Day 4, More Fun and Games

Back to the internot (or detsky dom or orphanage) on Tuesday with Colin and Claire for more playtime.

Both boys are still very excited to see us. R shows it best. He has a smile from ear to ear when he sees us coming. He sees us from far off and waves non-stop until we see him. I guess he has been waiting for us outside. When he comes in the room to see us, he runs full speed and jumps the last 10 or 20 feet for us to catch him. Fortunately he is light. I guess I know how the Flying Wallendas feel. What a great kid. Of course, V is excited as well, but he smiles and hugs without barreling us over. His smile is much more mischievous.

Today's bribe, er gift, was a pair of rubber balls with eyes and tentacles. They also have a light inside that blinks when the ball bounces. You know, the kind designed to induce seizures. These were a big hit with both boys. Unfortunately, that night someone sat on V's ball and broke it.

We played another game of Candyland. It was interesting because V was the calmer one while R kept skipping to different colors. Quite the opposite of the first game (on Day 2). Still both were fun to play with.

We played more of the same games and began holding the boys by their arms and legs and swinging them. That is a new favorite, though my back is not too thrilled. It's a good thing they are small, or I would be laid up for a few days.

We went outside to play and had a great time. The internot has a large play area. One section is asphalt. When it snows the kids slide on it until there is a run of ice. they run and slide on that. There are 3 or 4 tracks of ice out there.

The kids did that several times. They watched me try it once. Then V saw my lack of skill and held my hand and slid backwards (like you do when teaching someone to ice skate). That was neat to see him want to teach me.

The kids love chewing gum. Nancy has them say "guhm pleez". They have learned that quickly.

Of course we played more hide and seek, hokey pokey, wheelbarrow races, etc.

We try to play with the kids while keeping the noise down as much as possible. The high school kids have a class in the next room. they are in the middle of exams and I know we are bothering them. One girl sees V and goes "Ay-yi-yi" like Ricky Ricardo. We just look sheepish. I'm sure it happens all the time with that many kids around.

As we were leaving, R leaned over to me and whispered something to me. I said "Ne znayu. Ye ne penimayu." ("I don't know. I don't understand"). I had him tell Natasha, so he whispered it to her. he said. "I want Papa to bring me a radio. The kind that plays the songs." You probably have seen them before.

Colin and I ran some Christmas errands that night in Lugansk. He got Nancy a charm for her bracelet. It is an icon of Jesus and Mary. Nancy wanted something Ukrainian, so that was perfect.

Thus ends Day 4