Well, just to keep everyone up to date. We've completed to first round of paper work in Odessa, visited the notary a couple of times, met the director of the orphanage, and the social worker. Our papers are now in the hands of the bureaucrates, we did get a date and time to appear before the judge, May 7th at 9:00. Once that's completed to everyones satisfaction wait for 10 days, in case someone comes forward to protest the adoptiion, then we get new birthcertincates and passports for the girls. Then it's off to Kiev to the US embassey to get US passport for the girls, they'll have duel citizenship until they're 18. To get the US passport the girls will have to be finger printed, have security checks and physicals. This takes a couple of days. Then it's home.

As to the country of Ukraine. I'm actually quite impressed. I had somehow allowed myself to believe this was third world country, with no infastructure. We're experienced non of the horror stories I had heard about. We've alway had power, plenty of hot water the toilet have been clean, and have all had commodes.

This is what I've noticed and experienced.

Everyone walks, most people don't have cars, kind of like living in any big city I expect, cars are expensive, you don't want to park them outside, and most things are a short walk away anyway. We went to a market area across the street from our apartment, it was mostly building material. Everything was there you would need to tackle any home project. Lumber, concrete mix, insulation, windows doors, light fixtures, cabinets, bath fixtures, nuts and boldts, everything. It was all set up in old shipping containers bolted together with a common roof, electricity, sheetrocked on the inside. This market covered nearly a whole city block, it was like a maze getting around in it. Everything was painted and clean and very nice. People were packing lumber and concrete away on their shoulders. This people are tough, they do nearly everything on foot. We've been to simular markets with clothes, and fruit and vegetables.

We're eating out of the markets, and cooking food in the apartment. We can't always read the lables, so we look at the pictures on the lables. There haven't been any major surprised yet. In reality the girls have been doing most of the shopping and cooking for the last week. We still have trouble understanding the prices when they're spoken to us. We just hold our hands out with money in them and let them take what they want, so far we have been ripped off bad enough to notice.

All the old people appear to have apartments and a pension from what I understand. Many of the old people sell something in front of their apartment. We've seen sunflower seeds, peanuts, flowers, potatos, herbs, cigaretts, and clothing. The apartment house we live in has 5 floors, we're on the forth floor, no elevator. While their's not much grass around, the area between the apartment buildings has been divided into garden areas. They're wll tended for the most part. Mostly growing flowers, but I've seen Zuccine, potatos, onion, peppers, and cabbage, as well as various herds growing.

The people all dress in dark colors usually black. NO one going outside without a coat even on the 70 degree days. I don't think I've seen a bare arm anywhere. However, the young women wear VERY short skirts, and VERY low cut blouses, but heaven forbid they should bare an arm.

Our apartment is nice, nothing fancy, three bedrooms one bath, VERY small kitchen. The beds here are Hard. We're toughening up.