Today was the day we were scheduled to visit the orphanage at Novograd Volunskyi. Our departure, scheduled for 7am, was a little late as Alexander had to collect our extra passenger for the day, a lovely Ukrainian university student named Leda whom Penny had connected with when she visited Perth this year. Sasha, our driver for the day, had arrived on time and we had already put the clothes and snacks in the van, so Alexander and Leda's arrival meant loading the nappies and medicine in and off we went.

Our three hour drive was uneventful and Sasha even stopped at a clean toilet for us when we needed the break.

Our guide when we arrived at Novograd was Maria, the Senior nurse and acting Director. She showed us around the facilities; the three sections for various age and care needs, the kitchen,  the laundry, the doctor's office, physio/ quarantine room and the 2 year old foundations for the new kitchen that they haven't got enough money to finish. It was all neat and clean, with plenty of staff.

We had a small window after the tour to play outside with the children before they went inside for lunch and naps. We took our chance to get our fill of hugs, smiles and giggles before we had to let them go and go ourselves.

We had lunch at the restaurant of a local hotel. Our menu, though in English, didn't really fully explain what we were ordering, so we had fun waiting to find out what we actually ordered. When the food came out it was beautifully presented and very yummy in our tummies.

We wished Novograd farewell and returned to Kyiv, stopping for a break and a shopping trip to restock our food supplies. Shopping was a good adventure, with 6 people going in to find, gather and purchase juice, eggs, milk, cereal etc.

The day finished with rostis made by Pam along with bacon, eggs and salad for dinner and a movie to relax before bed.