Honeymoon Period
Well a couple of days have passed and we think the honeymoon period may be over. We have heard that for some children it can last for months. I guess our son is a fast learner in this regard as well. Anyway, we have had a few meltdowns and definite rebellion from Ruslan on almost anything we want him to do (eat, sleep, get dressed, wash up, hold our hand, etc.) We are pretty sure he has upped his level of testing us. On the bright side, he has started letting us hold and cuddle him a little and doesn’t pull away when we hug or kiss him. We tell him often that we love him and are trying to show him with our actions. Communication is the biggest challenge, but we think it better to struggle along rather than get someone to translate for us. Our translator was developing a stronger bond with him that he was with us, so I don’t think that having someone intervene is very helpful in the long run. Right now we are not pushing much English on Ruslan, we know that he will get bombarded with it when we hit U.S soil, so we are just giving him time to acquaint with us.
Yesterday we arrived in Moscow. Wow, how exciting for Ruslan. We hired a driver to bring us because the train was full. It was a nice choice. The highway from Yaroslavl to Moscow is definitely a lot better than the one from Yaroslavl to Rybinsk. The driver had a nice SUV and we were quite comfortable. It was nice to be able to enjoy the countryside. We stopped at a very interesting Russian cottage that was open to the public. The people there were dressed in traditional Russian garb and sang some songs for the crowd. We were able to go inside and look at the construction of the log cabin and browse the souvenirs.
As we drove into Moscow, Ruslan was very impressed with all the nice buildings and bridges, he kept remarking how beautiful Moscow was. As we got stuck in traffic he fell asleep until we arrived at our apartment. Our apartment is beautiful, very spacious with all the conveniences. We have a beautiful view over Moscow and can see the Kremlin from our window. We are on the 22nd floor of a high-rise apartment overlooking Novy Arbat street. Novy Arbat seems to us to be a cross between Broadway in New York and the Las Vegas strip. There are many nice shops, restaurants, coffee bars (hoorah!) and casinos. The skateboarders and roller skaters are out in force in the evening on the wide sidewalk.
Our apartment has a very large tile tub (almost a small swimming pool). Ruslan enjoyed his bath, practicing his breaststroke and backstroke. He told us he wants to take up swimming as his sport. He also seems to be good at gymnastics and has showed us a few of his moves. We are quite amazed that he seems to be a good dancer. Not sure where he learned the moves, but he dances sort of like the teens back home.
Today we visited Krasnaya Ploshid (Red Square) (about a 20 minute walk from our apartment). Ruslan was excited to see it, but wanted to return to our apartment soon after getting there. He had enough patience for a few choice photos and lunch at the GUM shopping mall, but that was it. Right now, he is listening to some Russian children’s music CD’s while he puts together some puzzles. We are waiting for the Doctor to arrive to do Ruslan’s physical report for the U.S. Embassy, then tomorrow (hopefully) we will apply for his American visa. If all goes well, we should get it Tuesday and be on our plane home on Wednesday. We all can’t wait. Ruslan told us that he likes Moscow, but is anxious to get to America. See you all soon! Love, Ken, Elaine and Ruslan Rachko
Yesterday we arrived in Moscow. Wow, how exciting for Ruslan. We hired a driver to bring us because the train was full. It was a nice choice. The highway from Yaroslavl to Moscow is definitely a lot better than the one from Yaroslavl to Rybinsk. The driver had a nice SUV and we were quite comfortable. It was nice to be able to enjoy the countryside. We stopped at a very interesting Russian cottage that was open to the public. The people there were dressed in traditional Russian garb and sang some songs for the crowd. We were able to go inside and look at the construction of the log cabin and browse the souvenirs.
As we drove into Moscow, Ruslan was very impressed with all the nice buildings and bridges, he kept remarking how beautiful Moscow was. As we got stuck in traffic he fell asleep until we arrived at our apartment. Our apartment is beautiful, very spacious with all the conveniences. We have a beautiful view over Moscow and can see the Kremlin from our window. We are on the 22nd floor of a high-rise apartment overlooking Novy Arbat street. Novy Arbat seems to us to be a cross between Broadway in New York and the Las Vegas strip. There are many nice shops, restaurants, coffee bars (hoorah!) and casinos. The skateboarders and roller skaters are out in force in the evening on the wide sidewalk.
Our apartment has a very large tile tub (almost a small swimming pool). Ruslan enjoyed his bath, practicing his breaststroke and backstroke. He told us he wants to take up swimming as his sport. He also seems to be good at gymnastics and has showed us a few of his moves. We are quite amazed that he seems to be a good dancer. Not sure where he learned the moves, but he dances sort of like the teens back home.
Today we visited Krasnaya Ploshid (Red Square) (about a 20 minute walk from our apartment). Ruslan was excited to see it, but wanted to return to our apartment soon after getting there. He had enough patience for a few choice photos and lunch at the GUM shopping mall, but that was it. Right now, he is listening to some Russian children’s music CD’s while he puts together some puzzles. We are waiting for the Doctor to arrive to do Ruslan’s physical report for the U.S. Embassy, then tomorrow (hopefully) we will apply for his American visa. If all goes well, we should get it Tuesday and be on our plane home on Wednesday. We all can’t wait. Ruslan told us that he likes Moscow, but is anxious to get to America. See you all soon! Love, Ken, Elaine and Ruslan Rachko
posted by Ken & Elaine | 9:03 AM
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