more questions answered

Will Anya be able to bring some of her personal belongs with her or will you have to start from scratch?
Hard to say. I plan on bringing an outfit (from undies out) with us; but we sent her some clothes for Christmas that she seems to wear all the time. In the past, when she has moved orphanages – the director made sure that I got all of the clothes back. Of course, I didn’t want them, as nothing still fit Anya.

As far as belongings – the only things she has are the photo books, cards and letters that we have sent to her. And yes, we will get those things back.


You appear to be doing great with the culture there - how much Russian have you picked up?
Well, this is my 6th trip to Russia, so I am pretty comfortable here! Yes, we both know some Russian – I wouldn’t call it conversational Russian, more like survival Russian.


How much English does Anya know?
Quick answer, none. She will pick it up fast, and the more she is around us, the more she will learn. We have a plan on getting her some language help once we get home.


Does it all seem real yet?
No – probably because nothing has changed! Although the Judge has said she is our daughter, and the appropriate papers have been filed…we still don’t have Anya, and she is still living in the orphanage. We can’t parent her yet…and to her – we are all about playing and fun and games. It probably will seem real once we get her with us in this apartment.


Why is it taking so long?
I had to laugh at this – after almost 6 years, another 4 weeks seems like nothing! Having said that, it seems that all things in Russia drag out forever. If you are told and expect 1 week, I can almost promise it will be more like 2 weeks. It is the way of things here.

There is a mandatory 10 day waiting period that should be up around March 3. After that we get Anya’s new birth certificate with her new name and listing us as parents. That will take probably a week. Then, we apply for her passport. There is a lot of discussion on this passport thing, and I am working with the Embassy to get some clarity on what it is all about. A year ago, our friends had to get this biometric passport, and it took FOREVER! I hope that is an option, and we don’t have to get that kind. Will keep you updated on that.

Assuming everything goes as planned, we should be in Moscow the last part of March – that puts us home the end of March.


Is there anything you wish you would have brought with you that you didn’t?
Ask me in another week :)


Who's taking you food shopping?
We were staying with the Jackson family – they are American, living here. Steve Jackson took us to a big grocery store the day we moved into the apartment. Since we will need to walk to and from the markets from here on out, it was such a blessing to be able to really stock up!