Beach time

Thoughts of our time at the orphanage when picking up Michael. He was very excited to see us. He had been busy sweeping up his room and packing. Unfortunately, he left his photo album in his room. We are hopeful we can get it somehow before we leave for America. 

His orphanage director was very gracious and kind. I could sense that she truly has cared for him. 

 

Michael was thrilled to go to the Black Sea with Tyler. 

 

 

This is Michael climbing onto Tyler's shoulders and jumping off. 

 

After swimming, Michael was tired and took a couple of naps in the car. 

We found a neat place to stop for lunch by a lake. We ate fish - which was tasty! The restroom cost 50 cents to use. We joked that perhaps the toilet was made of fancy materials...but it wasn't. Ha ha. 

 

We dropped of Maggie with her family and experienced some time communicating with Michael without a translator. It went surprisingly well! My Bulgarian lessons have certainly paid off in helping to bridge the language gap and google translate has been useful, also. 

 

 

This boy is such a good boy. He is kind and helpful and understanding. We recognize that this is the honeymoon period and at some point we will see him behave more naturally, but for now? It has been a pleasure having this kid with us. What a diamond in the rough!

Next up: going to pick up John and then Sarah!

Bulgaria Bound

On Friday, we left D.C. for Bulgaria, with a stop in London. After 12 hours of travel, we arrived in Sofia. We picked up our rental van and drove to our first apartment that we found on Airbnb. We didn't have a GPS, so we called the owner of the apartment and her son came and we followed him to the building. Other than no air conditioning, it was a nice place. 

 

We drove around and found a grocery store. Then we stopped at a Bulgarian restaurant for dinner. We collapsed into bed around 9pm. 

  

The huge van we rented. The next size down was too small for luggage. 

Some kind of flatbread with cheese and Bulgarian spices.   

Shopska salad. 

 

Grilled chicken with mashed potatoes. 

Tyler asked the waiter what he recommended and this is what is was: pork, chicken, mushrooms, cheese, and broth. So tasty!  

I have missed the incredible dairy products from Bulgaria. It all tastes so rich and fresh. 

On Sunday, we went to the Sofia branch for church. We had a lovely time there with the Bulgarian saints. 

 

We drove all Sunday afternoon to Dobrich. We stayed in the same hotel as before and we enjoyed it very much. 

 

Our fabulous facilitator, Maggie, and me. 

 

Dinner: grilled flatbread, chicken strips, and mashed potatoes (not pictured).

 

We have been told this flower is from the Linden Tree. It smells so fantastic! I want to plant some in our yard whenever we retire!

 

We showed up around 9am to Michael's orphanage. We were so thrilled to see Michael again! He gave us big hugs and big smiles. Tyler helped him pack up his items in our suitcase and we gave him his new swimsuit and rash guard to put on (we are headed to the Black Sea today!).

We gave a Chinese silk shirt to Christopher - a man who works at the orphanage with the kids - and a gift bag to the orphanage director. 

We donated 25 fidget spinners to the kids at the orphanage. We said our goodbyes and then packed up and left the orphanage! 

 

The front of the orphanage. 

 

I have seen many lavender fields here. So lovely. 

 

We passed by this house in a nearby village and Michael said he lived here when he was 7 years old. 

Michael seems to be in a good mood. I know that all of this change will be overwhelming for him. So thankful for Maggie to help translate our love and support to Michael. Now we are off to the beach! 

Follow-up from trip #1

Before we left Bulgaria, we learned that Sarah had accidentally erased all of the music on her MP3 player. We were able to find a thumb drive in Bulgaria and we loaded the music onto it. We mailed the thumb drive plus 10 LV to Sarah. One of the things that we had purchased for her when we were visiting with her was a jar of strawberry jam - as strawberries are her favorite fruit. Since she and the other kids had consumed the entire jar of jam in 4 days (!), we sent 10 LV to her so she could buy some more. We received the following news from her orphanage director:

The director also shared that they bought 4 jars of strawberry jam with the money the Pierce family sent and Temenuzhka has been sharing her strawberry jam with the other kids.

We were able to Skype with Sarah for the first time yesterday morning! We have a schedule to Skype with Sarah every two weeks. She was able to see us and to hear us, but we couldn't hear her at all and the quality was very blurry for us to see her. But she seemed to enjoy seeing all of us, as we sang to her, did sign language, and we read from google translate! We are excited to Skype with her again soon!

Update on John from our agency: While discussing another case with the director of his orphanage, we used the opportunity to ask how John was doing and the director was excited to share that John is always eagerly awaiting the arrival of the English tutor, he is working hard to learn as much English as possible and be able to communicate with his family and he is greatly motivated about that. 

We are excited to Skype with John on Friday for the first time! He is allowed to have weekly Skype visits. 

Update on Michael from our agency: We heard from Rozalina (Michael's social worker from the local social services, who was present during the family's meetings with him). She was excited to share her joy in relation with the following - When the Pierce family left Dobrich, Michael read the letters they left with him, he got very emotional and started crying, he said "I love them and I miss them already". She finds there is a huge positive change in him following the Pierce family's visits and he is excited about learning some English so as to be able to talk with them himself. 

This is both sad and wonderful news! Michael didn't really show us very much emotion during our trip. I wish that I could have been there to comfort him when he was crying. We are still in the process of setting up English lessons and his Skype sessions. 

We have been home for a couple of days now and seem to be struggling much more with jet lag than we did when we arrived in Bulgaria. On the docket today is to get some fingerprints taken so we can do the FBI Fingerprints (again) and the I800 is already sent off. We also need to get new physicals done. Hopefully everything will progress quickly and smoothly. 

I am eager to do some major nesting in preparation to bringing home our three precious children. I have quilts to make and bedrooms to organize and clothing to get - it will be interesting to outfit three teenagers! Can't wait to bring them home!

Observations of Bulgaria

There are some things that I have noticed about Bulgaria since we have arrived. I want to jot down some observations here. 

1. Bulgarians shake their head "yes" and nod their head "no." This has caused for me to frequently think the opposite of what other people are saying. I, myself, have tried to stop nodding and shaking my head during conversations, as I realize that I am likely confusing everyone else around us. 

2. Head bobbing. I am a fan of Bollywood movies. In India, the people frequently bob their head from side-to-side when communicating with each other. Bulgarians also bob their head from side-to-side. I have asked Maggie about it and she doesn't seem to be aware of it, really. It must just be an unconscious reaction. Tyler and I are practicing our head bobbing everyday. Ha ha. 

3. The language. Bulgarian seems to have integrated several words from foreign languages into its own. Some examples are: Bravo (Italian), Merci (French), Luna (Spanish), biblioteca (Spanish), Bon appetit (French), Ciao (Italian or Spanish "Chao"), Opa (Greek?), bon-bons (French), etc. 

4. The people. I know that there must be unfriendly people in Bulgaria, but I haven't met any here. Everyone seems to be so kind to each other. I love that.   Addendum: I have seen one person yell at a driver in Dobrich. 

5. The pace of life. It is nice and relaxed. People are focused on relationships. I often see neighbors outside talking with each other. I see men working together to help shovel driveways. Addendum: I saw this mainly in the village Lesichovo. 

6. The weather. I absolutely love the winter wonderland here. It has snowed almost every day since we arrived. The snow is very thick on everything. It is like a beautiful postcard wherever I look. I am eager to see how it will look when we come back for trip #2!

7. Haircuts. The men here seem to love very short haircuts. I see it everywhere. They look like soldiers!

8. Bathrooms. Many toilets have two buttons to push. One small button for #1 and one larger button for #2. The toilet paper is also scented with lavender - quite a strong scent, also! And there are trash cans next to the toilet where you are supposed to put the soiled toilet paper versus throwing it in the toilet to flush. 

9. Milk. Since I do not drink tea or coffee, I ask for milk to drink. They do not give me cold milk, but hot milk. I'm not used to it, yet. 

10. Popular fruit. Bananas are a big hit with the children in Bulgaria. The reason for this seems to be that they expire much faster than apples or oranges, so the orphanages do not provide them. This seems funny to me because they are quite inexpensive in the USA. 

11. Say Cabbage! That's the phrase you say before taking pictures in Bulgaria. 

12. Marble and wood. Marble is everywhere here in Bulgaria. It is cheaper than wood, which is strange! But the traditional style in Bulgaria is to work with wood. As such, I have seen beautiful woodworking in various buildings, especially in our lodgings. 

13. Pedestrians. In the states, it is illegal to not let pedestrians pass before you when you are driving. Here in Bulgaria, people rarely stop for them. So when we instinctively stop to allow them to pass, the pedestrians are confused. 

14. Music. The music here sounds like a combination of many cultures. They play the accordion and also the bagpipes. Many of the songs sound Middle Eastern, Spanish, and Russian. 

15. Dairy products. Bulgarian yogurt is quite different from yogurt in the states. It is rich and creamy and delicious. There are so many kinds of cheese in Bulgaria. My favorite kind is yellow cheese. The milk is so tasty. And the ice cream is good, too. I could move here for the dairy products, alone. 

16. Salads. Fresh fruits and vegetables are everywhere here. Every menu that I have seen has several salad choices. Tyler has tried the shopska and the shepherd's salads and he likes them both. The shopska salad includes cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, peppers, topped with cow's milk cheese (similar to feta). Then you drizzle vinegar and olive oil over the top and salt. We plan to make this salad a new staple in our family. 

17. Gas stations. They have attendants that pump the gas for you. When it is 0 degrees, this is extra nice!

18. Stoplights. The stoplights here have number countdowns for when the lights will turn green. It's a nice visual when driving here. 

19. Dogs. There are many street dogs here. Most of them are big dogs and they look like they have good souls. 

20. Music videos. Just about every restaurant (and some hotels) have TV's on with music videos playing. Many of these videos are in English, and so many of them are highly sexual in nature. It is hard to avoid seeing things that I would never wish to see. It's a daily frustration. 

21. Showers. Most of the places we have stayed have had bathrooms that are a shower. No curtain rod or bathtub, just a drain in the center of the bathroom and a shower head on the wall. Bizarre!

22. Keyed entry. All but one of our hotels have actual keys to open the rooms. 

23. Memorials. I have seen pieces of paper with a face on them, posted on trees or outside buildings. Maggie says they are memorials of people who has passed away. I am thinking it helps people to remember their loved ones who have passed on. 

24. Spring water. I have seen a few spickets around the country. It taps into fresh spring water and people drive over with their empty water jugs to fill them up. It is thought that the water is especially healthy. I'm not going to chance it with any local water. 

25. Horses. Some people still use horses to get around town. These people are mostly of Roma descent. I saw 

more of them in rural areas of Bulgaria. 

26. Dilapidation. Many homes and factories are dilapidated. It is sad that whatever project or company that began had to close. Maggie says that many Bulgarians are choosing to move away from Bulgaria. Perhaps this is why?

Saying goodbye to Miroslav

Tyler and I woke up early to pack up before breakfast with Maggie. We drove over to the orphanage and Miroslav was outside to greet us before we could walk inside. He had a big smile on his face. 

We went inside the conference room and Maggie asked the big question: Do you want to be adopted? As we had been hoping, he said "Yes!" We were very excited to hear that he will soon be joining our family. 

We next discussed what name he wanted for himself. To our surprise, he doesn't want to keep the name "Miroslav," but opted for Michael Julian Pierce. He said he really likes the name Julian, and we like it, also. We also told him that there are nicknames for Michael, and he liked "Mick" the most. For now we are calling him Michael. 

Next he gave us two gifts:

 

The one on the left makes music when it you fill it up with water and blow into it. The one one the right is an elephant. Aren't they neat? We love them. 

We got his measurements for clothing and then drove over to the photo studio to get visa photos and a family photo taken. 

We had an hour-long wait for the photos, so of course we took Michael for some chocolate cake at the bakery! After we picked up the photos, we drove back to the orphanage and said goodbye to the director. Then we went outside and hugged Michael goodbye. We gave him a letter from each of us, that Maggie translated into Bulgarian. It was hard to say goodbye, but we hope to be back very soon!

 

Interesting way to dry hands. 

 

Baklava from the bakery. 

 

Fried yellow cheese. 

 

Pizza with yellow cheese. 

 

It seems that every backyard has a vineyard up on a trellis. 

 

Hotels on the Black Sea. 

 

Our hotel room tonight. 

 

Day 3 with Miroslav

 

The clock tower in старя Добрич. 

 

A boy from Miroslav's orphanage gave this to Tyler today. It was so sweet. So many children here who need families. It is hard on them to see us coming to visit Miroslav when they so desperately want it to be their turn. 

Today was a good day! It started off with the social worker telling us that Miroslav told her that he was 99% certain that he wanted to be adopted by our family. That's the best news I have heard today, for certain! We played games, had target practice with the light switch, and talked about his new name. 

 

French comedy. Interesting cover art. 

Next we went to eat lunch at the restaurant by our hotel. Miroslav said it was his favorite of the three restaurants that we have visited. 

 

Pitka bread that we had for lunch. It was awesome!

 

Spices that you sprinkle on the bread. 

 

Patatnik. We didn't think there was another way to prepare potatoes, but this is a new one! Potatoes that are baked, grated, and then pan-fried in puff pastry. 

 

All the chicken nuggets look like this. They are tasty!

After we ate lunch, we said that we had a surprise for him. The waitress brought out a chocolate cake - that we had purchased for him - with candles on and we sang Happy Birthday to him for all of the birthdays that we have missed. Next we gave him some balloons and an MP3 player with English music on it. He loved it all and was very appreciative. He said "Thank you" many times. 

We went to a target shooting range and shot some pellet guns. Then we went to an arcade and played some ice hockey. Finally, we played some more pool. Miroslav said he didn't want for it to end. We had a great time, and laughed a lot - especially while playing pool. 

We dropped Miro off at the orphanage and then we called Temenuzhka for the last time on the phone. We mailed her a thumb drive with all of the music that we had originally put on her MP3 player - which she had accidentally erased, somehow - and some lev (Bulgarian currency) to purchase some more strawberry jam - which we had bought her when we were there, but they ran out of soon after we left. It was lovely to hear her sweet voice again. 

In a couple of weeks, we will begin Skype sessions with the triplets and each of them will begin taking English lessons by a local English tutor. 

Once we return home, we will begin the paperwork process to help bring the kids home. 

This evening, we ate dinner with Maggie and went over paperwork for the notary tomorrow. We still need Miroslav's new name. He said he didn't want to keep "Miroslav" as a middle name, so he is thinking over some potential names tonight and will have his answer in the morning. 

During dinner, a deaf man came around trying to sell items. He had a card identifying himself as deaf and was doing some sign language with us, which was fun. Maggie was able to also sign with him from learning the signs from the sign language flash cards that we have gone over with each of the triplets. We bought something for each of the five kids back home. It was nice to support someone who needed it and to get some souvenirs. 

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Miroslav and head over to the notary with Maggie, before going out separate ways. Tyler and I are exhausted after two weeks of being "on" all the time. We are going to take a few days to rest up before heading back to the states. This has been such an amazing journey, thus far, and we cannot wait to bring home these three kiddos!

Day 2 with Miroslav

 

My favorite snack here has been sliced Bulgarian bread, topped with butter, jam, and thinly sliced yellow cheese. So good. 

 

 

Breakfast omelet. 

 

Many of the restaurants have roaring fires in them. It is quite rustic and inviting. 

 

A traditional Bulgarian dress. 

Let me start with this statement: it is amazing what can happen in a day. Yesterday we were confused and nervous and stressed about what Miroslav thought about our family. This morning when we pulled up, he ran right out to meet us and he had this big smile on his face. 

We went inside and started playing games. Miroslav was much more interactive and smiling. It was a huge change from yesterday. The director told Maggie that Miroslav had had negative expectations for our visiting him, but we exceeded his expectations by a lot. One example is how good Tyler are I played pool. He thought he was going to have to teach us, but we taught him! Ha ha. We went over the sign language flash cards and Miro picked them up pretty quickly. Next, Tyler started teaching Miroslav how to juggle. 

 

Tyler is showing Miroslav how to throw a ball behind his back. 

We also played Spot It (such a popular game with all of the kids) and pick-up sticks. Then Tyler broke out the nerf guns. They were a HUGE hit (pun intended) with Miroslav. After that, he asked us if we wanted to see his room. It was well organized and tidy. My boys at home could learn a thing or two from their big brother. 

Next, we went to a pizza place for lunch. Miroslav loves vegetables and his favorite kind is cucumbers. His favorite fruit is orange. His favorite kind of candy is chocolate. 

 

Bulgarian lasagne. We also tried the margarita pizza, which was tasty!

After we finished eating, Tyler and Maggie shared our family's views on dating and appropriate girl and boy relationships at various ages. He listened intently and told us that he wasn't planning to kiss a girl until he was at least 18. There will be some heartbroken girls between now and then! 

We were somewhat nervous about how he would take that instruction for our family. Instead of him being upset at all, he asked us if tomorrow we wanted to see his photo album from his childhood thus far. Um, yes, please! 

He is talking more, smiling more, sharing things with us. It's wonderful. He said that he likes the name "Michael" and he will think on a middle name. The colors that he wants for his quilt are deep red, cobalt blue, and brown. 

 

Miroslav and I each chose this chocolate cake for a treat at a local bakery. It was so sweet that I couldn't finish mine. Miroslav ate all of his, plus drank some coke. Teenagers can pack away the sweets!

After dessert, we went to see a movie called "Balerina" which was dubbed in Bulgarian. It was cute and we all enjoyed it. One embarrassing thing for me was when I sat down in one of the chairs, the seat cushion fell down. I thought that I had broken the chair and I was mortified! But the person working in the theater said that the chairs are old and that it happens all the time. Tyler was able to lock the cushion back in place, so no harm down. Miroslav was concerned about me and didn't seem embarrassed by it at all. 

 

At the movie theater, I found a toilet that you flush with a string. 

After the movie, we headed back to the orphanage. I signed to Miro that I wanted a hug and he gave me a big hug. I am very optimistic about Miroslav committing to be adopted by us after today. We told him that we need his answer by Friday morning. 

Maggie learned that this is Miro's first time to be approached by a family to be adopted. So, I imagine he didn't know what to expect at all!

We also gave him a watch this evening, which Anna selected for him. He seems to like it! We are excited to what tomorrow may bring. Thank you all for your prayers!

Day 1 with Miroslav

 

Tyler is packing up items for our first day with Miroslav. 

 

They have mketsa that is different in Dobrich, but still delicious. I love the pottery plates here. So pretty!

 

I think I might be taller than the average Bulgarian woman. This is the second time where I cannot see my face in the mirror!

 

I have seen doors just open here in Dobrich. It seems a little strange to me with all the snow outside...but maybe they know something that I don't know. 

We went over to the orphanage to meet Miroslav. First impressions: he is tall and handsome! We went into a room and met the director. Shortly afterwards, a social worker, Rosalina, joined us. She will be with us whenever we are with Miroslav. 

We had a long chat with Miroslav, telling him more about ourselves, our other children, our family schedule, holiday traditions, etc. He seemed to be soaking it all up, but he didn't show much emotion. 

Tyler asked him if he wanted to hear me sing and he said he did. So I sang for them. It was fun to see him smile and lean forward to hear it. I could tell that he liked my singing. 

We played pick-up sticks and Spot It. Then we went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch, which Miroslav selected. I found it funny that he ordered chicken nuggets and French fries with cheese - what Georgi always ordered - and at a Chinese restaurant! Miroslav had excellent manners at the table and didn't quite finish his meal - so different from Georgi, who ate so much food at every meal. This must mean that Miroslav is being fed well where he lives. I am thankful for that. 

Next we drove over to a bowling alley to see if it was open, which it was not. On the way to play billiards, our car got stuck in the snow! Over the next 20 minutes, there were a few Bulgarians who came over to help. One of them must have called a friend, because someone drove up in a ranger and pulled us out. I was so thankful to them for their help! 

We went to play some pool, which is a fun pastime for Miroslav. On the walk to the building, I was having some trouble walking on the snow. I asked Miroslav to help me and he did. I was impressed by his willingness to help me keep my balance. 

We played three rounds of pool. I think Miroslav had a nice time. He was smiling and would do the fistbump with us whenever he hit a ball in. Tyler helped him to hold the pool cue more correctly, and he took that instruction well. He was already hitting the ball better by the end of the hour. 

We dropped him off at the orphanage and I gave him a hug. I feel good about the day, but we don't know where he stands on being adopted by us at this point. 

With Temenuzhka, I was nervous to meet her because it was our first time adopting a teenager. With Georgi, I knew beforehand that he wanted to be adopted, so I wasn't nervous at all. With Miroslav, I am nervous because he doesn't show much emotion. Partway through the day, the social worker asked him what he thought about us and he said he didn't know yet. I guess time will tell. Until then, I will have faith that all things will work out for the best. 

Addendum: I forgot to mention that when we were leaving the orphanage with Miroslav to go eat lunch, an older boy came over and started talking with us. He had some impressive English skills, also. He said that he told Miroslav that for many years he has been wanting for someone to come and take him away from there. It's so sad how many children here are just waiting to be adopted.