Day 10!

Today marks the final day of our 10-day waiting period. We are so excited to pick up Yan tomorrow. Yesterday we went to the travel agency in Lunhans'k to reserve tickets for our flight to Kiev on Wednesday morning. Our flight takes off at 6:40 am. Yan's first 24 hours with Karen and I should prove to be pretty hectic beginning with a 4:45 am wake up call. We went to visit him after our stop at the travel agency for about an hour and then headed to the market to get him some clothes. The market was outdoors and was very crowded. Reminded of us a flea market on a Saturday morning at home and the prices were right. The sizes in Ukraine are completely different than in the US so it is hard to tell if what we got will fit but I am sure we will be close enough. So cool to see his clothes folded and lined up in the hotel room - a reminder of how close we are to getting him.

As we prepare to leave Luhans'k and Lutugino, we thought we might share a couple final pictures from our experience over the last 3 weeks:

This is a picture of Alexander our driver and the car that we travelled in for the last 3 weeks. It is a Russian built car called a Lada and is probably the most common car on the road. Alexander has proven to be a real gentleman and life saver when we were in a pinch. Never says "no" to anything. He is fluent in Russian and Spanish and understands enough English for the three of us to converse every day back and forth to the Children's home. He has been a real friend to us.

Here is one of several bus stops on the side of the highway

traveling from Luhans'k to Lutugino.

Typical home outside the city on the way to the Children's Home. Most of the homes that you see were built when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. They were all one-story dwellings limited to 40 square meters in size. Notice the brown pipe that runs in front of the house. This is an above ground natural gas line that feeds each home with gas for heating and cooking. Each house is tied into the main line like telephone poles and wires at home.

This is a train crossing guard station. These stations are manned 24/7 - primarily by women. When a train is coming, they come out, lower the manual gates and wave two flags to signal to cars that a train is about to pass.

Luhans'k, like most other parts of Ukraine has its fair share of statues and monuments - most from the Soviet Union days. Each week, from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, it is not uncommon for us to see 10 - 15 wedding parties taking pictures in the city in parks, at monuments and in front of our hotel. This is one in front of what appears to be the Blessed Mother on the main road that runs through the center of town.

This is a picture of the main building of the Children's Home. This is the building where the older children have classes, where the admin offices are located and where we saw the show the other day. Lately, when we leave, Yan waits at the gate in the lower left-hand corner of the picture and waves good bye. While it tears us up to drive away and leave him, he is smiling and yelling "ba ka" the whole time.

All of the kids take off their shoes before entering their "dormitory" area. This is a picture of the shoes lined up outside Yan's dorm.

Not sure when we will have the chance to write again. We are guessing our next update will come from Kiev. We hope so anyway. Please keep us in your prayers that all goes well the next 48 hours and that we will soon be home with our son. Thanks - K&M