Goodbye Lezevoyeh

Today was so rich and full!  I am so utterly exhausted that I cannot begin to describe it.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I suppose these 10,000 words will do for tonight!!  :o) 

Cool new clothes!

At lunch after passport and visa photos.  Two good-looking dudes!



Back at the orphanage for the final "sign-out" which blessedly lasted well over an hour, maybe two before they needed our signatures!  The day was lovely and the kids played freely and took photos of their friends.  Vitalik got to play a bit of futbol with many droogs in his cool new shoes, which he simply could not have been more thrilled with by the way! :o)

Each of the kids were given a few photos and certificates that had been saved for them in the office.  Very special!

I have not counted, but there must be at least 20 photos like this from various points in the day that Lera got the camera!

Vitalik took this picture and was very impressed with how it turned out. ("Very good photo!")    I'm pretty sure it's because it has a car in it! The boy does seem to have a passion for motor vehicles of all types!



Their last moments at Lezevoyeh Boarding School, where they have been since about age 7.



We piled six people into that little car I was standing in front of, which is not so unusual in a culture in which most people don't own a car.  All 4 of us were in the back seat and our driver joked that we still had room for 2 more Eugenes!



Vitalik and Lera walked with Eugene to a very small market near our apartemnt and used their own money to buy something they love which is similar to ramen noodles, except better.  Later in the day, Vitalik used google translator to ask if he could prepare the noodles for our dinner tonight. (Da, con etchno! ... Yes, of course!)  We worked together in the kitchen (I was the assistant)... He closed the door so that Eugene would be surprised.  We set this beautiful table with noodles, bread/butter, water, and a few bits of meat and cheese.  He could not have been more happy!  After we all finished, he quickly got up and washed and put away all of the dishes while Eugene, Lera, and I sat and visited.   When he finished, Eugene led Lera and me in a chant of "Spu-see-buh... Spu-see-buh..."  (thank you) which is what the kids at the orphanage did at the end of yesterdays party.  It was awesome!   

The new computer for our 5 kids to share for educaitonal things.  We pulled it out after dinner and introduced them to the Rosetta Stone program for interactively learning English.  The program speaks simple phrases (The boy is running.  The woman is eating.  The man is swimming.) with appropriate photos and then asks you to repeat the phrases.  They both laughed hysterically because English (without a Russian accent) sounds utterly ridiculous to them both! 

We let them stay up as late as they wanted to - they went to bed around 11 o'clock, which felt extremely late after such a long day.  I hope that we will all sleep in tomorrow!  Tomorrow's big agenda item is going to the supermarket!!  It is so hard to believe that as I type, they are actually sleeping in the next rooms!  Wow... life is rich.  Thank You God...

...Spu-see-buh... Spu-see-buh... :o)