Was it the Baja 500 or Daytona??

There are many folks who wanted to know where the kids go to school...here it is.  It didn't seen too terribly different from our schools, I could see students sitting at desks through the windows, and the gymnasium had sounds of what I guessed was a good game of dodge ball.  The size was pretty much equivalent to one of our elementary schools.  But, as far as what goes on inside the school, time will have to tell that story, we'll know much more as we begin to bring these kids home.

 Svetta called at 10:00 and said she would be here in 15 minutes--be ready and be downstairs!  We went to school to pick up Dema and we were off the Donstrokip(I'm sure the spelling is way off, but phonetically it is close!) That is the capitol of the region where we needed to apply for Dema's passport.  When Dema got in the car, Andre said (in broken English)"put on seat belt"...that was the first time I had heard that from him, so I was a bit concerned!

 Most of the trip was on a 4 lane highway, but like nothing I had ever been on before!  The ride was kinda like being part of a kamikaze road race video game!  120 kph (75mph) down a 4 lane highway with pot holes big enough to swallow a small child!  I think the driver kind of enjoyed it, because the "obstructions" came up so quickly that it required a quick jerk of the wheel to avoid them!  And when it came to passing other slower cars, you don't seem to pass anyone in Ukraine until you check for imperfections on the other guys bumper!

Well, we made it there and back in one piece, and I must say that the ride was kinda fun!  We applied for the passport, which should be in hand next Tuesday, so everything is on track to be on the flight Thursday at 8:00am!

We did make it back to the children's home in time for a short visit, Nastya and Vika were Skyping with Dema's mama, and a few kids came over to visit!  Andre was so excited to get his gift from America, hopefully tomorrow, I will have time to show him a video and  spend some more time with him.