Amazing Race in Siberia This Week!

Don't forget to watch The Amazing Race this week. They will be going through Siberia. I asked our translator how far away Novosibirsk is from Novokuznetsk, and she said about a 3 hour drive.

Still trying to get back to normal here. Falling asleep in the late afternoon/evening but then waking up at 3am unable to sleep. Not sure if it is jet lag, or just too many things on my mind.

In my effort to post more positive things, I thought I'd make some lists.

Good Things In Russia:

1. Seeing Owen's face for the first time. Even scared and unsure, he was adorable. Jim started to cry.

2. Finding out Owen's feet are ticklish, and hearing him laugh for the first time.

3. Seeing all nine of Owen's teeth when we lifted him high above our heads and he broke into a huge, toothy smile.

4. My boots, though not fashionable by Russian standards, were warm and fairly good on ice. And my winter coat fit right in. No neon-yellow ski coat for me.

5. Russian chocolate. Mmmmm. Jim didn't agree, so it must have been dark (Jim only likes milk chocolate).

6. Russian hot chocolate (OK, this might be the same as above. It was more or less chocolate melted with cream, I think). Very thick. So rich it is served in a tiny cup and sipped with a tiny spoon. For the record, I could have handled a large mug of it.

7. An NCR ATM in the lobby of Hotel Siberia. And we were able to get cash from it. Woo-hoo. Go NCR!

8. Our translator, Olga. She was friendly, beautiful, smart, fluent in 3 languages; aspiring lawyer. And she grew up in the orphanage that Owen is in. She was like an angel. Grandma Helen saw her picture and said she looked like a superhero. I think she was.

9. Meeting 2 other families from our agency on our ride to the airport, coming home. It would have been nice to meet them earlier, but it was still so nice to talk to someone going through the same process. I wish we could travel in large groups like they do in the China program.

10. Seeing a group of kids that looked slightly older than Owen, going on a trek around the orphanage building, since the weather was nice. They were all bundled up from head to toe, and walked very carefully, and they all looked very happy to be outside. I wanted to take a picture, but wasn't sure I was allowed.

11. The mural painted on the wall of the entryway to the orphanage. It was fantastic. It looked like someone had somehow transferred real photos of some of the kid's faces and then painted them into a scene, with the boys as soldiers and the girls in beautiful dresses.

I'm sure there is much more, but I'll pause here. Don't forget to watch The Amazing Race!