We have had a sort of debate going on concerning what constitutes the beginning of winter here.  Some people say Nov. 1 here.  Others say Dec. 1.  My husband says Dec. 21 at the winter solstice, and others say "When you can go outside without a hat on and not freeze, it is not yet winter.".   Well, whatever the correct answer is, it is cold here. The temperatures are consistently 10-15 below in Celcius, which translates to roughly 10 and below in Farenheit.  When dressed properly, however, it is a kind of winter wonderland.  Our Alabama barefoot loving children have remarkably adjusted to the cold, and so far seem to endure it longer than their parents or most Russian kids for that matter. 

Snow and ice cover the roads and walkways.  Men are always out shoveling the sidewalks to prevent the snow from packing down and turning into an ice-skating rink.   Instead of strollers, you will see mothers pushing or pulling their babies on sleds.  Children have these plastic shovel-looking things that they carry around and can sit down on whenever there is a hill for sledding.  

This past week has been busy.  The kids & I have been sledding on inner tubes and sleds.  We visited an Orthodox church and were allowed to view a "miraculous icon" of Mary and Jesus.  Interestingly enough they say it continuously flows myrhh.  My Russian orthodox friend, who invited us, picked up 2 of the children and told them to kiss the icon.  This is what the Russian Orthodox do to icons. Complying and not realizing what they were doing, they did.  I have to say that is something I have never done.  Also, C9 began playing soccer and went to a Russian school for the first time.  Here are a few pics:

Going to School with Daddy

A view from inside; in back an Orthodox monastery

"Otkritie" Elementary school

First Real Snow

 

View from our balcony

Boys trying out their new sleds

Our Littlest Knight

These were too funny to pass up, so just for fun here is our littlest knight of the Three Musketeers (& 1 princess of course).

A day in our life...

This morning we didn't wake up until 8 because the sun didn't begin to rise until then, and my alarm clock (i.e. Hubby) isn't here to wake me up. His week long absence has proved exhausting, for me at least. The kids weren't all up until 8:30, and since detski sad begins at 8:30, we were of course already late. I fed them a quick breakfast, helped them dress in their layers of Fall clothing (which consists of tights, pants, turtleneck, sweater, coat, hat, mittens, scarf, and warm boots), and left the apartment. We looked for a taxi because at this point it was already 9:15, but were unsuccessful. So, we walked 2 blocks to a bus stop, got on the bus, rode several stops, got off and then walked 10 minutes to the kindergarten. By the time we arrived it was already 10 oclock. I then took a bus home, waited for C9 to finish his Russian lesson, and then went out again on a mission to find wool tights and wool mittens. Apparently, it is supposed to get "cold" next week. And have you seen wool mittens and stockings for sale in Alabama? So, after several shops, two bus rides, one trolleybus ride, and lots of walking, C9 and I had a bag of wool stockings and several pairs of wool mittens and were on our way to pick up the other kids from detski sad. Needless to say, after getting them all home again, I was fairly tired. Our Russian friends had earlier invited us to the woods for a picnic because of the nice weather, which translates into above freezing. So we spent the later part of the day playing along the beach of the Amur River, walking through the woods, and roasting hot dogs. By the way, they want to know why Americans call them hot dogs. Beats me; to be honest, I have never thought about it. One thing I do want to know though is whether Russians are deprived because they don't know what a s'more or marshmallow is? If I can find marshmallows here and make my own graham crackers, I will have to introduce the idea. That along with a few other things including syrup and chips and salsa. I don't know about you, but just writing this blog entry makes me ready for bed. So until next time, "Da Sveedanya".

a Russian trolley bus

the kids with friends along Amur River

Fall campfire

Life gets busier

We have only been back in Russia since mid-October, and yet it seems like a lot longer.  So much has happened in these first couple weeks back than when we first arrived back in May.  We are pleased that things are beginning to come together, and we are feeling more settled.  The younger 3 children started "Detski Sad" or Russian kindergarten the week after we came back.  They are enrolled in a Montessori kindergarten and go every weekday through lunch.   Typically, Russian children go to Detski sad from the age of 3 until they turn 7, and most attend the entire day.  This was a compromise for me as I really wanted them to learn Russian but did not like the idea of having my children gone all day while I stayed at home.  My husband and acquaintances here all encouraged me to let them try it.  So far it has been a good experience although they don't always want to get up and go.  I can see that they have learned already some more Russian than they would have, especially C6.   They feed the children breakfast and lunch which is very typical of a kindergarten.  When they are picked up, they want a second lunch as the food portions are very meager.  Russian children typically go to 1st grade at the age of 7, and at that time they already know how to read and write.  So, their 1st grade is more akin to an American 2nd grade class.  They also go to school half days at least at the elementary level.  In the afternoons, the children have a choice of afternoon activities (which they pay for) at the school, or elsewhere or they go home.    We are looking into a school right now for our eldest mainly for the purposes of language acquisition.  He will still need to come home in the afternoons and have lessons in the subjects that he would not receive at a Russian school.   The schools are on a 1 week break now, and the director of the school is on vacation.  So, we will not know for sure until next month if they will even take him.

This month have also spent a lot of time with one particular Russian family with whom we have become acquainted.  They are a sweet family, sincere Orthodox Christians, with 3 small children (5 & under) and one teenage daughter.  With our American friends, we were able to visit a children's orphanage where school age children live.   I am hopeful that we will be able to begin a relationship with this or another orphanage and make regular visits.  The directors are not always eager to have Western visitors. A lot of this has to do with the fact that they are afraid we might be prosletyzing.  I am not sure about the rest of Russia, but the Far East is skeptical of non-Orthodox groups and often frowns upon them.  Again, this is an area about which I am learning.   God gave me an idea about talking to one of the orphanage directors about a knitting class for some of the girls.   How fun would it be to pass along my newly learned knitting skill to some Russian orphans to whom this would be a very useful craft.    I'll let you know if this leads anywhere.

Hubby is presently in St. Petersburg, which if you look on the map is on the opposite side of the country in European Russia.  He told me I wasn't allowed to go visit because I might never go back.  Apparently it is a very beautiful city.    With him being gone a week, I am appreciative of all he does to help us here.    Like the fact that I have no water right now because the water delivery service didn't come last night, and so I will have to hike to the store for water tonight.  Or that he drives the kids to Detski sad and picks them, so I am having to take a bus and walk with them to kindergarten there and back each day.   Of course, this is how most Russian people live.  Just today I was watching all the babushkas walking down the street amidst pot-hole sidewalks waiting for buses, hauling food and supplies with their cold-weather gear on.  I sat behind an older woman in the bus with crooked fingers and what looked like arthritis.  Another elderly lady was running to the bus only to find the doors close before she was able to get on.  There were several young mothers carrying their babies wrapped up on snow suits like a bundle through the streets.  It is not an easy life - the freezing climate nor the lifestyle.  But these people are survivors.  If they all knew how we middle-class Americans lived, they would probably think we were all wimps.    I don't hear them complaining though; it is just their life. 

Around the World (or Halfway) in 2 Days

For those of you wondering how long it really does take to get to the other side of the world, it takes about 40 hours including planes and layovers.  On the way back to Russia, we went through Asia as opposed to Europe. It really doesn't matter which way you do it.  It is STILL on the other side of the globe.  4 plane trips, including one 15 hour long one, one overnight in South Korea, one stopover in Japan, and 6 tired people later, we arrived back in Khabarovsk.  Here are a few photos documenting our journey.

In the Tokyo airport

Happy in Seoul, S. Korea

Waiting, waiting,waiting...

Jack Frost arrived!

I think today was the beginning of the Russian winter.  You would have thought it was Christmas morning around here.  The kids went to the window and looked outside.  Immediately, I heard screaming (the good kind) and "Mommy, It's snowing!"  I expected to see white stuff falling from the sky.  Instead I look out and there is a light, spotty dusting of the ground.  That didn't matter to the kids.  You have to love their enthusiasm. They were ready to gear up and make snowballs.  It was still dark at this point, as the sun doesn't rise until 8 AM.  They were half dressed for the snow within 5 minutes.   So, we all went outside and played in the playground and took pictures of their "first" dusting in Russia.  They don't know it but they are probably going to be sick of snow by the time winter is over.  It was only in the 20s, but it felt COLD.  I am positive that we were the most excited family in all of Khabarovsk this morning.  To all of our Southern Alabama friends, here are some photos of our morning.