January 20th-- tuesday- take two

You are going to get lots of updates all at once. We have only been able to find a place to get internet.
January 20 Tuesday—take two
The translator knocked on our door at about 8:30 to give us the keys to the apartment that he forgot to give us the night before. We were up (and had been since 4:30) and had already eaten some of our muesli or we would have gone with he and the Epperly’s for breakfast. But we did go meet the Epperly’s in their apartment on the floor above us. Jason and Sharon are from North Carolina have three girls roughly about the ages of our older three. So I’m guessing that they are going for a boy. We found out from our facilitator that it is very unusual for him to have two families here at the same time. He says 12 families a year is a good year. Anyway, we spent the morning ironing our SDA clothes, sorting through money to be able to pay our facilitator, and getting our stuff organized. Our facilitator came about 11:30 and took us out to see some sights. He took us up the hill past St Michaels and other buildings along the route, by way of a couple parks for Elijah to play in. Didn’t see the SDA but we know where it is generally. Then he took us for lunch to a buffet type place where we spent 35 grivna (about $4 USD) for Keith and I to eat (Elijah had fallen asleep). We had borscht (cabbage soup) and a salad (Keith had tomato, beets, carrot vinaigrette salad and chicken pineapple salad for me. To drink we had fruit compote. All of it was delicious!
Then on our way back to the apartment we bought—well our facilitator bought-- and we paid for cards for the cell phone minutes and internet minutes. Phones work pretty well (our phone, Our facilitator’s sim card) but internet is slow because it is dial-up. We must figure out something else so Keith will be able to work… but not till after the SDA appointment and possibly in our new place. Then we went back to the same place to eat—this time potatoes and vegetables, Elijah didn’t care for it so he had a granola bar after we came back.
We did pretty well tonight. It is 10:00 and we are just going to bed. I did sleep for about ½ hour when I put Elijah to bed at 8:30. But I think we can sleep through the night. Tomorrow we will eat breakfast with the Epperly’s before their appointment and then wander around and take more pictures and possibly some video. So many fun things to see.
The buildings are so colorful. Most everyone wears black or dark colors. All the ladies wear long coats with big hats, many of them furs or with fur-lined hats. And I didn’t see many ladies who DIDN’T have boots on, and a high percentage of them high spiky heels. And everyone is dressed very classily, didn’t see anyone in jeans and T-shirt or wrinkled clothes.