HELLO FROM RUSSIA!!!
Chococat is having a blast!
So. Here we are. FINALLY in Russia! It's been almost a year since we first came here and met our son, Alexander. We saw him again for the first time since last November yesterday. He's so big and so different. He seems a lot more serious this time - last time, he would just laugh and play and he wasn't worried at all that we are strangers. This time, he is really scared of us and it takes a lot more effort for him to smile or laugh. I guess that's probably a good thing, since he's attached to his caregivers. It just means it will be harder for him when we take him from the orphanage. Poor thing. It breaks my heart when he cries!
But I'm getting ahead of myself! We came to Russia on Sunday, the 21st. We haven't even been here a week, but it feels like so much longer! And we still have 3 more weeks to go! UGH! We spent the first 3 days of our trip in Moscow. I really enjoyed our time there, actually. It was scary, but only until I left the hotel haha. Moscow is just like any other European city, really. There were many people who spoke English and I felt safe walking around, even at night! And we did a lot of walking around haha.
But I'm getting ahead of myself! We came to Russia on Sunday, the 21st. We haven't even been here a week, but it feels like so much longer! And we still have 3 more weeks to go! UGH! We spent the first 3 days of our trip in Moscow. I really enjoyed our time there, actually. It was scary, but only until I left the hotel haha. Moscow is just like any other European city, really. There were many people who spoke English and I felt safe walking around, even at night! And we did a lot of walking around haha.
On our last night there, Regan and I walked to Red Square at midnight!
We had to do our medical evaluation in Moscow, and I was really nervous about it, but it ended up being just fine! We passed with no problems! Other than that, it kind of felt like a vacation haha. We could wander around and do whatever we wanted!
Now we're in Vladivostok and the vacation is definitely over. We got in yesterday at noon after flying all night and we went straight to the orphanage after dropping off our luggage at the hotel. We saw Alexander and I already talked about that a little bit. We saw him again this morning and we will see him one more time tomorrow before our court appointment.
Vladivostok is not like Moscow - it's not a tourist city, so no one speaks English. It also feels really run down and dirty by comparison. There are billboards and advertisements everywhere! There is also some kind of crazy road construction project that has been going on for the past 2 years, so all of the roads are torn up (really, there are hardly any paved roads!) and traffic is AWFUL! It is actually better now than it was last November when we were here because there is no snow haha. Thank goodness.
Well, I don't have much news because the biggest events are still to come! So this is all for today!
Now we're in Vladivostok and the vacation is definitely over. We got in yesterday at noon after flying all night and we went straight to the orphanage after dropping off our luggage at the hotel. We saw Alexander and I already talked about that a little bit. We saw him again this morning and we will see him one more time tomorrow before our court appointment.
Vladivostok is not like Moscow - it's not a tourist city, so no one speaks English. It also feels really run down and dirty by comparison. There are billboards and advertisements everywhere! There is also some kind of crazy road construction project that has been going on for the past 2 years, so all of the roads are torn up (really, there are hardly any paved roads!) and traffic is AWFUL! It is actually better now than it was last November when we were here because there is no snow haha. Thank goodness.
Well, I don't have much news because the biggest events are still to come! So this is all for today!
