And the world is quiet ...

One thing I was not prepared for is the silence of our apartment in Kiev. I have never been some place so quiet. The city itself is a bustling mass of people and cars during the evening. In fact, so many cars on the street that it is difficult to cross a street. Better to use the underground maze that is a shopping center, although, last night on our way home from dinner, we did get lost in the maze and had to double back to our original location and try again from street level. Once back in the apartment we heard our neighbors for awhile but then a deafening silence enveloped us. No one moves on the streets, no dogs bark, no pedicabs ring bells, no water running or heating noise ...just silence.

I'm writing this at 4:15 a.m. It is hard to wrap my mind around the idea that it is evening at home. I know it is only 8 hours difference but it seems so strange to feel like I've lived one day more than my family at home. Our day today is a bit uncertain. Debbie is anxious to get Stasik but I think our driver has other plans. As best we can understand, we have a lot of driving to do and a lot of government offices to visit in Preluki (sp?) and the capital of the province. It is going to be a day of driving, it seems. Kiev, Preluki and the capital make a triangle and it is 250 Km (about 155 miles) between each place. It seems that electronic scanning and e-mailing documents is a foreign concept here! We are just hoping to get to see Stasik today with actual possession of him taking place on Wednesday. If it happens differently, it will be a wonderful surprise but Debbie is trying to not get hopes up so she will not to be disappointed. A good attitude but a very hard one to maintain when she is this close to getting her baby.

Our link to the outside world via the Internet is about to stop. Unlike Jared and Debbie's first trip, Debbie and I did not come with a laptop. We only have iPads (who knew they could land one in trouble?) which can only connect wirelessly. Preluki is only accessible with a modem...no wireless connection. This city girl, from one of the most connected cities in the world, forgets that wireless is not ubiquitous. So alas, we will be cut off for two days until we return to Kiev. We should have Stasik firmily in the grasp of his new mama by my next post!