Mellow Monday

I had just finished my blog and I wanted to upload some pictures to FB, when I started having trouble with the internet. Kevin was having some issues with his computer, too, so we decided to leave. On the way home I went into the Intourist Hotel and inquired about their Wi-Fi. They said we could use it in the lobby/coffee/bar area. Good to know.

I left for the orphanage at the regular time. It was a georgous day and when I found the kids I suggested that we go to the park. As we waited for Jessica, we debated whether we should get ice cream first or on the way home from the park. I opted for afterwards and Jessica arrived. We received permission to take the whole class (still minus Sasha) as well as Alina and Marcia. Jessica said that when the director is away, things get pretty slack.

At the park, the kids took off and Jessica and I sat on the bench swing. As usual, Ludwig chose to hang with us. Andrei said he was tired and stayed with us as well. It was looking pretty obvious that Daniel and Alina are an item, and also Vitaly and Marcia. I took advantage of the one-on-one time with Ludwig to get some inside info on like at the orphanage. I asked about how kids are disciplined there. He answered reluctantly that they are made to do chores/cleaning of stuff, but if what they do is real bad they're sent to another orphanage. He said perhaps it would be better if I asked the director those questions. I agreed and let him off the hook.

Andrei was looking pretty punky so I offered to get him a naturopathic check-up to see if I could tell what was going on. He was apprehensive about what that entailed, so I demonstrated on Jessica. He allowed me to check him and I quickly determined that, in addition to some emotional issues, he was filtering some garbage in his kidneys that seemed to be coming from his small intestine. This was sapping his energy, I suppose. I told him he needed to rest and drink more water to help his kidneys do their work. He seemed satisfied. But, of course, Ludwig wanted me to do him now. I checked him out quickly and found mostly emotional stuff; grief and fear. Jessica and I prayed for him and I told him he was okay and that God loved him very much. This kid really needs a family.

Marcia jumped in line to be tested next. I was glad because she had been getting injured almost daily and I didn't like the look of that. I ended up praying for her and then talking to her for a while about Jesus and His plan for her life. Vitaly was next. Again, his physical body seemed pretty strong, but his emotions were all over the place. I felt lead to talk to him extensively about his fears about the future and his sadness about leaving the orphanage and all his friends. All these kids will be "graduating" next month and the boys will end up at some trade school or something. I told him he will have these feelings and that they are normal, but I warned him that he will be tempted to turn to alcohol, drugs or sex to make him feel better. I said that those things will ensnare him and prevent him from reaching God's plan for his life. He seemed to understand what I meant.

Eventually, everyone ended up hanging with us. Kai had totally distroyed his glasses. The frame was broken and mangled. He said Kevin could fix them with Super Glue. On the way home we stopped at Silpo for Eskimo bars and Super Glue. It was around 5:00 when we got back and Kai wanted to go off with his friends, so he told Jessica to tell me that I should go home and rest up for tomorrow. I said I was going with Jessica to the soccer field to watch some kids play soccer and he could go play. I really was kind of tired, but I wasn't about to let him tell me what to do.

I hung around for about another 1/2 hour and decided I'd had enough. Jessica called Kevin to tell him I was on my way home. When I got home, Kevin was having a really bad day. It seems the problem with his computer had not been solved. His computer is encrypted with all kinds of security, passwords, and special cards that need to be inserted before admitting access. Apparently his computer was no longer recognizing his password or card or something. He could not get into his computer and could not get on line in order to get tech support. At home he would call an 800 number and get some Hadji in India who would help him. He had no way to call Hadji. He was very upset. And I was no help because I can't get on line without Wi-Fi.

I was pretty tired for some reason, and getting nervous/excited about court the next day. But Kevin asked if we could go somewhere to get me on line so he could Skype his boss, or something. I said, of course, and we opted to try the Intourist Hotel. It was about 9:30pm here, 2:30 at home. The hotel internet had no password, and although there was wait staff who greeted us, they did not ask us to buy anything. I found that very unusual. Kevin tried to Skype his boss but ended up downloading AIM on my computer and talking to him that way. I don't know what they were talking about, but Kevin thought it was pretty funny. I was getting bent out of shape because I was tired and didn't know what was going on with his computer and if we'd ever go home. Kevin suggested I order a glass of wine, so I dutifully did. We left around 11:00 without solving his access problem.