“X” is for......

Can you believe we only have two more letters left? Next Thursday marks one month since we’ve been fully registered in Pskov. Time has flown by! Now that the alphabet is almost over, how will we pass the time now? I’m open to suggestions- I have a few things in mind, but would love to hear from you too.
I’m torn between two x’s. That sounds exciting doesn’t it? So “X” is for “X-ray girl” and “exports”. (I know “exports” doesn’t really start with an x, but it should.)
Natasha Demkina from Saransk, Russia claims she has an extraordinary gift that reminds me of something out of the comics- she claims to have x-ray vision. Apparently, she has been a super genius since birth and following a botched surgery of her own when she 10 years old, she started telling her mother that she could see “inside” people as in organs, bones, guts. She says that her powers work like a switch- she can turn the x-ray machine on and off with her mind.
Her case has not been proven or disproved. Her first “test” was when Natasha was asked to draw a picture of a doctor’s guts. She drew a picture of his stomach, with a dark spot exactly where the doctor had an undiscovered ulcer. She has also been able to isolate cancerous tumors and find broken bones. The Discovery Channel did a documentary on her, so there must be something to it. Ripley’s Believe It or Not?, Anyone?
I think the lady behind her in the picture is wearing "x-ray" goggles.

TOP TEN RUSSIAN X-PORTS TO THE U.S.
10. Fish & shellfish … $375.3 million
9. Fertilizers, pesticides & insecticides
8. Steel making materials … $635.6 million
7. Nickel … $645.3 million
6. Precious metals … $697.6 million
5. Finished metal products other than steel … $852.9 million
4. Nuclear fuels … $866.3 million
3. Semi-finished iron & steel products … $1.5 billion
2. Aluminum … $1.8 billion
1. Oil & other petroleum products …US$10 billion

"V" is for Vladimir

TOP TEN FAMOUS RUSSIAN VLADIMIRS!



10. Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov (born May 13, 1942) was a cosmonaut who made five flights.

9. Vladimir Vladimirovitch Mayakovsky July 1893- April 14, 1930 was one of the foremost Russian poets of the early 20th century. He was imprisoned on numerous occasions for his political views. During a period of solitary confinement in Butyrka prison in 1909 he began writing poetry.

8. Vladimir Horowitz (October 1, 1903 - November 5, 1989) was a classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.

7. Vladimir Petrov (July 22, 1896 – January 7, 1966) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 24 films between 1928 and 1964. Vladimir Petrov was awarded Stalin Prize five times. I think this was like the Stalin Academy Awards- I wonder if they had a little gold Stalin?

6. Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977), wrote first in Russian, then in English, author of Lolita. I'll admit- this is the first Vladimir I've actually known. That's why he's number 6 in my book.

5. Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (1889-1982) is a pioneer of television. Zworykin invented the iconoscope, a television transmitting tube and the kinescope, the tube that projects pictures it receives onto a screen. He also invented the electron microscope. I was impressed so I put him as number 5! He sounds smart.

4. Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov (March 16, 1927 - April 24, 1967) was a Soviet cosmonaut. He was the first human who died during a space mission, on Soyuz 1. I felt sorry for him dying, so I gave him a high rank.

3. Vladimir Petrov ice hockey player, gold metalist, and former president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. I put him as number 3 because I thought he was the cute hockey player I see in the news all the time from Pskov, and I wanted to show you his picture- but it turns out he's not. I am just too lazy to re-do the numbers.

2. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (April 1870- January 21, 1924), who adopted the pseudonym Lenin was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first leader of the Soviet Union and the founder of the ideology of Leninism. Lenin was born in Simbirsk and died in Leninskie Gorki after a series of strokes after an attempted assassination. His embalmed body is on permanent exhibition in the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow.

1. Vladimir Putin, born in 1952 in Leningrad, is the current prime minister of Russia. Putin served two terms as President of Russia from March 2000-March 2008 and is considered one of the most beloved leaders of Russia.

I'm sure I forgot a few! Vladimir is a very popular name!

*On a side note: We received an e-mail from the Russian Consulate stating that they received our "Cable 37" confirming that we are cleared to adopt one Russian boy or girl up to age 2. Yipppee! They really do know about us!

Top Ten Things about Pskov that make me feel better about being jostled around

10. I don’t know anything about Russia. I do know about the USA. Knowing what I know about the USA and our 50 States if told that I was going to New York City to adopt a baby I would be scared to death. I’ve been to NYC and I’ve been lost in NYC. If I was told I was going to say, Tifton, Georgia to adopt a baby, I would know we were going to a small quaint town with sufficient amenities. My poor analogy is an illustration of the difference between the huge city of St. Petersburg v. the tiny city of Pskov. Sometimes smaller is better, especially if you don’t speak the language and are relying on the generosity of others to navigate your way around with a small little person in tow.

9. It should be significantly cheaper to stay there. I found one hotel for $40 US dollars a night. I’m not sure if it had indoor plumbing though…..Not only that but there will be a lot less to buy and a lot less temptation to go see all the sites.

8. I always complain about too many choices. Every time I go to the grocery store, I come home to Chad and say things like “It is really necessary to have an entire aisle dedicated to cereal?” “Why do we have 764 shampoo scents to choose from?” Sometimes when you have too many choices you feel like you are missing out on something better. Sometimes simpler is better. Pskov has 9 restaurants and like 6 hotels. The obvious choice should be clear to us.

7. Another analogy for you… When I went to Germany, I wasn’t terribly impressed with Berlin. We couldn’t “wander” or adventure out past a square block of our hotel. We would most likely get terribly lost and/or it just wasn’t safe. So we experienced Berlin on guided tours and then we were confined to our rooms. We didn’t get to experience the local flavor the way we were able to in Leipzig, and the tiny Alpine villages we stayed along the way. My best memories are of those tiny villages.

6. There is a National Dog Show there. I love dogs. And a craft fair. I love crafts.

5. The people seem beautiful and friendly. Pskov is 12 miles from the coast of Estonia. Our friend Mark says he met a choir of Estonians during his travels and they were the prettiest people he has ever seen. Visit the tourism site to learn more….. www.http://tourism.pskov.ru/ just make sure you click on “English” on the top tab.

4. Word on the street says Pskov is faster than St. Petersburg. Faster is better.

3. We are trusting that our agency knows what they are talking about. After all they are experts, I am not.

2. God is the ultimate expert. He is in control of everything and I know for a fact that HE definitely knows what he is doing, I do not.

AND the number one thing about Pskov that make me feel better about being jostled around IS…..

1. Baby Deetz lives there. Mom brought up a good point, perhaps with it being a smaller area, the orphanages are smaller and they are receiving more one on one attention and better care. If that's the case I will gladly redo every single paper.