In Kyiv @ Karen's apartment. Train sucked! Above is Oksana & Vlad in the train. I think we got put in the extra wobbly, bumpy car. I mean, why not just make an amusement park ride out of it while you're at it. So this is how it goes boarding the train. We arrive 1/2 an hour early and we walk to the beginning of the train, 1st car. Hand the woman the tickets, she looks at them and says something to Oksana(on a side note: it is so nice having your own, personal, 13 year old translator...most of the time!). We haul three large, heavy suitcases all the way to our cabin. Put the luggage on the upper bunks. Lay out the bedding. Get all our stuff out and situated-DONE! Oh, not really! "Please, may I see ticket"-in broken English. Says something to Oksana who rattles off something as only an angry, 13 year old, female Ukrainian can....we have the wrong car....we have to move! Packed up, out the small hallway, back down the steps, out into the cold, dark night & off to the correct car, which is close to 200 yards away. Not good. I should mention here that at 11:25PM, I wasn't feeling really, "Christian", or bubbly-all-over considering the cost, aggravation & chaos of the last three days. When I finally got all of our stuff out I looked at the smug woman in her uniform who just glared at me, I asked her a very polite, simple question about the misunderstanding, wondering what had happened. She just shrugged her shoulders and slowly turned away with a slight smirk on her face(you know that look: the one that, in your deepest thoughts, makes you want to do a spinning side kick to the chest, but at this age you'd hurt yourself more than the other person-yeah, that one-don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about). It was at that moment that I learned that certain vulgarity is universally offensive! No, I don't recommend it & I regretted it later, but I got to tell ya, when I realized she understood it and my point was made, I had about 30 seconds of euphoria and satisfaction that only Satan could appreciate. It's what I refer to as, "An apostle Peter moment". I've got more to write and I'll have time later. We're going to go for a walk and get some real food. I'll end right now by mentioning that Oksana took the lead at the store in Odessa the other night for food and made us all breakfast yesterday morning. It was good, but I didn't know you could use that much cooking oil for eggs and sausage. And yes, I know I said "Kyiv". It was Odessa! Please, I really just don't need to be corrected right now!
About the Garrett family
- Matt and Aimee
- Longmont, Colorado, United States
- Matt and Aimee have been married for 9 years now. We have 5 daughters between the two of us. Three who are still living at home. Jasmine is 17, in her junior year of high school. Haley is 14 in her freshman year of high school. Anya is 18 in her junior year of high school. Anya was adopted from Ukraine in 2008. Taylor 18 is a senior in high School living in Thornton, Heather 20 Married living with husband Chad and thier baby Ezrah, he was born in Feb 2011. We are in process of adopting siblings Oksana 13, and Vladik 10 whom we met on a hosting program this past summer.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Closer to home!
In Kyiv @ Karen's apartment. Train sucked! Above is Oksana & Vlad in the train. I think we got put in the extra wobbly, bumpy car. I mean, why not just make an amusement park ride out of it while you're at it. So this is how it goes boarding the train. We arrive 1/2 an hour early and we walk to the beginning of the train, 1st car. Hand the woman the tickets, she looks at them and says something to Oksana(on a side note: it is so nice having your own, personal, 13 year old translator...most of the time!). We haul three large, heavy suitcases all the way to our cabin. Put the luggage on the upper bunks. Lay out the bedding. Get all our stuff out and situated-DONE! Oh, not really! "Please, may I see ticket"-in broken English. Says something to Oksana who rattles off something as only an angry, 13 year old, female Ukrainian can....we have the wrong car....we have to move! Packed up, out the small hallway, back down the steps, out into the cold, dark night & off to the correct car, which is close to 200 yards away. Not good. I should mention here that at 11:25PM, I wasn't feeling really, "Christian", or bubbly-all-over considering the cost, aggravation & chaos of the last three days. When I finally got all of our stuff out I looked at the smug woman in her uniform who just glared at me, I asked her a very polite, simple question about the misunderstanding, wondering what had happened. She just shrugged her shoulders and slowly turned away with a slight smirk on her face(you know that look: the one that, in your deepest thoughts, makes you want to do a spinning side kick to the chest, but at this age you'd hurt yourself more than the other person-yeah, that one-don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about). It was at that moment that I learned that certain vulgarity is universally offensive! No, I don't recommend it & I regretted it later, but I got to tell ya, when I realized she understood it and my point was made, I had about 30 seconds of euphoria and satisfaction that only Satan could appreciate. It's what I refer to as, "An apostle Peter moment". I've got more to write and I'll have time later. We're going to go for a walk and get some real food. I'll end right now by mentioning that Oksana took the lead at the store in Odessa the other night for food and made us all breakfast yesterday morning. It was good, but I didn't know you could use that much cooking oil for eggs and sausage. And yes, I know I said "Kyiv". It was Odessa! Please, I really just don't need to be corrected right now!
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It actually seems like you are doing amazingly well considering everything. Keep your sense of humor! When I lost mine was when I truly found "hell on earth". We are holding you up constantly in this fight for the lives of these precious children. So stay strong and keep laughing. Oh, oil is a fifth food group in Ukraine, just in case you didn't already know.
ReplyDeleteMatt you should write a book. Spinning round house!, I about spit out my coffee when I read that! HAHA
ReplyDelete@ Cindie-"...fifth food group..." LOL!!!
ReplyDelete@ Owen-I know! I about cracked up writing it because it was true and felt good to put it in writing.