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It Is Hard To Say Goodbye

August 6, 2004, was a sad day for families and orphans. At 6 a.m, they were to depart back to Ukraine. After spending three fun filled weeks with their host families, none of the children were ready to go back home. In celebration of their departure, a trip to Disneyland was organized. The children rode on rides, and met Micky Mouse, they were ecstatic.

As the Disneyland trip was coming to a close, parents had to say goodbye to the children, as the children had to be back under the caretakers authority by midnight. As they slept peacefully after a long day of fun, volunteers and caretakers were busy packing the children’s suitcases.

The kids had an early flight at 8:00 a.m, meaning they had to be at the airport at 6:00a.m. Around 4:00 a.m, volunteers who stayed up all night woke up the remainder of the children and adults. The drive to LAX was 40 minutes, so the children had to get dressed quickly.

Caretakers loaded up the tired and cranky children into a rented 15 seat van and were on the way. Emotions were building as the volunteers also had to say goodbye to the children after their three week stay. It was a very sad day. Even though they had to leave, it’s fortunate they will be returning home to their families very soon.

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