Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Poland Mourns

Our deepest condolences go out to Poland and its People. Especially the families and friends of those tragically killed on Saturday. Lee and I thought we had seen large crowds on Easter Sunday in the square, but really it pales in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of mourners flooding the gates of the Presidential Palace. It was an honor to be apart of the moment on silence at 12 noon on Sunday and to pay our respects as we wiggled through the crowds in front of the palace. In fact, the line to view the casket on Tuesday was down the street, past Coffee Heaven and around the King Sigismund’s Column and a back again. It's the same again today. Truly amazing history is taking place and my pictures don’t even begin to show to sadness in people’s eyes or the heavy silence that lingers in the air.

On a lighter note; take a look at the last picture! Please be sure to look past the lady in the picture and her desperate need for a cut, color and highlight!! I have TWO passports in my hands! After processing the paperwork last Wednesday, they were ready to pickup on Monday. What a relief! We were really nervous the government would be shutting down completely for their week of mourning and our departure would be delayed. We filed for Visas at the US Embassy today and (knock on wood) will be picking them up tomorrow at 3:00pm. THEN, we will be ready to fly home on Saturday!













11 comments:

Ginabean said...

I am soooo relieved to see the passports are in your hand! You are truly on the home stretch. I'll check the blog tomorrow to see the final Visa status! On a very heavy note, I am glad they did not announce there was a plane crash while we were in the air on Saturday, but was deeply sadenned to hear just how tragic that day was for many families and the entire country of Poland. We can only pray as one nation for their people to heal in time, right?

Tom and Kara said...

I thought the person in need of highlights was going to be some random person on the street!! Too funny!

I am so happy for you, I am sure Lee cannot wait to have you home!

kelly said...

Yea! Passports!! I also was looking for a random person on the street needing cut & color. I remember after being in Poland for almost 8 weeks how badly I needed my hair taken care of too! Priorities sure do change :-) What building are you in front of? (I don't recognize it)

sarah said...

Yay for passports! Glad to hear you are on schedule for your return. With paperwork in hand early - you can't beat that!

Anonymous said...

Kara & Kelly,
What are you talking about, who is that lady in the last picture? LOL! Congratulations. I feel like you have been in Poland forever now. I'm so happy your family will be home getting situated soon.

Adoptive Parents of Three said...

With everything you've been through and the question of whether the government will close down its offices when you need them so bad, now it appears your flight may be in danger as well due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland...

My parents are scheduled to fly back home through London on Saturday, and right now all flights to Europe are cancelled.

I hope yours is going to be on schedule.

You'll definitely have a lot to tell your kids about their adoption story...

C Speh said...

Hooray! The American embassy was the nicest place to finally get to on our trip. You probably already have your Visa's in hand and are ready to come home. Enjoy! Hope the trip home is uneventful. Volcanos erupting canceling flights sure would be an interesting story, but not one I would want at the end of the trip:)
Thanks for the other pictures. I may try to download them and put them in a 'history' type folder just like I have for events in the US as the kids grow up.

James and Melanie said...

Wow! The passports are such a relief! I'm so glad things went smoothly for you! I agree with the others, I hope your flights aren't in any danger of being canceled. I heard also that most of the European flights were canceled for a week or two due to the eruption. I also would like a copy of your memorial pictures for BJ's book. I already printed the article. Would it be possible when you get back to send them to me through email? It's hard to believe that something so tragic would happen while you a there! Blessings to you and you are in our prayers!

The Rzentkowski's said...

Yeah for passports!

And, thanks for sharing your experience of what's going on in Poland right now. I'd suggest you get a paper with the dates and stories (you can get them translated later) to put in the kids books (if you're doing one).

Best wishes for getting home soon!

Adoptive Parents of Three said...

I see they cancelled all flights from Poland. Is this affecting you? Or is your flight scheduled later tomorrow?

Unknown said...

Best travel wishes tomorrow. I will be praying that it all goes smoothly :)

Sara Wargo