On My Way to Orekhovo-Zuyevo

Today is the start of a few very busy days.  I leave tonight to arrive in Moscow tomorrow afternoon.  From the airport we go to the orphanage in Orekhovo-Zuyevo to get Max.  After a few busy days of official appointments and meetings, we come home as a family.   

Moscow.... Again

I arrived in Moscow about 12:30 this afternoon, local time.  To me, any flight that takes off and lands as it should is a good flight.  It's what happens in-between that makes each flight unique and provides a story.  We boarded the plane on time, taxied out to the run way, sat for a little while, then literaly backed up to the gate.  That's right, the pilot put the plane in reverse and we went back to the gate.  I don't know why we backed up; but about and hour and twenty minutes later we took off.  The flight was a bit bumpy through out the night.  In the middle of the night, a new passenger made himself known on the plane.  The new passenger was a little yappy dog that got out of his carrier.  He was running up and down the isle barking away, it seems that he woke up and wanted to let everyone know about it!  I thought it was pretty funny even though he woke me and the people around me up.  It also seemed like his owner must be used to the barking because it took quite awhile for him to wake up then run down the aisle and get the dog.  Very funny to watch. 

Just got to the hotel a little while ago, lots of traffic.  Tomorrow morning I go for my medical exam then out to the orphanage to see the little man, I'm looking forward to that.

Posted at 3:45 PM, Moscow time.

Ready To Go

I'm all packed and ready to go.  It's sunny and clear today so it seems like a good day to fly.  I'm looking forward to spending the next few days visiting the little man as I prepare for court.  I'll post again soon from Moscow.

Court Date

Today CHI called.  My court date is April 14th.  I will be going to Moscow on April 6th. so I can visit the little man several more times before court.  Lots to do before I go, I'll post again soon. 

Next Steps

Just a brief update since I've been home for a week now.  The CHI staff in Moscow is working with the court to determine my next steps.  Hopefully I'll get a court date quickly.  I should hear something from CHI soon.

Moscow City Tour

This morning I went on a complementary Moscow city tour that CHI provides to adopting families.   My tour guide was Olga, Olga trains other tour guides so you can imagine how much she knows.  Since I went to Red Square on my own the other day, we decided not to go to Red Square and to see some other sites that are not normally included in the tour.  The tour included a Russian history lesson because a lot of the buildings we saw were built, torn down and/or rebuilt after a war, revolution or change in leadership.  Olga also took me to a shop to buy some Russian souvenirs.  The tour was very nice except for the weather, it was very cloudy and windy so the pictures are not great but I did enjoy the tour.

After the tour we went to the Notary, a process that normally takes no more than an hour, usually less, took us over four hours.  Ultimately the documents were prepared properly and I signed them.  Then an hour ride in traffic back to the hotel.  When I got backto the hotel, I went for a walk until it got too cold to be outside.

Tomorrow I come home and wait for a court date.

Some pictures from today's tour and a little bit of what Olga told me.

Me in front of the Kremlin.

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.  It was originally built commerating the victory over Napoleon.  It was demolished in 1931 to make way for Stalin's Palace of the Soviets.  The palace was never completed and the foundation of the building became the world's largest outdoor swimming pool.  We went inside, the art work, the alters and design are spectacular. 

The monument of Peter the Great.  Apparently this was originally comissioned by the United States to be a monument to Christopher Columbus but the United States did not like the monument so the artist put a new head on it and here it is.  Notice that the ship looks like a Spanish ship.

The Novodevichy Convent was built for Nuns from high ranking and royal families.  At one time there were 10,000 peasants to tend to the needs of the Nuns.  It is adjoined by a cemetary for the rich and famous, war heroes and politicians.  You have to be approved by the state to be buried in the cemetary.

The tall building in the back of this picture is one of the Seven Sisters.  They are a group of skyscrapers built in Moscow, each with a huge star on the top that can be seen from very far away.

Posted at 7:21 PM.

Playing with Crayons

Today was the last day I'll see the little man on this trip.  He warmed up quickly today and went right for the toy bag.  After he ate his Cheerios we played with the crayons for a while.  His playing with crayons includes drawing some lines, taking them out of the box and putting them back in and dropping them on the floor for the other kids to pick up, repeatedly!  Everytime he dropped them, the other kids would come running over to pick them up and hand them to me, apparently he thought this was great so he kept doing it.  We also discovered that the little man can dance!  There is a couple from Spain at the orphanage adopting a boy and a girl, siblings.  They had a little music toy which he spent quite a bit of time with while their daughter played with the crayons.  It was nice to see him playing with the other kids.   

Tomorrow morning I get a tour of Moscow city, I'm looking forward to it.  Then it's off to the Notary to sign the papers that will begin the court process to bring the little man home.  Another busy day!

Posted at 6:25 PM.

Orekhovo-Zuyevo

Things went well today, I went to the Ministry of Education for information about the little man and then to Orekhovo-Zuyevo.  Orekhovo-Zuyevo is the region where the little man lives, it is an industrial city in the Moscow Oblast located about 60 miles or so outside of Moscow. With traffic, and there is a lot of it all the time, it took us almost 3 hours to get there today.  I was able to meet with the orphanage doctor and then spend a couple of hours with the little man.  He was happy and playful and seemed to enjoy our time together.  Right now I am waiting for some more information which I hope to get tonight. 

Tomorrow's plan is an early day at the orphanage, I'm being picked up at 8 AM to go visit him.  I expect it to be another busy day. 

If yor're interested in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orekhovo-Zuyevo.

Posted at 10:26 PM.

Sokolniki Park

I took a short walk today to check out the area.  I discoverd a lot of stores, a mall and Sokolniki Park.  The only problem was, it was freezing out.  It is so warm inside that you go out thinking it's not that cold, big mistake.  It was about 10 degrees Farenheit when I went out, as I said it was a short walk because my legs were freezing.  Tomorrow's walk will include long johns!  Anyway, here's a few pictures that I took on the walk, there are only a couple from the park, it is huge so I'm sure I'll get more later this week. 

This is a church on the way to the park. 

 

These gates are at the entrance to the park. 

As you walk into the park, there is a row of ice statues, each one with different flowers frozen inside of it, makes you think of Spring.

I read somewhere that the turn the entire main walkway of the park into a skating rink.  These skaters were enjoying themselves, walking across the ice was a challenge!

Here is a link to more info on Sokolniki Park if you're interested:  http://www.moscow.info/parks/sokolniki-park.aspx

Posted at 7:04 PM

Moscow

I made it to Moscow, the flight was longer than planned, we boarded on time and then sat at the gate for two hours.  Once we took off, it was uneventful, a little bumpy but not bad.  The ride from the airport to the hotel took about an hour, lots of traffic.  My driver, Vitali, told me that there is always traffic and he said this traffic wasn't that bad because at least it was moving!  Yes Vitali speaks english very well, I like that, allows me to ask a lot of questions as we travel through Moscow and the surrounding areas.    

Unpacking now, then I'm going to take a walk.  I'm going to try to stay up for awhile so hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight.  Tomorrow morning I'll be picked up at 9 AM to get things rolling.  Tomorrow is a big day!

Posted at 4:33 PM.

Time To Fly

I'll be heading to the airport in a little while.  Looks like a beautiful day to fly.  I'll be arriving in Moscow at about 12:30 tomorrow afternoon.  I'll post again Monday afternoon, Moscow time. 

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support.  Chris

Getting Ready To Go

Today I had my travel call, everything is set for me to leave Sunday.  I'm pretty much ready to go, just a few more things to get together. 

A line from an old rock n' roll song keeps playing in my head, 'Catch your dreams before they slip away'. 

As I take the next steps on this long journey, I'm hoping to finally catch my dreams...  follow along!

Happy Birthday Julian!

AARRGGHHH!!!!

I just found out that due to a flu epidemic in Moscow, my trip will be delayed until the end of the month.  Apparently they are closing all orphanages and child care facilities until March 1st. in an effort to minimize the spread of the flu.  I have to try to change my flights and determine what documents, exams etc. will be impacted.  I guess I don't have to worry about Saturday's upcoming snow storm now. 

Snow, Snow & More Snow.....

We are now in the middle of what the weather reporters are saying is our eighth snow storm this season, I don't know about the rest of you but I've had enough!  While I've been getting ready to leave, I can't help but watch the weather reports.  The next snow storm is scheduled for Saturday; I'm not surprised because it's the same day I'm leaving for Moscow.   Hopefully the weather reports are wrong, we'll see!   

Travel Dates!

For those of you who have been following my adoption journey, you know that if it's winter it means it's time for me to travel to Eastern Europe!  I found out today that I have been invited to travel to Moscow in early February.  At this point I don't have many details, I just know I have a lot to do to get ready to go.  I'll post again soon.

Next Steps

CHI and I have had many discussions about the options available to me.  We discussed a few regions but ultimately decided that the best place for me to continue my adoption journey would be in Moscow.  That being said, today I applied for a Visa that will allow me to return to Russia in the beginning of the new year.  Hopefully I will receive my invitation to travel quickly when the calendar turns to 2011.  I hope all of you will continue to support me and follow along as I move forward in this process.  I'll post again soon.