Going

We are now in Kiev.

The good byes were painful. The girls hold their friends. They join in a circle at times and put their heads all together. There are tears. We can only stand back and observe. This is a choice they are making, we do not hurry them.

Finally they are in the van. Both of them in the last row; with two friends; their arms around each other. We will drive a short distance down the road to see a favorite teacher who is not at school today. The two friends say their goodbyes there and walk arm and arm back down the street to the orphanage. I film them until my camera is out of range, the telephoto not able to stay on their image.

Later at the train station there are friends and the girls God Mother has come. This is the first time to meet this woman. She is older and you can tell she loves the girls and wants to stay in touch. We trade information,We learn about what Alessia has told her after her home stay program ten months back. The Godmother begs us to love them and educate them so they can have a better life than the grief and hardness they have had so far.

Susan tells one of the friends, who is to old to adopt, that if she can ever get a visa she is welcome to come stay/live with us. I will pray she succeeds, I also view it as a miracle if she can.

On the train later the older Alina is on her phone as we travel through the night. When we stop at the larger towns there will be a signal she can pick up. She steps from the cu-pay and out by the windows. I clearly hear her say in Russian “I am going to America”.