Packing, packing, and more packing

38 hours til we hit the road. The last week has been a flurry of errands.

Buying gifts, getting clean $100s (folks in Ukraine worry about counterfeiting and won't take bills that are torn or have any marks on them. It takes a surprising amount to get clean ones. My accept rate is about 20%), making arrangements with Orphan's Hope, cramming Russian, etc.

For those that don't know it, Ukraine is largely a cash-based society. They also have a culture of gift-giving. That is true in the actual sense as well as in the euphemistic sense (though not to the degree of, say, the governor of Illinois). Hence the need for cash.

On the plus side (for us at least) is that the hryvnia (Ukrainian currency) has fallen to about 7.8 per dollar from a little over 5 per dollar in mid-October. So our money is worth 50% more (their currency has fallen by 1/3). Tough situation for the people there though. That's about how much the US stock market has fallen in a year. But it will help on our last-minute Christmas shopping (hope that didn't sounds too callous. Just making the best of it).

Nancy has been making copies of kids schoolwork for the next 6 weeks. She has a class on baking Old World Christmas breads tomorrow (my birthday gift to her. Well it was for my benefit actually, but don't let her know that).

Buying books to read, getting software updates and battery chargers. Dropping off our cat at Nancy's parents, paying bills, getting Christmas cards and adoption letters out to everyone.

Lots of mundane but critical stuff. 6-7 weeks is a long trip and it takes a lot more logistical effort than normal.

Colin's band had their Christmas concert last night. He is playing tuba (a chip off the old block). I have my choir concert tomorrow (but have to miss Sunday's).

Will try to post again before we go (then the interesting stuff starts).