So, OK, my sweetie has been on a whirl-wind tour of Kherson & Kiev the past week and hasn't posted as much as she would like. That's alright. I'm sure she will catch us all up when she gets back, which will be Friday night around 10:30-ish MST.
I've skyped with Heidi and got to hear, not see R, Z & Vika this past weekend. They could not get skype to work correctly at the Bible House. They could see me, but could not hear me, so we spoke over the land line while I took them on a video tour of Internat Longmont. Heidi and I have talked three times over the phone and the reception has been crystal clear like she was in the next room, an oddity for Ukrainian telecommunications. Welcomed, but odd.
I called Heidi this morning as they were driving to the Boyarka orphanage where our kids lived. We talked for five minutes before they got close, then I told Heidi that I would call her later to see how the reunion went. About 20 minutes later as I climbed out of the shower, the phone rang. It was Heidi saying that she had someone who wanted to talk to me. I could hear champagne pouring in the background. It was Galina, the orphanage director, saying...
"Prevyet Felix, Kak de la? Felix, blah blah blah Kherson, blah, blah blah dee-yet-ty blah blah Diet-ski Dom Boyarka, blah blah blah!" (Of course, the blahs are something in Ukrainian and the rest is a phonetic sounding of Ukrainian words that I understood.) She was telling me that we don't need to adopt kids from Kherson, we need to adopt kids from her orphanage in Boyarka.
How sweet is she! If you have read my posts from our first adoption trip, you will remember that Galina is super-pro-adoption and will go out of her way to help you with the process, even letting you take the kids home after the first couple of days. In her words, "Children belong in a family, not in an orphanage or Ukrainian foster care."
Although pre-selection is a no-no, this doesn't stop Galina from asking us for families for her children. She does have some cuties there! Perhaps couples not finding the children they are seeking should go see her. Tell her, Felix sent ya. And don't forget the champagne, Galina likes her champagne!
~ Felix ~
Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror
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Karen Springs was one of the amazing people we met in the waiting part of
our adoption. She was out of the country when we first arrived, so it
wasn’t unti...
4 years ago
5 comments:
What orphanage is Galina the director of?? I have been looking at photos from the different orphanages and wanted to see if hers was among them! She seems like a great lady!!
After reading your posts I have to say how very lucky Heidi is to have you and vice versa. Not to mention how fortunate you all are to have each other. Felix, in the international adoption arena, you're a rarity that I hope becomes commonplace...a very involved and engaged dad, not one going along with the wife. Take care and glad you made contact.
Donna, back-channel me @ felixroge@yahoo.com and I'll fill you in. Otherwise, the info you are looking for may be on an old postin from the Nov-Dec 08 adoption timeframe. Take a look at our photo collage over on the right side, too. Ibelieve we may have a photo or two of Galina. She is wearing a red dress in most of the photos.
Blessings,
Felix
Boyarka Orphanage? Is there more than one orphanage in Boyarka? I was at one, but thought the director's name began with a "N" I thought, and the children were more in the newborn to age 4 range.
Happymom4 - yes, there is a second orphanage in Boyarka - the dietski dom. It is the home to kids up to 16 or 17 years old. That's where our kids lived.
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