Ok, I know. The posts have been a bit light lately. You may have thought that we fell off the face of the earth, but we've just been chasing a 23-month old around the last few weeks. So let me bring you up to date. Where did we leave off? Oh, that's right, in St. Petersburg....
Sunday and Monday were free days for us in St. Pete and the weather did anything but cooperate. Therefore, we spent most of the days in our hotel room. We were able to sneak out for a quick walk in the park, but it was so cold and windy that we opted to return to our 17 square meter room. And, don't ask me how many square feet that was, I can't work with the metric system. All I know is that it was small for the three of us!
Tuesday morning, I was off to the passport agency to pick up Max's passport so that we could catch the train to Moscow at 4pm. Everything went smoothly and we said "goodbye" to the Andersen Hotel, sans a tear in the eye, and were off to catch our ride to the capital of Russia! One step closer to home...
Leaving St. Petersburg was bitter sweet. With all of our recent travels there, we were starting to grow fond (or at least comfortable) of this city. We will always have such fond memories of the beautiful subway system, the historic sites, and, of course, our friends Katia and Eulena who were so instrumental in helping us adopt Max. So, with hugs and well wishes, we left St. Pete and our friends behind in persuit of Moscow on the Aurora train.
The train ride, all 5 1/2 hours of it, were just what we expected with a 23 month old-a real challenge. Max must have been excited to take the train because all he wanted to do was run up and down the isle the whole time. And when he didn't get his way, he had a total meltdown. We bribed him with treats to get him to settle, which only worked for a short time, then it was back to the races!!! Shelly and I are sure that we won't be getting any cards during the holidays from our mates on the train!
At 9pm, we arrived in Moscow to be picked-up by Ilya, our driver/translator. Ilya drove us to the apartment that we rented and we all 3 crashed as soon as we walked through the door. Shelly and I realized that throughout our busy day, Max had eaten quite well, but we forgot to eat anything all day! Needless to say, we were too tired to eat, so we went to bed as we had an early start the next day.
Ilya picked us up at 8am for a medical exam for Max. This was part of a requirement by the US Embassy. Max was examined by a Russian pediatrician named Boris. He was a funny man, but stern. He wasn't going to let Max get away with fussing and crying and didn't think that we should let him either. He said that Max was used to his caretakers talk to him like a "drill seargent," and that's how we should talk to him if he gets out of line. Easy for him to say...
After that, it was off to the US Embassy to apply for Max's visa to the US. We submitted his paperwork, and were told that it would be ready Thursday at 2pm. Just in time for our Friday departure.
The remainder of Thursday, we hung out in our apartment, did a little grocery shopping at one of the most beautiful grocery stores you can imagine, and topped off the evening with a burger from TGI Fridays. Surprised we found an American resturant in Moscow? Don't be. That city has EVERYTHING!
In contrast to St. Petersburg, Moscow is bigger, faster, brighter, and newer. It is different in every way, except the language. There are Rolex stores, Tiffany stores, Rolls Royce stores, etc. You see every type of car imaginable. The streets are wide, the buildings new. Many of these reasons revolve around the rise and fall of communisim.
During Stalin's rule, he rebuilt many buildings where people lived, widened the streets and built seven "skyscrapers" around the city. All of this being done within the last 100 years. Therefore, Moscow has a much newer feel. After the fall of communisim, there really became two social classes, the rich and the poor. You either have money, or you don't. To date, there isn't much of a middle class, but it is evolving. As a result, many people in Moscow (and other cities) can afford luxury items such as expensive cars or jewlery, a stark contrast to the American way of life (at least as we know it).
We did some sightseeing in Moscow before our departure. We visited Red Square, walked around the Kremlin, and saw many WWII war memorials from the German invasion. There is so much history in Moscow, that our one day tour didn't do it justice, but we were glad we got to see what we did.
Sunday and Monday were free days for us in St. Pete and the weather did anything but cooperate. Therefore, we spent most of the days in our hotel room. We were able to sneak out for a quick walk in the park, but it was so cold and windy that we opted to return to our 17 square meter room. And, don't ask me how many square feet that was, I can't work with the metric system. All I know is that it was small for the three of us!
Tuesday morning, I was off to the passport agency to pick up Max's passport so that we could catch the train to Moscow at 4pm. Everything went smoothly and we said "goodbye" to the Andersen Hotel, sans a tear in the eye, and were off to catch our ride to the capital of Russia! One step closer to home...
Leaving St. Petersburg was bitter sweet. With all of our recent travels there, we were starting to grow fond (or at least comfortable) of this city. We will always have such fond memories of the beautiful subway system, the historic sites, and, of course, our friends Katia and Eulena who were so instrumental in helping us adopt Max. So, with hugs and well wishes, we left St. Pete and our friends behind in persuit of Moscow on the Aurora train.
The train ride, all 5 1/2 hours of it, were just what we expected with a 23 month old-a real challenge. Max must have been excited to take the train because all he wanted to do was run up and down the isle the whole time. And when he didn't get his way, he had a total meltdown. We bribed him with treats to get him to settle, which only worked for a short time, then it was back to the races!!! Shelly and I are sure that we won't be getting any cards during the holidays from our mates on the train!
At 9pm, we arrived in Moscow to be picked-up by Ilya, our driver/translator. Ilya drove us to the apartment that we rented and we all 3 crashed as soon as we walked through the door. Shelly and I realized that throughout our busy day, Max had eaten quite well, but we forgot to eat anything all day! Needless to say, we were too tired to eat, so we went to bed as we had an early start the next day.
Ilya picked us up at 8am for a medical exam for Max. This was part of a requirement by the US Embassy. Max was examined by a Russian pediatrician named Boris. He was a funny man, but stern. He wasn't going to let Max get away with fussing and crying and didn't think that we should let him either. He said that Max was used to his caretakers talk to him like a "drill seargent," and that's how we should talk to him if he gets out of line. Easy for him to say...
After that, it was off to the US Embassy to apply for Max's visa to the US. We submitted his paperwork, and were told that it would be ready Thursday at 2pm. Just in time for our Friday departure.
The remainder of Thursday, we hung out in our apartment, did a little grocery shopping at one of the most beautiful grocery stores you can imagine, and topped off the evening with a burger from TGI Fridays. Surprised we found an American resturant in Moscow? Don't be. That city has EVERYTHING!
In contrast to St. Petersburg, Moscow is bigger, faster, brighter, and newer. It is different in every way, except the language. There are Rolex stores, Tiffany stores, Rolls Royce stores, etc. You see every type of car imaginable. The streets are wide, the buildings new. Many of these reasons revolve around the rise and fall of communisim.
During Stalin's rule, he rebuilt many buildings where people lived, widened the streets and built seven "skyscrapers" around the city. All of this being done within the last 100 years. Therefore, Moscow has a much newer feel. After the fall of communisim, there really became two social classes, the rich and the poor. You either have money, or you don't. To date, there isn't much of a middle class, but it is evolving. As a result, many people in Moscow (and other cities) can afford luxury items such as expensive cars or jewlery, a stark contrast to the American way of life (at least as we know it).
We did some sightseeing in Moscow before our departure. We visited Red Square, walked around the Kremlin, and saw many WWII war memorials from the German invasion. There is so much history in Moscow, that our one day tour didn't do it justice, but we were glad we got to see what we did.
Before we knew it, it was Friday, and time to go home! Our flight left Moscow at 5:50am, so Ilya picked us up at 3:15am. Needless to say, an early morning for Max, let alone Mom and Dad! We weren't sure what to expect out of Max, but he pleasantly surprised us!
Our first flight from Moscow to Amsterdam was 3 hours long. He slept for about an hour of the flight, and played and ate the rest of the time. He was a real trooper. Our next hurdle was the 5 hour layover in Amsterdam. Once again, he surprised us. We found a quiet corner of the airport, spread out a blanket and played with his leggos. We also let him run around and burn off some energy. Seemed to work, as the 8 hour flight from Amsterdam to Detroit went well. He slept for another hour on that flight, and the rest of the time played with plastic cups and ate. The last two hours were our most challenging time. He was ready to get off that plane, and so were we.
After our long wait at Customs and Immigration, Grandpa Dennis was there to pick us up, and take us home, for good! And that's where we are today. Trying to figure out what Max likes to eat, and getting him settled into his new surroundings.
Truth be told, he is adjusting quite well. He is sleeping through the night, takes a long nap in the afternoon, and laughs a lot when playing with his toys. He has taken to books, and loves to build (and tear down) things out of blocks.
Unfortunately, he hasn't taken to Abby quite yet. His first encounter with her was when she charged in the room and licked him right across the face. A little overwhelming for him, but afterall, that's Abby's nature. She was just excited to see him. Every day gets better and better. He actually reached out and touched her today. Pretty soon he will realize just how much fun it can be to play with her.
Anyway, much more to come in the future. We have so much planned for him. The Zoo, the lake, meeting more and more of his new friends. A whole new world for Max awaits!
Thank you so much for posting your journey online! My husband and I are submitting our dossier to St. Pete this month (we're working with SWAF) and reading your experience is helpful beyond words.
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