It's getting close to the time we'll all be home together. A couple more days (hopefully) and Ruslan and I will be stressed at the airport trying to make it through security, finding gates, making connecting flights, and then we'll land on American soil. It's at this point that Ruslan will become an American citizen. And then customs and another connecting flight and then we'll have made it to our family. It's coming soon. I've been in the Ukraine for a while now, and in that time I've done a lot of waiting. The waiting hasn't been too bad at all. But as the days get closer, the waiting feels longer. The old episodes of Bones and The Shield aren't passing time like they used to. The movie channels are playing games with me and have stepped up the non-English movies quite a bit...and sometimes they'll even take an English move (like the Terminator) and dub over the English with Arabic. Also, I'm not sleeping as late as I'd like to. All of these things make the waiting longer, and Saturday feel so far away. Even my routine at the store was thrown out the window today. There was a different lady at the cafe. I tried to order the same thing I usually get but I couldn't answer her question. I told her I didn't speak Russian and I pointed to the item I wanted (which I usually do). She asked me the same question again. When I repeated that I don't speak Russian, she put down my plate and turned to the next people in line and helped them. Man, talk about a let down. That's one of the things I look foreward to each day. She got me. Instead, I had a sandwich and some crackers back at the apartment. I'll try again tomorrow.
It looks like we'll be able to leave on Saturday (barring any delays....knock on wood). We're waiting here in Bilhorod for Ruslan's passport to be completed. Once that's done, we'll pick it up in Odessa on our way to Kiev. We'll stay there the rest of the time and have our meeting with the Embassy and a mandatory doctor's visit. Then it's on to America.
There are a lot of things to look forward to. The plane ride, getting to see Karen and Mason, sleeping in my own bed, petting the dogs, water that's not turned off during the day or night....I look forward to these things for Ruslan as well. I know he'll be excited to see his mama and his brother. And he'll be excited to have his own room with his own toys and clothes. But I've got to remind myself that although it's so exciting for him, it's different. It'll all be new. He won't speak English. The sights, the sounds, and the smells won't be familiar. I've got to remember that this won't feel like home. In a lot of the same ways I felt lost sometimes here in the Ukraine, he'll feel that in the US. I know he'll adapt quickly and he's excited and happy to go. I just have to remember that this isn't a "homecoming" for him....it's a new begining. For as much excitement and releif I feel, he'll be feeling equal amounts of being "lost." I admire how brave he is and must be. He's leaving everything that's familiar (no matter how good or aweful it was) and he's starting a new life. How couragous it is for a 10 year old to do this. I know he'll have a better life, but he's only going on hopes and dreams. What an amazing leap of faith. So we wait. We'll start our journey soon.
It looks like we'll be able to leave on Saturday (barring any delays....knock on wood). We're waiting here in Bilhorod for Ruslan's passport to be completed. Once that's done, we'll pick it up in Odessa on our way to Kiev. We'll stay there the rest of the time and have our meeting with the Embassy and a mandatory doctor's visit. Then it's on to America.
There are a lot of things to look forward to. The plane ride, getting to see Karen and Mason, sleeping in my own bed, petting the dogs, water that's not turned off during the day or night....I look forward to these things for Ruslan as well. I know he'll be excited to see his mama and his brother. And he'll be excited to have his own room with his own toys and clothes. But I've got to remind myself that although it's so exciting for him, it's different. It'll all be new. He won't speak English. The sights, the sounds, and the smells won't be familiar. I've got to remember that this won't feel like home. In a lot of the same ways I felt lost sometimes here in the Ukraine, he'll feel that in the US. I know he'll adapt quickly and he's excited and happy to go. I just have to remember that this isn't a "homecoming" for him....it's a new begining. For as much excitement and releif I feel, he'll be feeling equal amounts of being "lost." I admire how brave he is and must be. He's leaving everything that's familiar (no matter how good or aweful it was) and he's starting a new life. How couragous it is for a 10 year old to do this. I know he'll have a better life, but he's only going on hopes and dreams. What an amazing leap of faith. So we wait. We'll start our journey soon.
