Not too much new to report. Alex is in charge of the artwork for the celebrations next week so she had to spend quite a bit of our time together working on that. I hung out and read for a while then went to 999 Cafe with Julie (another American adopting from Lutugino) for a cup of coffee. Alex showed up there after asking permission from her teacher to join me.
Every day I stop at the supermarket to pick up goodies to take back to Alex and sometimes her friends. You aren't allowed to take backpacks or purchases from other stores into the supermarket so you have to check whatever you might have at a locker station at the entrance of the store. Of course there is always someone from the store at the entrance to make sure nothing is brought in. It is almost always the same man standing there when I go in. After I checked my bag I made a beeline for the small baskets to carry items vs. a shopping cart and the store employee maneuvered his way around the person in front of me and (with a smile on his face) started rattling off lots of Russian words. The one word I caught was, "Americanski". I assumed he was asking me if I was American. I replied, "yes", and he smiled very big and just stood there. It took a few seconds for him to realize that we weren't going to be able to communicate and he motioned me into the store. I felt really bad because I could tell he really wanted to know why I was in Lugans'k. This isn't exactly a tourist destination, or even a big gateway city for that matter. Tonight I shall practice saying, "Dobroe Utro" in my very best Russian accent (HA!) so I can say a proper "Good Morning" to the man. I'm sure that will get a few chuckles from anyone within earshot!
I returned Alex' cell phone to her this afternoon. She just laughed about the fact that I had it. She said it took her a few hours yesterday to remember that she had asked me to hold onto it. Then she asked me why I didn't answer her phone when she called it last night! Ummmm....because I didn't know it was her and I didn't want to confuse anyone on the other end! She called her phone because she knew that number. She doesn't have my phone number memorized. If she had texted me on her phone I would have checked it! She did get a few texts on it and I used an online translator to decipher what the texts said. Nothing from her, though. Oh well...lesson learned!
I get my girl in ten days! That's right...I now only have ten days of my ten day waiting period left! While I am anxious to get my girl, I am enjoying this chapter of life very much.
Off I go to practice my Russian accent. :)
S~
Nice that they let her join you. That guy at the door... just tell him you have documents in the backpack and keep walking :)
ReplyDeleteIt's pronounced dobrey utra (and roll the R like you would in Spanish)! :) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe ate lunch at the same little hole in the wall cafe every single day we were in Artemovsk. I think the lady who worked there thought we were there for work, and we never got to go in there with Isabel and try to explain. Maybe some other trip!
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