O’what a night

So the day started out easy – sleep in and then a little work.  I got a call from Sasha about the apartment move which will be 24 to 48 hours depending on how long it takes to fix the gas.  I didn’t bother to ask what was being fixed or upgraded.  For some less is more.  I was thinking I would end up at the apartment that the Gardiners used on the west end of Lenin but to my happy surprise it turned out that this temporary apartment is so close to the orphanage that you could throw a soccer ball at it from the gate.  It is the building in the background of some of the past soccer photos so it couldn’t be any closer.

Natalia showed me the room and her English is good enough that I was able to also ask about the Azovmash basketball game.  Dream a little dream folks because Sergei and I went to the game!  Now for a little flashback as to how we got there.  So back from the apartment I meet up with Sergei and we comes in and says no basketball for him today.  I couldn’t tell (or perhaps believe) that he wasn’t going so I tried to determine if he was just saying he did not want to go or that he could not go.  Right in the middle of this father son non-communication moment Lyudmila comes into the room and gives Sergei what sounds like a little bit of a what for and I assume at this point that the director has nixed the idea.  Sergei leaves and Ludmilla asks me to sit.  I do and I wait.  And wait.  In post-Soviet Ukraine you wait.  Sergei finally comes back in and asks me into Nitialia’s office where to my surprise I am told that Sergei will be able to stay with me tonight in the temporary apartment.

I know huh.

Lyudmila even comes in to confirm the plan (by the way we are now back on for the game and Sergei gets to bring a friend).  Best day ever right Suzy?  With Sasha’s kind help we even have Olga as our driver to the game.

After all of this great news we go back to the library room and in comes Maksym.  It is always great to see him – hugs for everybody then right to the exploring.

I have to force them to play computer games

Another family (from Seattle) is here today and they both speak Russian and Ukrainian.  The mom was nice enough to translate some of the transportation planning between the orphanage and the gym.  It turns out another group of kids form the orphanage will be going to this game so the three of us (Sergei, me, and Big Volva) will get to sit with them.

After a tough loss still time for fan photos

Not a good series so far for the Lions of Azovmash as our game ended in another loss.  I was close with Walsh looking to win it at the buzzer but pass and catch didn’t happen so we had to listen to the soccer fans from Donets’k chant to the winning team.

So with Sergei staying with me overnight I go for the home run and ask Alice if she will join us for dinner and some translating.  Alice is the team facilitator for the Azovmash basketball club and a native of Mariupol.  We let the boys pick the location and they pass on Pasta Project saying that they broke their teeth over the desert there last time.  Instead we go to the same restaurant that Sasha is always nice enough to take us to – I don’t remember the name but it has good food and a Ukrainian theme.  I do get a chance to talk with Sasha (our awesome facilitator) during dinner and we agree to nix the stay over with Sergei tonight given the gray legal status of our adoption process.  In other words we’ll wait for home shores.  We catch a taxi home to make sure that Big Volva and Sergei get home in time.

Our good friend Alice with Sergei and Volva

The temporary apartment is very nice and I have been enjoying a little change in scenery.  Without the bike with me it will also be nice to be able to walk five meters (yards for you imperialists) to the orphanage tomorrow.  With all that I do look forward to returning to home base up the hill on Lenin.