The Paper Chase

We're a bit behind, and these are some catch-up highlights from the past week. There's a bit of a trend here; Hurry up and wait.

Monday is pretty much an idle day… We get a phone call and visit from Alyona, who of course needs some additional documents, but has been able to handle most of the process without us. She and Slavik have been such models of efficiency that I wonder sometimes why we are here. Then I come to the reality that this is not exactly about us.

So… It’s time to avert some cabin fever. Today we walked in the other direction and found the Odessa Opera house. The architecture never ceases to amaze us. So much detail on such a large building, makes on wonder how long it actually took to build it. We understand it has been renovated within the past few years and is well worth the visit. We have been looking through the schedule of events and are trying to figure out what would be a good night to go. It’s not like going to the Orpheum in Omaha, where you get a Broadway-type show set up and it is there for a week or so at a time. They are changing literally every night. How? Why? Don’t know probably simpler backdrops… We will have to take in a show and post about it later.

Museums and another walking park near the Black Sea. This one seems to be a more traditional tree-lined path (with polished granite pavers). Picturesque, even for December and no foliage, although as we look around some trees are still clinging to the last bit of autumn…

Ah, yes… The Paper Chase… Good movie… Wait… wrong one… David Wolff probably said it best in his blog about The Paper… Nothing can be started nor can anything be done without it… What is this elusive piece of paper??? It all started with some forms we filled out back in the states some 16 months ago. Passports, then progressing to a home study and a dossier (that we had to chase more papers to update) and more papers in Ukraine basically stating that yes, we want to adopt; and this is the child we wish to adopt and so on.. Our papers have not been really elusive but appear to be almost non-existent; we see them long enough to provide signatures and since they are all in Ukrainian, and we probably wouldn’t be able to read them anyway. But again… I digress… Each paper, as Dr. David said, serves a purpose, and each paper is the basis for the next..

Tuesday, we were taken across the city to the Trade school where Vera is attending. On the way, we pick up a young lady from “the Administration” building. We arrive at the school and Vera is waiting for us… No fear, no apprehension and hugs all around and the look on the social worker’s face is priceless…

Inside the trade school, past the guard and through a turnstile, it’s up 5 flights of steps in an unlit, wide stairwell to an unlit hallway (unless you count natural light through the windows). The linoleum on the floor is old, mismatched and bubbled up throughout; all a U.S. building inspector’s worst nightmare… Now, it’s hurry up and wait… After about 10 minutes in this hallway, (Vera disappears into a classroom and reappears several times while we are waiting) we go back down to the third floor to actually meet with the director. Hurry up and wait… Patience really is a virtue here…

Into a rather large, well lit office with large windows with a single desk with a table & 4 chairs extending from it, another table with some odds & ends from the classes, and various photos of previous classes and their work (it is a sewing school - I have other thoughts that will remain reserved). We sit at the table next to the desk, and Vera pops in with Lydia (her teacher). The director is heavy set, rather gruff looking with fairly unkempt hair and thick glasses and has a deep gravelly voice. We do the cursory question/answer session (tell us about yourselves and your family? How did you hear about Vera? How do your children feel about you adopting? And the beat goes on…) We discuss many things: Our thoughts for education, how Vera will fit in with the family, Vera’s future, etc. She directs a monologue to Vera telling her that she must work hard to become a responsible adult and a “good person”. We tell the director that our goal is to help guide her in the right direction and help her succeed in life. Vera & Lydia leave… I give Vera a hug, then the director says something to her. All I caught was “Mama” and Vera comes back to hug Mari… again, the looks are priceless…

We are offered coffee and chocolate. My thought here is that this actually is a good sign. As the director listens, the social worker asks us what Vera has said to us regarding a future. Well, she will return to high school, learn English and establish a strong learning foundation. From there, college (University) to pursue her future.. Vera has expressed interest in working with small children, perhaps a teacher… The surprised look again is priceless…The meeting ends, the director shakes our hands and wishes us well. Then it’s back into the dingy stairwell down and out to the street…

From here, it’s off to another building to apparently get some kind of an ID number so we can start more paperwork in preparation for the adoption… We stop at the Notary’s office… Oh to be a Notary here!!! People have told us of this, but it’s one of those things you have to see for yourself. There is no such thing as a general notary here; they all appear to be specialized, and have their own office… Efficient? Not really… It does, however, appear to ensure some job security… Documents are prepared in a separate office on official-looking parchment paper, brought to the notary, who MANUALLY logs them into a book (it looks like she is transcribing what is on the paper into the book - Hmmm… Isn‘t that called “File / Save“ in MS Word? - Maybe a simple MS Access Database can solve part of this) . Alyona translates the document to us, we sign then she signs the papers. Then the notary turns the book around, the we sign again, then Alyona signs again… A lot of repetition. One would think that this process could be streamlined just a LITTLE bit.

The trade school has never experienced an adoption out of the school before, so Internot #4, where Vera was a resident has graciously offered assistance to complete paperwork. Wednesday is another idle day, and we get a call from Alyona who has papers for us to sign, followed by a visit from Slavik who actually has the papers. We sign them and with signed papers in hand, he disappears… The man has an amazing mode of stealth… Later in the day, Alyona calls to tell us she will hopefully be able to go file some paperwork with the court and if the judge signs them, they are off to the Administration, then to Kyiv.

Thursday is another idle day… Hikes to a nearby church, back to the apartment for lunch, then to the Opera House, Archaeological Museum, and Potemkin stairs, then back to the apartment for supper and just hang out, read, watch a movie and sleep.

As we continue the Paper Chase, we are told by Alyona that we apparently are quite advanced for just being here just over a week. Are the documents done correctly and to everyone’s satisfaction? Perhaps the holidays bring out the best in people. Perhaps because this is an older child, the process is slowly reverting to something more streamlined and they would like to help expedite things… and then again, we may be exactly where we need to be… The Master has this worked out, and in due time, we will know.