I leave for Ukraine in four days. I'm working on being more excited than scared...but scared has a slight lead.
A few months before Heidi left for Peace Corps, we were having one of our typical, yet crazy, Mother-Daughter conversations. She was trying to explain to me that despite the fact that "I" liked Kevin Costner as an actor, "she" did not. In fact, "she" did not like Kevin Costner as much as "I" did not like drinking tea (despite the fact that "she" loved tea.)The conversation became very funny, but the point was made: even though we are mother and daughter, she is not me and I am not her. It's okay to like and dislike different things. Whenever I try to encourage her to like something I like, she simply says "tea!" and I instantly get it and back off.
Heidi has been living in Ukraine for about ten months now and she has become used to many things that at first seemed strange or different. The other day, on the phone, she encouraged me to let her know when I'm uncomfortable during my visit as something strange to me just might escape her notice at this point. I told her that we should have a code word so that I can discreetly let her know. We both agreed: Costner!
Here's to hoping that I'll have just enough Costner moments to keep it interesting, but no more than that...
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4 comments:
As a like-minded Costner fan-atic, I love your use of his name as a code word!!! I may have to employ it myself one day as my friends and family are not sure about my "delightfully" obsessive nature where he's concerned. You may already know a blog called 'More than a Kevin Costner Fan' which will lead you to Kevin Heaven on a daily basis! And to prove my obsession, thanks to your daughter, it'll be hard to drink 'tea' without thinking of KC!! How's that for a "Reim"?
Jodi,
My husband and oldest son traveled to Ukraine last year to visit my husband's brother and wife who were in the Peace Corps there. They had a GREAT time, spent some time in Odessa and some time in Kherson, where Peter and Marcia were based. Everything went very smoothly....except John was pickpocketed while boarding a bus in Odessa! And his wallet was in his front pocket...the guy pushed against him, crowding him from behind as they boarded a very crowded bus, then jumped off just as the bus was leaving. John immediately knew he had been pickpocketed, and replacing money and credit cards was stressful! So keep your money and cards somewhere safe, and have a wonderful time!
Janet Morse
We adopted a little girl with Ds from Ukraine a few months ago. We loved it there. As with all things, look beneath the surface. Things aren't always as they first seem. I think you'll see what I mean. Heidi will surely have some insight to share, too.
I hope you have a wonderful time...and not too many Costner moments. How funny.
Thanks for the advice Janet! Lisa, there is reportedly an orphanage in the town where Heidi lives. I've been encouraging her to see if she can find out where it is and volunteer some time there. Where in Ukraine did you adopt your daughter?
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