Our view of Kyiv

Hello Kyiv and Goodmorning!  So far you are not exactly what I expected but I'm sure you will get better soon once we get moved into our house.

Jet lag 3am

Goodmorning 6 am

Let me back up a little and tell the story... we arrived early afternoon on the 22nd of August with great anticipation and 2 stinky cats.  They had really done OK but the plane ride was long and hot and we all needed some fresh air.  We were greeted by Samuel Jerome, one of the staff seargents in DAO.  Poor guy was the bearer of the bad news that we would not be going directly into our new place but a temporary apartment instead.  Wow... surprise.  Our second dissappointment was not one of our 24 bags had arrived with us.  All we had was our carry on luggage and for Clara and John that meant a cat!  On our way to where we were staying I did a quick inventory and figured we had toothbrushes for everyone... all we needed was a cat box and litter!  But what was I thinking... who needs liter anyway? We walked into an absolutely gorgeous apartment right in the center of Kyiv and on the 11th floor.  If it had one more bedroom we would beg to stay.  But alas it didn't and three boys in one room well... just not a great situation.  So we begin the wait.  The wait for our place to be ready which turns into a long wait as the place was really not great for us.  So we appeal it and long story short... it takes a long while for them to find us an apartment which will work for our family and my husbands professional responsibilities.  What a long process.  But back to our story of today... thankfully our bags did show up the next day.  And this is what we had to live with for the next 4 months as we wait.  The jet lag seemed like a forever nightmare which turned into reality... and all we could do was go from one day to the next making the most of what we had with us.  Being unsettled is a tough state for this type A women of organization and comfortably scheduled daily routines.  What was ahead was not easy for me... or any of us really.  But we are making it through one day at a time.  For a time I couldn't even take pictures but at some point I decided I better or our time here in Kyiv would pass by without me.  So I went back and pulled some photos together I had taken on my iphone and set a goal to catch up the blog for the entire year 2012 and before the years end.  So far I'm still tapping away while trying to claim some semblance of home in a temporary place with limited resources and hope of our things to come soon.  What lessons we are learning... I hope to look back and someday be thankful for them.  For today, just to get to tomorrow is the goal.  But back to the liter box... we unpacked (thank you my dear Clara, I'll never forget your optimism and help this very tough day) our welcome kit Corelle dishes and tore the sides off the box and there was our liter box.  And this was the beginning of our 4 month survival in limbo state.  Hello and welcome to Kyiv!