Tough to say goodbye

Things are much quieter these days at the Murray home of Barry and Carla Olsen.

It feels a little emptier, too, after the departure of the young house guests who for two weeks were part of the Olsen family.

Oleena and Yulia Bayramova boarded an airplane last week to head home to their native Ukraine, joining 29 other children brought to Utah through the Save a Child Foundation. The children stayed with 20 host families along the Wasatch Front.

For a family that opened its doors and hearts to 6-year-old Yulia and 13-year-old Oleena, saying goodbye was tough. Profiles of the budding relationship between the children and the Olsen family appeared in the Deseret Morning News on Nov. 6 and Oct. 23.

"It's like having the air sucked out of you and then being kicked in the stomach," Barry Olsen said.

The two half-sisters joined the entire Olsen family, Barry, Carla and their six children, in a family hug shortly before heading through security gates at the Salt Lake City International Airport. Briefly, the group was able to shut out the emotional farewells playing out all around them and bid their own tearful good-bye to Oleena and Yulia.

The family will sit down this weekend and determine what to do next. The Olsens would love to adopt the girls and bring them back to Utah permanently, but there are many factors to consider, Carla Olsen said.

International adoption is costly, approximately $20,000 for the first child and $4,000 for each additional child. There are also other, less tangible, considerations.

"It has to be right with the dynamics of the family," Carla Olsen said.

Many Utah families are considering similar decisions this week in the wake of the children's departure. Claudette and Steve Koch, also of Murray, have already begun the adoption process in order to quickly bring back Irena and Sergei Chebotarev.

The Kochs did not start out as host families for Save a Child but became acquainted with the program through their neighbor's participation. Interested, they contacted Nanette Garrett, who co-founded Save a Child with her husband, Vern, and received an invitation to the next group gathering at the Garretts' home.

As soon as she saw 13-year-old Sergei, with his dark hair and olive skin, Koch said she knew he was meant for her family.

"My heart just about jumped out of my chest," she said. "That morning I started to feel so drawn to this that it was undeniable."

The family hosted Sergei and 14-year-old Irena for their final two days in Utah, telling them at the airport that they intended to adopt them. Through a translator, Koch said she did her best to make sure the children understood her commitment to them.