Train Ride Home

Our return trip to Saint Petersburg was fun and uneventful. We enjoyed the overnight train from Kyiv to Moscow. This time we had working toilets and a long evening to enjoy the ride. Although the midnight border crossing is never welcome.




We arrived at 6:30am, played cards outside of McDonald's until it opened for breakfast. Our kids enjoyed learning what a McMuffin and hashbrowns are.

Then, another pitstop at the Richardson's. It was nice to have sunny weather this time, and be able to continue our conversations from the week before.

For some reason, the Сапсан (Peregrin Falcon) high speed train brings out our kids' kung-fu moves. This trip was the first since we have had kids when we didn't use a taxi to get home. Our kids did well on the Moscow metro getting to the Richardson's and back to the other train station. Upon arrival in rush-hour traffic, we decided we could take the metro-bus route instead of a taxi. Thanks to our energetic kids, and umbrella stroller for Ella and packing light, we made it without killing ourselves! All told, a delightful trip!

Saturday at the Stemples

Scott and Cymp Stemple were generous to host a gathering of people last weekend. It was delightful to be together with friends from our time in Kyiv, and some new acquaintances as well. The Claxtons and Vrzheshches where there, which was amazing since the Claxtons are moving to the States this week, and the Vrzheshches had only one day between trips. We were so grateful to spend time connecting with all of them.

Ella getting help from Katherine Claxton. (Marina is in the background.)

Marina Stemple showing the boys how it's done.

It was delightful for me to be at the Stemples' home, where we had spent many pleasant days. Except when Ella was little, I was constantly having to put aside my desires for connecting with others in order to take her upstairs, or up and down the stairs, or outside, or inside, or wherever she wanted to be. It was great to have all of our kids at an indepent age, where they could play with the other kids for hours without parental involvement.

Brian Birdsall levitating.

And when we left, Tima said wholeheartedly, "That was FUN!"

It was, and more.

Day Two in Kyiv

Though Danya complained, "What are we going to do there?" we took the whole family to Independence Square the first day. I don't think the kids ever went farther than the McDonalds at the Khreshatik station. This time, we counted ice cream stands, and bought sunglasses to protect ourselves against this strong Ukrainian sun!

Next step, observe and play in the fountains around the monuments. It turns out, though there was nothing to 'do', it was fun for all.


The metro is loud.


Friends who used to be coworkers in Russia now live in Kyiv. Vlad was gone to South Africa (suffering for the gospel) but Olya and Amalia ran us around a large park that we'd never seen before. And I mean 'ran' literally. Amalia was ahead of us the whole way!




The Birdsalls has always been to us a house of rest. And though we missed our hostess, it continued in its tradition.

Тетя Клава and Святошинский Переулок

One of the dearest people in Kyiv for us was Klavdia Fyodorovna. But she was known to us as Auntie Klava. She babysat our children faithfully, with tender care and grandmotherly concern for the year we lived here. Her son, Oleg, became a friend of the boys (and a mentor in soccer). Tanya, her daughter also blessed us with her presence and artwork.

Today, we greatly enjoyed going to her apartment today, seeing Auntie Klava, her husband, Oleg, Tanya, and meeting Tanya's boyfriend. Homemade pelmeni, pirog, fresh cherries (picked a few hours before at their dacha, and a good time catching up with old friends!

Afterward, we swung by our old neighborhood. Walking from the busstop toward our building, I was shocked how normal it all felt. It really felt like moving away was perhaps just a dream. Little has changed, and the route was so familiar, I wouldn't have been shocked to find the key in my pocket to this old home.

Good Friends

Jeff and Donna Crane moved to Kyiv a little before we did. And though we didn't see a lot of each other, the time we spent together was precious. Eric even had his toe excavated one night in the kitchen by Dr. Jeff. Our boys remembered the family well, especially Lera (who is a little older than Tima) and Misha (the biggest dog we've ever known). It was delightful to see them again, hear how God is leading them and opening doors for orphan care and medical ministry.

Trip to Kyiv

On the way to Kyiv, we spent a delightful day with Adam and Inna, Pasha, Jon and Anna Richardson in Moscow. They were gracious to let us spend the day playing and napping. Afterward, we were a bit tired on the metro to the train station.


Our train left at 9:30pm, and arrived in Kyiv the next morning at 10:00 (Moscow time). The only complication was that there were no working toilets in our wagon. It turns out that these fancy new toilets on the private trains are a little more complicated than the old fashioned open-onto-the-track kind. Though our car-attendant said he could probably find a free coupe for us in another wagon, he didn't seem in any hurry. And we decided that a few trips through the doors-of-terror were worth getting our kids to bed. It wasn't too bad, though when I took Tima in the middle of the night, the neighboring wagon was locked! and the noise and instability scared his sleepy self. But we survived, and all told, it was a great journey.

Our first day was restful, hanging out with Brian Birdsall and his daughter, Tory. We're sad the rest of the family is gone right now, but they've been gracious to make us feel very at home. In the words of Danya, "This is the biggest apartment I've ever seen!" And across the street are the Botanical Gardens, a great place for walking, running, climbing hills, and playing.

English Lessons

Ten of Danya's classmates responded to our English lesson invitation! Every day this week they will come to our apartment for two hours of English games, dialogue and vocabulary. It turns out that two hours is a very long time to keep eight-year-olds engaged, especially in a small apartment. But it's fun to get to know them and their parents a little better.

Visitors!

We received our first family visitors last week. Eric's parents spent a week with us here in Saint Petersburg. We did a lot with them, and had a lot of fun! Mostly, it was so good for all of us to have real hugs, long conversations, and play a lot of 42! We were shocked how quickly the week flew by, and we had to say goodbye.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=180497&id=593736915&l=fe09ce7749
You can see a few more photos at the above link.