kids' room
Our dining room! More pics on my facebook account...please check them out. I think that I fixed it so that anyone can view them...but you might have join facebook to do so! It's worth it! http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1018006250
We have arrived!!! We left Russia about 10:30am and arrived here at our place aroun 6 or 7? It's not supposed to be that long of a trip, but with border crossings and gas stop and car registration stop...it came to be this long.
At the Russian border, we were a bit detained as they (we think) tried to make sure that our kids were ours and not stolen Russian kiddos. They finally asked to question the kids while we(the adults) stood outside the van(door was open, so the kids weren't scared at all). They asked questions like: Are these your brothers and sisters? How long were you in Russia? What is his name(referring to our Russian looking son--Matthew)? When is his birthday? (they didn't know the date)...so the man then asked: How old is he...to which Mark answered in fingers...three. The man seemed satisfied that they were indeed our kids! (I guess this just proves one more time that Russian families are not this big!!)
At the Finland border we had much more favor! They spoke Finish, Russian and English and were happy to see us across their border. Even said in English--enjoy your stay!
So, we arrived at our "vacation spot" to find that it is incredibly awesome!! Thanks George for passing on the reference! The couple that runs this place are believers and so welcoming. They speak English...so there was no culture shock, except for us stopping our Russian studdering and remembering that we can speak English freely with understanding in common.
This place is absolutely amazing ...it's really a place where large groups can and do stay here very easily...Two bunk houses and one main house(we are in the main one). Okay, so on to why I am in a pre-heaven here...the kitchen!!!! and the dining room!!! It's a fully equipped one...with all kinds of cook tops, ovens, ways to bake/cook!!! It even has an industrialized size dishwasher!!! So, why am I still washing by hand---maybe the habit has stuck--it've been doing it for three months now! The dinning room will seat over twenty five people(I think) with room to spare! I will post some pictures, but I can't find my USB to connect my camera yet. Hopefully, I didn't leave in Russia, or else you will be waiting three weeks for pics of this place.
John went into town today to check some things out. He also ventured out last night with our friend who drove us here and they went to the grocery store for dinner foods and more! They found chips(tortilla) and guacomole and guess what---PEANUT BUTTER for two bucks!!!! Amazing! The jar was almost twice as big as the one we have seen in Russia for $6!! We are going to bring some back for sure!
Another nice thing---we have wi-fi here!!! I feel like I am in Starbucks!
Ok, enough for now about this place...and on to the title---how do I know we are in Finland, not Russia?
1. We stopped on the side of the road and asked for directions and people spoke English, not Russian!
2. Our internet info(the part where you see where to log in to this blog) is in FINISH! NOT Russian!! So, our visual memory skills are required once again--we only know one word in Finish--Kitos! Thank you! Doesn't help much in translating computer terms!!!
More later...
8 comments:
Karen,
I'm staying in Bonn with a friend who has some Christian friends in St. Petersburg. The names of the St. Petersburgers are Adrian & Kim Stead. If I can find an address or email, I'll send it to you. They were very involved with the American Protestant Church in Bonn. Maybe you can hook up with them.
Until then, enjoy your little slice of heaven!!! We're proud of you all. Keep up the good work!
See ya,
Jon
1) I wash dishes by hand now too, after living in Russia! Especially if I've only used a few dishes. It's faster than waiting for the dishwasher to fill up.
2) My little brothers used to get checked VERY carefully when we went in and out of Russia. Just to make sure we weren't stealing them!
3) Regarding John's amazement about Russian DVD's: If they're cheap and out on DVD before the rest of the world, they're probably pirated. ;)
Klassno! They have the same Christmas window lights that I saw in Sweden. Have an awesome time there and enjoy yourselves.
Elizabeth--I told John that people wouldn't get it that he was joking about the pirated movies-haha! We bought two movies for 200 rubles each and thought we were getting the real things! Nope!!! We know now what to look for though! It's kinda funny when you here the background from the movie theatre in the pirated movies. We chunked the movies and we will buy the real deal next time.
My dear Bykovs!
I am so happy for you that you like being in Finland!Karen......that dining-room is really amasing! And also I am glad you found an inexpencive peanut butter. Today I finally saw my cousin's husband....guess what.......he brought me dried fish! I ate some of it today......hahaha
Ha ha! Guess I fell for it. Sounds like you did too, though! I guess it depends on who reads your blog. I remember my first time in Russia thinking, "Wow, cheap DVDs!"
What lovely photos! We used to go to Canada a lot for my daughter' Irish dance competitions. One time she went to the competition in our friends' car and came home with us. We were stopped and she was taken into another room to be interviewed! And they made her dance! Fortunately, she was twelve or so at that time, and it didn't frighten her - only amuse her.
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