Home Sweet Home

Yahoo, we made it! We had a wonderful reception at the airport with posters and balloons from Craig, Pat, Evan, Uncle Dwight, Aunt Katie, Aunt Amy and Caroline. Yesterday was a very long day of travel from Kyiv to Frankfurt to Philadelphia. We are glad to be home, unpacked and several games of FIFA 2010 on X-box already under our belts. Final pictures to come....

It Does Indeed Take a Village Far and Wide

We are in the home stretch and man does it feel good. I was tossing and turning all night thinking about the past five weeks and what it takes to complete an adoption in Ukraine. The people we have enountered have been incredibly gracious, loving and dedicated to their work. Honestly, I don't think that I have fully realized the power of a village like I have here. Below are some pictures of the key players. I am missing one very special person stateside and that is our Tonya Boggs from Options4Adoptions. She is the force behind getting the ball rolling and that does not begin to describe her incredible work. Nastya and Alexey, below, are our facilitors in Kyiv. They dedicate their livelihood to helping orphans find forever families. They work with families all over the world.
There is no other word than amazing to describe Sergey below. When you want to get the job done, he is the one to call. He worked hard in a system that is broken or doesn't make sense. We could all learn a lesson on dedication from him.

It's hard to imagine that you can form a bond with people you've only spent a few hours with but that is just what happens when you enter this process with other adopting families. Bridgette and Kyle Lawlor (below) are from Atlanta. We began our journey in Kyiv with them as they were preparing to depart to adopt their new son Roman.

We spent many many days and MEALS with the Trumps, also from the Atlanta region. We were so fortunate to overlap with another family in Severodonetsk.

Above is our first day in Kyiv with the Lawlors and the Dunmires from Pittsburgh. They adopted Andre from the same orphanage as Roman. They spent many days together visiting the orphanage and the camp in their region. The Dunmires also traveled with their son Dustin.

I will cherish this picture above for a very long time. Sergei considers this the best picture of his two moms. Larisa has been his teacher since his first day in the orphanage. Without a doubt, she and her family have a special bond with him. Larisa and I had lots of time together. It is a total blast when you can communicate some serious stuff without knowing each other's language. We will continue to skype with her and hope that she visits the East Coast on a hosting trip with New Horizons or possibly a vacation. It is very difficult to get a visa to leave Ukraine.

Below is one of the camp directors with two of our buddies. We saw him on our daily visits. He was a key playing in helping me throw an ice cream party for all of the kids. The big director and the medical director said no at first, it was too hot for ice cream. I couldn't believe it. I kept pushing and pushing and he helped to get a thumbs up.

The teachers of the Internot love these kids. They are supportive of adoption but defnitely feel their own loss. Many of them work long days and spend time away from their own families, especially if they are on camp duty. I did learn that their salaries about about $250 a month.

Hard to believe that I would call the hotel Mup (Mir) home, but it was my home for almost five weeks. The staff was wonderful and of course we had our favorites. Above is Margherita at the front desk. She helped me translate letters from kids (Rusian to English) and email them to several American families. She would also help me to print out letters from parents and deliver them to kids. Just imagine their delight to receive mail at camp. I remember the days of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for a time to skype with Sergei. I was thrilled to be able to keep communication open for these families. Below is Tonya, my favorite waitress in the restuarant. Breakfast was included in the room rate so I saw her just about every morning.

Constantine and Gena were our dedicated drivers to and from camp. Yana,below,is the young lady we are trying to fix up Sasha, Larisa's son. Gena was so happy to learn a the new word match maker.

I didn't get her name above but we saw her EVERYDAY in the convenience store where we bought bottled water and yogurt for lunch. She was always happy to greet us. Below is my favorite cookie vendor who new me by name "Dah-na" like so people at home call me.

I loved going to the market daily because I got such a kick out of seeing my vendor friends. The lady above worked at the cross stich and needle point booth. I stopped there many times. The picture below is the fruit lady. One day she asked me to see our picutre. The following day, I delivered a black and white print out in a plastic protector and she was thrilled. In fact, she was so thrilled that she gave me a lemon. I am not sure what the significance of the lemon is but I game it to Margherita at the front desk and she was happy to receive it.

And finally the meat vendor...I actually didn't meet her but when I was with Sergey the translator, we asked permission to take her picture. Not only did she agree, but she brought out her BEST cow's head just for that purpose. Talk about being proud of your wares!!

So, today is my last day in Ukraine. It is time to wake up Sergei and do a little shopping. I didn't want to leave without an appropriate recognition of the amazing people I have encountered on this journey. Ukrainians are beautiful and kind people. They have opened their hearts and their world to us and we are so very thankful.

KYIV and the American Embassy

We made! We were up at 5:00 a.m. to catch a plane to Kyiv. Alexey met us at the airport and we headed straight for the American Embassy which is a very busy place. Honestly, I am not even 100% sure what we were doing there but I can tell you it went smoothly and only took an hour. Afterwards, we headed out to complete Sergei's medical evaluation which was also pretty simple. Below we are sitting outside of our apartment in Kyiv waiting for the key to be delivered. Kyiv is a beautiful city and packed with of people of all ages. The architecture is really interesting because there is a noticable Russian influence from the Soviet Union days, as well as many ornate Ukrainian buildings and churches. Eating out is a big part of the life style in Kyiv, especially dessert. There are many traditional Ukrainian restaurants and there you will find lots of other Ukrainian crafts, embroideries and folklore. The eggs below are from an exhibit at the Upper Lavra which a functioning monastery with tons of history.
We just happened to be walking down the street and found this storage area for the church domes.

Below is is St. Andrew's Church is going through a renovation. It is directly across from the SDA which is where we had our very first appointment to start the entire process.

Below is one part of St. Sophia's Cathedral. Underneath that picture is a long shot walking towards St. Sophia's. The church is over 1,000 years old and I believe it is the oldest in the city. Parts of it were destroyed and rebuilt throughout it's history. The interior is absolutely spectacular with a very ornate altar, mosaics that are a millenium old and original frescos. Very very special. Craig and I toured when we first arrived. It is the one place that Sergei would like to squeeze in tomorrow.

Sergei was in Kyiv last summer for a program with school. Funny thing is that tonight he told me he would take me to a restaurant that he likes. Low and behold, he knew exactly where he was going and had me fooled the entire time. We walked into a restaurant that he was completely familiar with and had a delicious meal. Typical Ukrainian restuarants offer a wonderful buffet spread of salads, meats, fishes, verenekes, pancakes, breads, desserts and more.

Tomorrow we have our final exit piece at the Embassy at 2:00. That's the last piece of business before we pack up and head home. We are both a little punchy at this point in time. He is too cold with airconditioning and I can't sleep without it. Makes for a great roommate combination, especially with the language barriers. I am not worried though.... we have great faciliators waiting for us at home.

SJL is a Permanent Resident of USA

The past 24 hours have been a whirl wind in 95 degree weather. Just imagine how that feels!! In any event, we have a passport and are finished all that we need to do here. It is a Ukrainian passport with his new name that will get him out of Ukraine and into the USA where he automatically becomes a citizen once he steps foot on American soil. Below are a few pictures to capture the past hours. More to come later but I wanted to keep you all posted as we spend one night in Lugansk, preparing to fly to Kyiv.

Above is Sergei's final walk to the front gates of the camp with suitcase and friends in tow. Below are just a handful of friends gathering to say their final goodbyes. A few tears....... but I think the past five weeks have offered a softer, more subtle way to say goodbye.

We left camp, picked up Larisa and headed to the school for Sergei to grab a few momentos. Below is a picture of Sergei's two favorite mamas. We had a wonderful dinner and send off at Larisa's house. Without a doubt, she is going to miss him very much.

As we were driving from Lisichantsk (Sergei's birth town) to Lugansk we passed miles and miles of fields with beautiful sun flowers. The government grows them for the oil and the seeds. It was a spectacular sight and quite different from much of the scenery we have experienced. How lovely to take it all in and be reminded of all that has happened since we arrived on June 21st.

At last, Sergey and Sergei with the new Ukrainian passport. Not sure how we accomplished it all as the office was closed today (it's a big Ukrainian secret and who am I to question). However, when we rang the bell, they let us in and had the new passport ready for pick up. Phew and Alleluia!

Sergei John Loundas

This is Craig blogging from stateside. I just skyped with Dana and Sergei at 10:30 p.m. their time. The petition to adopt is approved, final, over and completed! Dana spent the whole day running with Sergey (facilitator) for birth certificate, passport, and other records. She then went to camp, picked up Sergei and they got some things from the Internot (school). Sergei will spend the night in the hotel, he wants to watch TV all night long (sound familiar, Pat and Evan?), and they will head to Lugansk tomorrow to pick up the passport. Then..fly to Kyiv on Thursday for US Embassy work and back home on Sat.

Dana will update with some photos, but for the blog followers....the adoption is official!

A Day NOT to Remember!!

6:45: Wake up alarm

7:15: Breakfast

8:10: Arrive at court house to pick up decree. Many Babushka (Russian grandmothers) already accumulating.

8:30: Court House doors open and Sergey sprints to the consigliere (prothonotary) office. NO DECREE. He calmly asks the woman to look again. She agrees to call him in from the hall once she does. No call. He goes in one more time. She becomes irritated because she is busy. Sergey gets the court secretary to come in and she locates the document. Yea.

8:50: Depart to go to Office of the Records in Lisichansk (Sergei's home town)

9:10: Arrive in Lisichansk and wait in hallway.

9:40: Sergey learns there is a problem with Sergei's birthcertificate. We must have the judge amend the decree. Back to Severodonetsk.

9:59: Arrive in Severodonetsk. Judge not available because he is in a session.

10:15: Court must be over and I see the judge. He does not want to change the decree as the problem exists with the records office and not what he processed. Sergey convinces him to help us.

10:56: One copy of amended decree in hand to bring to Lisichansk. If approved,we will return to pick up additional copies..

11:13: Arrive back at the Records Office in Lisichansk

12:26: Get the new birth certificate listing us as parents and the adoption certificate. Off to the Records Office in same town (Lisichantsk) which is where Sergei was born.

12:35: Arrive at Tax Inspector's before the office closes at 13:00. SNAG!. We need to hit the Tax Inspector in Severodonetsk (return trip #2). She does not know their hours or their phone number.

13:03: Arrive at Tax Inspector in Severodonetsk. Entire office closed for lunch. Tax IDs are not issued after 13:00 but we could return at 13:45 and try.

13:20: Hit the court house to pick up additional copies of amended decree.

13:35: Return to Tax Inspector and wait for 10 more minutes.

14:13: Got it! Off to Internot (school) to get paperwork from the lawyer.

14:40: To the passport office with Yana, the Internot's lawyer. Oops....needed a notarized copy of both birth and adotption certificates.

14:54: Off to notary.

15:13: Back to Passport Office.

16:05: Back to Internot. One more stamped document for passport office and then pick up release papers to pick up Sergei from camp.

16:40: Last trip to passport office. finally, all paperwork submitted. We will pick up his new passport in Lugansk on Wednesday.

17:30: Head to camp to retrieve Sergei and say good bye to children.

18:00: Arrive at camp.

19:15: Depart camp.

19:45: Pick up Larissa at her home and head to Internot to pick up last minute things of Sergei.

20:00: Dinner at Larissa's with her husband Gena , son Sasha, Sergei and me.

23:00: Return to Hotel Mir with my new son Sergei. Mommy wants airconditioning. Sergei insists he is cold. OMG!!! Someone please help me!

00:15: Sergei is STILL playing computer games.

Day #10 - Dyesyat (d'eh-s'uht') Futbol Mania!

A Closer Look at Futbol

in Severodonetsk:

Stadiums & Players

You might have already guessed, but futbol is not just a hobby or recreational activity, it is a way of life. These kids are always ready to play a game, kick the ball around or practice skills by keeping the ball in the air. Not a surprise and obviously a major time filler.



It was fun being here during FIFA 2010 because the kids were all cheering for any team Eurpopean. Ukraine did not have a team represented in the World Cup. I do not know the reasons why. In Severodonetsk, there are many fields and they accommodate many playing levels and ages. There is a professional Lugansk Regional team that plays in the stadium below. It looks a little run down but that seems to be an understatement at this point. I am told by the kids it is a very nice stadium.

One block down from the Internot is another stadium. From the outside, it looked like it was ready for demolition. There was graffiti, broken glass and missing concrete. Craig and I couldn't figure out how to walk inside the stadium because the cement threshold was completely gone and there were tons of broken bottles. We tried to peek in but gave up.

The next Saturday morning, I was walking to the market and there were tons of cars parked outside and I could hear the crowd cheer. I found my way in by following a spectator and witnessed a pretty serious game. The stands were full and people were cheering. The referees were in official attire and were working hard. The coaches were vocal, throwing their hands to their heads and pacing along the side lines. My guess is that this equates to our Southern Chester County Club. The players appeared to be between 16 & 18 years old.

Below, Cheryl and Tatiana are in this very same stadium but no game is being played. They are standing in the center in front of the preferred seating or the announcers booth. The next picture shows one side of the spectator's stand. The cement bleechers are behind the tall shrubs. It is hard to imagine that any one of us would be attending a game in a stadium with these conditions. The third photo is a long shot of the field. I don't recall if the goals had nets on Saturday or not. It is also hard to know if the grass looks like this permanently or if it is a result of the drought and extreme temperatures.

Below is an enclosed turf field that is halfway between the school and the lake. On my birthday, we walked with a large group of teenages to the lake about two miles away. Afterwards, the boys were hurrying because I think the word was that another group of boys was ready for a match up. We quickly followed behind and watched from outside of the fence. This view also includes a very typical highrise apartment building adjacent to the field.

If you look closely at the photo below, you will notice some interesting details. These kids were playing either without shoes or with flip flops. There was no complaining and no holding back on the attack. By taking a closer look, you will also see that two kids are sharing one pair of shoes. Consider yourself lucky if a friend is willing to share half of his footwear. Of course, that is only beneficial if you are a right footer and your buddy is a lefty. Who cares about sizing? After the first 30 minutes of playing, another team started gathering. These kids had matching team shirts and socks. It was a sobbering sight for us but one I think these kids have grown accustomed to.

Below is a small sand field at the school. The goal is confugred out of play ground equipment. Next to it is a full sized field with real goals. I never learned any specifics about this other field and assume it is used in season.

The two pictures below are from Camp Alliance. There is very little grass here and you can also see how dark the soil is. Just think about the condition of these kids feet with this black soil, no shoes and playing futbol. I have witnessed these feet first hand. Yikes!!!

The players of Severodonetsk (l to r):

Denis, Artur, Sergei and Vlad.

It has been fun listening to their banter about the World Cup. Craig and I would bring newspaper updates of FIFA to camp for Sergei. He loved it and they would devour the details. Below Gena is wearing a Mexican team shirt that we actually bought and mailed to Sergei. We might have mentinoned earlier, but Craig and I purchased soccer socks for these kids after we saw the condition of Sergei's. At some point in time, they had been white and they had an enclosed toe. Crazy how they make things work regardless of the conditions.

Above, Sergei practicing his corner kicks at the lake. His buddies were way out in the water and ready to receive. He is excited to be a part of Unionville High School's soccer program. he also has a dream of becoming an American soccer super star. Below is Gena holding a towel that he is very proud of. The team is Shahtyor out of the Donetsk region. They are the best professional team in Ukraine.

The younger Sergei at camp.

And who DOESN'T love Cristiano Ronaldo? He certainly makes your heart skip a beat!!!!!

And finally, Day #10 is here but we really have two more days to wait. The days passed by more quickly than I thought. We are headed home in six days and can not wait.