It is so hard to believe that our host child is leaving in three days.  We have enjoyed having her with us and we think she had a wonderful experience.  Because our summer host child had sticky fingers, I am going to search all of Olya's things before she leaves.  She has a lot of new things to take back with her.  I hope she will be permitted to keep the jewelery and hair items.  I bought her several sterling silver necklaces so she would have something to wear when she gets dressed up for any special occasion.  I am not sure if they will allow her to keep the MP3 player and I don't think she will be able to charge it in Ukraine.  I am sure that the clothes we gave her will become orphanage property and that is OK.  I also hope she gets to keep the craft items because she will have fun making necklaces, etc with her friends.  She seems to think that she will be permitted to keep everything for herself.  I am not sure if that is because she does have some personal things that she has been permitted to keep to herself or if she just hopes that will be the case. She spent the cash she had been given and I am glad about that because I am sure that money would be taken from her. I bought her a Barbie doll and a Bratz doll because kids in Ukraine seem to stay kids longer than kids in the U.S.  U.S. kids want to grow up fast and be "cool." My friend Joni told me that she gave away all of Liana's Barbie dolls and Liana is only in third grade.  We also gave her a few stuffed animals and they will probably become orphanage community property.  I hope she gets to keep the stuffed puppy because that is the first thing we gave her when we picked her up.  We also gave her a new backpack so that she can cart some of her gifts back to Ukraine.
      Today Yana, a friend from Olia's orphanage who is being hosted, is coming for a visit.  We are all excited to spend time with her.  Her host mom told me that Yana is not sure she wants to be adopted.  I am hoping that Olia can convince her that America is wonderful.  Yana, like Olia, is headstrong.  She is worried that it will be hard to learn English.  Olia can assure her that learning English is easy for children.  Olia can also assure her that she will make lots of new friends and can always call her. Olia is excited to show Yana her cheer leading competition video. I think Yana will want to be adopted after she spends time with Olia.  Olia can really let her know how much fun she will have and how wonderful her life could be. I don't want Olia to convince Olya to be adopted because I think Olya feels a bond with her biological family, even though I think they will not follow through with taking her into their home.  The people from Frontier Horizons also think it is highly unlikely that her biological family will reconnect with her in another eight years........but I hope they do, for her sake.  KT, from Frontier Horizons wants to get someone to talk to Olya and encourage her to be adopted.  Dan and I are afraid that even if she is talked into being adopted that she could change her mind if we went to Ukraine and we don't want to, nor can we afford, to throw away money on airfare, etc. I think a lot of orphans live with the hope of reconnecting to their family because that is all they know.  And in an orphanage where there are few or no adoptions, kids don't know of anything else except the life they are leading in the orphanage.  I also think that Olya would always want to go back to Ukraine to live and that would always be hanging in front of her.