Six Months In and Still Loving It (mostly)

It's hard to believe we have been here for six months already, but here we are! We often marvel at how well this crazy idea has worked out for us (and wonder why more young families don't do what we're doing!), but we certainly have learned a few things along the way.

I think the most frustrating thing I've come to realize is that even if you are living in a foreign country, you still aren't truly submerged in the language and therefore it will not just magically come (perhaps this would be different if we weren't an English-speaking family living together). Learning a language is hard! And while I do feel like I've made a little bit of progress (I am certainly more able to converse with moms on the playground and shopkeepers), I've really just gotten better at recycling the same few conversations; names of my kids, their ages, the cold snowy weather, and how much does that hat cost? I suppose my comprehension has improved, but that progress isn't very noticeable. It seems like our dream of myself and the kids learning Russian while we're here will require a much more intentional effort than I had anticipated. Finn has picked up quite a few words, but anytime he wants to know how to say something in Russia and I don't know

how, he makes up his own word and teaches me how to say it "in Russian." It isn't exactly helpful.

I've also learned that while I generally tend to enjoy the challenge of depriving myself of simple luxuries, there is a line. And ice cream, popcorn and tortilla chips fall on this side of that line. Perhaps the line would be more forgiving if I didn't have to give up the likes of maple syrup, my chickens and their fresh eggs, the quiet forest and shores of Lake Superior, puppy chow, and clothing exchanges. We really aren't roughing it, but it also doesn't feel completely like home. Which is also an interesting experience. Living somewhere and knowing it is only temporary leads to a totally different mindset about what you can or cannot live without (there is a much greater lesson here too). We are reluctant to buy many of the things we wouldn't think twice about back home (a microwave or popcorn maker, for example), but when everything you accumulate will either have to be given away or thrown away in a few years, it is easier to live without them altogether. It is a nice mindset I'd like to maintain when we move back, because really, what do we need "stuff" for? Usually, it is to store our "stuff" and haul our "stuff" and on and on. The it's-only-temporary mindset also helps me cope with other "hardships." For example, I hate our stained and chipped kitchen counter and tiny sink, but we will only be here for a few years and it works, so there isn't any reason to let it bother me, and so it doesn't. Which brings me to washing dishes. I still don't love it, and we have given up trying to find a plug for the drain so it isn't the warm, bubbly and therapeutic experience I hoped it might be, but I've

also managed to work it into our routine so it doesn't stress me out or make me angry anymore. Most of the time. I'll call that progress.

I've also learned that although I am a rather adventurous person by nature, living in a foreign country with two small children more than satisfies that desire. Matt is definitely the one that wants to go explore the city, check out a new park, or try a new coffee shop, but I'm perfectly content just staying in the neighborhood. Getting around with the boys is SO much work. Part of me feels like I should be taking better advantage of our time here and seeing everything we can, but it is so exhausting! Maybe this summer when we can use the stroller again for adventure naps I will be more gung-ho about getting out. I also was hoping to travel some while we are on this side of the world, but I'm not sure how practical that idea is. And so with the return of nice weather (mid-twenties) we are back to our norm of spending hours and hours playing outside, usually not venturing more than a few hundred meters from our apartment building. And that doesn't bother us one bit.

Main floor laundry is amazing -- what was once a stressful, exhausting experience either leaving the kids unattended in our not-so-kid-proof house or hauling them both downstairs with me, is so easy and nice now! Keeping a refrigerator stocked with food for four people without the aid of a car, on the other hand, is not so easy. I wasn't prepared for how much time we would

spend walking to markets and shops, buying as much as we can carry, and doing it all over again. It doesn't help that Russia seems to be the land of the 100 Calorie Pack. Everything is packaged in tiny quantities (baking powder -- 1/4 teaspoon at a time! And milk in one liter cartons. Nuts, raisins, sugar, seriously everything). I'm finally figuring out package sizes so when I send Matt out for something I can request multiples as necessary. I am SO glad I decided to bring cloth diapers for Lev because I think hauling diapers in and out of this place ever day would put us over the edge.

Another thing I've discovered is that clothing wears out! Thanks to frequent clothing exchanges in the past I've always had a closet bursting with clothes. When we moved here I brought five skirts, six shirts, two dresses and three sweaters. One dress and two sweaters have never been worn because it is simply too hot indoors, and three shirts and two skirts already have holes in them! It normally took me about 10 years to wear out an article of clothing, but I guess six months is the average lifespan when I only have a handful to choose from. Luckily I brought along a little travel sewing repair kit, and I have used it more in the last six months than I ever did in my adult life back home.

Lastly, I think it is safe to say we don't miss owning, driving, maintaining or insuring vehicles. Public transportation here is so extensive it is almost overwhelming. When Matt wants to try

going somewhere new we usually have 3 or 4 different transportation options to get there; a big bus that goes from our door to theirs, but is subject to traffic, makes many stops and certainly doesn't go in a straight line; a marshrutka (mini-bus/conversion van) that is crammed to the gills with people, but makes fewer stops and goes in a straighter line; a taxi, obviously the quickest, but challenging to arrange for car seats, also scary and much more expensive (about $5-$15 versus less than a dollar for our family); or some combination of tram, trolley bus, and metro. Each has it's own pros and cons, but we generally opt for the one that doesn't require any transfers even if it is much less direct because I kind of like to just sit there. And the less cat herding I have to do, the better. I do miss being able to just throw a coat and hat on the boys and go. Every single time we go somewhere we have to bundle them completely; snow pants, boots, hats, mittens, coats, UGH! I still think it is a bit ridiculous, especially when temperatures are well above zero, but I am tired of the continual scoldings from everyone and their mother, so when in Russia, do like the Russians. And I suppose we run into public transportation snafus where we are stuck waiting much longer than anticipated or have to walk more than a mile to catch a different form of transportation about 10% of the time (inevitably we are in a hurry so we each grab a kid and start scurrying. UGH). And when that happens I'm very grateful everyone is bundled as much as they are.