Train ride and a great day

Sorry about missing a day but we were so busy yesterday by the time we got back to the apartment we just wanted to go to bed.  Sunday evening we took the train from Kiev toKrivey Rig with Sveta. Sveta is our attorney/facilitator/translater, she is a wonderful person that works very hard. We loved the train ride!  It was overnight and you slept on the seats, they were like bench seats.  You had a matress that rolled out and sheets and a pillow and blanket.  Other than the men in the next car talking until 2 in the morning I slept pretty well.  Mick said he only slept about and hour, but he still ejoyed the train.  When we arrived, at 6am in Krivey Rig we went to McDonalds and got egg mcmuffins and coffee and proceeded to our apartment to eat. When we arrived at the apartment we has such a nice suprise, the lady that lives here had made us breakfast and was here to welcome us.  Her name is Tatinana (not sure about spelling).  She is a very nice person who made us feel at home, and she has a lovely apartment.  She is staying with her sister while we are here.  We had about 45 minutes to shower and get ready for the day and then we were off with Svetta.  We went to the regional government building where Sveta started our paperwork and made an appointment with the inspector to come to the orphanage with us when we meet Vika.  Next we went to a BIG, almost Wal-Mart type of store to get groceries. Dropped them at the apartment, then went and had interent set up at a cell phone/computer store, by then it was after 1pm and we had to go pick up the inspector. When we went back to the regional building we found out that another lady was also coming with us, so Mick, Sveta, the inspector and I sat in the back seat.  Now you have to understand that this is a small car! So I was sitting on Mick and the inspector ladies laps! We were all laughting, and Mick and I both thought how can she say anything negative afIer I sat on her.
When we got to the orphanage we waited in a room outside the diectors office, and people walked by and would say hello. Then we saw the kids walking home from school, and a few of them would stick their heads in the door and look to see who was there.  Dema (Tina and Dustins) and Erik were the first to find us.  They were all smiles and came in to say hello, Mick and and I told them hi and then Mick said shhh and they understood and left.  We also saw several of the girls and they just smiled and waved.  After a while they brought Vika down and she came a gave us both a hug.  It was so wonderful to see her at last!  She sat with us quitely until they called us into the directors office. They ask us to tell about ourselves and what we did for a living.  We showed them the photo book we brought for Vika that had pictures of our home, family, and the school Vika will attend. (For future families this was helpful, because the director and inspector both looked at it) Then they told us about Vika, when she was born, her birth weight and lenght, that her parents rights were terminated, that she has three brothers and none of them have ever come to see her, ant that she is a good and quiet girl.  The doctor read her file, and said that since she has been in the orphange she has been very healthy, has has no major health issues, just the flu a time or two and some ear infections.  Vika had a complete physical in Novemeber and had no issues, at that time she was tested for HIV, TB, and hepatitus, and everything was negative.  They ask Vika some questions we did not get a translations for, and then they ask us  about school and said she has some difficulty with math and if we would  help her with it, of course we said yes.  After that we were dimissed and Vika took us to meet her group, the girls she lives with, and she showed me her bed and pulled out the the camera Karena gave her in August and showed me her most current picutes she took.  Of course we had to meet all the girls and get a group photo and then the girls took a photo of Vika with her parents. Vika and her beautiful smile!
We have more to post but we have to leave soon, will add the rest with photos ( I hope) later.