Friday, December 28, 2007

12/28/07 - Train Ride from #@$& and Consulate Fun!

Hello again & welcome to another chapter of "The Lebsacks in Ukraine".

After saying a tearful goodbye to Juliyana last night we boarded the "Night Train" to Kyiv. We had a First Class Coupe' but the ride was anything but....It was seriously 95 degrees inside the train (I saw the thermometer to prove it).....no windows that would open....and we were dressed for outside weather (long underwear, turtlenecks, sweater....you get the idea). Our bags were inaccessible and we had top bunks (even hotter) and someone kept sliding the door to our coupe' shut so that it was like an oven. I got a couple of words of advice for anyone traveling the train in Ukraine....dress light and get a BOTTOM BUNK. PS - Nobody slept much (like thats a surprise). On the bright side, Helen you will love this part of the trip in January.

After grabbing a couple of quick hours of sleep we dragged our semi-comatose bodies out of bed and headed off for the Consulate. We got our power of attorney (which they said we wouldn't need....we got it anyway) and then signed the medical declaration and our I-600. Now I stongly recommend that nobody try to fill out the I-600 in a sleep deprived semi-comatose state. By the third try poor Donna was in tears and pretty much had given up. The lady behind the counter graciously accepted it despite the many cross outs etc....

For those going in be sure you know all the particulars of you child such as Original full given name, DOB, where born, region, and what orphanage they are in, what name you gave them etc. Its a really good thing I had copied all this info into my tiny notebook (for completely different reasons) because we had no phone (they take that at the gate) and it would have been difficult to call our facilitator outside.

While inside we met two other families just finishing their adoptions and getting the visa to leave. One family from Skenecdady, NY had been in country only 27 days and were leaving with their daughter tonight. They admitted to being very lucky with the timing as every element seemed to line up perfectly with business days so that there wasn't any down time waiting for holidays or weekends or someone's vacation etc...

The other family conversely had been in country for nine weeks (sound familiar Jennifer H.) and was finally getting to go home with their daughter tomorrow. Their adoption was for an older child that they had hosted last Christmas in TX.

Every adoption here is soooooo different and none are ever easy. This journey is not for the faint of heart or those with only mild convictions. Donna and I are really truly beginning to understand the bond that everyone on UA Angels share. This is an intense and truly special experience that nobody can understand unless they themselves have done it.

Our best to all,

Mike and Donna

5 comments:

Sharon & Brian said...

I'm glad things are moving forward - although I'd hoped you had not had some of the bumps along the way. I'm sure you are excited to get home and see your boys and hopefully you will be back soon to finalized everything to bring your daughter home.
Congrats again
Sharon

Kathy and Matt said...

Thanks for sharing all the details of the train, the meeting at the Consulate, etc. Now I've just got to keep them all in mind as we scramble to depart.

Glad you'll have the chance to come home briefly. We look forward to meeting Donna in Kiev and then hopefully having both families meet later when we're both back in state.

Nataliya said...

Congratulations on your court date! I'm so sorry about your train ride - ours was much better. Though my husband and I bought all 4 bunks in the cabin, so at least we had our privacy.

We also had our court date in December and I'm heading back to Ukraine on January 14th to finish the paperwork and bring our daughter back.

Anonymous said...

Congtatulations again,
I can't wait to take that train ride. If we wear bikinis will we get first class bunks ?See you in a week or two,
Helen

Jennifer said...

Mike and Donna - I can related very well to the poor couple who could almost claim citizenship (but probably never will) :) Congrats on your new daughter. I love the name. Can't wait to see her precious photos.

Jennifer