Packing for Ukraine

We are leaving in less than two weeks!:) I can't believe it. This time around has been so fast compared to the first time two years ago. I can't believe it's been two years since we submitted our first dossier either. Things did take a lot longer then. It was almost seven months before our dossier was submitted, then our travel date was four months later. We waited for, it seemed like, forever for our date. I believe it was at least eight weeks. Then we had two months to prepare. This time around, our SDA appointment is right at four months after our home study visit. Talk about quick! Of course, when you are going through it, it seems like forever. lol

It is easier to pack this time. I definitely know what things are essentials and what are not. Packing light is definitely a priority, though we do have a large duffel filled with donations. I have been collecting some clothes and many shoes to take to the kids. I was able to find soccer slides, girls' house shoes and jelly shoes marked down. We are only taking three check-in bags and a carry-on a piece. Once we get rid of all the donations and gifts, we will be combining bags or giving some away so that we will be hauling around very little.

Some of the main essentials are:

a flat sink stopper
wash rags (these are non-existent in Ukraine)
an alarm clock
bungee cords (for hanging wet clothes on)
sewing kit
safety pins
medicines

We are taking just enough shampoo and soap to last the first few days we are there. We can find most basics there like shampoo, kleenex-type tissue and hand soap, etc. There is a particular brand of Ukrainian shampoo that someone left in one of our apartments that I liked. I am looking forward to buying that brand when we run out. I am taking two tubes of toothpaste (3-4 oz.) and our own deodorant, though.

We are really looking forward to going back to Ukraine!

We have our date!

We have our SDA appointment date of June 10! Two weeks from Sunday we will fly out of New York and head to Kiev for our second adoption. We certainly never thought that we would be doing this again just a year after bringing Karina home, but here we are, going after another thirteen year old girl.

We are really going

We are actually going back to Ukraine. A flood of worries--money, travel, missing work, SDA, more money, and more money. Then something I have chosen not to think about a lot--children
happy to see you that want your attention, some with dirty faces and worn shoes. I can see several children I know by name. I see the old man who is a caretaker with his thick glasses that always seems happy to see us. Karina says he buys them candy and things. I need to take him a gift.
All the worries of going fade with the thoughts of seeing it all again. It's like jumping off the high dive, it's scary, but you have done it before, and you know how cool it really is. I wasn't planning on returning this quickly, but I know it is for the best now. Also, I can't imagine considering this my last trip to Ukraine.

Papa Dennis

Dossier Complete!

Our dossier is now complete. This will change our status on the Pretre blog;) lol

As I type this post, our dossier is in the air headed to Kiev with our personal couriers. Please pray for the couriers. That they have a safe trip and a good SDA appointment on May 14. Also that the SDA accepts our dossier as is. It took a lot to get it done! And that the dossier gets registered soon with a submission date.

Papers in Hand!

I kept checking our tracking number for the return postage for our apostilled papers. Finally, last night showed some change! We received our papers in the mail today and the mail actually came early for once! I then went to Kinko's to check on FedEx to see how much it would cost and how long it would take to get to Kiev. I was very disappointed to find that the papers would not go out until Monday and arrive on Friday! Fortunately, we have some friends we met last weekend who are leaving on Monday for their May 14th SDA appointment. The airport is much closer to our house than their's so it won't be any problem to meet them there:)

This is so great of them to do this favor for us. Please pray for their appointment.

Waiting

Why do things take so long when you are just about finished and there is nothing else to do? I was able to get our I-171h a couple of days early, so I hurried, got the paper notarized and sent off to the Capitol the same day. I even splurged and bought overnight postage for the return envelope. Well, here it is 6 business days later and we're still waiting! Last time, it only took 4 business days to get our papers back and there were many more of them. I also only paid Priority postage the first time. I thought surely these few papers would get back quicker especially with Express postage!!! Now, I have to worry about whether they got lost in the mail. Then, if that happened these original one of a kind papers will have to be duplicated and sent to be apostilled, once again:0

I-171h Update

I've been exchanging emails with our local USCIS office. One of my friends suggested to ask for a faxed copy of our approval letter, another said to ask for an electronic copy. This was their response:

"Due to Personal Identifiable Information Protection we are no longer
able to send anything with your personal identification on it through
email or fax."

BUT -- "Your approval letter is ready for pickup today if you so desire."

I did so desire. It's a good thing the office isn't that far from my house. I made it barely in time. Mostly because I went to the wrong building first. It seems that you mail the I-1600a to one address and then it is forwarded to the proper department.

The most important thing is that the last of the dossier papers are at the post office on their way today to be apostilled!!!