Present life in the family

While you've been hearing about other things, let's stop and go back. Starting in January, we'll go from youngest to oldest. Around December of last year, Simon was enjoying the snow and having a great time at Kindergarten. Kerith, however, was also enjoying his snow and his Kindergarten. Problems in the boys' adjustments, rated on a scale of 1-10: 3.

I, on the other hand, was totally hating Russia and wanted so badly to go home and couldn't stand going out to play at playgrounds, because little kids would crowd around me and saying things that I didn't completely understand. I now am doing very well with being outside and enjoy playing with the littlest children (which I will explain later). Problems back then, however, on a scale of 1-10: 10. I had also just finished an art course in January.

I don't know how well Mom was doing, because, . . . well, she never told me. I think she was both excited about being here and missed her home. Dad, however, was making friends wherever he went, including the farmer's market. I think Daddy was excited about being in Russia and didn't want to go home.

January: mixed feelings. Kerith and Simon are still having a B-A-L-L. I am not even excited about our trip to Finland to renew our visas - wanting to stay in Russia. When we get back to Russia, I sit down and wish that I could stay forever.

In July, we are in Germany again for visas, and I have made three of my best friends ever. What's amazing is that I never knew any German, and two of them only knew a few words of English. The other girl knew a lot of English, so she could translate. We came back to Russia on the very same day we arrived in Russia in 2007 for the first time.

Around September, I had my birthday, got my guinea pig, and I'm still totally, radically, wishing to stay in Russia. Updates from March to this point have stayed the same. Points on wanting to go back to America: 4.

I am different now in wanting to work with the orphans a lot more, and I am having a lot of trouble with friends, which I will now tell you about. From my entry about learning Russia, Zhenya and I have not had a good experience since she got back from her grandmother's, and, unfortunately we've settled on not being friends. Or actually, she has settled on not being friends with me. She is buddy-buddy with another Alena (not the one from my last blog about friends).

The other Alena in the dvor is a consistent friend. The only problem is that I don't see her very often. I have met another girl named Zhenya, and she claims to be my friend but is never really available to play. They are pictured here to the right.

So I have settled on the little ones to play with. They go to a Kindergarten that is next door (right). In the morning I try to go over there when they get out for break. The teachers are starting to get to know me there. The children there I think enjoy playing with me. They have started flocking to me whenever I come. All I could do was dodge the snowballs when it snowed a coupld of weeks ago.

I pray constantly for a friend my age, though.