We had a very good time showing Grandma and Grandpa Collins our life here in Moscow. Colin, Kathleen, and I took my Dad to the Kremlin and GUM department store.
My mom, Amalie, John, and I went to pick up our new cat, Anastasia, from a Russian shelter.
We took my parents to church at the US Embassy, and then afterwards we went to a very interesting Russian cemetery. It is in the heart of Moscow, and you have to be famous, rich, or both to be buried here. The most interesting part about this cemetery is that the tombstones are not like in the US. Your tombstone reflects the work you did in your life. Let's say you were an airplane pilot- your tombstone would have a jet on it. An artist might have a palette of paints or a sculpture. And this is all in 3-D. And imagine my parent's surprise when I was able to read in Russian and find Boris Yeltsin's marker.
There were two best parts to the trip:
1. My mom came with John and I to our weekly music class. Every Wednesday a very nice Russian woman hosts a music class (like Kindermusic in the US) at her house. After the class she serves coffee, the moms bring sweets, and the kids play for an hour. It is one of my favorite things to do, and some of my closest friends in Moscow attend this class. It was so nice for my mom to participate in this class and meet my friends. That's what I miss most about living away from my parents- doing the ordinary stuff in life and having them with me.
2. My dad and I went on a Communist Tour one night in Moscow. This tour was a late birthday present for my dad, and afterwards we went to one of my favorite Moscow restaurant. Muy, Muy (pronounced Mi Mi or something like that) is a cafeteria style restaurant and you can sample a lot of different Russian dishes. The tour was really interesting and it was nice to be out in the city with my father. But this is my favorite part. Our tour guide was a very nice young Russian girl. She liked to talk about politics and at one point made the comment that wasn't it very nice that Russia and the US were such great friends now. (I have to insert this here. In case you do not know my dad, he is extremely knowledgeable about politics and world news. He reads papers, watches the news, and reads articles on the internet. And this is not just a retirement thing- he's always been this way. You can always disagree with him- I have before and he knows what I am talking about- but you better have your facts straight and be able to back up your position.)
Anyways, back to the US and Russia being great friends. My dad told her that yes, people could be friends, but our countries were not. He then proceeded to give her a list of ways in which we are not geopolitical friends. I had to turn away from the tour group because I was giggling so much. Something I have learned while living abroad- other countries seem to think that we Americans have no idea what is going on in the world. Many times that is true, I admit, but I am going to say that we can give a point to the USA on that cold night in November.
It was a great visit and these kiddos and I are looking forward to our time in the US this summer.
