RUSSIAN RECAP!

What an amazing adventure.
Wednesday: arrived around 5 in a snowstorm! Seemed fitting! We had to fill out a Russian customs card!Yeah Andy!I'd still be there!) David met us at the airport..what a beautiful sight! He then hired a taxi (proud of your Russian ability David)
Love their apartment...you know David and Erin they can make anyplace look good!
Met their foreign fellow workers and Russian language helpers at a get together in the apartment.
Were VERY ready for bed!
Thursday:David and Andy went out and about and had lunch.
Friday we puttered around, shopped with David and Emma. The grocery store was very different and yet much the same.
Saturday we ALL went on a bus to the subway, took 3 different subways and ended up at Red Square. Well worth seeing. At lunch at MacDonald's...our first smiles from Russians! Yeah Mcydees! Walked around the huge mall there wanted to buy a fur hat but Andy wouldn't let me...on sale for $300. Wise Andy. In the square hawkers were selling them for $10 US bucks..supposedly...they knew I wanted one but Andy steering me away...wonder if they were good ones???? I'll never know. If you are going to live in Russia you must learn to walk!!!!!! And walk fast if you are going out with David...Run if you are going out with Erin! New Year's Eve we stayed in and just finished our Scrabble game when 12 midnight hit. Then the fireworks started and didn't stop till after 6.30 a.m. They were everywhere...literally! I'm amazed the kids didn't wake up. There was nothing on the television but prerecorded speech by Putin. So we don't know what went on in Red Square. Should have gone!
Sunday we started walking the 45 min to church but we were late and had to take a bus so Erin went back to the apartment with the boys....The service was at 9.30 in Russian ... with English translation...or in English with Russian translation. Good people....good service of sharing.
Monday: I don't know what we did! Wait! I think we babysat! That's the day Emma and I tried grocery shopping together! And we got to know the boys...better late then never! They just couldn't figure out who these strange people were in their little house.
Tuesday: David, Emma and I had a fabulous time shopping for Josiah's birthday! We took a bus to a mall nearby, got Andy's glasses fixed at a Lenscrafter type place, had a latte (I think) at Mac Donald's! Took a couple subways and another bus to IKEA! We walked around the mall first, very upscale..huge ice rink in the middle...tons of people. When we finally hit Ikea the afternoon crowd had arrived and you could hardly walk. But David is a great shopper and was good at getting through the crowds! We ate there which was cool then David called a taxi to drive us home! THANK YOU David. I was trying to be brave thinking about the bus then the subway then another bus.....yikes! Thanks for a fantastic day David...a wonderful memory for a mom! Then we had Jo's birthday! He was so cute! (Aside: I'd heard about Russian bathrooms where you get your TP outside the stall...don't forget! and people stand on the seat rather than sit...but the places I used (fancy mall in Red Square, Ikea....were clean and pretty normal)
Wednesday: time to leave....David negotiated us through the bus, subway, train ride to the airport. Then we had some time together before leaving. It was good to be in familiar territory but so hard to leave. Keep up the good work David and Erin and even though this is almost a month late .... thanks so much for making us so comfortable and taking such good care of us and most of all for letting us babysit the kids for one day!