Mail 04 - May 31th
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Mail 04 - May 31th |
May 31
Hello!
It is beautiful here again, about 75 and bright. I have a bit of tummy trouble
(too many cherries off the street vendors I think) but otherwise everyone is doing
fine. Nelly is very nervous about still being in Ukraine, she wants to go to the US
NOW before someone changes their minds or something goes wrong. The kids are very sweet
together, and my three little scarecrows are getting fat. They love the food and go
through tons - 10 yogurts, a loaf of bread, a lb of cheese, a lb of hot dogs a lb of
peanuts and 5 ice cream bars a day! It is pretty fabulous. The restaurants are terrible,
but the markets and delis and small shops are wonderful. Yesterday we went to a museum of
foreign wars; it was fascinating. It had a beautiful statue (about the size of the statue
of liberty) and some incredible art and sculpture as well as the war stuff. The gardens
were beautiful and the day was sunny and bright. We bought extra hot dogs and fed the
stray dogs, and sat in the sun. It was relaxing and fun.
I have been getting up really early in the mornings; partly because of jet lag and
partly because it is the only break we have from 3 kids and multiple languages and
bizarre charades. I walk about our neighborhood at about 6 am as the sun comes up,
and it is magical and a bit surreal. For example, every morning about 6:30 a bent,
gnarled old woman climbs up a flight of rock stairs carrying a large, stained bag.
As she walks, stray cats fall in line behind her, following her to her destination.
She reaches a bench, sets aside her cane and sits. After a few breaths for rest,
she reaches in and throws out a chicken head. More chicken heads follow, until
the ground is littered with them. Cats come out of doorways, from under benches,
out of dumpsters and through fences. By the time she is done, probably 30 cats
are eating as many chicken heads. It's a strange tableau - beautiful because of
the plaza and the dappled sunlight and the purring, gruesome for obvious reasons.
Once the cats are done, she shoos them away and brings a bag of crumbs out of her
pocket. She sprinkles them for the pigeons, and the cats watch, interested, but too
full and lazy to bother chasing them. I have never stayed long enough to see what
happens next, but I wouldn't be surprised if unicorns or koalas were next!
Our apartment is fine and comfy, but tiny. It is about the size of our living room and
dining room at home. That encompasses a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms, one of which
doubles as a sitting room. There are no English speaking channels on our TV, so we watch
Scooby Doo and Flintstones and Malcolm in the Middle in Ukrainian. Pretty easy to follow,
actually. The elevator is so old and scary that Neil's mistaken reference to it as the
"alligator" has stuck. It is frightening and unpredictable, and it is just a better
idea to take the stairs than the alligator. We have spent some time with another
family while here, and they are in Court today in Gorodnya. We are anxious to hear
how it went, as I believe we are next. The internet is very slow and unpredictable today,
so I will try to write more later.
I love and miss you all, and appreciate the emails and good wishes.
Kate, kiss my pets for me.
Liz, Bill, Bella, Neil and finally, Nelly