Adopting Natasha: Independent Adoption from Ukraine

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Journal of an Independent Adoption From Ukraine

26-Nov-2000

Traveling sucks. I kept losing track of the time and day. I think today is Sunday 11/26. We just got checked into the Tourist Hotel in Kiev.

Friday night (11/24/00) was a really strange night. I just could not sleep.

Mom and I have been packing our bags for the last 2 weeks. We are sharing 2 large bags and spliting everything up so if we lose our luggage we still have some clean underwear etc... But I still had some extra stuff that needed another bag for .. My English has left... I am so tired.

OK... starting again.

Friday night I laid out everything out on the living room floor. The game plan was to figure out how to fit everything into a carry-on bag. My 2 dogs had already been checked into their dog hotel and I really missed them badly.

I am still not sure why I put everything on the living room floor. I kept moving clothing around and staring at it. I finally packed my carry-on bag and still have some clothing left over. I sat on the floor and watched my unpacked clothing and my toothbrush. Somewhere around 3AM I realized that it was 3AM and decided to quit staring and do something. So I laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. I had been awake for so long anyway... might as well stay up and.... at that point I fell asleep.

I woke up at 830AM on Saturday. The plane left at 1100AM and I had agreed to met Mom at her house at 0900AM. Oh... I was still in my strange staring, dazed state. I picked up the clothing on the living room floor and my bag. I got into my car and drove to Mom's house.

Robb, my older brother, agreed to drive us to the airport. I drove up to Mom's house right at 9AM. I parked and grabbed my unpacked clothing. I showed it to Mom and said in a dull and flat voice, "It didn't fit".

Mom was in a panic to get to the airport. She was shoving my carryon bag into the car and told me. "You are not repacking any bags". She was guarding the bags from me. She did not want me to touch them.

More of this Feature
• 22-Oct: Home
• 08-Nov: Home
> 26-Nov: Kiev
• 27-Nov: Kiev
• 29-Nov: Kharkiv
• 30-Nov: Kharkiv
• 01-Dec: Kharkiv
• 02-Dec: Kharkiv
• 03-Dec: Kharkiv
• 04-Dec: Kharkiv
• 05-Dec: Kharkiv
• 10-Dec: Warsaw
• 13-Dec: Home

Related Resources
• Adopting from Ukraine
• International Adoption - Index
• Meet Natasha (photo)
• Natasha at Home
• Single Parent Adoption

Robb was trying not to laugh at us.

Mom finally went into the house and came back out with another carryon bag. She helped me stuff it with my unpacked stuff... shove... shove some more... sit on the bag a little... OK it will close now....

We were finally off. I was in this weird little fog all the way to Zurich. I was tired but could not sleep. I was off to adopt my child.

Mom and I hooked up with Jannie in Zurich and flew to Kiev. We took so long filling out our custom card that we were the last people. We had to use the "something to declare" line. It was fairly simple. I filled out the form wrong and the nice Ukrainian customs guy helped me fix it.

Finally we were out in the airport ready to leave. We waited for about 15 minutes before my translator, Luba found us.

Dima, our driver, loaded the luggage into the car. It was really sad. These woman in rags were begging outside of the airport. Both of them were carrying babies. I saw one woman pinch her baby to make it cry. Sad.... It was bone cold. The air was like ice.

We finally got checked into the Tourist Hotel. It is a little cold in the room. But the most important thing... Bed... there is a bed.

Goodnight.. Tomorrow we visit the adoption center.

Angela in Kiev

2000 (c) Angela W.

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