The Claw

As we begin to prepare for our big move, we are faced with the challenge of what we will take and what we will leave behind. For some reason, this issue always makes me think of that part in 'Toy Story'- about the claw. The claw chooses who will go and who will stay. Below is a link to that particular clip if you need to have your memory refreshed or have never had the enlightening opportunity to see this masterpiece:

http://youtu.be/W9t5ZqeHcYk

So, we would LOVE your input about what you would take with you if you were moving overseas and had limited space. Let's say clothes, shoes, and the baby are non-negotiable. What else are must-haves??? Please leave a comment, send an e-mail, or tell us in person. We would appreciate the input :)

-a

A brief look at where Ukraine is located on planet Earth.

This is Ukraine (above). We will be living in the western-most city of Uzhhorod. It is a 5-hour train ride east of Budapest, Hungary.



This is where Ukraine is located within Europe (above). The city of Uzhhorod is very close to Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Poland.

These are some street pics. As you can see, very cool architecture.

A very common sight in the villages surrounding the city and on the main roads leading to the city. All home grown and priced VERY reasonably.

I remember one place we stopped at last May where Mike bought a plastic grocery bag FULL of red cherries for about $1 or $2!

Now, I will finish my homework: A review of recent scientific journal articles pertaining to the topic of new advancements in rehabilitation of patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

-a

Something else to check off our list...

I (annie) am officially graduating this weekend from Dominican College with my Master's in Occupational Therapy. It has definitely been a long and hard journey, and I still have 5 more weeks of my internship left, but I am very excited about celebrating this weekend!
What I am thankful for:
1. Making it through graduate school with NO debt- Thank God!
2. Officially being able to move on with our lives and have more freedom to serve God.
3. A very encouraging and supportive husband (with a degree in English) who proofread all of my papers.

Hopefully, if our camera cooperates, we will have pics to post!

Here we are.

                                                                               

Picture of us standing on the pedestrian bridge that spans the river in Uzhgorod, Ukraine.

Slowly getting ready for departure...

Nothing too major has taken place since our trip to the Ukrainian Consulate, but we have been moving along, doing little things to get ready for our departure:
1. Had our visa pictures taken at Staples at the Newburgh Mall (not bad, $7 for 2 pics)
2. Visited 3 storage facilities near our penthouse to get their rates and see how much room we might need to store our things in while we are gone. (Ruled out one place that was closest to us secondary to creepiness)
2.5 Beginning to decide what we will take and what we will leave behind.
3. Finished our first official newsletter to send out to friends and family. (Just waiting on one pretty huge detail before we can officially mail them)
4. Gave official announcement to everyone at the church service last Sunday pertaining to our departure. (Chatted with pastors and leadership prior to this)
5. Confirmed with yet a few more people that, yes- we are having a baby, yes- we are still planning on going to Ukraine, and yes- the baby will be coming with us. This baby will enjoy flying.

This months picture is about our favorite Ukrainian food:


Dumplings that can be filled with potatoes, farmer's cheese, cabbage, cherries, meat, or mushrooms. They are boiled, tossed with butter and cooked onions (except the cherry ones), and served with sour cream on the side. Very good.

-a

The Trip to the Ukrainian Consulate, Part 1

A much belated follow-up to our trip to the Ukrainian consulate last, last week.
Well, after being stuck in traffic on the FDR for 1.5 hours, we managed to pull up to the consulate at 12:30pm- exactly 30 minutes before closing time. And... there was a parking space right in front of the door!In Manhattan. Amazing. It only cost us $95. The street signs down there can be confusing... but, that is another story.
So, we walk through the consulate door and into a tiny, dark room- about 15 square feet. There were 4 other people in the "waiting room", and a very sullen young man sitting behind a shield of bullet-proof glass with a pained expression on his face and the number '1' on his window. It was the only window.
 So, we look around, play it cool for a couple of minutes and then cautiously approach the bullet-proof glass window #1, and this young man, and Mike begins to explain our situation to him. He needs several versions of our questions to understand exactly what we are asking, a quick scan of our official letter of invitation written in Ukrainian, and then disappears to 'the back' through a secret door behind the bullet-proof glass. After about 5 minutes, he returns (perhaps he was chatting with Serhii)  and explains that the kind of visa we need to apply for is a 'Business Visa'- even though we will not be employed there. It's a 5 year visa, $140 a person, and the application is 4 pages long. Apparently, we also will not have to travel out of the country every 3 months with this visa as we had anticipated.
Seems like a good deal so we'll be applying soon. Then, after the bambino comes, we must get their passport first and then apply for their visa.
I pray this whole visa process goes very quickly and that we all get our visas on time. Perhaps I will send Serhii a fruitcake along with our visa applications...
All in all, it was a very good trip and we had our questions answered. This is the very short version. Perhaps Mike will write his side of the story and include more details about our expensive parking space, having to walk back into the consulate after we left, and chicken quesadillas.
On a lighter note, I went to the dentist this evening.
-a

ребенок hallenback

Introducing Baby Hallenback.

Coming Soon: August 29

Will emerge speaking Russian as I listen to my Russian teaching tapes on my hour long commute to work. (Sorry, Mike- but Russian is cooler.)

- a