Proud to be AMERICAN

Sunday, March 2, 2008-03-02
We tried to make coffee in the room but we didn’t have coffee in the room with any flavor, it was bad. Today is elections in this country and they are having a huge party in Red Square with a concert and total party environment as the elections seem decided before the vote began. Their past leader Putin chose a 42 yr old man who has been his assistant and a do boy so they say and this will be their new leader as the puppet to Putin..so say all the media outlets here.

It is a day to take easy with no appointments just on our own so we plan to stay close to the hotel. The weather is overcast and off and on rain with cold drizzle. We eat breakfast in the room for Max to experience yet another first…pancakes with bananas and syrup and sausage and bacon. He eats and also has some of Deanie’s yogurt. He continues to pick up English words which surprise us. He knows potty and says Pee pee, which helps me because here it is called goutchoucth. When flipping through cannels I find Tellie Tubbies…in Russian, a good laugh was had.. we find many cartoons although the theme of them was English and some voice over in Russian. So we decide to venture out to shop for some clothes for Max. We go to the concierge’s desk and she calls us a driver for 700 Rubles we get a ride to the children’s store. It isn’t but a ten minute drive if that. What a store, it has a beautiful carousal in the middle and we find several items fo Max although it is difficult because nothing is set like home…boys and girls are mixed and sized as well with limited amounts so if anyone goes after 96 size boys clothes today I believe we bought them all. We find it difficult to communicate as no one speaks English in the slightest. I am on a quest to locate Dr Seuss, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish in Russian as I know it is in Italian, in Italy so it must be here right??? Well not today, maybe tomorrow when we have an interpreter. I did buy a hat that I have no idea what is says or the meaning of it at all. They do not carry many baseball style caps here and I wanted that to be my gift for Stevie’s ball cap collection. Deanie picked up gifts from Bath and body works. We called from a pay phone….what a comedy scene that was as Max had his first MELT DOWN…. Well we are counting first aren’t we? The woman on the phone is telling us we must talk to transportation, we explain transportation is music on the phone and no one answers. She says yes, yes, and transfers us to what sounds like her… As the time ran out and phone went dead we believe the folks at the Sheridan knew it was us and we are ready. The car came, we felt it was our ride and we get in. We say; “Sheridan Palace” and he says yes, Sheridan Palace, so away we go. We drive and drive and drive. Deanie asks again; Are we going to Sheridan Palace, he says yes Sheridan Palace, we drive more… it is getting to the edge of do we jump out…..lol and I am taking note of signs she says one more time, ARE YOU TAKING US TO THE SHERIDAN PALACE in a firm voice and goes on to say we are driving a long time… in a couple more turns we are in front of the hotel. We get out and go to the room as Max has to go potty. The telephone in the room rings and it is the woman asking if we forgot to stop by transportation desk to pay 700 Rubles for ride back, I explain Deanie is with the baby we will be down, I ask; where is the transportation desk??? Oh right here with concierge in the lobby…..DDDDaaaaaa so why was she transferring us at all??? Deanie and I figure that must be a Saturday night skit to turn into comedy. We go down for lunch and pay the transportation slash Concierge the 700 Rubles.. Deanie asks where the hotel restaurants are so the women picks up the phone and calls the front desk which is about three steps from the concierges desk so we can hear this women talk to the other women three steps away….

In reading we find $150,000.00 donation by Malaysian student association at the Moscow medical academy to give to the Children’s Hope International Foundation helps medical needs of children in orphanages in ten regions in Russia. OPORA organization in Moscow which works with street children, refugees and orphans founded in 2003. opora2003@yahoo.com

Monday, March 2008

We get up earlier than the alarm and begin the day with in room breakfast. We dress for the medical appointment and the trip to drop off everything to the Embassy so that Max can get his VISA so we can go home. Alex picks us up at 8:15 am after Deanie tries to change US dollars into Rubles at the ATM type machine. The machine refuses two of the 100 dollar bills so we move on. Once in the car we learn Aksana is ill or her son is and she will not be joining us today. We have her via phone only. Alex takes us into the medical appointment after a short wait for it to open. The other part about this country is people drive like aggressive mindless people and park wherever they feel like it. Alex has a nice car and leaves it in a spot not known to be a parking space. Once in this medical building we are taken through a crowded lobby where the smell is over coming of not bathed humans. The room we enter is empty and very 19 century basic medical equipment. We can hear the Doctor talking and his receptionist in charge. The Doctor examines Max and makes comment that he is the luck one. His “kind” don’t always make it he says and goes on to state “he must have been a favorite” He notes he has a BUDDA belly, his lower body tone is weak from lack of physical exercise and causing his feet/ankles to fall inward (very common for Down syndrome) so says to take him to orthopedic when in the states. Says he has a small hernia of the belly button (outie) ad never mentions the word Down syndrome or anything related to that. Everything checks out so the paperwork with the medical seal of approval is given. We leave after the receptionist shows the Doctor a spot he forgot to sign and off to the Embassy we go. As we drive away we see Jean and Martha with Alexis going into the medical building for their exam. Deanie is the only one necessary to go in to the Embassy as it is a drop off paperwork trip and get an appointment and of course pay fees. The Embassy has stepped up in the past year to having credit card access to pay. Once done we make arrangements for Alex to pick us up tomorrow at the hotel at 1:20 to be at the Embassy at 2pm for the interview. Deanie is thinking maybe we can get the VISA on Wed and we would be free to leave.
Back at the hotel we grab some java and let Max have a drink and snack. Go to the restroom and call for a driver….. with hesitance, we tell the transportation lady exactly what we desire. The driver is to take us to the bookstore WAIT then to ARBAT street and WAIT so we do not have a repeat of yesterday. She seems to understand so we go down to the street to meet our driver. Once in the car we turn the corner and pass the book store…HE SPEAKS NO ENGLISH, great! So we drive about 15-20 more blocks and he does a complete U-Turn in the road and goes back we laugh and Deanie says what do you want to bet he goes back to the book store…..and sure enough. (we are paying 1300 rubles an hour) I go in with my trusty paper from the concierge saying “children’s book. Cat in the Hat, Dr Seuss. The boy smiles and looks it up on the computer and asks me to wait.. I am excited they must carry it. After a long wait he returns and says they are sold out…darn. So we go on to ARBAT street which takes 30 to 45minutes and appears at times we are going in circles… I point out to Deanie the stores we have past and are passing again… NIKE is one and she remembers too. In minutes we then see the sign to Hard Rock café, which I know is on ARBAT so we are close. He parks and says he will wait right there. In the middle of the road behind parked cars.. We go into the first shop and find many of the items we went for, then to Hard rock and I am able to get a shot glass and pin. We move on to find more items we are out to get and Deanie finds a handbag store… oooh such nice scarf’s and matching evening bags but on the budget we refrain. We walk back to the car and the driver is watching for us. The ride back is less than five minutes…hhhmmm…I can see the hotel about three blocks down on the right and we are in dead stopped traffic. We sit a half hour for three blocks with horns honking, street sales people walking up and down the parked traffic and a person with CP holding a sign and a bag to collect money. An elderly women walked up to the car and looking in motioning to us to give her money. Once back at the hotel they wan 4700 Rubles for the ride, they do not take credit cards and that I all I now have. Deanie has tipped the driver so we are now short so we cut a deal with them as we did give a great tip to the driver….and we all know the time was stretched by unnecessary driving.
Back in the room we go over the tokens we have gathered to take home. The television choices make us appreciate America once again. Even their listing in the paper state; drama, talk show, horror, war, etc but not the name of the show or any information. We tuck in early after room service brings some soup for dinner.