This morning we made our way back to the US consulate. After a short wait in a waiting room which had a few toys, we were called up and the man who processed our case told us that all the documents we'd left were in order. He reviewed the forms I'd filled in overnight, had me sign them and told us the visas would be ready in about 20 minutes. Less than 20 minutes later, we had the visas and were on our way. Again, we were impressed with how helpful and kind the consulate staff is to families involved in international adoptions.
A colleague and good friend from CBN-CIS, Vitaly Stebenev, then drove us to an outdoor military museum in a majestic setting overlooking the Dnieper River (the same river that flows through the boys' hometown, Kherson). We all had a great time. The boys got to climb into a combat helicopter, on top of a tank, and into the cockpit of a MIG fighter that boasted a top speed of 2,500 k.p.h! We spent almost an hour there and were begining to get a bit cold in the "springtime" weather (it actually snowed a bit this AM). I suggested having a bite to eat before we went back to the Weber's home and our ofice. The boys actually remembered the name of the restaurant we'd been to yesterday and begged to go back. It was NOT McDonald's but rather a Ukrainian buffet-stype place with a great variety. I was glad to go too as I think Ukrainian food is great and, in general, quite healthy.
Upon returning to the office, I called Northwest one time to see if I could get us seats this weekend. None were available on the direct Delta flight to JFK tomorrow nor any other flights going through Europe. So, we will be on the Delta flight on Monday, March 30. We leave Kiev at 10:50 AM arrive New York at 2:15, then don't leave for Norfolk until 8:00 PM (arriving at 10 PM. There will be a few more formalities then usual to process the boys' paperwork when we arrive in New York but it will still be a looong wait. The man at the consulate told me the boys actually become US citizens when they arrive on US soil which was a pleasant surpirse as I thought it wouldn't be for six months or so.
A colleague and good friend from CBN-CIS, Vitaly Stebenev, then drove us to an outdoor military museum in a majestic setting overlooking the Dnieper River (the same river that flows through the boys' hometown, Kherson). We all had a great time. The boys got to climb into a combat helicopter, on top of a tank, and into the cockpit of a MIG fighter that boasted a top speed of 2,500 k.p.h! We spent almost an hour there and were begining to get a bit cold in the "springtime" weather (it actually snowed a bit this AM). I suggested having a bite to eat before we went back to the Weber's home and our ofice. The boys actually remembered the name of the restaurant we'd been to yesterday and begged to go back. It was NOT McDonald's but rather a Ukrainian buffet-stype place with a great variety. I was glad to go too as I think Ukrainian food is great and, in general, quite healthy.
Upon returning to the office, I called Northwest one time to see if I could get us seats this weekend. None were available on the direct Delta flight to JFK tomorrow nor any other flights going through Europe. So, we will be on the Delta flight on Monday, March 30. We leave Kiev at 10:50 AM arrive New York at 2:15, then don't leave for Norfolk until 8:00 PM (arriving at 10 PM. There will be a few more formalities then usual to process the boys' paperwork when we arrive in New York but it will still be a looong wait. The man at the consulate told me the boys actually become US citizens when they arrive on US soil which was a pleasant surpirse as I thought it wouldn't be for six months or so.
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