we sat around awkwardly for quite a while. About the only successful communication we had all night was when I dropped my bread in my drink and Diane was able to compare me to the cow stepping in the bucket of milk. I’m not sure how she did it but they got it and thought it was pretty funny.



Sorry for the verbosity but it was a full day. Full and awesome.

A Very Quick Update From Justine

I got to get ready for work... so this is going to be very brief!

But as you can tell, it's hard for my dad to get on the internet. Even when he does, he can't access this blog (for whatever reason) so he has to e-mail everything to me to post. So, to say the least, it's a little bit of a process.

Anyways, back to Ukraine news...

Our family has officially grown by 1! Please formally welcome Julianna Alyona Purvis into the Purvis clan. The last couple days have been extremely stressful. We couldn't be happier with this result. Either could my new sister, at the end she was apparently jumping up and down saying, "I have a family, I have a family." My parents were telling her she would have sisters to go shopping with and brothers to protect her, I guess she just sat there with the biggest smile on her face.



After yesterdays trial the prosecutor gave Julianna his e-mail and said, "If they treat you bad, you will always have my e-mail." Today, after the positive verdict was read, she quietly approached the man and gave him his paper back without a word. My sister thought this was hilarious, because if you know Jillian, you know she would do the exact same thing.

Oh, apparently Alyona's gaurdians showed up at my parents door at 8:30 this morning. They have plans with them tonight, even though Alyona is at the aunt and uncles in Chernigiv. They definitely like to entertain!

The Purvis' are now a family of 7, YEAHHH!!!!!!!

Thanks for all your support!

Trip 2 Day 3 The Day Time Stood Still

We had court today so put on the fancy duds and headed over there shortly before 11. Julianna arrived soon after that with the Orphanage representative. She was obviously stressed and told Diane “I scary”. She’s not that scary so presumably she meant she was scared. We sat around waiting for a long time, always a lot of fun when you’re nervous. I kept checking the clock on the wall until I finally realized it wasn’t working.



Eventually we were ushered into the room and waited some more for the judge. Here’s the cast of characters (ages are my best guess):

Orphanage representative Female in her 40’s
Child Welfare representative Female in her 40’s
Secretary Female in her 30’s
Witness #1 Female in her 50’s
Witness #2 Male in his 40’s
Prosecutor Male in his mid to late 30’s
Judge Female in her mid to late 30’s
Our Group Julianna, Jillian, Diane, Ted & Nastya

Apparently these things can last 20 minutes but for us it was a 3.5 hour ordeal. I don’t know why for sure but probably the combination of a new judge and corruption charges against the Head Judge and Inspector (Olga) has everybody on edge. I don’t want to relive the whole experience but Ill try to give you the lowlights.
The prosecutor asked us numerous questions. I was the main spokesmen for our group but everybody else was involved. The majority of the questions related to our finances and why we would want to adopt. To me he seemed dissatisfied with most of our answers. I’m sure he uses the same techniques on ax murderers. This seemed to drag on forever but the clock wasn’t working in this room either. This didn’t stop me from stealing a glance at it every so often.

The witnesses were allowed to talk and the male, who we’ll call Jerkov, proceeded to lecture Julianna on how this was a bad idea and how things weren’t so bad in the orphanage and how he went to another country once and really didn’t like it. This didn’t phase Julianna at all. She told him she would be OK. I was very proud of her. Eventually everybody gave their consent however most of the russian speaking people in the room thought the prosecutor mumbled “This adoption is impossible.” Julianna started sobbing at this point which set Diane off and even the secretary was crying. Evidently he said “possible” but there was some confusion for a while. I thought we were in the clear after that but the judge told us to return tomorrow at 2:00 PM for her decision. This is unprecedented in Nastya’s experience. All indications are the result will be positive. We’ll see.

I know there are a lot of cultural differences here and I should be more understanding but it’s hard not to be angry over what we, and more importantly, Julianna, had to go through. They’re willing to kick her out of the orphanage at 15 or 16 with an inferior ninth grade education and very little prospects for success but when it comes to adoption they want to act like they care about her so much she needs to be protected. Hypocrites! I could go on but I won’t.

We had a nice visit at the orphanage following court. We played Uno and did some beading. I tried to color a sheet made to put in the window and look like stained glass but I realized after an hour I was coloring the template instead of the plastic sheet. It was embarrassing but Jillian made me feel better by rolling on the ground laughing. I think it was a message to go to bed and try again tomorrow.

Julianna thinks this adoption has been approved because she told Diane “Mommy I very, very happy”. We didn’t have the heart to tell her it wasn’t over yet. She better be right or I may get a chance to see how the prosecutor treats an ax murderer.

Trip 2 Day 2 Reunion

In the morning Nastya called us a taxi and we headed down to souvenir town to do our part for the economy. We found our guy from last trip and Diane even found the guy she bought from during the November GFA trip. Jillian wanted some things so it was fun to stand back and watch. Unfortunately, I ended up standing back and watching Diane too. No surprise the salesman remembered her.

We hurried back to the apartment, packed up, and headed to Schors with Nastya. We hired a driver who had a Mercedes van for this trip. Luxury! We checked back into the hotel, stay tuned for new nickname, and went to get something to eat. Nastya thought it wasn’t too far to walk to the orphanage so off we went. I may buy a scooter before this trip is over. Besides there’s something funny about a fat guy on a scooter and it’s my job to entertain the locals.



Nastya continued on walking to court and we branched off on a path through a field to get to the orphanage. I called Julianna to let her know we were almost there and she said “I know, I watch you. I come.“ Picture the movie scene where people are running towards each other through a field of wildflowers and you’ll kind of get the feel of reuniting with Julianna (minus the wildflowers). She hugged Jillian first, then Diane and saved the best for last. I know Jillian was nervous about this moment but it went pretty much the way I thought it would. Later on she said it was love at first sight.



We hung out in the large social room and Jillian showed her the Ipod we prepared for her. The small one we had given her on the last trip quit working so she was very happy to get a replacement. We also had some clothes for Julianna so the two girls headed upstairs to try them on. Jillian felt a little self conscious up there because she felt the other girls were staring at her so I comforted her by explaining they probably hadn’t seen an American prima donna before.

All kidding aside this should be a required trip for every American teenager. At one point in my career at Boeing I was dangerously close to layoff so I took a job in the wire shop building cables. This lasted for two years before I was recalled to my old job. I haven’t complained about my job since that experience. This is the same kind of thing. Jillian is very good at caring for other people and appreciating what she has but this takes it to a whole new level.

We rounded out the visit working on friendship bracelets. Nadia and Marina joined us and we had a great time. We said our goodbyes and started walking back to the hotel, hoping we would get there before we were due for court on Tuesday. The girls continued walking to visit the foster home and I visited the grocery store for beer and some lesser essentials. After all the walking it was a medical necessity to replenish my fluids.

Tomorrow we have court, where the judge and other representatives will decide our fate. We’re a little nervous but it should be okay.

Back in Kiev!

We're back in Kiev at our favorite cultural venue, McD's. The flights were good but after our last experience the bar is set pretty low. All we require for happiness is a vomitless flight. Alexiy picked us up so Jillian got her first taste of the local driving. It's fun to watch somebody else discover their own mortality.

We talked to Nastya and the big news that Olga, the inspector in Schors, was fired. I don't want to say too much about "why" she was fired until I'm sure. Nastya doesn't think this will impact our adoption but she plans on talking to her tomorrow.

We had trouble contacting Julianna but finally got her late in the day. She was dancing so evidently didn't have her phone. She was very happy that we are here and will see her tomorrow. She did say "I wait" which she says every time we talk to her. Hopefully this will be the last time.

We're going to get a taxi tomorrow morning so we can take Jillian to the souvenir area. After this we head to Schors.

Calling Julianna

Last night, my mom decided to call Julianna for the second time. The first call was just to let her know they made it safe to Seattle.

I thought I'd share last nights conversation.

Mom: Hi Julianna
Julianna: Hi mommy
Mom: How are you?
Julianna: I'm fine.
Mom: What are you going to do today?
Julianna: Play ball and play cards.
Mom: Ok, good, so you're alright?
Julianna: Yes, but I no play music because mp3 battery dead.
Mom: Well can you charge it on the computer at school?
Julianna: Yes.
Mom: Anything else?
Julianna: Yes, mommy. Nadia happy birthday yesterday.
Mom: Oh, good. What did you do?
Julianna: Eat. And say "Happy Birthday, Nadia."
Mom: Oh good, is Nadia's Italian family still there?
Julianna: Yes.
Mom: Did they bring the treats?
Julianna: Yes.
Mom: Oh good.
Mom: You sound sad?
Julianna: Yes.
Mom: Are you sad?
Julianna: Yes.
Mom: Why are you sad?
Julianna: MOOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYY (in a high pitch please don't make me talk about it voice).... BECAUSE I miss you and dad.
Mom: I'm sorry honey we miss you too. We'll be there on the 17th, okay?
Julianna: Okay
Mom: You be strong.
Julianna: Ok.
Mom: I love you, have a good day.
Julianna: I love you mommy.
Mom: ok, love you.
Julianna: I love you.

Long pause. Hang up.

Observations:

1) Her English is VERY good. Actually pretty amazing considering she's only been hosted for one summer and beyond that has never left Shors.
2) The girl can hardly handle being in that orphanage for another day. I have a feeling the next 2 weeks will creep by... especially for her.
3) She's so sweet.