Home Safe and Sound

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

Hello!

Sorry that I haven’t posted for several days! I can tell you that traveling 7,500 miles really takes it out of a person!

We had a mini trip in Frankfurt, Germany that was very nice. The hotel we stayed at was very modern and it was a relief to be so close to McDonald’s and other “American” food (still no ice in the sodas though!). It was bittersweet, however, because Deana didn’t have her kids so we would just look at each other and talk about them! LOL.

Some more details about Russia:

Although it seems to snow 24/7, the city we stayed in was extremely good at clearing the roads of snow, which seemed to never have any! Maybe they are so good at it since winter covers 5 months out of the year…..

The street lights in Russia are cool – they look just like ours, but when the red light is about to turn green, the yellow light appears (this is true for Germany, too). For the first few days, before I noticed this, I wondered how our drivers knew to take off right when the light turned.

Russians do not have a word for cousin – instead, they call these relatives brothers and sisters.

Personal space is very different in Europe, that’s for sure. But its especially close in Russia! We went to a SuperMarket (and this time it was very big, very packed, and a serious place to shop!). The carts were again 1/4 the size of American carts, and it was interesting to note that the back wheels were not fixed like ours, but instead swiveled just like the front ones. I soon learned why – it was so packed in the store you needed to be able to push the cart at angles, sideways, etc. Further, Russians don’t notice if you are on top of them! In fact, I totally ran over a person’s foot with my cart (hard too!) and they didn’t even turn around! Not as fun when YOU are the one being assaulted!

When you shop in Russia grocery stores, not only do you have to bag your own goods, but they charge you for the bags!

That’s all I can think of now, have to have another cup of coffee! The transition back to American time has been very difficult for us! We wake up feeling like its time to go to bed (like right now. It’s 9:30 pm in Russia and I so feel like going back to bed even though I just woke up!). And last night D and I kept saying we should really try to go to bed, but we were wide awake….until after 2:30! Yikes. Waking up for work tomorrow will be fun, I am sure!

Talk to you soon!

G

Spending the day with the kids (I’ve forgotten how many days we’ve been here!)

/ Gina Marie / 2 Comments

This whole thing has been so surreal! Deana had a great day bonding with the children, who now know she will be their mama. It was so wonderful to watch. I will leave the details to Deana to write on her blog, but it has been truly a blessing to see everything occur!

Some other comments about Russia:

Imagine the worst road, with bumps, potholes, maybe a few speed bumps, etc. Now imagine driving that for three hours! (Part of it might be the effects of the snow, but still.)

Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Like other European countries, pedestrians better move or be killed.

I have not seen a Russian eat yet so far on this trip!

Gas costs up to .73 cents per liter.

Everyone walks everywhere, no matter that it’s 10 degrees outside.

We have seen several families with the babies in sleds, not strollers.

Deana and I seem to be a novelty at the hotel, as the only Americans here.

Russians exchange gifts on New Years Day just like we do on Christmas. Christmas is 1/7, but there are no traditions because they stopped celebrating Christmas under Soviet rule. It is not a national holiday even now. Then, on 1/14, they celebrate the “old year”, or the year passed. This coming year is the “Year of the Pig” – he is shown all over the place with Santa.

I was amazed that records are all kept in hand written form (one such record was in a book that looked like a comic book!). The histories of the children, the legal records, etc. are all hand written out on paper. No sign of computers or databases, etc. (Zack’s orphanage had one computer using Windows 2000 and floppy disks, but didn’t look heavily used.)

The clerks at the market (not Super….) sit at the registers, they don’t stand. The carts are about ¼ the size of American carts.

That’s all I can think of now. More later!

Sorry Rona, couldn’t think of any nerd-type items today! Maybe I am becoming less nerdy? Oh wait, I DID say database and floppy disk……

Russia Day Two – The Adoption Begins

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

Deana just got done with the interview with the MOE and all went well. It wasn’t hard at all and it seems she freaked out for nothing! Yes! I was able to go into the office with her so that was cool. We are now driving in a van to the two orphanages where the children are – three hours away! Deana will not meet them together but they are in the same region. It is a bumpy road so a bit hard to type so I will just capture some thoughts:

Lanes are subject to driver interpretation, much like in Italy and France.

Seatbelts are not used in Russia, at least that we’ve seen.

Today it is snowing huge flakes and right now it is about 12 degrees F.

Toilet paper here I believe is a hold over of KGB torture devices! It might as well be sand paper.

Spiceyva (not sure of spelling) means Thank You in Russian.

It doesn’t matter how nice your car is here, it will be trashed by the weather.

I am dying for a regular cup of black coffee, PLEASE!!!!

Russians seem like “regular people”. Not that they ever weren’t regular people, but growing up during the Cold War it seems they were demonized for me at a certain level. I have known several Russians, including Irina, so it’s not like I thought badly of them per se. But being here I realize they are very much like Americans in their looks, etc. I have enjoyed being exposed to their culture.

I wonder what the keyboard on Russian laptops look like?

Deana is very excited to have accomplished the interview and ready to meet the kids. I think the 3 hour drive is gonna kill her.

I am currently sitting in the car as we stopped to get water for the trip. Please God, I pray that Deana is getting some junk food too. LOL (She didn’t, maybe I prayed too late?)

I just now saw the first Toyota since arriving! I am not sure what model – looks to be early to mid 90’s.

When we arrived at the airport in Russia, there was no tunnel to get off the plane. Instead, we walked down stairs from the plane – yes, in the snow – hopped on a tram about 10 feet away, and were driven about 30 feet to the terminal, which was very, very small.

Did I mention it is cold here? Thank God for fleece and Cuddle Duds!

Thanks to everyone who is praying for Deana, sending text messages, leaving comments on her blog and MySpace page.

Deana just bought a liter of water for 17 rubles which amounts to about 50 cents!

Please see Deana’s blog for the update on her kids! http://russiawithlove-deana.blogspot.com/

Our First Day in Russia

/ Gina Marie / 3 Comments
Downtown

The City Wall
Taking a Walk

As I begin writing this, it is about 5:40 pm Russia time, so that would mean it’s about 6:40 am California time. Good morning!

We had an interesting day today. Before I go on, I have a few key memories to log:

Russia dubbing – they don’t take out the English, they actual talk over the English so at times you can understand what’s going on. We watched Chuck Norris this morning!

The weather – PDC (pretty darn cold) although our jackets et al seem to work just fine.
The food – so far it has been excellent! I have really enjoyed the food, especially the Asparagus in cheese sauce! Butter is unsalted here just like in Italy.
Everywhere we go they seem to be playing American music – going from Frank Sinatra to Journey to The Doors to Pink. Its quite amazing.
This city does not seem like much of a tourist town – not many souvenirs and they looked at us taking pictures a bit strangely.
Women dress very fashionably here.
Deana looks hilarious when she wraps her scarf around her face; her glasses fog up and then freeze that way…..

We arrived in Russia close to midnight – immigration was a bit intimidating because they really check you out!!! The guy I had didn’t speak much English so it was a bit difficult at times, but it worked out. Customs went very smoothly and we then met our translator Olga and our driver Sergei. We got into a small Subaru and headed for our hotel, which took a bit longer than I had anticipated. During the drive, we were told it was 14 degrees Fahrenheit! Brrrrrrr. Today it was -10 degrees Celsius – not sure of the conversion, will check it out after I log onto the internet.

Anyway, the hotel room is nice – not as big as American standards, but bigger than some of the rooms we have had in Europe. The shower is full sized so no cramped space like in Italy! Yes! And it is very warm once you get inside – VERY warm! Deana would tell you it is still freezing, but she is always cold. So far, most of the hotel staff speak English – some better than others – and I find that very impressive!

Today we had “the day off”, which meant we had free time and would not have any activities involving the adoption agency. We walked to downtown Nizhky Navgorod and did some window shopping and bum freezing!! The people we encountered seemed overall very nice, although not overtly friendly. But if you smiled or said hi, they responded nicely. I am glad to be sitting in our hotel room relaxing though! Even though it took us 24 hours to get here, I am still feeling the effect of the jet lag! It is also taking forever to download the pics to my laptop due to old pics on the card…..

Tomorrow we will be meeting Olga and Sergei at 8:30 am. Deana will go to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to be interviewed and then we head to the orphanage to meet her children!!! She is pretty nervous – she hasn’t talked much about it today and kind of steered away from that conversation. They are DEFINITELY not like the French! LOL

Sorry this is so random and inarticulate!

Here are a few shots from our walk today in the city.

Gina

Update on my Life

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment


Howdy Peeps!

Not that anyone really reads this blog, but sorry I haven’t posted in a while. My hands have been pretty full holding things together (similar to me holding Drew and Victoria up in Italy.) But I am surviving.

For I time I had FOUR classes at once; Statistics, Multicultural Psychology, English Literature, and Western Civilization. I finished Stats and psych, and have since started Theology & the Christian Life (which is harder than I expected!). But statistics really freaked me out and was the hardest class I have had to date! I am told that what we learned will be used lots in my Biola research project, but I am VERY glad it is over!

The kids are doing great as well; Kirstie takes her DMV behind the wheel test next week, Kenny is being more responsible at school, and Josh is going thru a growth spurt right now. All are healthy so that is awesome!

Nothing else really to complain about! I have a boatload of reading to do, so I best get back to it! I also have a few essays to pull together, too!

Ciao!

Knowing those you love

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

How well should we know the people we love? Should we know what makes them feel valued? Should we notice when their souls have been damaged? Should we know when things are not right?

I answer yes to those things but I am a minority I guess – or at least someone who has too many expectations. And I am not even that good at noticing things so maybe I am a hypocrite, too.

What I DO know is that I need to accept everyone else’s bad day, bad mood, physical pain, being tired, etc. But the time I need to express these emotions or feeling they are not allowed or appreciated. It seems as though the thing I add to this world that is most appreciated is my “happiness” and enthusiasm. Well, sometimes even Super Gina has a bad day and just needs to cry. But I guess I am not allowed, because in doing so I mess everyone else’s life up.

Sorry for being such a downer – even through this blog I am feeling guilty for not being Miss Positive! Or maybe I am scared because there is a very real risk of losing my friends and family if I don’t offer the image they know and love.

You know what though – if I hear one more time how I should appreciate all the things others do for me I will scream. God knows I don’t ask for half of it and the implication that I don’t appreciate it is absurd. Oh wait, there is where I am supposed to crack a joke and make everyone laugh – that is what my life amounts to.

Okay, enough for feeling sorry for myself.

Saying I’m Sorry

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We are all guilty of this, one time or another. Saying “I’m sorry” and then following it with “but” or some other phrase. “I am sorry, but you didn’t understand what I was saying” or “I am sorry I hurt you, but I didn’t mean what you thought I meant”, etc. ANYTHING that you add to your sorry, in my opinion, negates your apology – except for maybe something like “when I said that, it was wrong”, or the specifics for what you’re apologizing for.

To me, any EXCUSE, DECLARATION, EXPLANATION, DEFENSE, OR ANY SUCH STATEMENT does not belong in an apology. To me, you might as well as “I am sorry, but you are really at fault because you shouldn’t have been upset in the first place because what I was REALLY saying was…….” or “I am sorry, but only that you were hurt because I didn’t INTEND on hurting you so maybe it’s really your fault that you were hurt in the first place.” Or “I am sorry, but it really wasn’t my fault because so and so made me mad so I wasn’t mad at you and so really, I didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.”

To me, to say “I am sorry, I was wrong” speaks VOLUMES MORE than 5,000 words eloquently spoken. Saying “I am so sorry for doing that, it was wrong.” and leaving it at that seems to be sincere. To me, it implies a real apology and that, no matter what caused the offense, the person apologizing is sorry it happened. Period. No excuse or explanation needed.

Seriously – think of someone who has apologized to you recently.

I am guilty of this, too.

But that’s just me. I’ve been told my views have been way off and this might be one of them. But this is my blog so there you go.

My Uncle Fred

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Gates, Fred Born February 9, 1934, a resident of Torrance, CA from 1965 until his death on August 22, 2006 from a coronary heart attack. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Yolanda Gates; sons, Fred Jr. and Anthony; daughters, Loretta Perkins and Jennifer Gates; two daughter-in-laws; and one son-in-law. He has seven grandchildren; and two great grandchildren. Fred was a dramatic Tenor who sang Grand Opera from 1959 to 1975 for the American Opera Co. and the Beverly Hills Opera Co. He was a finalist in the Metropolitan Auditions for several years. In his younger days he was awarded a four year music scholarship to SC from Walt Disney. Fred is remembered by his colleagues as the most exciting Tenor in his career. Please sign the guest book at http://www.dailybreeze.com/obits. Published in the Daily Breeze on 8/27/2006.

___________________________________________________________________

My Uncle Fred, only about 16 months older than my mother, was a fun guy. He did have a beautiful voice – that’s for dang sure – but I think I will remember him more for his laughter, his sarcasm, his booming personality, and his loyalty. He could get angry and maybe even throw a fit, but when it came down to it, he loved us and would be there for us if we asked.

This week, at Uncle Fred’s viewing and funeral, I was able to see all the lives he either touched or had a part in bringing to this world. His children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren are living testament to a life well lived. His wife, brothers, his sister, and numerous nephews and nieces stood in honor of his life. To interact with so many who knew and loved him was amazing – and I reminder for me that I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with family so I won’t regret losing so many years……

I will miss my Uncle very much – as will my Aunt Yola and cousins Freddie, Anthony, Loretta, and Jennifer.

It’s August?

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Do you ever sit back and realize that the month you are in in almost over ALTHOUGH mentally you felt as if it were like…..March? I don’t know, that’s how I’ve been feeling the last few days. Soon it will be September, Christmas is right around the corner, I will soon be 39 (yes, really…..not the fake one…..). Time sure flies!

On that note, yesterday at lunch the car in front of me ordered over $50 worth of food VIA THE DRIVE THRU! There should be laws about this! While I totally understand it’s a hassle carrying all that food back to your car, etc. – I think it’s unreasonable for the rest of us to sit behind such orders. Also, it would have been cool if the restaurant asked this guy to pull up and wait for his order – but he had attitude and already gave the clerk a hard time, so I couldn’t bring myself to be irritated with them!

(Now you know why this blog is called “Just Rambling”!)

It seems my brain is telling me I have much more to say – however, it is being lost somewhere in the translation. Maybe it’s because I am sitting here at 5:38am and only have had about half a cup of coffee. So when I get the adequate amount of caffiene flowing thru my blood, I will post again!

I wish I had something controversial to write about….

/ Gina Marie / 2 Comments

Well, I am not fired up about anything right now so this might be a boring post!

For those of you who read this, thanks! I was surprised to find out this wasn’t done all in vain. It’s more like therapy for me I guess. But hey, if you’ve read anything posted in this blog and have a moment, leave me a comment!

Okay, so here is some exciting news! After getting my $850 electric bill for June-July, I broke down and called the whole house fan people. This was when it was REALLY hot so of course there was a backlog of orders. The peeps there were VERY nice and I am happy to say TODAY THEY INSTALLED THE FANS!!!!! These fans circulate the air within the house and blow out the hot air in the attic. When I first heard about it I was skeptical, but lots of people in my local neighborhood bulletin board insisted it made a huge difference for their house temperature and electric bill. And I am here to tell you that my house is a very comfortable 77 degrees having not turned the freaking air conditioning on AND the air is moving around very nicely! YES! Gina did something right!

What else? Oh, I finally broke down and enrolled in a couple classes – one elective and one GE class. So right now I have New Testament History & Lituratur thru 9/16, Cultural Psychology beginning next week thru 10/20, my BOLD classes every Thursday night, and World History beginning like 9/25 or maybe that’s in October. I won’t have more than 3 classes at a time. But I am excited that it appears that December 2007 graduation date might be okay. If not, I am not going to cry about it. May 2008 is fine with me.

I am also jazzed because I listed a bunch of items on eBay to raise money for Deana (see www.RussiawithLove.org) and one item sold! Woohoo!

On that note, I should be doing my HOMEWORK, not writing in this blog! What am I thinking???

Gina, OUT!