The Ukrainian Way!%@#&$&$*%*&

This is going to be short as we leave for Donetsk in less than an hour by taxi to get the birth certificate and passport. We then have few hours before boarding the train for Kiev. 4 first class tickets cost about $135.00/each-well worth the extra money.

Sunday we had a taxi take us a few miles outside Mariupol to visit Anya's grandparent's graves and one of a 20 year old cousin. It was quite emotional and short! If you EVER want to visit the absolute "creepiest place on earth", go to a Ukrainian cemetery. Words cannot describe the ambiance. If you can imagine gigantic grave stones in all sorts, shapes, sizes and conditions, with carefully engraved pictures of the decease and all sorts of creative messages and symbols, some above ground, some trampled, some decaying and breaking apart, trees, shrubbery and vines everywhere-you have the picture. I've never seen anything like it and will never forget it. This was important to Anya for some closure. Shortly after the Grandmother died there was no more protection from the physical, emotional and psychological abuse that came from her mother. She ended up in the orphanage.

We spent the rest of the day with Anya at the apartment. She was pretty good for the most part.

On Monday we had her going away party. I'd like to go into more detail, but time doesn't permit; it was wonderful. The older children performed dances and songs and even Anya was all "dolled-up" in a Cinderella dress and hair-do. She actually danced with one of the older boys. Ludmilla entered the arena and all the children surrounded her-they LOVE this woman. She gave a short speech about how much Anya was loved and would be missed and then mentioned her new parent's and the opportunities that we were providing for her and how they were better than the those available to Anya in Ukraine. Lots of tears, hugs and good-byes. Aimee and I were invited front and center to become part of the emotional "orphan-riot"! It was everything it should be.

THEN.........the melt downs began. Angry, snotty-you name it-we got it. After 5 weeks, my true self is emerging and I had to remain silent on many issues I otherwise would not have. We ended up at her apartment (amidst protest, sneers and glares) and the melt down worsened. Frantic phone calls, writing information on pieces of paper and running around "rifling" thru those things she would bring with her. It was ugly. At some point, Anya (knowing we don't understand her) placed calls to Nadiya and the vice-director, Natalia, that we were there and were not welcomed. Natalyia actually showed up at the apartment and began discussing the fact that Anya had done NO packing or preparations to leave-NONE! and was now under pressure to pack up and vacate her world. Aimee and I left to lower the tension. Hope it worked, we'll find out in about 1/2 and hour when we go pick up Anya at the orphanage.

Off-topic: we stayed in an apartment provided the son of Ludmilla, the orphanage director. It was perfect-for the most part. We paid, what I thought was $50.00 for three weeks. WRONG! Things in Ukraine operate completely, well, stupid! The $50.00 only "hooked it up...", then there was the shut-off fee when went over the megabyte usage (which we were never told about) then there was an additional $80.00 fee for "usage" and finally, a $10.00 fee for

keeping it on today to write this stupid "blog" :) For the grand-prize of %$140.o0 for 3 weeks of Internet usage!!!

There is SO much more I'd like to say, just don't have the time. We will be out of touch until approximately late Wednesday night of Thursday morning. We may not be able to "blog" at all.

We are going to try and fly out Thursday night, but this is unlikely and we will end up leaving sometime Friday depending on flights.