Artyom Visits in Kyiv ~ Day 31

There is so much to write about today that I don’t want to leave anything out! This morning started early for us. We set our alarm so that we could be up and ready for the arrival of Artyom. She is not a morning person, but today was excited for what getting up meant! I started to flat iron her hair when the doorbell rang. How exciting to have him in our apartment in Kyiv! He was so darling. It was like seeing a tourist seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time! He had his little very old camera and started clicking picture after picture. He took pictures of me doing Vika’s hair, of us standing by a door, of me doing my hair, of Vika sitting on the bed. He was darling. The smile on his face was priceless.

Today I kept thinking of how many firsts and lasts we were experiencing. Everything we did I would think about that. It was exciting and very sad for me. It’s hard to describe how emotionally draining it is being here. Today there were so many conflicting emotions that I was exhausted by lunch! He arrived alone at 6:00 am. That meant that we had 4 hours in our apartment as a trio until we had our ‘crutch/guide’ would show up! I desperately wanted to explain to them that they didn’t have to worry about including the English speaking third wheel! They could just visit and enjoy each other. Our apartment is nice, but there is one thing it is not.. spacious! We are in the bedroom at all times here. It’s fine normally, but there is not really any kind of privacy or anywhere to go to give the situation I was in any privacy. We ate breakfast – kind of – and they played a game with the English flashcards I brought Vika. They read them all through together with my help for pronunciation then the second time through they would see who remembered it the fastest and if they did they got to keep the card. I thought it was amazing that Artyom was winning the game when our doorbell rang again. This time it was Serge, our interpreter. That was a relief in some ways for communication purposes, but in my mind it ended the last chance Vika and Artyom had to just be together without having to include me.

Sadly, it was freezing today. That didn’t help the sight-seeing cause much. I didn’t mind, but it’s not really fun having the temperature be an issue to consider. We need fewer complications, not more! We walked to the Metro Station and our first destination was to be the Lavra. I hope that is something that Artyom wanted to see for his first and maybe last time in Kyiv. Did I mention he rode his first over-night train coming here? And his first time on a Metro? I really think it was his first time on a moving staircase as well, but didn’t find it appropriate to ask that!

After we came out from the Metro we walked to Lavra by way of another war monument. There is a place with an eternal flame for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was nice.  Serge was amazed to hear that we have a similar type of monument in America.

There were some very nice look out points to see the 'left side' of Kyiv.  Serge told me some history of the gray buildings that were built in Soviet times.  The government used to provide housing for the people which is why it never was built very nice.  It was built for utility only.  It was primarily very large, block-like buildings made from cement.  They are very drafty apartments and difficult to stay warm in.  They were what the government was willing to provide.

There was one statue that really caught my eye. It was a gate around sheared wheat stalks. I read a bit about Ukraine before coming here and read about the Soviet government taking all of the harvest from the people of Ukraine and millions upon millions of people died of starvation because of it. I’m not sure how accurate this is but Serge said that more people from Ukraine specifically died from those years from starvation than from the war. It was a nice monument, but If that statistic were in fact true, it was sad to me that this was the only reminder of that event.

Anyway, back to Lavra.

We walked in and walked around a bit. We went to the Museum of Miniatures first. I loved that. It was also Vika’s favorite event of the day. It was a room of microscopes set up to show these miniature microscopic sculptures and drawings. It was incredible. My favorite 2 exhibits were the full chess set set on the head of a pin, and the 3mm gold pirate ship. There was a poem written on a split hair, he had made golden shoes and put them on a flea, and many more crazy things he had made on a microscopic level. It was unusual to see.

You can tell I'm finally gettting brave with my camera!  This was basically the entire museum with a mirror image of microscopes on the opposite wall.  It didn't look like much, but it was amazing.

We then walked to see the ‘caves’ or catacombs. There was a much larger crowd this time and we actually bought candles to carry through this time. I like that much better. Vika and Artyom were like I picture myself being on a family vacation with my brother, Rusty. We played and laughed and had our own little funny jokes about things that no one else really understood. That is how I felt when I saw them here together. This was their first time doing something fun together. Their first time actually going anywhere together that wasn’t really for a necessary purpose. This was the first time they could actually have fun together in a non-threatening environment. It was perfect – and weird that it was in the catacombs of an ancient church!

I made the mistake of wearing my very high heeled boots on this excursion. I will be regretting that for a few days, but Artyom was very nice to assist me down the slippery cobblestone roads. I love how he just expects an interpreter to be right there to and repeat everything he says. He doesn’t ever address Serge to ask me something, but he just talks to me and then looks at Serge like, ‘now say it.’ The conversation was fairly light for the majority of the day. I think that the questions and things I wanted to say would kind of taint the magic of the moment so early in the day so I refrained. That could come later. After the Lavra we walked to the Mother Country statue. Vika was ready to go home and didn’t really know that there were more plans for the day. She was grumpy!

They really do create a very good ambiance in the park for the feeling they want you to feel there. The music is very clearly from the Soviet Era – specifically from the WW2 period. The statue itself is more of a ‘call to action’ kind of statue then a ‘welcome to our country’ kind of feeling.

We walked in and decided to walk around the museum. It was different than any museum I have seen. Things were placed in glass cases and hung from ceilings, but there were displays in the center of each room that were not roped off, they weren’t bolted down, the expectation was respect and you can sure tell that the people here definitely hold a respect and a reverence for these kinds of places. I mentioned that in one of my first posts after arriving in Kyiv a month ago talking about the reverence and respect that is expected and shown in churches and the grounds. There was a display of tables with items just sat on it. Items like drinking glasses, and books. They weren’t bolted down or roped off, yet they all went untouched. I’ve never been in such a museum. It was a pretty devastating display to see. They sure painted a feeling of the massacre from the war. I couldn’t read any of the signs of the descriptions of things, but it was depressing to see. They had a guillotine that was child sized in the room with items from the death camps. There was the machine they used to crush the human bodies to turn them into animal feed. Crashed airplane parts that were ripped apart and burned in places just sitting organized in the center of the room. We didn’t spend nearly the kind of time I normally would spend in a museum, but not being able to read anything anyway it was OK.

 
We left there on a mission to feed Victoria. She needed some food but wouldn’t admit it. The walking and talking was getting to her and she is easy to read when she needs to eat. It’s a lot less intimidating going to a restaurant or food court with an interpreter. I loved it. After lunch Victoria chose to go to a movie. We rode the Metro for what will probably be our last time and found a movie theatre. She wanted to see Rio in 3D. It was the first time seeing a 3D movie for either of them. The theater was the nicest movie theater I will ever see. It honestly was more like going to the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City. The lobby, the theater, the whole thing was so elaborate. Here they are waiting at our table in the lobby before the movie started.  Serge went to sit in a lounge type space in the hallway with couches and magazines.  He didn't join us for the movie, but waited in the 'lounge.'

I had to take a picture of the theater room.  It was gorgeous.

I was actually excited to go to a movie here. It’s not really something every American tourist does! It was easy enough to follow and Vika and Artyom laughed and had a great time.  I think she thinks I am completely nuts sometimes, but she is used to much more serious kinds of people I think.

After the movie Serge met up with us again and we went to dinner. Vika tried to order a dinner of ice cream, but I was the mean mom who said no!  This time the emotions were written all over her face.  She was very somber throughout dinner.

 I had to have a picture with our interpreter of the day, Serge!  He's a sweet 19 year old kid who speaks 3 languages and is currently learning Chinese and will be moving to China in a few months to study the language and to hopefully attend a University there this fall.  How amazing is that?!

We started talking much more seriously at this point. We only these last few hours to say everything we wanted to say to each other. He explained that this day has been one of the best days of his life. He will never forget his time with his sister and with her new mother. He was so gracious about thanking me for everything, for the day and for taking care of his sister. He explained how his Aunt and other brother really liked me and was so happy to get to meet with me. They all had very good feelings about Vika leaving with me and they know that it is God’s plan for her to have this new life and new family. He explained that he felt like our paths were guided together by God and we are like family now. He told me more of what life was like for them as children and how difficult life has been for Vika. When she got up to use the restroom he explained things that he couldn’t say in her presence. Vika would be left home alone for weeks at a time to take care of herself. He would try to check on her as much as he could but couldn’t support her. He would get food from his aunt to take to her when he could. He told me that before he said that he mentioned it was his Aunt who had signed the forms to have her taken to the orphanage because of the lack of care Vika was given, but it was him. He went to the police department and filed a complaint and request that their mother’s rights be terminated from Victoria. She was safer in the orphanage. He knew he could take better care of her there. He could visit her more, and she would have food, and a bed. The aunt I met was their father’s sister. She was raising her 2 children and Vika’s 2 brothers and it was just too much to take another child. I found out that their father died from Pneumonia. He couldn’t afford to go to the hospital, so he died. There was so much information to take in so fast. Honestly Vika stood up to go to the bathroom and information just spewed from his mouth without time for interpretation until she came back. He had a lot to say and knew that I could be told while Vika was there because she wouldn’t understand the translation.

I was able to say what I wanted to say and told him that this was a more proper way for him to say goodbye to his sister. Vika put up the Ukrainian wall as soon as we arrived at dinner. She didn’t have anything to say and didn’t really want to be talked to. I could tell that this was very difficult for her though. I can’t wait to someday have the chance to talk about it with her.

It felt like the cab arrived suddenly and the goodbyes were short and simple. Big hugs were given. I cried, of course, and we waved goodbye as he drove off.

 
The nice part about this goodbye is that since entering that cab he has called and texted Vika so many times that she hasn’t really even noticed he is gone. This may have been the last time we will see him. He boarded what will likely be his last over-night train ride home, and we said our last goodbyes. It was a good and sad day. I am so happy we had it.