It's different the second time around!

The only way to describe our first trip was overwhelming. Arriving in a country where few people speak English and we didn't know more than a few words of Russian was difficult. I remember getting off the plane exhausted, a little scared, uncertain. After we arrived in "S" town, it was even more of a culture shock. I felt isolated, alone - it took a while before we started to settle in a little bit. People had told me to enjoy the journey and I truly wanted to. But, I won't say that it was an easy trip. When we left this country on our way home, I never thought that I would return.  Adopting Matthew was not in Mark's plans. I didn't have any desire to come back, at that time I knew the only reason I would return was to bring our son home. If there had been a way to get him to the states without having to travel back to U, I would have chosen it in a minute.
I've mentioned this before, but one of the families that we met during Maia's adoption arrived here earlier this month. When Jill began posting pics of the capital city, I started to feel a yearning. I wanted to get back to this country. And when our plane touched down, it was almost like coming home. It felt familiar to me. We left the airport and began the drive into the city. I was eager to see things, recognize streets, buildings.
This afternoon, Maia and I went for a walk while Mark napped. We wandered around Independence Square, Maia splashed in the fountains for a little bit, I was able to enjoy the scenery this time. It was such a good feeling!
So now, I need to go and get ready for dinner. We're meeting up with other adoptive families at THE meeting place here in Kiev - Fr*days, should be fun!!