Wordless Wednesday is on vacation, at least until UAB arrives with a computer bearing editing software.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
adorablisms again
Playing I Spy in the car. Alex spies something brown. Zoltan's guess "Is it the tree holder?"
Monday, June 3, 2013
Reunited and it feels so good ...
The Poczak-Madnick clan is once again under one roof. I can't believe how much I missed my boys and I am so glad Zoltan is still small enough to smother me in hugs, not being "too cool" to hug mom yet. The 4 week separation makes me, once again, marvel at all the foreign service and military families that do this for longer stretches, and more often, and when someone is in actual danger. So, yay! and thank you (as I never said it on Memorial Day)
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Goodbye Piter
Four years have now come and gone for me in St Petersburg. I have now lived in this city longer than anywhere since I lived with my parents almost 20 years ago. Zoltan has never lived anywhere else and Alex has lived there as long she can remember. The last two members of the family now will say good bye to you. There will always be a special place for me in my heart for this city. St Petersburg and Philadelphia are the two cities that most touched me, and I will always slight miss being in each of them. So until I return Goodbye Piter and we will all look forward to when we can return.
До свидания Питр!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
It's not all bad
Some of the highlights of our new home, as I fear I'm focusing too much on the negative:
1. Lots of kids in the neighborhood, and at least a few friendly neighbors.
2. Alex's school will be walking distance for when I am not yet working.
3. The local civic center is walkable and seems geared for children, with youth orchestras and art shows, a really nice playground on its grounds, and for the adults (well kids too, but not our kids yet), community tennis courts.
4. The yard, where we can plant stuff. Especially now that the trees are gone, thus allowing sunlight to penetrate.
5. The deck, where we will grill at least every other day. Once we buy a grill as the previous one went to the cabin.
6. The ton of shops, restaurants and metro that are all within a mile. We walked to the library today and got our library cards. Right in front of it is a great little splash park
1. Lots of kids in the neighborhood, and at least a few friendly neighbors.
2. Alex's school will be walking distance for when I am not yet working.
3. The local civic center is walkable and seems geared for children, with youth orchestras and art shows, a really nice playground on its grounds, and for the adults (well kids too, but not our kids yet), community tennis courts.
4. The yard, where we can plant stuff. Especially now that the trees are gone, thus allowing sunlight to penetrate.
5. The deck, where we will grill at least every other day. Once we buy a grill as the previous one went to the cabin.
6. The ton of shops, restaurants and metro that are all within a mile. We walked to the library today and got our library cards. Right in front of it is a great little splash park
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The work begins
Today Alex and I spent the day at the house. Promptly 1 minute after I arrived at the house (and 15 minutes early!) the crew came to remove the 2 large trees in the back yard that were too close to the house, endangering the foundation and for all I know being the route the termites took to get in. Alex was fascinated watching them, actually I was too but I was also quite busy. The house had been what my mom would call filthy, what other people would call a bit dirty, so I cleaned bathrooms and swept. I had gotten those Windex wipes so Alex could help with windows and mirrors, and she really enjoyed it for about 15 minutes. When I realized that we had no drinking vessels, we ran to the nearest grocery store for provisions. During the day I also fielded 3 electricians for their estimates. This was actually my most critical task, however I got to the tree stuff first because they didn't need a person to let them into the house to see what the work would look like.
I had also completely forgotten to call the utilities to set up accounts in our names. And apparently the sellers got right on having the gas shut off when I didn't take care of that detail on Day 1, so they have to come turn the gas back on and of course they can't get to it for a few days. At least now I know the heating system isn't broken, it just isn't getting any fuel. It was chilly inside the house, even Alex happily changed from shorts into the pants and socks I brought for her. Tomorrow is supposed to get close to 90F so it will be interesting to see how well the house stays cool without a little help.
Now I'm trying to contact the selected electrician and get him in ASAP to fix the bad and allegedly dangerous wiring. Tomorrow we get to go to Lowes and buy a hot water heater. If my bank account didn't take a hit every time I accomplished a task, I would probably find this way more fun than I am :-)
Here's an important question to anyone who might be reading: the bathtub has those anti-slip decals, I even remember them being marketed in the 1980s, they look like flowers. I need to remove them. Comet didn't even touch them, any suggestions??
I had also completely forgotten to call the utilities to set up accounts in our names. And apparently the sellers got right on having the gas shut off when I didn't take care of that detail on Day 1, so they have to come turn the gas back on and of course they can't get to it for a few days. At least now I know the heating system isn't broken, it just isn't getting any fuel. It was chilly inside the house, even Alex happily changed from shorts into the pants and socks I brought for her. Tomorrow is supposed to get close to 90F so it will be interesting to see how well the house stays cool without a little help.
Now I'm trying to contact the selected electrician and get him in ASAP to fix the bad and allegedly dangerous wiring. Tomorrow we get to go to Lowes and buy a hot water heater. If my bank account didn't take a hit every time I accomplished a task, I would probably find this way more fun than I am :-)
Here's an important question to anyone who might be reading: the bathtub has those anti-slip decals, I even remember them being marketed in the 1980s, they look like flowers. I need to remove them. Comet didn't even touch them, any suggestions??
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Da Vinci Discovery Center
Continuing the theme of keeping Alex busy and happy by taking her to science museums, we headed this week to the Lehigh Valley's own Da Vinci Discovery Center. We'd gone last year with Grammy and Zoltan and only managed to get a taste of what was there.
First note: I was very impressed that on their web site they suggest that individuals come in the afternoon as school groups usually depart by 1:30pm. We were having a slow morning anyway, so arrival at 1:00pm was perfect.
It's an impressive museum for its size and location. We managed to fill more than 3 hours and didn't check out every exhibit, although that was due to Alex's interest and attention span, not the amount of time we had. It was fun that they had Grossology, which I had seen many years ago at (I think) the Franklin Institute. As always, what captivates a child is never what we think it will be but as we had no deadlines and I only had her interests to indulge, it was an incredibly relaxing experience.
My favorite part was watching her play with the station with all the gears, and gradually incorporate every single gear in one huge rotation. She got a kick out of the paper airplane folding exhibit, where the computer guides us through one of about a dozen different designs. She was too excited to settle down and let me read to her from the book corner in the Preschooler room but had a ball stacking the foam blocks into towers and a hidey-hole for herself (except when a child ran into the room, jumped on her work-in-progress and ran out. Then another kid did the exact same thing during the rebuild).
I guess one of our adventures this summer will be checking out what kind of science/hands-on-children's museums we can find in the DC area.
First note: I was very impressed that on their web site they suggest that individuals come in the afternoon as school groups usually depart by 1:30pm. We were having a slow morning anyway, so arrival at 1:00pm was perfect.
It's an impressive museum for its size and location. We managed to fill more than 3 hours and didn't check out every exhibit, although that was due to Alex's interest and attention span, not the amount of time we had. It was fun that they had Grossology, which I had seen many years ago at (I think) the Franklin Institute. As always, what captivates a child is never what we think it will be but as we had no deadlines and I only had her interests to indulge, it was an incredibly relaxing experience.
My favorite part was watching her play with the station with all the gears, and gradually incorporate every single gear in one huge rotation. She got a kick out of the paper airplane folding exhibit, where the computer guides us through one of about a dozen different designs. She was too excited to settle down and let me read to her from the book corner in the Preschooler room but had a ball stacking the foam blocks into towers and a hidey-hole for herself (except when a child ran into the room, jumped on her work-in-progress and ran out. Then another kid did the exact same thing during the rebuild).
I guess one of our adventures this summer will be checking out what kind of science/hands-on-children's museums we can find in the DC area.
Friday, May 24, 2013
All packed out
On Tuesday the movers came and started packing all of our things. A friend from the Consulate was gracious enough to help me watch over everything. I can't thank him enough. So all day Tuesday I watch my stuff be packed into boxes and sealed up. The movers estimated one day to pack and then load everything the second day. I thought this was optimist and it turns out I was right. At the end of the first day everything in the living room, kitchen, dining room, study, Alex and Zoltan's bedrooms were packed up. My bedroom, two bathrooms, strollers and the kids bikes were still left to do. When Zoltan came home from school he was eager to see all the boxes. He went from room to see all the boxes in each room. Later he keep asking me why there was no TV now, where is his Spiderman spoon, etc. His seems to have trouble understand everything was being packed up, but was generally OK with it.
Then next day the movers were ready to go a little early. So one guy finished the little packing while the other three started doing the official inventory and loading the truck. Everything went fine for the most part. At one point all the stuff was packed and the only thing to do was match our box numbers to the official box number. So I told our friend I was OK and thanked him again. After 3/4 of our stuff is loaded on the truck they ran out of space. So they pick some last things that will fit and load those things. Off 3 guys go with part of our things and one guys stays back to finish inventory and do the paperwork. He also moves all the remaining things into the apartment buildings hallway so he can wait there until the truck returns. At this point there is nothing to do so I head into to work since it has been crazy in the office. Generally I found in my time in Russia that lots of things are done just not quite right. Here the mover are organized and effecient but the truck is just a little to small. Still baffles me, but at least everything went more or less fine. We will see on the other side how well everything made it.
Then next day the movers were ready to go a little early. So one guy finished the little packing while the other three started doing the official inventory and loading the truck. Everything went fine for the most part. At one point all the stuff was packed and the only thing to do was match our box numbers to the official box number. So I told our friend I was OK and thanked him again. After 3/4 of our stuff is loaded on the truck they ran out of space. So they pick some last things that will fit and load those things. Off 3 guys go with part of our things and one guys stays back to finish inventory and do the paperwork. He also moves all the remaining things into the apartment buildings hallway so he can wait there until the truck returns. At this point there is nothing to do so I head into to work since it has been crazy in the office. Generally I found in my time in Russia that lots of things are done just not quite right. Here the mover are organized and effecient but the truck is just a little to small. Still baffles me, but at least everything went more or less fine. We will see on the other side how well everything made it.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Too much time together?
Alex tonight drew two pictures for me. In one, I am being eaten by a motorcycle that is flying. There are a lot of pretty clouds around us. In the second one, I am smiling because the motorcycle dropped me; however I am plummeting into a big city (lots of skyscrapers). A lion waits for me on one roof.
Maybe we are spending too much time together? C'mon time, tick along faster and bring our boys home to us!
Maybe we are spending too much time together? C'mon time, tick along faster and bring our boys home to us!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Update from America
Alex and I have been in America for a week now. From Philly, we came down to my brother's house outside DC for a visit with them and coinciding with a visit from my mom. It turns out Ben's confirmation was this week too, so it's actually been pretty busy between that, Mother's Day on Sunday, and a lot of time on the phone and computer getting things ready for the closing.
Turns out the house has/had termites, so that added some excitement to the week, between ordering the termite inspection because that fell between the cracks, to the diagnosis of termites, to the treatment. All before Thursday. Crazy stuff. I am pretty sure the termite guy wanted to warn me not to buy the place. Let's hope it's all fine now.
Also, turns out all of Alex's blood tests came back fine. Her vitamin D is low but not low enough to be the obvious culprit for her broken bones, according to the very static-y message I listened to from the doctor. So I guess it's a good thing we didn't cancel the appointment with the orthopedist on Friday, and I expect he'll order a bone density scan as it was the next step after checking Alex's vitamin D.
Turns out the house has/had termites, so that added some excitement to the week, between ordering the termite inspection because that fell between the cracks, to the diagnosis of termites, to the treatment. All before Thursday. Crazy stuff. I am pretty sure the termite guy wanted to warn me not to buy the place. Let's hope it's all fine now.
Also, turns out all of Alex's blood tests came back fine. Her vitamin D is low but not low enough to be the obvious culprit for her broken bones, according to the very static-y message I listened to from the doctor. So I guess it's a good thing we didn't cancel the appointment with the orthopedist on Friday, and I expect he'll order a bone density scan as it was the next step after checking Alex's vitamin D.
We bought a dump!
Yes, friends, we are now 3 for 3 in our home buying ventures. Each abode we have purchased has led to a first weekend wander and "Why did you let me buy this dump?" "No, why did YOU let ME buy this dump?" conversation.
Of course, this is by far the most expensive dump. For the few of you who remember the Fanshawe blog, we'll definitely be documenting this renovation as we go along. You may even get to weigh in on paint colors or other fun things.
But, hey, it has a yard. And Alex can't get enough of walking out the front door and being in "green green grass".
Of course, this is by far the most expensive dump. For the few of you who remember the Fanshawe blog, we'll definitely be documenting this renovation as we go along. You may even get to weigh in on paint colors or other fun things.
But, hey, it has a yard. And Alex can't get enough of walking out the front door and being in "green green grass".
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Boys in Piter
It has now been almost a week that it has been just Zoltan and me staying back while Lynne and Alex went back to the States. So far things have gone surprisingly well. Zoltan has been amazingly well behaved during this time. He regularly asks 10 times a day when we are going on an airplane to see Mommy and Allie, but no major tantrums or fits.
Thursday and Friday were Russian Holidays so this has been a long weekend of just me and Zoltan. We spent much of the time going through our stuff and starting to organize everything for the packout that is coming soon enough. In addition we have had a chance to do some fun things. Here is the quick rundown of our long break.
Thursday: This was parade day (Victory Day in Russia) and half the streets are closed to traffic surrounding us so getting anywhere by car was difficult. We are close enough to the parade route that moving the car meant we are likely to lose our parking spot as well. So today was a spend the day locally day. Off to the playground we went. Unfortunately most of the parade was happening during Zoltan’s nap so we did not go to see it. After nap the weather was gorgeous so we went back outside to the playground.
Friday: Rain, Rain, Rain. Lots and lots of rain. I had planned on going by Metro to the Russian Museum with Zoltan but I didn’t feel like walking in the rain. So instead Zoltan and I decide we would go the grocery store. He does love going to the grocery store for whatever reason. At the store I bought him a Chugginton DVD so we could see what it was like. Turns out the whole thing is in Russian with no other languages. Many DVD sold here have both Russian and English and many have other additional languages. I let him watch one when we got home so I could do some organizing. From that point on all weekend all he has been asking for is the “Train Movie”. Not sure why these are movies and not shows since they are about 10 minutes long. After nap the weather cleared and back to the playground.
Saturday: Raining again. Today I had the idea to go to the Grand Maket since that was indoor activity and Zoltan loved it so much the last time. Once Zoltan heard the idea he went and got himself dressed to go. This was despite the knowledge that we were not ready to go. Boy O Boy was he ready. Like last time the Grand Maket was hit. Here is a photo of Zoltan enjoying himself. Also we found little items that I totally missed last time.
Sunday: Weather was decent. Zoltan agreed today since the weather was good we would take the Metro to the Russian Museum. He loves looking at the trains and riding trains so the Metro was a hit. Above ground we took some photos on our walk. When we got to the Russian Museum Zoltan was hungry so we sat on the benches outside and gave him a snack. After a snack and enjoying the weather Zoltan decide quite strongly that he did not want to go to the Museum. Since I just want to get him out I didn’t fight it. We walked to the canal and watch some boat come and go on the canal. Next he wanted to take the bus back to the house. So we jumped on a bus and got off near our house and went to lunch. On the walk home we stopped by the playground to let him play before heading home for nap. Busy Busy day.
Thursday and Friday were Russian Holidays so this has been a long weekend of just me and Zoltan. We spent much of the time going through our stuff and starting to organize everything for the packout that is coming soon enough. In addition we have had a chance to do some fun things. Here is the quick rundown of our long break.
Thursday: This was parade day (Victory Day in Russia) and half the streets are closed to traffic surrounding us so getting anywhere by car was difficult. We are close enough to the parade route that moving the car meant we are likely to lose our parking spot as well. So today was a spend the day locally day. Off to the playground we went. Unfortunately most of the parade was happening during Zoltan’s nap so we did not go to see it. After nap the weather was gorgeous so we went back outside to the playground.
Friday: Rain, Rain, Rain. Lots and lots of rain. I had planned on going by Metro to the Russian Museum with Zoltan but I didn’t feel like walking in the rain. So instead Zoltan and I decide we would go the grocery store. He does love going to the grocery store for whatever reason. At the store I bought him a Chugginton DVD so we could see what it was like. Turns out the whole thing is in Russian with no other languages. Many DVD sold here have both Russian and English and many have other additional languages. I let him watch one when we got home so I could do some organizing. From that point on all weekend all he has been asking for is the “Train Movie”. Not sure why these are movies and not shows since they are about 10 minutes long. After nap the weather cleared and back to the playground.
Saturday: Raining again. Today I had the idea to go to the Grand Maket since that was indoor activity and Zoltan loved it so much the last time. Once Zoltan heard the idea he went and got himself dressed to go. This was despite the knowledge that we were not ready to go. Boy O Boy was he ready. Like last time the Grand Maket was hit. Here is a photo of Zoltan enjoying himself. Also we found little items that I totally missed last time.
Sunday: Weather was decent. Zoltan agreed today since the weather was good we would take the Metro to the Russian Museum. He loves looking at the trains and riding trains so the Metro was a hit. Above ground we took some photos on our walk. When we got to the Russian Museum Zoltan was hungry so we sat on the benches outside and gave him a snack. After a snack and enjoying the weather Zoltan decide quite strongly that he did not want to go to the Museum. Since I just want to get him out I didn’t fight it. We walked to the canal and watch some boat come and go on the canal. Next he wanted to take the bus back to the house. So we jumped on a bus and got off near our house and went to lunch. On the walk home we stopped by the playground to let him play before heading home for nap. Busy Busy day.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Franklin Institute
One thing that's nice about America is that there's a wealth of personal and family history to impart to the kids. Alex is in a science museum phase, she begged to go to the one in Piter for a week or so and that's where Terry ended up going with her during their "special time" together our last day in Piter. So of course, in Philly, can I possible deny her the Franklin Institute?
We got there at 10am and I realized I think it was the first time back since the wedding. I showed her where Terry and I got married, standing somewhere near the precise spot. I showed her the exhibits where we had our snacks and drinks (aka cocktail hour) and of course took her through the giant heart. She went through a second time all on her own. The one downside is there were about a million school groups there so the noise level was deafening, we had to yell to communicate, and many exhibits were crowded.
There were a bunch of new additions, which were very cool, and some old favorites I was excited to show her. It was nice to stay longer than the school groups, as she wouldn't have gotten onto the train otherwise.
We are usually museum'd out by 2 - 2.5 hours, if for no other reasons than hunger and naptime. Today we ate in the cafeteria, decided to skip nap, and left after 4.5 hours only because Alex was getting tired. We managed to catch the planetarium show, which she loves, and as we were leaving a demonstration was beginning in the atrium so we stayed for it. We still didn't see everything. I forgot how super ridiculously awesome that museum is, and it was good to be reminded because after reading McCullough's John Adams I am way less in love with Ben than I used to be and of course nobody can think of the Franklin Institute without thinking of him.
We got there at 10am and I realized I think it was the first time back since the wedding. I showed her where Terry and I got married, standing somewhere near the precise spot. I showed her the exhibits where we had our snacks and drinks (aka cocktail hour) and of course took her through the giant heart. She went through a second time all on her own. The one downside is there were about a million school groups there so the noise level was deafening, we had to yell to communicate, and many exhibits were crowded.
There were a bunch of new additions, which were very cool, and some old favorites I was excited to show her. It was nice to stay longer than the school groups, as she wouldn't have gotten onto the train otherwise.
We are usually museum'd out by 2 - 2.5 hours, if for no other reasons than hunger and naptime. Today we ate in the cafeteria, decided to skip nap, and left after 4.5 hours only because Alex was getting tired. We managed to catch the planetarium show, which she loves, and as we were leaving a demonstration was beginning in the atrium so we stayed for it. We still didn't see everything. I forgot how super ridiculously awesome that museum is, and it was good to be reminded because after reading McCullough's John Adams I am way less in love with Ben than I used to be and of course nobody can think of the Franklin Institute without thinking of him.
Sherwin-williams
When we bought our first home, we bought cheap Home Depot paint for the first 2 rooms we planned to paint. We were cursing that cheap paint as the 4th layer dried and made clear we'd need a 5th. Someone recommended Sherwin-Williams paint and we have never looked back.
Now we're about to buy a house - looking like next week (cross your fingers nothing bad happens!) I discovered there is a Sherwin-Williams paint store in a strip mall near my brother's, where we'll be next week, and have already planned the trip with Alex to let her pick out her very own paint color for her very own room. And ... taa-daaa, right this very minute there is a promotion with Sherwin-Williams and BlogHer and I am desperately hoping to win that $100 gift card!
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Disclosure/disclaimer: I am receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for this post.
Now we're about to buy a house - looking like next week (cross your fingers nothing bad happens!) I discovered there is a Sherwin-Williams paint store in a strip mall near my brother's, where we'll be next week, and have already planned the trip with Alex to let her pick out her very own paint color for her very own room. And ... taa-daaa, right this very minute there is a promotion with Sherwin-Williams and BlogHer and I am desperately hoping to win that $100 gift card!
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Disclosure/disclaimer: I am receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for this post.
Some cultural observations
When it was raining our first day here and I told Alex to wear her rain pants when we went to the hospital, she wanted to take off her skirt and just put in on when we got there. I had to tell her in America kids don't wear just their panties in public places even if it's just while taking the rainpants off and putting the skirt on.
People are way friendly in America. Every place we go there's someone who wants to talk to Alex. I am amazed and relieved that when I talked with her about it, she said it's OK. This is a kid who is fastidious about her personal space, so I've been worried about future tours in most of the rest of the world where people are more intrusive than in Russia. The part I don't like is they all tell her she's pretty, which she is, but I don't want her to learn to define herself that way.
The garderobe phenomenon in Russia has become so ingrained I was actually indignant when the hospital didn't have anywhere for us to leave our wet raincoats and the stroller. Same with the Franklin Institute (well, just the stroller. It was a hot sunny day)
We've been worried about her losing her Russian language skills. While we've been here she's read half a book and talks and sings in Russian every day. It certainly may still happen, but I think we'll be OK until we get her to Russian afterschool care or a babushka babysitter.
People are way friendly in America. Every place we go there's someone who wants to talk to Alex. I am amazed and relieved that when I talked with her about it, she said it's OK. This is a kid who is fastidious about her personal space, so I've been worried about future tours in most of the rest of the world where people are more intrusive than in Russia. The part I don't like is they all tell her she's pretty, which she is, but I don't want her to learn to define herself that way.
The garderobe phenomenon in Russia has become so ingrained I was actually indignant when the hospital didn't have anywhere for us to leave our wet raincoats and the stroller. Same with the Franklin Institute (well, just the stroller. It was a hot sunny day)
We've been worried about her losing her Russian language skills. While we've been here she's read half a book and talks and sings in Russian every day. It certainly may still happen, but I think we'll be OK until we get her to Russian afterschool care or a babushka babysitter.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Home sweet America
On Monday, Alex and I began our journey home. We took the rest stop but I have to admit, flight times sucked and I am not 100% sure it was better in the end. We had a couple of really crabby days and I am sure today will be as well.
I had the stroke of brilliance to think up a solution to the too many bags for too small muscles at Pulkovo and loaded our huge duffel bag onto the stroller and had Alex push that. I was able to manage the rest of the bags. British Airways started off on the wrong foot. First they somehow lost the 2 seats together I had reserved online, then essentially accused me of lying when I couldn't come up with which seats they were or any documentation of having done it. We ended up in the very last row, where each time the flight attendants had to get something out of a locker they banged my seat. There is also apparently a new thing (well, new from the last time I flew with extra bags, which was admittedly a long time ago) where you check your bags, they hold your ticket hostage and you have to go somewhere totally different to pay for the extra baggage. At Pulkovo, it meant going back out into the entrance area, then upstairs to the Finnair ticketing booth, where they processed the payment. Then back to the British Air counter where at least I didn't have to wait in line.
The flight was relatively uneventful. Alex managed to color and do her mosaics (thank you again Jenny for getting her the first pack!) and we didn't even use any electronics. At Heathrow I was reminded how much I like Europe and all their baggage carts. The down side is we flew into Terminal 5 and were flying out of Terminal 1. I found my way to the Heathrow Express and here's where the amazingness of strangers kicks in. One of the HE employees let my cart through the barrier then helped me load all our bags onto the train. At Terminal 1 he reappeared and help me unload, then he got one of his colleagues from Terminal 1 to get me another cart right at the trainside. From there it was easy to get to the left luggage place and drop off all the checked bags, then catch a taxi to our hotel.
We stayed at the Renaissance Heathrow. One side of the hotel faces the runway and you can watch planes touch down and take off. It was absolutely the highlight. The room was tiny and dingy, the plug in the bath didn't work and Alex is traumatized by showers and she was already overtired so getting her clean was a bit nightmarish. The mini fridge is also ridiculous, hard to explain but the gist is to put anything in it garners a charge so we just wasted the huge bowl of yogurt we'd had to order to give her the medicine. Club access is also a plus, we were able to get snacks and water and the breakfast there was impressive for being "continental". All in all we'd probably stay there again, if only because of the runway viewing.
The next day we were up too early, so we just went ahead and started the day. It turned out to be a good thing as there was a bunch of running around at Heathrow - like at Pulkovo we had to check our bags at one place and pay for the extra bag somewhere else. Also annoying is that they don't put up the gate info until 90 minutes before the flight departs, but boarding begins 60 minutes before AND some parts of the terminal are a 20 minute walk from the center area.
When I saw on the e-ticket that the flight was meant to take 8 hours I was surprised, because I've done London-USA enough times in my life i knew full well it's 5.5h to there, and 7h back. And, we left 30min late and arrived 30 min early. Talk about padding the time! At least I wasn't misremembering the duration. During the flight things were a bit rough - Alex tried to nap twice but just couldn't fall asleep even though the plane was empty so we took a 4-seat row and she stretched out over 3 seats and got a 3 blanket cave. Knowing I'd have to drive to Philly from Allentown I napped while she watched shows, I probably slept 10 minutes but rested/dozed through 2 full shows so maybe 45 min?
We ended up having plenty of time in Philly, largely due to arriving early. There's a children's play area, so I like them even better than I thought I did as I've been very annoyed at American airports for not having them. We got ice cream for dinner :-) The Allentown flight was bumpy and Alex proved again that she will be riding the roller coasters with Terry as soon as we go somewhere that has them, by telling me she liked that feeling in her tummy when we went bump.
When we got to Allentown Terry's hatred of the credit card was good for me, as there was only 1 taxi already hanging out and he didn't take CC but I had enough cash. He also very kindly managed to get the Subaru trunk open, which apparently T's mom or step-father managed to do something to and nobody's been able to open it for a little while. We were at the house long enough to make and have Alex eat a PB and J, for me to grab a few things we'd need, unload some of the vodka and maple syrup (although I missed 3 bottles) and one suitcase we didn't need, and head back out. Thank you Randy for leaving me a full tank of gas!
I had the stroke of brilliance to think up a solution to the too many bags for too small muscles at Pulkovo and loaded our huge duffel bag onto the stroller and had Alex push that. I was able to manage the rest of the bags. British Airways started off on the wrong foot. First they somehow lost the 2 seats together I had reserved online, then essentially accused me of lying when I couldn't come up with which seats they were or any documentation of having done it. We ended up in the very last row, where each time the flight attendants had to get something out of a locker they banged my seat. There is also apparently a new thing (well, new from the last time I flew with extra bags, which was admittedly a long time ago) where you check your bags, they hold your ticket hostage and you have to go somewhere totally different to pay for the extra baggage. At Pulkovo, it meant going back out into the entrance area, then upstairs to the Finnair ticketing booth, where they processed the payment. Then back to the British Air counter where at least I didn't have to wait in line.
The flight was relatively uneventful. Alex managed to color and do her mosaics (thank you again Jenny for getting her the first pack!) and we didn't even use any electronics. At Heathrow I was reminded how much I like Europe and all their baggage carts. The down side is we flew into Terminal 5 and were flying out of Terminal 1. I found my way to the Heathrow Express and here's where the amazingness of strangers kicks in. One of the HE employees let my cart through the barrier then helped me load all our bags onto the train. At Terminal 1 he reappeared and help me unload, then he got one of his colleagues from Terminal 1 to get me another cart right at the trainside. From there it was easy to get to the left luggage place and drop off all the checked bags, then catch a taxi to our hotel.
We stayed at the Renaissance Heathrow. One side of the hotel faces the runway and you can watch planes touch down and take off. It was absolutely the highlight. The room was tiny and dingy, the plug in the bath didn't work and Alex is traumatized by showers and she was already overtired so getting her clean was a bit nightmarish. The mini fridge is also ridiculous, hard to explain but the gist is to put anything in it garners a charge so we just wasted the huge bowl of yogurt we'd had to order to give her the medicine. Club access is also a plus, we were able to get snacks and water and the breakfast there was impressive for being "continental". All in all we'd probably stay there again, if only because of the runway viewing.
The next day we were up too early, so we just went ahead and started the day. It turned out to be a good thing as there was a bunch of running around at Heathrow - like at Pulkovo we had to check our bags at one place and pay for the extra bag somewhere else. Also annoying is that they don't put up the gate info until 90 minutes before the flight departs, but boarding begins 60 minutes before AND some parts of the terminal are a 20 minute walk from the center area.
When I saw on the e-ticket that the flight was meant to take 8 hours I was surprised, because I've done London-USA enough times in my life i knew full well it's 5.5h to there, and 7h back. And, we left 30min late and arrived 30 min early. Talk about padding the time! At least I wasn't misremembering the duration. During the flight things were a bit rough - Alex tried to nap twice but just couldn't fall asleep even though the plane was empty so we took a 4-seat row and she stretched out over 3 seats and got a 3 blanket cave. Knowing I'd have to drive to Philly from Allentown I napped while she watched shows, I probably slept 10 minutes but rested/dozed through 2 full shows so maybe 45 min?
We ended up having plenty of time in Philly, largely due to arriving early. There's a children's play area, so I like them even better than I thought I did as I've been very annoyed at American airports for not having them. We got ice cream for dinner :-) The Allentown flight was bumpy and Alex proved again that she will be riding the roller coasters with Terry as soon as we go somewhere that has them, by telling me she liked that feeling in her tummy when we went bump.
When we got to Allentown Terry's hatred of the credit card was good for me, as there was only 1 taxi already hanging out and he didn't take CC but I had enough cash. He also very kindly managed to get the Subaru trunk open, which apparently T's mom or step-father managed to do something to and nobody's been able to open it for a little while. We were at the house long enough to make and have Alex eat a PB and J, for me to grab a few things we'd need, unload some of the vodka and maple syrup (although I missed 3 bottles) and one suitcase we didn't need, and head back out. Thank you Randy for leaving me a full tank of gas!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Miniature city
The first 3 days of our 5 day weekend were largely consumed with chores. There were too many things that absolutely had to be done before I left next week. We got outside every day, but the outings were largely brief and close (major exception being shashlik ... it was important to me to do that one last time, and there's still a chance we might go one last, last time).
Today the sun was shining, and I just had to get out. I suggested we metro to Gorkovskaya and see if we could find the miniature replicas of the major buildings in Piter that's supposed to be behind the metro. If not, there's always Peter and Paul Fortress, the Artilliary Museum or the zoo. The kids love riding the metro, it could be an outing all on its own. So we threw some things into a bag and off we went. It is remarkably freeing to go out with the family with no stroller and everything we need fits into a large purse. As that was packed, however, I took my leather backpack.
I hadn't realized it was actually a miniature of the city. Shiny, polished marble represents the rivers and canals. Grassy areas are parks and a couple of the major ones, like the Summer Garden, had its polished marble "pond" laid out. The buildings are where they are supposed to be. We read an article a couple of months ago about how this was a gift to the city but the city never did anything about it and vandalism was destroying the place. Today everything was cleaned up, if Spilled Blood lacked color, and a gentleman with a megaphone kept anyone from touching the displays. Or rather, he yelled at everyone as they touched the displays.
It was warm enough to be without jackets in the sun. The kids had the best time running around town. Zoltan even got on his belly to "swim" in the Neva. We got lunch in a nearby cafe and home in time for nap only a little late.Friday, May 3, 2013
Troubleshooting
The latch on our dryer broke and it's a long holiday weekend here so I have 2 thick strips of masking tape keeping the dryer door shut so the wet stuff doesn't get moldy. At one point the tape stopped sticking and it turns out the dryer is happy to operate while the door is wide open. I learn something new every day.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tickets!
I finally got confirmation from CWT that my and Alex's tickets are changed. I went into the airlines' web sites and got us seats together (except for the 40 minute flight where no non-premium seats were available. Sure, some stranger can sit next to the 5 year old on the 19-seater). This is really happening. Tomorrow is Alex's last day at school due to the long holiday. We're both sad and excited together, and having lots of talks about how that's normal and OK.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Security Clearance, for the nth time
The joining-the-foreign-service process is like a marathon. Every step you successfully take leads to more, and just when you think you see the finish line you realize it was a mirage and really it's still several hurdles ahead. OK that's a mixed metaphor, the process is so long and arduous one metaphor isn't enough to capture it all.
Although more and more spouses of FSOs are joining the foreign service, the majority of the ones I know of declined to use their "deferrment" option and instead take the first A-100 class they can. With an 18 month "ageing off" window from being put on the register to being dropped off, and the security clearance we get when mere hopefuls has a different expiration date from the one we get as actual FS employees, it means not too many people are in the situation of having their clearance expire before they either join A-100 or drop off the register. I am one of those rare individuals.
The first time I asked my Registrar about what to do, she told me nothing could be done until after my current clearance expired. This would mean, with certainty, I would not make it into the January 2014
A-100 class, which has been my hope and dream since the day I learned I passed the language exam.
Then I remembered. Another EFM/FSO actually went through this exact same thing! And I sort of know his wife through the blogosphere! So I quickly got in touch and this lovely couple were so incredibly helpful and specific and the EFM/FSO said it was OK to reference him specifically when I spoke with my Registrar and even gave me some diplomatically worded ways to say "No, really, I AM right" and ....
I called my Registrar, explained why I was taking her time when we'd already exchanged a handful of emails on this exact topic, and dropped some names and dates. After putting me on hold for maybe 2 minutes, she came back to me and said I could start the process within the week or two and even, kindly, suggested I email her to remind her next week if she hadn't sent me her part of the process yet.
I am giddy. One hurdle smoothly cleared. And all because I "waste time" reading blogs.
Although more and more spouses of FSOs are joining the foreign service, the majority of the ones I know of declined to use their "deferrment" option and instead take the first A-100 class they can. With an 18 month "ageing off" window from being put on the register to being dropped off, and the security clearance we get when mere hopefuls has a different expiration date from the one we get as actual FS employees, it means not too many people are in the situation of having their clearance expire before they either join A-100 or drop off the register. I am one of those rare individuals.
The first time I asked my Registrar about what to do, she told me nothing could be done until after my current clearance expired. This would mean, with certainty, I would not make it into the January 2014
A-100 class, which has been my hope and dream since the day I learned I passed the language exam.
Then I remembered. Another EFM/FSO actually went through this exact same thing! And I sort of know his wife through the blogosphere! So I quickly got in touch and this lovely couple were so incredibly helpful and specific and the EFM/FSO said it was OK to reference him specifically when I spoke with my Registrar and even gave me some diplomatically worded ways to say "No, really, I AM right" and ....
I called my Registrar, explained why I was taking her time when we'd already exchanged a handful of emails on this exact topic, and dropped some names and dates. After putting me on hold for maybe 2 minutes, she came back to me and said I could start the process within the week or two and even, kindly, suggested I email her to remind her next week if she hadn't sent me her part of the process yet.
I am giddy. One hurdle smoothly cleared. And all because I "waste time" reading blogs.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Congress
I'm reading David McCullough's John Adams. Nearly to the end, I just found my very most favorite quotation, "Having failed at nearly everything he ever tried, he had lately been elected to Congress."
Not much seems to have changed in 200 years.
Not much seems to have changed in 200 years.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
This isn't how I wanted it to end
Our family is supposed to depart St Petersburg, likely forever, in June.
But instead, Alex and I have to curtail. We thought we could medevac, but it is within the month before PCS and therefore we can't. When we leave in less than 2 weeks, we are not coming back.
We had plans for May, one of the best months in Piter. Alex was supposed to perform in one last school production, which would have been a goodbye for everyone as this is the last year of detsky sad and the kids all scatter to different schools next year. We were supposed to have time to revisit favorite places and share meals with friends. And try to eat up some of this load of food we accumulated.
Most of Russia will shut down May 1 and not reopen until after we're gone. People go away on vacation. Alex's last day with some friends may well be tomorrow. We're lucky that when faced with medical problems that nobody local can figure out, we have the opportunity to travel elsewhere. We are lucky that although we now have an odd, uncomfortable block of time in the USA without husband, son, or any more stuff than we can fit into 2 suitcases, we have plenty of options of where to go and what to do. We know that we're only cutting a month off the end. But this month was meant to be filled with goodbyes and will now, likely, be filled with a gaping silence.
But instead, Alex and I have to curtail. We thought we could medevac, but it is within the month before PCS and therefore we can't. When we leave in less than 2 weeks, we are not coming back.
We had plans for May, one of the best months in Piter. Alex was supposed to perform in one last school production, which would have been a goodbye for everyone as this is the last year of detsky sad and the kids all scatter to different schools next year. We were supposed to have time to revisit favorite places and share meals with friends. And try to eat up some of this load of food we accumulated.
Most of Russia will shut down May 1 and not reopen until after we're gone. People go away on vacation. Alex's last day with some friends may well be tomorrow. We're lucky that when faced with medical problems that nobody local can figure out, we have the opportunity to travel elsewhere. We are lucky that although we now have an odd, uncomfortable block of time in the USA without husband, son, or any more stuff than we can fit into 2 suitcases, we have plenty of options of where to go and what to do. We know that we're only cutting a month off the end. But this month was meant to be filled with goodbyes and will now, likely, be filled with a gaping silence.
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