Day 7

Thursday, May 10, 2012

 Our last day.  As usual, we went to get V first. As I came through the orphanage doors behind our translator, V ran past her (for a change) saying "Mama!" and threw her arms around me and kissed me.   She gave us some mini roses she had cut that were orange and yellow. A great start to our last day. We left the gifts for her caretakers and headed for M.  He was not as sad as we had feared today, although he did have moments where he got kind of quiet. He asked our translator again how long it would be before we came back for them.  She told him that it would be after summer.  Hopefully it won't be much beyond that for his sake and ours.  


 First we took in the gifts for M's caretakers. Then we gave M & V their gifts for today.  M got a sketch book, colored pencils, and a pencil sharpener. (Did I mention he loves to draw?)  Not to be left out, V got a coloring book and colored pencils. (We gave them each some crayons on the first day.)  We stayed in the director's office while the kids completed one picture apiece.  Then we went to a couple of nearby playgrounds and spent the whole morning just playing and walking.  We did find out that V wants to be a doctor when she grows up, and M wants to be a policeman.  


 We found yet one more restaurant not too far away for lunch.  After lunch, we went back to M's. Our translator told them we could stay for about 10 more minutes to play a new game on my iPad that I had downloaded for them, but V chose to color in the coloring book we gave her.  


 M took our departure quite well, but in my worry for him, I had to hold my breath a few times to keep from crying myself. After several rounds of hugs and kisses, we got in the car with V and waved goodbye. Thankfully, V was her usually smiley, playful self on the way to her orphanage, so that lightened the mood. There were several more rounds of goodbyes and more kisses and more silliness. Unlike the other days, she didn't run off to her friends. She stayed right with us and even walked all the way back out to the car with us.   


We drove back to the city for a quick errand.  (We had already checked out of our hotel early this morning.). Then we started the drive back to Sofia. That's when the adrenaline ran out. I crashed and dozed on and off all the way back. Tim said he thought he nodded off a few times, too.    


 We settled in at our apartment and headed back to The Pizza Palace where we ate our first meal here last Saturday. Now that our visits are over, I can't wait to go home. I miss Colton and Eli so much.