Lauren stayed home today nursing her cold. I was a bit apprehensive about visiting Nastia by myself, since usually Lauren and her spend the whole time wrapped up in each others’ arms. But my fears were unwarranted. She was so happy to see me and we had an amazing time together. She was unable to read Lauren’s letter, but I got a teacher to read it to her and it made her happy. Then we played cards, watched video of Sasha, ate candy and the time flew by. We were taking pictures of each other (including the one she took of me shown in today’s photo gallery) and she asked me to take one of her holding the letter mommy wrote to her.
Of course she didn’t want me to leave and, as has been her habit, wanted me to carry her around the room so she could read the posters to me in Ukrainian. She walked me outside and gave me a big hug and kiss goodbye!
My time with Sasha was equally fun. We played for a while with puzzles and such in the back room, then it was time for lunch and he washed up with the other kids without giving me a problem. After, he came running back down the hall and the teacher let me play with him for 45 minutes while the other kids napped. I made Sash talk in a whisper the whole time, which was very fun and conspiratorial.
When I said it was time to go, he must have understood from the tone in my voice. He just put his toys away, took my hand and we walked to his room. He took his clothes off and jumped into bed and gave me such a big smile I had to go over and give him a big kiss. Of course all the other boys were awake and I had to kiss each of them too.
I asked Vanya if we could stop in Ozerani, the little village that my ancestors (the Ozers) could possibly be from. It’s only 7 km south of the Zhitomer Kiev highway at the turnoff for Radomischle. It’s a well kept village that lines both sides of the winding road. Looks better off than the images I’m showing here of the older houses I saw. We stopped a very old lady to ask if she had heard of the Ozer family and she hadn’t. But that’s not a surprise. She was born in 1921 and we probably didn’t leave anyone behind when we left in 1910 (if indeed this was our village).
But it wasn’t hard to imagine our family walking down this very road toward the Kiev highway, perhaps with a horse drawn cart carrying their few possessions plodding along behind them…
Tonight is new years eve. I’ve only spent New Years in one place more foreign than this, and that was in Islamabad Pakistan in 1982. I didn’t even know it was new years eve until the next morning. Zhitomer is a lot closer in geography and spirit to Islamabad than it is to home. We’ll be thinking of all our friends and relatives tonight, and imagining what next year will bring for all of us! To all of you: Happy New Year!