Yesterday when we got back from the orphanage we stopped off by the photo place to get more pictures developed and buy additional time on the cell phone. Check. Next we wanted to find a place for lunch as we really wanted to get out and stretch our legs. We went to restaurant called the SportBar and as I posted on FB, sometimes, just because it has beef in the name, doesn't mean that it's gonna be a steak or hamburger. Thankfully we did not order the boiled tongue in mayonnaise. Also, once you get over to the desserts, they had snickers and butterfingers and condoms. I'm curious though, how do you order that and not let on what your intentions are. After lunch, which was quite tasty, we went for a little walk to explore other parts of Simferopol. We found city council and a pizza joint with WIFI, YES! I am writing this blog update from our new pizza place. The pizza is ok, but we really wanted to use their WIFI. We made our way back to the apartment, stopping only to get a blended drink from a street vendor. They have another local drink here that is non-alcoholic called KBAC (pronounced K-Vahs). We haven't tried it yet, but they sell it out of these tanks that must be about 80 gallons or so and they sit on wheels. I'll let ya know how it tastes. Last night we ate in and started the puzzle that we bought for the kids at the orphanage. It said 7+ on the box. That's not the age recommendation, rather it is the amount of time it will take to complete it! It's like trying to assemble a shredded document, the pieces are so tiny.
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| Dima's new family! |
At the orphanage we had a few missions that we wanted to get accomplished for families back in the states. I also wanted to ask Yulia the questions from yesterday as we did not get to see her. Unfortunately, even with our visit, life goes on at the orphanage and today was shower day. The emphasis on DAY. That's right, day, not days, not every morning, or whenever they get dirty, one day a week.
Today was bittersweet as we learned that Dima is going to live with a family that is adopting his younger brother who is 3 years old. This is great news and the mother, when we chatted with her out front, was excited about Dima coming to live with them. Praise God that Dima will not have to live in the orphanage and will be raised by two parents and get to know his younger brother. The bitter side of this story is I know the family that met Dima recently, fell in love, and wanted to adopt him. My wife and I met Dima last year and we were excited to think he would be coming to NC. It's like losing Vova all over again. It hurts and my heart and prayers go out to that family.
We only got to see Sophia for a brief stint and the rest of the children in passing as they were hustled off to the showers. We had to hunt Sophia down this morning as they were still eating when we arrived. When they came over, I asked if they could teach us the card game they played the other day. So we headed inside to sit at the table to learn. They were happy to teach us. Nadia was there and she took the task of teaching me and Lisa sat next to Sophia to have her as a teacher. I actually won a round and did a little cabbage patch dance!
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| Marina! |
Our dear Sophia has been sick since we showed up last week and today she looked a little warm and red in the face. They give her a spray of something in her throat, but I so badly want this process to hurry along so we can use our resources to take care of her. Please pray for her health. A few games in and Sophia had to run off to the shower. I hope the water wasn't cold. These last couple of days we have only spent a short amount of time with her. Yesterday, her father was at the orphanage and we told her not to worry about us and today was shower day. No worries, I'd rather her not make waves right now. I did manage to show a couple of photos to some of the children today and pass along messages. I know they are happy to hear it, but they also keep a guard up and don't get over-excited about much. They roll with it. Proof is in the pudding to an orphan.
I wouldn't recommend buying kvas from barrels from street vendors. They have bottled kvas now in stores. Some brands are OK, some are bad, some are good. Try brand called Тарас. It tastes about the way it should. Most Americans hate kvas, but most Russians love it, and Chess loves it too! :-)
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