The next morning after eating some wonderful "blinis"
at our homestay, and having our host write down all the holidays,
Saint's Days and yummy recipes which were so wonderful, it was time to run to the
Filatov Center and have our daughter seen for her respiratory problems and for her
physical that needed to be performed prior to visiting the U.S. Embassy.
The halls were filled with adopting American families, from infants to
teenagers. It was time for patience. When our turn came, the
doctors although Russian, spoke English and prescribed penicillin for our
child. It was in powder form and needed to be mixed with boiled
water. Fortunately, we had brought a number of prescriptions from
home as well. Following the physical, we made our way to the U.S. Embassy
. First it was necessary to make our way past the large, burly Russian
Guards. The U.S. and Iran were in crisis at the time, and anti-American
sentiment was high. The Embassy had been egged and demonstrations were
occurring. This frightened us and we so enjoyed talking with the first
American soldiers we met and thought we were in heaven after the simple pleasure of
finding a soda machine with Diet Coke. Oh, yeah.... Our interview
went very well and more information from the Court records was made clear to us by
the American interviewer. We were told that our papers would be ready at
5:00 pm that afternoon and they were efficiently processed at the appointed time.
The next day, baby and I rested for the journey home but Rich went shopping
for everyone at home. He especially liked bartering, which is common in Russia,
and came home with things for family, friends and all his co-workers. Also,
baby toys, Russian-made linens, nesting dolls, porcelain dolls and a Russian tea set.
He also enjoyed the jokes between the driver and himself; as Sergei told
him tales of mishap, mafia and vodka. Before the dawn of the next morning, we
said our goodbyes and headed for the airport. All the while, reliving our
sad farewells with the dear people we had met, the forever friends we had made and
the places we had seen. The overflowing feeling of being totally grateful
for the little baby in our arms went with us every step of the journey away from Russia
and toward our home. We knew our lives had been for all time, changed and
we were humbled by the impact. Spraying the ice off the wings in Moscow, we soared
to Germany and then on to Boston, USA! It had been an adventure of a
lifetime, a blessing.....an adoption odyssey! |
