What toys & activities have been real winners?
So far, she loves anything with a ball. Just a ball to play catch with, or a ball and hand racket kind of thing she loves.
Also really likes games – like Candy Land, Uno.
She is loving Winnie Pooh DVDs (the weird Russian version, and the normal red-shirt wearing Pooh version) – which is a great “quiet down” thing. We made the mistake (not sure if it is a mistake or not…) of letting her play with Marty’s IPod Touch. That is a favorite too. All the games she likes, and really enjoys listening to music. How she can find the songs on there she likes is beyond me! He has HUNDREDS of albums on his IPod, but she somehow finds Hillsong and an old REM song every time!
What do you wish you'd brought?
The things I wish I would have brought with me are more for my comfort than anything else. More body lotion, a tunic (I live in tunics and leggings / jeans at home), another skirt, a purse (just brought a big tote and a little LITTLE purse). I wish I would have brought more hair things for Anya. I thought I had more, but the night before we were leaving and I was doing last minute packing, I realized I didn’t have as many as I thought. Need more bows!
There are things I am very glad I brought with me…Aveda Night Nutrients – wouldn’t leave home with out it! Especially in this weather (skin saver!). Also glad I brought bath gel and lotion for Anya. She loves that part of the nightly routine.
What fun toys/activities have you obtained in Irkutsk?
We haven’t purchased anything here. The toys are SO expensive! I take that back…we’ve purchased some coloring books. Anya likes coloring too (and so do I!). We’ve been blessed and been able to borrow some things to pay with from the Jackson’s. I (mistakenly) thought that there would be some things in the apartment to play with – but there isn’t anything here.
What Russian vocab have you found very helpful and use all the time?
It is amazing what comes back to you when you are here. At home, I have trouble coming up with Russian things to say – but here, I can communicate OK with Anya and anyone in a store or café. The most important thing I say is “I don’t understand in Russian, do you speak English?”. With my limited understanding of Russian and sign language – we get around OK. The only challenge is at the grocery store – again, thank God for the Jackson’s!
When we first started this journey, we purchased a Russian Language CD for adoption. It has proven VERY helpful, and offers enough basics to get around – and words that you can use to build on.
No comments:
Post a Comment