The Sea

This morning we left the TLC about 10:00 and were determined to find our way to the Sea of Azov, after our disastrous first attempt last week. We made it! The route was great - down a steep tree-lined walkway that ended up on a sandy beach with benches and the cutest (albeit old) little "changing" boxes that you could enter to change into your swimming suit. I think I'd still feel very uncomfortable doing that because your feet and your head are still showing, and everyone knows what you're doing, but I guess people here don't care. Mark and I sat on a bench and soaked up the sun when it came out from behind the clouds. The sea was soothing with the waves coming up over the sand and seagulls flying overhead. The water was not very clear and was greyish in color, but we saw people wading out far, so I guess it wasn't too cold or too dirty. We enjoyed our time there.

As we left the Sea we were a bit hungry and still had quite a bit of time before we promised the girls we'd be at the orphanage, so we stopped at a cafe located just on the other side of the road from the beach. We asked for a menu, but even looking at the pictures didn't help us much. We decided we would just ask for Borscht (beet soup) and Verengya (the dumplings we love so much). The waitress said "Nyet" to the Borscht, but they did have "kartoushka verengya" - potato dumplings, so that's what we ordered. They were delicious, drenched in melted butter, with bread on the side. We also had Coca-cola, which was a treat and was fun because it came in bottles with Russian words on it, except for the words Coca-cola! The entire meal cost only $25 Hrivna (greevna), which is the equivalent of about $3.50 in American dollars. We'd pay more than that for the two cokes back home!

Food here is very inexpensive. Other items are comparable in price to items in America, but food is inexpensive. We went shopping with Tanya last week and bought an overflowing basket of food to last a week here at the TLC, and the whole thing cost about $900 Hrivna, which is only about $135 dollars. Nothing when you consider that that feeds about 17 people for an entire week. They eat a lot of cabbage here and other vegetables, such as radishes, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. They eat very little meat, so when it is served it's a treat. They eat barley and macaroni as side dishes. Meals are served on small plates already dished out for you. There are normally no seconds, but bread is always served along with the meal. It's a simpler, but probably much healthier way of eating.

Before we went to the sea this morning we made a small detour to walk through the open market in the town. There are small, metal booths that can be locked shut at night, but opened during the daytime. These held the most unbelievable variety of goods. There was a booth that held all kitchen utensils, and another that had toys, another had electronics and cell phones (very popular here). There were booths that held plumbing parapernilia and booths with auto supplies. Then there were tables set up under a canopy and along the outer edge of the booths where the vegetable and produce venders hawked their goods. There were mounds of cabbages and potatoes and eggs stacked precariously into perfect pyramids. Someone was selling "Salo" which is a traditional delicacy in Ukraine. Basically it is pig fat which they spread on bread. We don't intend to try that! We also passed one old "Babushka" selling hog snouts and ears. I'm afraid to ask what people use those for! It is an interesting mixture of goods and people and everyone who is anyone is there, carrying their own bags to cart the stuff home. It is a different way of life than ours in America.

Our walk to the orphanage each day reminds us of those differences, too. We pass by many older, square Ukrainian homes with steep roofs covered in metal sheeting. These were probably built in the 1920's or '30's. The nicest of these have been painted within the last 10 years or so, and have well-kept and tidy, little miniscule gardens behind the fence or in the space of ground between the broken and uneven sidewalk and the street. Surrounding these small houses on all sides are towering and decaying high rise apartment buildings that were probably built in the 1940's or 50's during the Soviet era. Most people own their own apartment, and we've been told they are very expensive, and pretty small. There are a few newer brick homes that have been built along the way, but they are wedged in among the older homes. They have probably replaced an older home that was torn down. Many people are out walking and carrying bags, no matter what time it is. That is the way of life here. Not too many people own cars.

Alcoholism is also a problem here. There are liquor stores or booths every block or two, and it is not uncommon to see people carrying an open beer bottle or other alcoholic beverage with them as they walk down the street, no matter the time of day. We haven't seen any public drunkeness yet, however, so they must reserve that for at home.

This afternoon we arrived at the orphanage at about 2:00 and spent another sweet four hours with our girls and some friends. The Frisbees are very popular and we just made our own fun. When we told them we needed to leave soon they kept saying, "No, stay till 6:00 or 7:00 or 12:00 or until the morning!" We told them it wouldn't be long till we could be together all the time.

We received a phone call from Vanya today and he informed us that he submitted our paperwork to the SDA in Kiev today, but learned that the vote to pronounce a moratorium on foreign adoptions would be held on Tuesday, June 2, the day after our court date. It probably won't affect us, but he asked that we spread the word and ask for prayers on behalf of all the orphans in Ukraine and on behalf of all the families trying to adopt. This law would really hurt the children.

I've given too much information today. I'm sorry I'm such a "wordy" writer. It is fun to share our experiences and observations about life here. We feel God's presence strongly each and every day. It is hard to be patient, but we see that it truly is a necessary part of this process. Thank you for your prayers.

Much Love,
Dawn and Mark