Update

That was yesterday.  Doc released the little man today and told us we could go home.  It has been a long week.  He has been a real trooper.  He is on at least 5 meds, and still looks pretty bad.   He is pestering his brothers today, which tells us he is feeling much better.  Up until this point, he has only moaned and wanted to be held night and day.  We didn't get to see much of the city except for this hotel and the International clinic.  Both of which are unrepresentative of normal life here in Yuzhno.  I'll try to remember to post a picture of the view from our window tomorrow.  Walking down the street, you see many Asians and always a handful of Brits or other Ex-pats.  Scott described this place as a oil and gas boom town.  It is kind of like a village that has had all this oil and gas money pumped in, so there are a lot of Western goods available (for a price), which are not available where we live.   The lady that has been our driver since we arrived is 2nd generation here from South Korea.  But she speaks only Russian & English.  She looks and dressed Korean, but is culturally Russian.  The city has an interesting mix like that.

Taking care of Tommy

C3's rash became more severe since seeing the Russian doctor.  That evening the Russian equivalent of 911 came to our house as he was getting worse even after the steroid shot.  I will not comment on the level of care that was received as I do not wish to be too critical of a system we are only learning.  However, we were advised to fly him East to Sakhalin Island, Russia, the next day by a Westerner.   The whole gang got on the plane not knowing what to expect.  Thank you for your prayers.  Many prayers have been lifted up on our behalf, and we are truly grateful.  God is gracious all the time.  We were welcomed to Yuzhno-Sakhalin by the son of Scott's boss who is living here.  He, along with another Alabamian ex-pat, has kindly taken our children to play somewhere twice now since we arrived.  Everything has been sovereignly ordained between the flight, the hotel, a driver, someone to help with the children, the doctor, and countless other details.  I have never had a doctor spend as much time with me before in my life as this one has.  He is a young South African doctor working in an international clinic here.   Unfortunately, there are not enough internationals in Khabarovsk to warrant such a clinic.  C3 has been a real trooper.  He looks horrible.  This morning we thought we might have to fly him to Seoul in the morning to have some more tests done.  But this afternoon we were encouraged that the blood work came back negative and that the heart murmor detected yesterday was not apparent today.  We still don't know the cause of his reaction and haven't seen much improvement but are hopeful and headed in a positive direction.  The other children have dubbed themselves "the traveling Taylors'".  Perhaps I should have put that for the name of our website.  Again, many thanks for our friends back home who are praying for us.  What a peace to know that though we are not in control, the Creator of the Universe is; and He loves us.

In perspective

This has absolutely  nothing to do with life in Russia, but everything to do with Jesus.  This precious lady is a member of Briarwood PCA in Birmingham, and has been fighting a hard battle with cancer for several years.  Watch this video.  You will be blessed, and your trials of today will diminish and be put in their proper place.  I know mine did.  I was feeling defeated until I watched this.  After you watch it, pray for this sweet family- the Black family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U18FhH6BfzU


Click here for video.

First visit to the Russian pediatrician

A strange thing happens whenever Daddy goes out of town.  One of the children gets sick or hurt or both sometimes.  It never fails.  He left for Moscow yesterday morning.  The day before we had all gone out for pizza after church, and C3 began to develop a rash on his face.  The next morning, after Hubby had already left, the rash had spread from his face to his neck and buttocks and chest.  I began suspecting food allergies and then possibly a Candida infection due to the color and because of the increased amounts of juice he was consuming here.  Russians love juice!  This morning after numerous phone calls from various people and to various people, a Russian lady I had never met appeared at my doorstep with a car to pick us up and take us to the clinic.  Some interesting differences... First, when you go to a Russian doctor, you have to pay in full BEFORE you see the doctor.   Second, you have to put on these blue plastic covers that look like a shower cap on your feet before entering the building.  Third, only the patient and the Mom can enter the room to see the doctor.  Siblings and husbands must stay in the waiting area.  Oh, and lastly, in order to receive shots, you must first go to the nearest pharmacy ("Apteka") and buy the shots, and bring them back to the nurse to have them administered.  Well, actually they asked me if I wanted to administer them.  I looked at her like she was crazy.  I was not about to give my 3 year old a shot when I had never done it before and in a foreign country.  After all that, it appears that he has had a severe allergic reaction to some kind of food.  She advised taking him off all dairy products for several weeks and then reintroducing them.  This is not an easy task as the grocery store consists of probably 1/3 dairy products here between all kinds of cheeses, milks, kefirs, yogurts, and creams, many you have never even heard of before.   So I welcome from my readers all dairy-free, kid-friendly recipes that you might have to share.  And please pray that my little Curious George gets well soon.  He looks a sight to see between his facial rash and the various scratches and bumps he has acquired from life in Russia.  I would post a picture, but his Mimi & Grandma might bring him home after they see it.  He seems to be very accident-prone and very curious, an interesting combination.

Things I take (took) for granted

Scotch tape
Ground beef
Aluminum foil
Ziploc baggies
Windex
Organic milk
Wal-mart
Fresh fruits & veggies easily available year-round
Envelopes
Michaels & Hobby Lobby
our car
Chick-fil-A 

Just a few things that I took for granted in the States but don't come easily or perhaps at all here in Far East Russia. 

Along the lines of the last list item, don't try fast food in Russia. Well, it wasn't my idea.  But we met up with some new friends who took us to one of the only local fast-food restaurants in town called the "Golden Bird".   You guessed it - a fast-food chicken restaurant.  It doesn't really have a comparison  in the States, so I won't even make the attempt.  As far as I am concerned, I don't ever need to go back.   I'm just thankful I we didn't have food poisoning afterwards.  Hubby says that Far East Russia has effectively kept out all Western fast-food chains which have made their way across Western Europe (i.e.  McDonalds, Starbucks, and probably several others).    With the exception of Starbucks (which I wouldn't mind), it's not a bad thing!

A little jaunt to the store

Have you ever said, "I just need to run to the store for a few things."?  Living in the States, it means I hop in the car, drive a mile or two to the local grocery store, park my car, walk a hundred feet or so to the front door, push my buggy around the store, unload my groceries in the car, and drive the short ride back, all in about 30 or so minutes, unscathed.

Here in Russia it means a completely different thing.  Take the other day for example.  I get on the elevator, go down to the bottom of the apartment, walk up the hill to the courtyard gate, walk down the hill about 5 minutes or so, go into the store, try to figure out what I am looking at by reading all the Russian labels, pay for my groceries, bag them myself, and then walk up the hill with my hands as full as possible, get to the front door to the apartment, only to find out that the lift (elevator) is broken, go back outside to the stairway entrance and walk up the dark 7 floors to our apartment.  By the time I get to the front door, I am out of breath.  On the positive side, I hope my arms are a little stronger.

Or take today for example, I walk a block in the rain to the bus stop.  I get on the bus, pay my 15 rubles (about 50 cents), go another block or two to the next stop, get off the bus, take my life into my own hands by crossing the extremely overcrowded street (where btw, drivers have absolutely no regard for pedestrians), and after purchasing my groceries, walk home the 3-4 blocks in the pouring rain because I forgot that the bus stop is behind the store and not in front of the store.  The humorous part is that although it is raining, I am actually carrying 3 umbrellas under my arm.  As it apparently rains often here, I bought 2 umbrellas for the kids and was carrying one for myself.  None of which I was able to actually use because my arms were loaded down with groceries.  It would probably be better to have a video of this experience for those of you who have never lived in this part of the world.  But you get the picture...the little things we take for granted in the States are not so little over here. 

p.s.  Please excuse the run-on sentences.  These postings are unedited and simply musings from life here.  Usually there is a little person at my side waiting not so patiently for Mommy's attention.

Views from our neighborhood

 
Khabarovsk airport- upon arrival

                             
                     the front door to our apartment building
  "People-watching"

                                                        view from our 7th floor window

a Russian Orthodox church (in the background)

Daily Life

I already mentioned that I see mothers everywhere pushing their baby strollers.  They are everywhere.  Kids are everywhere - playing, going to school, walking with their Moms or Babushkas.  But I have yet to see a mother with 4 children.  And I also have yet to hear an English speaker.  So, it doesn't need to be said that we sort of stand out.  This city is not set up for a mother with 4 small children trailing behind.  Today we took our life in our hands just getting off the bus and crossing the street so that we could get to the grocery store.  The seats in the bus are few and far between, set aside for those with children or "invalids" as the sign reads.  But when you take up 4 bus seats on a crowded bus and you are only paying 30 rubles for the trip, however long (a little more than $1.00), I felt a little guilty.   I had already told the children to give up their seats if a babuskha came onboard, but fortunately for us, Russians are sympathetic to small children.  The older 3 were on the playground this afternoon while I prepared lunch.  Though we are on the 7th floor, with my window open, I can hear everything down there.  So, I had the window open listening while they were playing.  I hear C4's cry for help.  When we went down to see what had happened, a babushka sitting nearby asked me if she could give him a piece of candy, "so that he would feel better".  So, back to the grocery store.  After making it safely to the store and putting our bags in the lockers (which you have to do in every store), I was relieved to discover that in this store I could actually take off the shelf what I wanted and pay all at once after bagging my own groceries.  This in contrast to last night when I went to buy some chicken & eggs in a Soviet-style store.  There stood in the same small room two ladies - one selling chicken and one selling eggs.  I asked the egg lady for 10 eggs (which is how they come in Russia as opposed to 12 or a dozen).  But I didn't have the right change.  So she gave me my money back.  I suppose she was just not going to sell me the eggs.  I asked if I could pay for the chicken and eggs together.  She told me that I would have to pay for them separately.  So then I asked the chicken lady if I could buy some chicken.  I paid her; she gave me change; and then I was able to pay for the eggs with the change.  Why couldn't they exchange money between themselves, you might ask?  Suffice it to say, customer service is just not what they do best here.  

It takes a while to get adjusted here and especially to buy the things I am looking for, but it is an interesting life.  To my friends who have lived in Ukraine, you will appreciate this.  Did you know that you can now buy peanut butter and brown sugar even in Far East Russia now?  Oh and for my Eastern shore friends, kefir is as plentiful as milk and bread.  Instead of lugging brown sugar half-way across the world, I should have brought vanilla and scotch tape.  Those things I am searching for and have yet to find.

First impressions

I haven't written because it has just been so busy, and because blogger was down for 2 days for posting. When Scott first came back from Russia he alluded to feeling like he had walked through the wardrobe from Narnia. It does feel a bit like "Narnia". It is just so different from our life in the States. People are still people, and so in that regard things are the same. I will attempt to give you a glimpse in somewhat of a list format

What do I see?
People walking everywhere
Children playing in the courtyard
Tall apartment buildings
City lights
Grass-lined boulevards
Entry gates to every courtyard
Young mothers pushing baby strollers
Large potholes sometimes 10 feet deep in the streets
People sometimes staring at us with our 4 small children

What do I hear?
Cars all through the night
Buses
Car alarms
Squeals of children playing
Russian speakers everywhere

Yesterday we decided to meet one of Scott's coworkers and his Russian wife, Tanya, at one of the largest department stores in the city. There is a large grocery store on the bottom floor. We put on our jackets and hats, walked several blocks, caught a bus, rode for a while, and then walked a couple more blocks to the store. I did some grocery shopping while Daddy took the kids to the top floor for an ice-cream treat. The kids love all the treats. In every grocery store, there are rows of candies, fresh cookies, pastries, breads, and all sorts of yummy delicacies most that you will not find in the States.

It was a memorable flight for several reasons. I should have known when we had to wait half an hour on the runway with 2 screaming children or when my smoothie spilled all over the lady's seat in front of me before she ever boarded or when I discovered that I only brought one knitting needle with me. The crying children who will remain anonymous for their own good measure did eventually stop. Have you ever tried to discipline children in an airplane? Everyone else just wants them quiet, but if you give them the thing they are crying over then you are just indulging their will. No one got much sleep but we did make it without an international incident. I think that the flight attendants were just glad to have us off though. Credit is due to the kids for pulling their own suitcases through Atlanta and Moscow. The boys each had to push a luggage cart through Moscow full of heavy bags. Glad I have boys! The best part was how easily we made it through customs and passport control. For those of you have flown internationally any, you know that can be a real difficulty. But God sent an angel to literally escort us not through, but around customs without so much as looking at any of our 19 bags. That was no small thing but clearly an answered prayer. I am sitting here in a beautiful Russian village hotel right now where the weather is delightful and making the most of our 11 hour layover. C3 and I just enjoyed a walk through the village.

The journey begins...

19 bags and 750+ lbs. & 6 children made it to the airport this morning. We even made it on time, I might add. That in itself is remarkable for our family. Everything went smoothly as we checked in and manageable through security. (Although now that I think about it, C3 at one point did just sit down and park himself in the security aisle. I guess he had already had too much fun!) We had practiced that one yesterday. The part I failed to practice was going up an escalator while pulling a carry-on and wearing a backpack. From now on I will refer to the children as C8, C6, C4, and C3 (as of tomorrow). C8 and C4 made it fine. C6 and C3 had a mild meltdown. I was thankful for the nice skycap who helped up C6 and for Mimi with C3. We may not be so fortunate in other airports. I am also thankful right now for the person who thought up the idea to put children's cartoons and toys in the gate area, thus allowing me to begin my journal. More to be continued...

We're really going to Russia

It is kind of surreal.  I mean, we have been talking about this for almost 9 years since we came home from Ukraine.  Going back overseas to the former Soviet Union, working there, living there, possibly tentmaking...4 kids later, it is really happening.  I really can't get my mind around the fact that in just 2 weeks, we will be loading up our 12 suitcases and 4 small children and getting on an almost 20 hour plane flight half-way around the world.   Meanwhile, my house remains a mess, piles everywhere to organize, sick children to take care of, laundry to clean, meals to cook, children to teach, projects unfinished...In a few weeks, those things won't change.  But when I ask my Kindergartener what continent she lives on during recitation, she will need to say "Asia".  How strange is that? 

This blog is an attempt to give all of you back home a little peek into our adventures so that you may live vicariously, or most likely just be thankful it isn't you living in sub-Arctic temps next Fall.  By the way, here is a view from hubby's office taken this week.  Just so you know what "Spring" looks like in Khabarovsk.

Labor Day in Russia

Today is a very important holiday in Russia.  Russians celebrate Spring & Labor Day on May 1.  Actually they celebrate it May 1, 2, & 3rd which explains why it takes 7 working days for a 5 day visa to be processed.  The government will be on holiday Monday & Tuesday. 

In Soviet times May 1 was celebrated in Russia as International Workers' Day and saw massive Communist Party rallies. In 1992, the name was changed to Spring and Labor Day but it still remains a national holiday.
About 1.7 million people are expected to take part in holiday events across the country, including demonstrations by the ruling United Russia party, the Communists and trade unions, the ultranationalist LDPR Party and the liberal Yabloko party. ( excerpt from en.rian.ru)