Shopping Sans Translator

Today David and I headed out to go see the girls with the goal of going into the market place and shopping for some of the items that didn't fit yesterday for the older daughter and to get slippers and shoes for both girls. So as to be a bit prepared, we did a quick walk-through the open market checking availability and suitability of items, before returning with the kids.

We could see that the variety of items was limited, but we saw a few places that had what was needed, and we made a mental note and headed off for the to orphanage to pick up the girls. Because we knew we would be shopping without our trusty translator Galya today, we prepared by making a shopping list, so the girls would know what we were looking for and what to expect. We didn't want their hopes to be dashed if we didn't find anything appropriate and were pleased when the eldest used the word "maybe" to show she understood what we were trying to say!! We also drew simple pictures to match up with the words in English to clarify the specific nature of the items on the list. The girls were excited and off we went:)

The market is just across the street from the orphanage so we were there in minutes and we took them to the place we had scouted out for jeans. But now that we had our daughter there to clarify more clearly what we wanted, the woman shook her head, and lead us to another vendor, as without realizing it we had been looking at jeans for men!!! We have learned to have paper and pencil ready when checking price as the vendor can write the number down for us so all will be clear. The prices seemed a bit high and soon they came down (or other styles were shown, we're not sure!) but after trying on several pairs a match between daughter, father and mother's sensibilities were found with a bit of compromise on every one's part:)

A much more fun purchase was the slippers, as there are so many to choose from all in a variety of bright colors and patterns. David was helping the youngest pick out slippers while I helped with the jean purchase. We soon started to see clear differences in their shopping patterns and personalities. The youngest was quick to make a decision, looking at one shop, and no second guessing as far as we could see. The older one needed to see more options and took a lot longer to decide, but was also clear in her preferences.

We had to make several turns around the market before we could cross off most everything on our list. There are still some more items and we may need Galya's help but we were proud of today's accomplishments! For refreshment's we walked to McDonald's and had a bite to eat. Not sure if this is a big seller in the U.S. but here they sell big chocolate muffins and both girls ordered such as a part of their snack/meal. We were surprised when the older girl then wanted ice-cream after we had all finished, as we have established a rule of only one dessert per meal (after previous experiences with multiple dessert requests!). She was equally surprised (and a bit disappointed) to learn that we counted chocolate muffins as dessert. So many lessons for us all to learn:)

Each day we are so thankful for the joy of having these delightful girls in our lives!!! We are counting down each day of our 10-day waiting period that will mature on Monday the 22nd!!!