and JJ, notice the ketchup bottle on the counter?? Yep, I'm cooking with ketchup!
JJ, we miss you a bunch and every day we're gone is one day closer to coming home… We can't wait to see you!
Yesterday we had heard it was to get to 0c today so we thought we'd go for a long walk today. First our morning was rather routine – same ol, same ol. My friend Jane called and we talked for awhile and then I did wipe up the floor, Jane. This was after vacuuming so it looks rather clean here again! Around noon we hit the sidewalks. Brian had studied the map so we thought we knew where we were going. I had thought we'd try the trolley or bus today but Brian thought otherwise (LOL!) so we walked, and walked, and walked and wound up at the Orange/Yellow Mall. In all actuality it only took us a little under an hour to get there and we found we did take a little round-about way getting there. It was a nice walk tho and different scenery. So we were hungry when we got there and tried to find a café. No luck but at one of the food booths there was a line of locals so we queued up there. I asked the lady ahead of us if "ye penemayo pangleske?" (do you understand English?) and she did! Yeah! So she helped explain some of the food items when I asked her what she liked to eat. The chicken and fish look very much alike for the most part so I always get a little nervous ordering by sight! (I like fish but generally not in Russia unless someone who can translate is with me!). So Brian got these little turnover looking things that had meat in them – like a pasty with just meet and crust. It was good (and cheap). I had a meat filled blini (pancake) and it was also good. I was still a little hungry tho so we got a hot dog in a crescent type bread and it was just like a hot dog at home – I didn't really care for it but it filled me up! Ha, ha. So we just walked around the mall for a long time. Lots of clothing stores everywhere, shoes, purses, jewelry, some household goods and some more expensive items like clocks. But really, a lot of clothing and coat/hat stores! Every one had sale signs in the windows and almost every one had the clerk talking on the telephone! No one was too busy or seemed to be buying much!
We decided to take a different route home. We remembered from 2-years ago where we had boarded the bus and just followed that road toward the city center. Once we got to where we knew where we were, we were about 1-block off from where we started – and the walk back to that spot was probably ½ the length as the trip to the mall. For those of you familiar with IRK what you do to walk to the big mall is take Lenin until you see the park where the kids rides are and continue on past that about 1-block. You walk along the length of the park for probably about 1-mile maybe and you wind up right across the street from the mall. Now you could also take the #1 bus (I think) for about 8-rubles and do the same thing but if we actually ride the bus one day I'll confirm that LOL!
Once back in the city center I needed a break – we had been on our feet for over 2-hours by then. We cut down a side street and came upon a café so stopped in. I asked the girl if she understood English and she said a little but I don't think she really did. I ordered tea and asked for something sweet or a dessert – she said "sandwich?" I said no, dessert – she said she didn't have any. So I said tea was fine. Well about 5-minutes later someone else at another table got something with meringue on it! So it was just a communication gap – but our tea was good, the sitting welcome and the restroom clean and nice.
We then headed to Brand Hall for me to replenish my Clinique skin care routine. I figure if I purchase it (which duplicates what I have at home) we maybe won't be here so long! But regardless, my skin is taking a beating outside each day and I need to do my care morning and night – so now I can. I also got a "free gift" and they gave me AND Brian samples of fragrances. They were very helpful and nice.
Then we had to stop to get some more rubles as we were down to coins, no more paper bills. Then we stopped and got another internet card so we are always ready when we run out. We're using about 1 ½-2 hours a day so it goes fast! After that we had to make a stop at the market under the stadium for some meat and salad. Very easy transaction today – between my translation book and pointing we are doing ok. Trying a different veggie salad tonight – so far they've all been very good but we like the cheaper ones best! Got ground beef and ground pork – have a few items to try and make and Brian has been very good at eating my chicken dishes so I'll give him a break and give him some beef now! Just forgot to get mushrooms so have to add that to tomorrow's list – tonight we'll do a dish without them.
We really didn't do much today to take pictures of but we have a few to post. There are some other miscellaneous items I think of, usually after posting for the day, I want to add. One thing is how more relaxed toward certain things we are this trip compared to trips #1 and #2. We are brushing our teeth with sink water! Maybe that doesn't seem like much but the first trips we always used bottled water – LOL – and we're healthier this trip than ever! Brian said he doesn't think we'll die from oral hygiene! I also wanted to mention to my IRK travelling friends that NOT ONCE have we been scolded for having too big of bills when paying! You know how you always had to come up with coin and they just kept muttering to you? NOT ONCE – in fact they even take the 500r & 100r and willingly give change – even if it's not close! We also notice that the locals seem to make eye contact and sometimes even smile at us more than before… but maybe we're doing it to them too. And several times in stores they have come up and asked us if we needed help! Boy, things are changing here! I gotta learn how to say "just looking" tho – the one time they thought I wanted product for my eyes! LOL
So now we get back to the routine part of the evening – watching TV, reading, playing on computer, dinner later, JJ usually calls, internet surfing one more time and then a DVD show or two. We have learned that no matter how awake I think I am I can only make it through one Moonlighting episode so I have a few to catch up on!
Last evening we got a call that we were going to Cheremkhovo today (Wednesday) so we had to wake up early at 6am. We arrived and only had to wait a little bit until Nathan came into the room with us – the same room we've been in most of the time before. He gave me a big hug and let me give him one too. Then Brian also. They still call him "Genya" but know his name will be Nathan. We call him a mix of both but he was responding to Brian saying "Nathan" today most of the time. It was a very nice visit. Kathy, we don't feel bad not spending every day with him – it's a long way for a little visit and it's hard to think of things to do sometimes in that small room – we'll have him with us all the time soon!
So anyway we had a nice visit – he never got too wild and listened to us quite well. Andrew wasn't there really the whole visit so it was just us and him! We painted with water a little, played train a bit, played balloon and even managed to play a number of hands of Winnie-the-Pooh Uno! I was VERY PLEASED how he picked up on the playing and the taking turns. I'm sure he didn't grasp the whole thing but we started some of the education with matching numbers and colors… We watched the fish lamp A LOT! It's a lamp type thing that has water and plastic fish inside it and when you plug it in bubbles start and the fish start swimming up. Well I'll bet for 20-minutes it was "mama – plug in", "mama – unplug" (but in Russian – I got it!) He and Brian looked out the window a lot also – first at the van that was stuck on the driveway, then at the kids on the playground. He only wanted Brian for that. He did show a lot more attention to Brian today than to me but that is fine! I'm not threatened or afraid. There aren't a lot of male role models around the baby homes and I'm sure having the undivided attention is good for him! He did let me read a few books to him and happily sat on my lap to do so. He listened very well when I spoke in my very broken Russian to "sit down" or "stay here". Those are some of the words I want to be able to do more naturally, especially once we start our travels back to the USA. His most fun today tho was playing with Brian on the big ball in the room. They did that a long time and the giggles and smiles were just great. I got some of the pictures but not the sounds so you just have to imagine! Pretty soon it was noon and he had to go to lunch and we had to leave to come back. Big hugs goodbye and he laughed and said Brian's moustache tickled him! He happily went off to his group – but he is VERY PROUD to tell everyone he has parents now. I think he partly grasps this whole concept. We'll probably only go back to Cheremkhovo one or maybe two more times before we get him next week but we're ok with that, really!
I know people often like to know what they can "specifically" pray for – I know I do better with something specific. Well, please pray that Nathan's passport comes through on a timely basis. Little explanation – first of all, when Andrew says "did Alex tell you…?" it usually isn't something good as I think he sometimes makes Andrew the messenger boy. So we all know about this 10-day wait for the appeal period to expire (that's just Russian law), and then there is the mailing of the decree so we can start paperwork to get birth certificate, citizenship certificate and adoption certificate. But then there is the wait to get the international passport so we can leave the region. Andrew said that the passport office in Irkutsk has changed and issues the new passports with the radio chip in them – good, right? NO! Because those passports take three weeks to issue as everything gets sent to Moscow. BUT then Andrew said that we are going to try and apply for Nathan's passport in Angarsk as that was where he was born. They're hoping that Angarsk hasn't gone high tech yet. So Judy, I'm going to be watching what happens with Harry's passport very closely! So the prayers would be that we are able to get Nathan's passport issued on a very timely basis!
Once back in town we were very hungry so we American'd out – we went to Subway. The first time this trip and we weren't the ones holding up the line! The Russians seemed to understand the process like your average person eating at Subway – too many choices! I had a Chicken Teriyaki and Brian the Tuna – they did have a Russian/English menu there so it made ordering the meat part easy and then it was just "da" or "nyet" for the toppings and we made it through the sauces choice too (Brian easily – said "mayonnaise" which EVERY Russian knows!). Then we just walked around town a little more – hit some side streets we hadn't been on before but they all led us back to streets we're familiar with. We did find some interesting looking café's/pubs so we have some destinations to try… along with some others we haven't hit yet!
Then it was to the grocery store to get a few basics – like milk, spaghetti sauce and cereal. And I did buy a chocolate bar. Carter Kids – the Candy here is very much like at home – many of them are the same name and everything. They have chocolate in aisles and at the checkout just like at home. There is a lot of European (not necessarily Russian) chocolate. Last time here I didn't care much for the Russian chocolate but I never really asked a Russian what kind they like! Then back to the apartment for the first time since 7am today and we'll just be hanging out the rest of the evening! Dinner later as usual and then probably more Moonlighting DVDs.
The good thing about going to see Nathan is #1, seeing him! And #2, the day definitely goes faster!
One of the benefits behind halfway around the world is that you arrive on certain dates ahead of time. So this morning our time when my SIL called I was able to wish our niece, Sophia, a happy golden birthday! It was already the 3rd here even tho only the 2nd at home… I'm sure she won't remember it but I'm sure I'll never forget this birthday of hers (even if I do forget the date sometimes!)
This morning was routine for us – hanging out in the apartment. We did get ourselves ready. But one interesting thing while Brian was showering… now, when you go to foreign countries you often assume that you won't have any running water or maybe even hot water – well this morning we had no COLD WATER! Brian was almost done with his shower when all that came out was Hot, and we mean HOT, water! Figured Alex hadn't paid the cold water bill this month – LOL! He managed to get his shower finished somehow and then a few minutes later we were back to usual. I just said better him than me – I wasn't too empathetic but laughing too hard! If it isn't one thing it is another. We have had NO problems with getting hot water – if you turn the cold water on as normal and then turn the hot on a tiny smidgeon it is just perfect – for most of the time. But always, at least once during a shower, the water comes out scalding… you move out of the spray, try to adjust a little bit again, and then resume the shower. We'd rather it turn cold than hot but what can we do? We're adapting!
So we left the apartment about noon and took a long walk… we walked and walked, down the river, under the main bridge, past areas we've never been to – and wound up ---- by the Angara Hotel… it was only about 40-minutes all together for us to get there. We discussed – are we walking faster? Do we just understand better where we're going? Why is it shorter walking now??? We have no answers, just questions! So we really needed to warm up – the sun wasn't out, it was lightly snowing (very lightly, just enough to chill you) and it is cold again – about -11c. So we went to the Studio Coffee restaurant we had been to twice with Alex and Olga. We knew the coat check routine and they must have recognized us or at least we looked foreign enough as they brought us both the menus in English without us having to ask! We both had soup there – pretty much what we have been getting – Brian got cream of mushroom and I got cream of broccoli. Both were very good. By the time we left we were full and warm.
So we walked past the courthouse where we had been just 4-days earlier and Brian got the picture of the pigeons. Normally there are even more but this was a small flock. Funny story from last week – we had walked this same way and noticed two old ladies selling nuts or something near where the pigeons always were. So we didn't know if it was food for humans or "feed the birds" like from Mary Poppins. So last week when we took our break during our hearing I said to Alex "are those ladies selling food to feed the birds?" – He looks at me and says "No". Guess it was the look but I felt silly for asking it!
Today our destination was the office/craft supply store again. I wanted to get some colored paper and other things so we have some other entertainment when Nathan joins us in the apartment. We found most everything we were looking for – including a coloring book that has the numbers printed but really no Russian words in it! Another coloring book and few other miscellaneous things. Then we started heading back toward the apartment. We had been in a different office supply store yesterday where they had these little holders for water (when the kids paint) that were very cheap (12r) and also had some paint brushes. We brought some "paint with water" books along but the brush is very chincy so figured 10r for a new one would be a good investment. So we got that and the water holder for Nathan's use. We were going to pick up a few souvenirs also but couldn't find the one thing we liked the other day so have to search more or change some plans.
Then we went to our favorite market under the stadium to get some things for supper and stopped at the market across the street for Pepsi. Just hung out at the apartment for about an hour.
The sun came out about 4pm so we headed back outside for another walk at 4:30pm. The traffic was incredible this time of day so we stuck to crossing with lights and at major crosswalks so our stroll took a little longer, but no matter – not like we're on a time schedule! We stopped at a drugstore to find some mouthwash for Brian and a very nice young lady helped us in English! Then we walked a bit more and I found a store that sells my Clinique products! I won't have to ration anymore as I can replenish as needed. Cost of it is equivalent to what I pay in the USA. (Found it in the store at Brand Hall on Karl Marx St). We window shopped a little – either I'm getting used to Russian fashion or they are becoming more Western in their styles! We then did one more stop before heading inside and that was at the liquor store up the road… I needed more wine and we also bought a small bottle of vodka (figured we better start trying a few to see what we want to bring home!) The small bottle was 75r (about $2.00) so if we don't like it we dump it out! Also tried a Russian beer so indulging in that right now – it's ok… tastes like beer!
Tonight's meal is a hamburger patty type dish we got at the market and I'm serving it with buttered noodles and veggie salad. We have both voted that the salads from the market are how we like getting our vegetables here – the frozen ones just aren't cutting it!
Our MTV channel has been out all day today – not sure why! So we've been watching the sports channels instead – mainly see soccer and basketball. Also watched some Strongman competition earlier. Last night we watched some Mork & Mindy DVDs. tonight? Not sure yet…
So following are again some pictures of today. Don't know yet when we're going to see Nathan again. For those who have asked, I believe the Baby Home people were going to tell him about the adoption but they said they would let us tell him his new name… I think somewhat because they don't know how to say "Nathan"!
