Special

Remember yesterday when I said I needed to blog because something special might happen today and I didn't want to get behind? 

Turns out I was right!

Today was eSPECIALly crappy!

Well, okay, when life gives you lemons, (and you have a source of super cheap vodka) you make a lemon drop.  So today had a lot of fun thrown in it too, but let's just say I was muttering under my breath...a lot more than usual!

So we had no water this morning.  NO. WATER.  No shower, no toilet, no clean dishes.  Which we had left sitting dirty in the sink, just like we left ourselves sitting dirty-remember I was sharing lovely stories with you and couldn't be bothered with cleansing...anything?

The landlord said a water pipe had broke and water would be out the whole day. 

Bummer. 

Since we were going to the orphanage anyway, and it was supposed to be 93 degrees, we thought, we'd just take the kids to that indoor amusement park/mall that we had heard about and come back at  dinner-hopefully to running water.

Dear Ukraine, I try very hard not to be THAT American.  I do not complain about throwing my used toilet paper in a garbage (oh yes) but the last time I used a bucket to flush a toilet was when I was in West Africa.  Please turn my water back on.

Sincerely, a spoiled white girl.

PS, I know who built your pipes, so it's okay, I'll just mutter my new four letter swear word. . .

Russia!

So, off to visit munchkin head.  We stayed inside today and I just think he likes it better. He can move around so much more, he has his favorite little sunflower (is it wrong to steal from an orphanage? I may have to smuggle that toy out in my purse...along with those two children from yesterday...note to self, by new purse in subway.)



Dream Town!

Hollywood, Ukrainian Style!

Vitaly dropped us off at Dream Town (1, not 2, why make just one incredibly gigantic mall overflowing with amazement when you can make two right next to each other?) This place is ridiculous.  It's so long that each section has a different themed elevator/escalator up to the next floor (there are, I think, 4 floors.)  Paris, Greece, China, Hollywood, other stuff I don't remember.  There is upscale shopping, food courts, nicer restaurants, shops, um, an ice skating rink, um a roller skating rink (in case you get bored on ice), rides, a huge arcarde, a life size action game of Angry Birds, a movie theater, a small zoo, mini 3D movie theaters, other stuff that I can't remember because my brain was on overload, and that's just Dream Town 1.  Oh, a carousel and bounce houses outside.  So we played games, watched Kumba with Ukrainian dubbing-not a bad movie-would have been nicer to hear Liam Neeson and Steve Buscemi's voices, but whatever. Ate very good gilato (this city has more gilato than Rome!), bought soccer jerseys of the local team-who also happened to sponsor munchkin head's orphanage-did bumper cars, oh, did I mention there were bumper cars?  I was worried about the subway since it was so hot, but incredibly it was nice and cool and the girls even got to sit down, which was nice because it was quite a few stops til our square. We had dinner at my favorite little Italian place.  Listen, until you have had grilled chicken, mango, mozzarella pizza, you have not had pizza at all.  And hurried home with fingers crossed. 

The look on her face when the helicopter started to go up!



I think there used to be a water pipe in there...

Our fingers could have been tied in knots for all that mattered because when we saw someone leaving our little "Produkti" store carrying 2 five gallon jugs of water, we figured that was a bad sign.  That and the water truck parked in our alley. And the huge hole in the ground. And the 7 people leaving the apartment with overnight bags as we entered and went up.  We're not stupid, we can put two and two together!

So I packed while Bard found someplace to stay the night-with the hopes that the water will be back on tomorrow. Fortunately since we're in the middle of the city, we had a lot of options, and just wheeled our carry on right down the street.

To heaven!

Okay, so our apartment is fine, and in many ways, better than what I expected, but this place, ahh, I'm in love :)  I may not leave. . .which would be bad for our budget, but oh so good for the part of me that likes a kitchen bigger than 1 square foot and with a freezer bigger than the one I had freshman year of college, and a shelf in the bathroom. And a separate room for the girls.  And a bathtub!!!! And a CLOSET!!!!!  AND A DISHWASHER!!!!!

Hey, with luxuries like that, you all will be lucky if I even come home at all :)