We arrived in Moscow at 5:30 AM on Monday, March 03, 2003. After waiting in line for Passport Control we realized we forgot to pick up the “Migration Card” from the table behind us. First “mistake” of the trip… knew it was going to happen at some point. Luckily it only cost us an extra five minutes. Then we went in to collect our bags and went through Customs. Finally that hurdle was over.
Outside the control area, we met our translator Helen. She had to call our driver, Slava, as he couldn’t park in the immediate area around the arrival area. We went outside and were greeted by the Moscow winter. It was –16 Celsius!!! Not sure what that is in Farenheight, but it was cold enough that my moustache hairs were freezing from my breath! Looked it up later... it was 3 degrees farenheight!!! We waited 5 minutes or so and the driver pulled up in a blue mini-van looking vehicle. In the back, it had 3 seats facing forward and 2 facing to the rear so people can talk in the back. Helen told us it would be a 30-40 minute drive into the center of Moscow to get to our hotel. We were quite surprised to pass a couple of McDonald’s and a Sbarro’s pizza!
We got to the Marriott Grand Hotel and, of course, they couldn’t find our reservation in the computer. Turns out it was because she was looking for it under the wrong date. We had to book the night prior due to the early time we were checking in.
Helen and Slava came back at 8:30 to take us out to the orphanage. With morning traffic, it was a 20-30 minute drive to the other side of Moscow. The orphanage was tucked back behind a bunch of apartment buildings on a VERY narrow road. Our first impression when we saw the building, was…. Well, let’s just leave that one alone! The heavy, black metal gate was secured from the inside with a heavy bolt. There was a security guard at the door who seemed to know Helen and they chatted for a moment before we went in. She then informed us that the center was in the middle of an influenza outbreak and wanted to make sure we had already received our flu shots! I was immediately afraid that they would not let us in if we hadn’t said yes. Once inside, the entry hall was ill-lit and there was a board with all of the Russian “legalistic” papers and certificates on the right-hand side. My heart was sinking fast wondering what was in store for us next. When we were escorted down the hall, several of the caregivers and the Director had bulky cloth masks on their faces due to the influenza. Luckily, first impressions are not always right.
We were brought into a medium-sized hall where we were told the children come for parties and such. There were a few toys and there was still a small, undecorated Christmas tree in the far corner. A few minutes later, young little Olga was brought into see us. I manned the camera and Tracy got to meet and touch her first. Since we were warned early on that the children are not used to seeing many men, especially those with any form of facial hair, I stayed back a little to make sure she didn’t get scared. She was SO tiny and very shy, though she never seemed afraid of us at all. A few minutes later, I went over and said hi. She took my fingers and walked over to where the stuffed animals were while Tracy snapped away with the camera. We all played for a while and Helen went to sit down on the other side of the room… enough so that we could interact and see how she reacted to us, yet close enough to be able to answer questions and translate for us to this beautiful little girl. While she was playing with a little stuffed beagle, she said her first word that we heard. She told Tracy “sobachka” which means dog. It was barely above a whisper, but it was definitely directed to us. Then, Tracy noticed a little fake fish tank in the corner. It’s the kind with the plastic bobbing fish that “swim” around when you turn it on. Well, when Tracy turned that on, Olga just lit up. She thought that was just too cool. She immediately tried to figure out how to turn it on and off. It took a couple of minutes, but when she did, she broke out into the biggest smile… the first one we’ve seen.
After an hour or so, the Director and the Staff Psychologist came in to answer any questions we may have. Luckily, Tracy had given me a bunch of questions to type up and we had those sheets ready. While the four ladies were at the table, I sat on the couch with her while she scribbled on a notepad. She was having a BLAST switching between the blue and black pens that we had. She always made sure she was holding it properly at all times. At first she wasn’t too sure about the pen. We think it was partly because she’s only used to crayons and partly because they had the “squishy” stuff where you hold it. Anyway, we played on the couch the whole time, doodling and playing with the sobachka and the zaitchek (rabbit). The director made a comment that she was amazed how well we were getting along, as, in most cases, the kids don’t go to the men at all on the initial visits. What really threw me for a loop was when she tried to get my attention and she called me “papa”. My stomach flipped a few times!!!
At 11:30, she had to go back as it was time to clean up before lunch. She was going to need a couple of extra minutes to get all the ink off her hands! The look she gave us when the caregiver brought her out nearly ripped the heart right out of our chests!!! She was just looking over her shoulder with a look of confusion. It was like she wanted to go with us right then and there & she was wondering why we weren’t going with her. We asked if we could visit after lunch and were told that the children take naps from 1:00 – 3:30. Needless to say, that was a long day for our translator and driver so we were given a time to visit tomorrow. We will be back there at 10:30 AM.
During the drive back to the hotel, Helen asked me if we knew when we would decide if we wanted to adopt Olga. I told her laughingly, yet 110% honestly, “Oh, about three hours ago!”
After a nap at the hotel, completely skipping lunch, we decided to go explore a little. We ended up walking down to Red Square and St. Basil’s church. According to the brochure, it should be a 15 – 20 minute walk. Well, between dodging people and snapping pictures we got there in just under 30. By this time it was 5:05 and the signs we saw stated that they closed at 6 and didn’t let anyone in after 5. Oh well… it was still a nice walk. Completely filled the memory card in the digital camera. Found out we can fit 88 pictures on a 64Mb card. Good thing we brought the cable to download them and an extra card, just in case.
After a dinner of room service (a first for both of us!), we watched a movie on Tracy’s laptop. After I finish this up, I’m climbing into bed so are fresh for tomorrow.
