The Russian Culture

Adam and I are getting much better at working our way around the city.  Wait a minute, that sounded like Pretty Woman.  In one day, I feel like we've come a long way though.  Instead of being intimidated with the fact that everyone speaks Russian except us, we are trying to embrace it.

We went to McDonalds the next morning (see, I was serious about the McDonalds thing ;) and tried to figure out how to order lunch.  There would obviously be no ordering "a McChicken without mayo" and I was seriously contemplating a Happy Meal because it seemed like the easiest thing.  So Adam asked for an English map and we pointed to french fries, a Chicken wrap, and a hamburger.  Did I mention this McDonalds was the fanciest I've ever seen??  When we walked in it looked the same, but around the corner, there was a separate McCafe with coffee and tons of desserts.  You could also walk upstairs to find additional seating and it was packed.

Then across the street, we found Starbucks!!  I think the entire store lit up like the Christmas tree on Christmas Vacation!  I was in heaven when I saw the little red Christmas cups and happily ordered a Gingerbread Latte.  Actually, I thought I pointed to the Eggnog Latte, but I got Gingerbread.  Who cares?!  We found Starbucks!  As we sat down with our giant mug, I remembered reading a blog where someone was convinced they got sick due to the water in the coffee.  I was a little nervous about this, but we rationalized that hot water would burn off anything that would make us sick.  Right?  Right??  You're not going to make me give up Starbucks, are you??  Okay, I might be addicted.  ;)

Later that night, we even got more brave.  Adam went into a flower shop and bought me a gerber daisy (my favorite).  It was a little funny because she didn't have a cash register, so we couldn't read how much to pay her.  She just kept repeating herself and Adam kept giving her different coins, trying to guess how much it was.  Finally, he got out his cell phone and she typed the number into his calculator.  My husband is so smart!  We also found a little dinette and paid $8 instead of $80 for dinner... yay us!

Here are some things we've discovered about the culture.  The woman are super trendy.  Seriously.  I felt completely under-dressed and was wishing I brought my Uggs because then I would somewhat blend in.  The typical outfit was coordinated with jeans or leggings and boots with tall heels.  I remember reading somewhere that these girls love heels and they totally do.  Also, I think we are by Moscow State University because there are mostly teenagers and people in their early twenties.  We have rarely seen little children and when we do, they are bundled up like the boy in A Christmas Story.  All the children we have seen are EXTREMELY well-behaved.  We have yet to see one little child throw a fit or do anything for that matter other than hold their mommy or daddy's hand and quietly walk beside them.  Actually everyone is extremely quiet.  Even in McDonalds, with the entire upstairs filled with people, you can hardly hear anything above a murmur and occasional laughter.  I typically talk louder, mostly in excitement as I'm telling a story or something... so Adam keeps telling me to tone it down a little.  ;)

We got to talk to the boys tonight and it absolutely filled my heart with joy!  (Even if Casey walked away from the phone to continue playing with his toys... ;)  Hearing their sweet voices was the best sound in the world, even if it made me a little homesick.  The coins here look just like the golden coins on Super Mario Brothers, so Jacob and Gavin were beyond excited to hear that we are bringing some home.  I am so thankful they sound healthy and happy.  A huge thank you to all my friends who are checking in on them!

This morning we are leaving to go to the orphanage!  There is another family from Ohio who is adopting a little girl from our orphanage as well, so we get to ride in the same car.  I'm really excited to meet them... and relieved to talk to someone else who speaks English!  They adopted a little boy from this same orphanage last year so they will be a wealth of information and tremendous help.  I can't sleep.  Again.  (Which is totally weird because I'm a sleep at the drop of a hat type person.)  This blog and I have become best friends in the middle of the night.  Another mom who adopted from Russia told me that her number one advice was to write down everything.  Because soon enough, it will turn into this surreal dream filled with blurred events that you can't remember...