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Jun. 9th, 2010
Nice News Revealed
Jun. 9th, 2010 06:11 pmThe trip to Ukraine is somewhat risky. What if Sasha's mother had moved? Or even passed away? Or had more children? How will she and her husband react to us suddenly showing up at her door with her missing son after five years? The physical and emotional challenges run high.
To help smooth the way, I've hired a man named Gennady Sazhine to be our driver, translator, and guide during our trip to Ukraine. He does this sort of thing full-time, guiding American families with adopted children. Most of the kids in question were adopted as babies and have no memory of Ukraine, but the principal for us is still the same.
A while ago, I sent Gene a letter from me, a letter from Sasha, and some pictures of the boys. Gene drove with them to Ostapy, Sasha and Maksim's home village, to see if he could track down the Danylchuk family. This morning I heard from him via email. He writes:
First I went to the village council where I made good friends with the head of the village. And then she agreed to show me up to the bio-mom Maria. . . . [W]hen we were speaking a lot of inhabitants gathered around us and, I must say, Sasha really was a "star" there, everybody loved him.
So, we met the bio-mom Maria, in a house which Sasha and Maksim used to live. I showed her and her husband the pictures from you and she cried a little, her eyes were watery especially when I was reading your and Sasha's letter.
I also visited the bio-sisters. They live in another nearby village, named "Kalinovo". I told all of them about your future visit on the 30th of June, So, everybody was very excited, the bio-mom most of all!
This is good news in that Gene was able to find them, that the boys' Ukrainian family knows they're all right, and that they know we'll be there to visit.
I wasn't able to tell Sasha until after school today, and I didn't want to post it here until he'd had a chance to learn of it first. But now Sasha does know, and his eyes grew a little watery, too.
To help smooth the way, I've hired a man named Gennady Sazhine to be our driver, translator, and guide during our trip to Ukraine. He does this sort of thing full-time, guiding American families with adopted children. Most of the kids in question were adopted as babies and have no memory of Ukraine, but the principal for us is still the same.
A while ago, I sent Gene a letter from me, a letter from Sasha, and some pictures of the boys. Gene drove with them to Ostapy, Sasha and Maksim's home village, to see if he could track down the Danylchuk family. This morning I heard from him via email. He writes:
First I went to the village council where I made good friends with the head of the village. And then she agreed to show me up to the bio-mom Maria. . . . [W]hen we were speaking a lot of inhabitants gathered around us and, I must say, Sasha really was a "star" there, everybody loved him.
So, we met the bio-mom Maria, in a house which Sasha and Maksim used to live. I showed her and her husband the pictures from you and she cried a little, her eyes were watery especially when I was reading your and Sasha's letter.
I also visited the bio-sisters. They live in another nearby village, named "Kalinovo". I told all of them about your future visit on the 30th of June, So, everybody was very excited, the bio-mom most of all!
This is good news in that Gene was able to find them, that the boys' Ukrainian family knows they're all right, and that they know we'll be there to visit.
I wasn't able to tell Sasha until after school today, and I didn't want to post it here until he'd had a chance to learn of it first. But now Sasha does know, and his eyes grew a little watery, too.