Happy Valentine’s Day!

It was a COLD one here -- -30c most of the day. Warmed up to -23c by the heat of the day. Here is our accounting of our day today:

8am – Brian wakes up

9am – Debbie wakes up

11am – Brunch (bacon & eggs)

1pm – Debbie takes bath, gets dressed

2pm – Brian takes shower, gets dressed

2:30pm – we head outside for some shopping (details to follow)

4:00pm – We follow advice and find a new café (details to follow)

5:00pm – back to apartment

7:30pm - dinner

It is extremely cold to us again but at least no wind this time and the sun is shining – so after you nose goes numb it's actually not too bad walking around in it! I dressed for the weather today – I wore my tights and long underwear under my jeans, had both long underwear shirts on under my sweater and had the tights, socks and wool socks on my feet. So actually, other than my face, it wasn't too bad! LOL

We set out with the destination of the toy store on the corner of Karl Marx and the walking street (does that street actually have a name anyone know?). It was BUSY there! We think Russians celebrate Valentine's Day more if not at least equal to Americans! There are hearts and stuffed animals and balloons everywhere! And like I said the toy store was packed! We wanted to buy the flat sleds the kids use on the ice slides and finally found some that seem to be a little bigger than the ones we had been finding. There were a few more rubles more so that makes sense also. (well, they're 50r so pretty cheap). Then we looked at other toys but it was so crowded we wanted to leave. Then we walked down the walking street for awhile and decided we needed a warm-up break. We were going to try out the "Giraffe Kafe" that we had taken a picture of previously but never stopped in at. Well, it is like a fast food place also and it was packed! They had some different looking foods that we figured we could order by pointing but there was not a table in the place to be found so we left instead. Maybe another time – or someone else can report on it! We thought we'd go back to the "Sunshine Kafe" but instead remembered there was another one right near it that we had wanted to try – another new place we think. We walked in and the owner gave us such a greeting! Made us feel very welcome even tho she knew we had no idea what she was saying! We know at one point she wished us Happy Valentine's Day (or whatever they say in Russian about today) as she was making kissing motions & noises and pointing to the hearts on the wall! The gal behind the counter seemed to understand a little English – Brian did get the "meat pie" he wanted and I got an apple pastry. Oh boy, both were VERY good. Brian's pastry was very good sized and had meat and cheese in it – and it had flavor. He likens it to a calzone but without the pizza sauce (but the pastry was better than calzone dough). My apple pastry was so flaky – it melted in my mouth! There was a generous portion of apples in it also. Yumm! I had a tea and Brian had a coke – the total was 113r. And we got a complimentary piece of chocolate that might be made there – it was dark chocolate so I ate the whole thing (Brian doesn't care for dark chocolate – ah, too bad LOL)

Then I stopped into the store next to the café as it was the "grand opening". We had been seeing this store getting ready and they did it in a very short amount of time! This is a really neat store – like a Hallmark store with the different gifty items available. Picture frames, knickknacks, stuffed animals, nicer gifts for weddings, jewelry, coffee mugs, etc. And they had greeting cards in English! A whole display of them! Baby, wedding, birthday, just because, etc… First time I have found that so far! It was a nice browsing store. It is located right next to the Subway restaurant so four neat places to go all in a row.

We then stopped at the stationary store again and picked up more of the water holders for painting. They're so cheap and such a neat idea we got a few for the preschool room at Bethany. Then we popped back into the souvenir store to see if they replenished some of the items we bought them out of the other day but they hadn't yet. Then we finally went to the museum gift shop at the end of Karl Marx St. In the past we had purchased some souvenirs here. We didn't find anything really more unique that we wanted to purchase and the prices on most seemed about the same. This place in the past took American $$ when we paid but we have rubles now instead anyway so didn't matter as much. They did have a few interesting things that I said I'm sure we wouldn't be able to get past customs including a Walrus Tusk for 10,000r. They also had Bear Teeth for 3000r/each. We don't really need either of those either!

On the way back we saw a wedding party taking pictures at the statue at the end of the street and also at the Theatre near us. We couldn't get a shot of the bride and groom but did of the limo!

So then back to the apartment for the evening. I continued my work on our "tourism guide" – pictures and dialog on some of our favorite places to eat. I have a fleeting thought to write a tourism translation book that gives you realistic phrases you might need – like "I'm just looking" and "do you have an English menu?" – instead of some of the stupid phrases in my book … the translation books seem to be written for college students travelling around rather than sensible adult tourists! LOL

So I made our dinner of American hamburgers & fries (see picture) and then we were discussing what movie to see. After all, isn't Valentine's Day a day for dinner and a movie? We had decided on the chick flick "Sense & Sensibility" which I've been waiting to see. Just then someone knocks on the door?!?

I went to ask "who is it" and it was "Sergei from upstairs"! I opened the door and someone bearing a bottle of wine asked to be able to make acquaintance with us – so Brian was at the door also and we let him in (after all, he was bearing a bottle of wine!). We asked him to join us at the table and we opened the wine. We started talking. He is a teacher of English at the university here in IRK (one of 5 English instructors) and he also was in the USA in 1991 as a counselor at a summer camp for handicapped people. He also told us (numerous times) that he had 3 daughters and 2 granddaughters and he has a wife, Laura. So by now you're wondering, how did he know there were English speakers here in the apartment? Well, that was me and my Grandma Martha voice… apparently when he was out in the hallways smoking he heard me talking to JJ (not knowing if it was a boy or girl, just that it was my child) and made the connection! I said I was going to talk quieter (yah, right!) and in a different room from now on!! LOL So anyway we visited for about 2 hours around our table… the wine was flowing (well, at one point he poured it on the table trying to fill my glass) and conversation too. It was the lengthiest conversation we have had with a Russian – EVER! He knew the American slang for sure. Funny thing, he kept calling me "Derby" (couldn't get the Debbie part too well, although sometimes it came out right!). He is 44 years old and couldn't believe I was 42 LOL! He also kept saying that I looked Russian but Brian didn't – but then he'd say he couldn't believe Brian couldn't speak Russian. He also said he wasn't "somber" tonight LOL! He knew we were here adopting and was somewhat surprised it was a boy and the length of time it too – we played very vague why it took so long. He said several times "let him (Genya) forget he's a Russian" – meaning don't make him a half and half – We think he means don't raise him differently than we would a biological child… and we tried to assure him we wouldn't. He also said he "understood" adoption but not when Americans (emphasis somewhat his and somewhat mine) killed their adopted Russian children. Remember, this is from an uninterested third party so you can understand where some of the court concerns come from! We talked for quite awhile and he said he LOVED my American accent and both Brian and I think he was trying to ask me to record some things in English for his classes but he either couldn't' get up the nerve or didn't know the words to ask (since he was drinking!). So I said we'd bring Nathan up to meet them (and their 6-year old daughter Natalia) once he's here and maybe then he'd ask… I'd be willing to do it! My legacy to IRK! Ha ha I had thought JJ would call tonight and I told him he could listen to me talk in person! LOL

So now it's way past movie watching time but we're not exactly tired yet. So we'll just decompress while reminiscing about this evening…

At dinner tonight we were discussing past Valentine's Days – and we can't even remember what we did last year! I said one memorable one to me was when Brian snuck into my (parents) house early on a Tuesday morning to leave me a dozen red roses before I had to leave for my managers' meeting – and he would have driven from Watertown to Husty to do this before 6:00am! And he doesn't remember doing this!! He said "yeah, the flowers went away" and I replied "yep, and now I have to BEG to get a Bounty bar for my Valentine present!" Such is married life – but I KNOW we will never forget this Valentine's day!! As the sign says..hugs to all and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! Hope you have a good one!