This picture kind of sums up life here - fun and a little bit crazy! (The real story is that Katie and Dylan were having a great time one day making and wearing masks - I love their creativity!)I thought I would share a little bit about life on a daily basis for our family… The average day begins with Dylan rising and shining very early. I will confess that I have served Dylan only a few breakfasts in the time that we have been here. Ken gets up before me (big surprise) and usually feeds the kids and heads out for a run. I stumble out anywhere from 7-9. For most of our time here I have struggled with sleeping well. I think it is a combination of a different bed/pillow/ and perhaps even the time change. I usually find myself sinking into a deep sleep around 5 or 6 am (evening in OH time).
We start school around 9:30 in the morning, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Homeschooling has gone better than I expected but we have faced some difficulties. We were planning on utilizing the internet to enhance lessons, get books and find resources to add to the curriculum. Our internet has been expensive (pay as you go) so we use it when we need it but we have been much more limited than we originally planned. Katie and Dylan have worked very hard on their lessons. We have had very little time off (no spring break, no holidays) and so we are approaching the end of their lessons. We still have a few more weeks to go. Once we reach the end of the text books we are going to do some work on typing, study some of Russia’s history, and some other learning related activities – this will help to fill our days!
We break for lunch around noon – Katie has been very helpful in the kitchen. She is eager to prepare her own lunches and is cooking simple dinners like spaghetti. After lunch the kids finish up their lessons. They both have been working on their own power point presentations of our time here in Russia. It has been fun watching them put these together.
After school, we play games, go shopping for food, take a walk etc. Obtaining food feels like a sometimes daily endeavor. We usually buy fruit and snacks once a week, we go to the large supermarket every other week, and we have frequent trips to our corner market, Socialism (isn’t that a great name???) and the covered market throughout the week to pick up juice, chickens, cheese, milk, bread etc. We are limited to buying what we can carry. Ken has really come in handy due to his ability to carry much more than the rest of us!
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We try to plan outings during the week (last week we visited City Park - Ken and the kids are playing on the equipment at City Park in this photo). This week we have tickets to the ballet. We also have had numerous engagements throughout the city to judge contests, visit classrooms and give talks.
So we are busy, but still suffer occasional bouts of homesickness. Many people ask us what we miss…Here are a few things (not including the obvious; family, friends, pets):
• Speaking English (we have many opportunities to speak English but are always trying to speak very clearly, hunting for synonyms, trying not to use idioms…)
• Fitted sheets – how do they not have these????
• Baking (for Amy)
• Chocolate Chip cookies (for Ken)
• I think we would all love a good steak (we can buy steak here, but try cooking it on a stove top – ugh)
• The kids both miss not having had a chance to play with/enjoy many of the gifts that they received for Christmas
Our hot water is still off but we have (ok, Ken has) conquered the hot water heater. We have hot water for dishes and scalding is rare! I often think of the many Russians who do not have hot water heaters and what this time must be like for them. We have been told that it will be off until the end of the month. Imagine being an average Russian and not having any hot water for 1/2 the month!
Thanks to all of you who take the time to read our blogs, email us, and help us to remain connected. Sometimes we feel very far away and your emails, Facebook posts and other communications help us to feel not so alone! If you have any topics you would like for me to address, please let me know, it would be fun to answer your questions!
We start school around 9:30 in the morning, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Homeschooling has gone better than I expected but we have faced some difficulties. We were planning on utilizing the internet to enhance lessons, get books and find resources to add to the curriculum. Our internet has been expensive (pay as you go) so we use it when we need it but we have been much more limited than we originally planned. Katie and Dylan have worked very hard on their lessons. We have had very little time off (no spring break, no holidays) and so we are approaching the end of their lessons. We still have a few more weeks to go. Once we reach the end of the text books we are going to do some work on typing, study some of Russia’s history, and some other learning related activities – this will help to fill our days!
We break for lunch around noon – Katie has been very helpful in the kitchen. She is eager to prepare her own lunches and is cooking simple dinners like spaghetti. After lunch the kids finish up their lessons. They both have been working on their own power point presentations of our time here in Russia. It has been fun watching them put these together.
After school, we play games, go shopping for food, take a walk etc. Obtaining food feels like a sometimes daily endeavor. We usually buy fruit and snacks once a week, we go to the large supermarket every other week, and we have frequent trips to our corner market, Socialism (isn’t that a great name???) and the covered market throughout the week to pick up juice, chickens, cheese, milk, bread etc. We are limited to buying what we can carry. Ken has really come in handy due to his ability to carry much more than the rest of us!
.JPG)
We try to plan outings during the week (last week we visited City Park - Ken and the kids are playing on the equipment at City Park in this photo). This week we have tickets to the ballet. We also have had numerous engagements throughout the city to judge contests, visit classrooms and give talks.
So we are busy, but still suffer occasional bouts of homesickness. Many people ask us what we miss…Here are a few things (not including the obvious; family, friends, pets):
• Speaking English (we have many opportunities to speak English but are always trying to speak very clearly, hunting for synonyms, trying not to use idioms…)
• Fitted sheets – how do they not have these????
• Baking (for Amy)
• Chocolate Chip cookies (for Ken)
• I think we would all love a good steak (we can buy steak here, but try cooking it on a stove top – ugh)
• The kids both miss not having had a chance to play with/enjoy many of the gifts that they received for Christmas
Our hot water is still off but we have (ok, Ken has) conquered the hot water heater. We have hot water for dishes and scalding is rare! I often think of the many Russians who do not have hot water heaters and what this time must be like for them. We have been told that it will be off until the end of the month. Imagine being an average Russian and not having any hot water for 1/2 the month!
Thanks to all of you who take the time to read our blogs, email us, and help us to remain connected. Sometimes we feel very far away and your emails, Facebook posts and other communications help us to feel not so alone! If you have any topics you would like for me to address, please let me know, it would be fun to answer your questions!
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