Once Roman was gone we were left fend for ourselves. We felt prepared for survival but it is very strange to have NO ONE else to communicate with. They had given us a cell phone to use and we could call Yana anytime we needed help or a translator. When talking to Yana on the phone she always said "hows the girl" in her Russian accent. We still use this phrase when talking about DeAnna. Jeremy and Jordan could call us on this cell phone at no charge to us. I got them an international cell phone package before we left so the calls were fairly inexpensive. Talking to them frequently really ended up saving my sanity.
Visits to the orphanage were the highlights of our day, but actually became somewhat boring for all. The orphanage rules were very rigid. We had to hand over our passports every time we visited! Like we'd try to kidnap her and hide out in Dniprodzerzinsk?? We could visit in the morning from 10-12 and in the afternoon from 4-6. Sometimes they would cut the visits short with no notice. One time a large woman came out on the playground scooped her up, yelled something at us in Russian and went back in the building with her. We looked at each other... I guess the visit is over! In the morning visit we would trek through the snow and ice to the orphanage. It took about 20 minutes. We would stop at the store on the way and get her a healthy snack. We could play with DeAnna outside in the morning as her group was out marching around. We would take her to another part of the play yard as we weren't supposed to interact with her group and heaven forbid never go outside of the gates. She liked to lead us around and show us off to everyone. One time we were spotted giving her juice outside which we found out was a no no. Apparently drinking something cold outside will make you sick! After our morning visit we would walk back to town. Usually we would do some shopping and get some groceries. If you bought too many groceries at once they clerks got irritated. We would then have lunch and hang around the apartment playing games or watching British TV. There was also laundry to do, and the typical Ukrainian washing machine cycle is about 2 hours, no exaggeration, then 24 hours on the line before it was done. Soon it was time to get ready for the afternoon visit and snack. Vlad picked us up everyday like clockwork. In the afternoon we had all of our visits in the coat room, on the floor. There was no furniture and no toys! We brought books, toys and treats, but after a little while she would be getting into mischief. This was a very uncomfortable situation. Clearly they were in charge of her, and she minded them perfectly. She was constantly pushing her limits with us though (in a very charming way). If she was naughty they might think we couldn't handle her and if we upset her they might think we are mean! In the next room all the kids were having free time with a lot of toys and a big screen TV. By the end of the 2 hours sitting on the floor in the cloak room we would all be bored and frustrated. Soon we shortened this evening visit to 1 hour and it was much better for all. Vlad would pick us up for the ride back to the apartment. Sometimes we would have him drop us off at a restaurant, but this was a challenge since he spoke zero English. We usually ate out once a day, either lunch or dinner. Then it was back to the apartment for more BBC or one of the movies we brought. We often went to the Internet cafe down the street to blog and email. So this was it, day after day. Cold, depressing town, so far away from home, nothing else to do, no friendly faces, no one to communicate with, no end in sight. I remember thinking, if I could leave RIGHT NOW I am so far away I would have to take an overnight train to Kiev, get to the airport, buy tickets and fly for 20+ hours to be home. I can't even wait that long, how can I possibly make it 3 more weeks??????
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