Making Deliveries in Moscow

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father’s Day to all who qualify!

It has been a rainy, cool Sunday.  We were up early and Cindy was able to run before the rain started for serious.  While she was running, I was packing up the TV that we were to deliver this morning.  I did a fine job of wrapping it in bubble paper and securing it in the box that the movers left.  We sold it to one of the teachers who we call ‘Swifter’ since she, like me, adores the cleaning aid (some of us call her Swiffer, since that is actually the name of the product).  I had a brand new swiffer kit that she wanted, complete with refills as well as a swiffer dust buster.  We packed everything up, lugged it all to the car, and were ready to go on our big adventure.

As we were loading things another teacher came out to dump the trash and we told her we were going to Kutz, the housing area where Swiffer lives.  She was going to walk over there in the rain, so we told her to hop in.  We had maps and we knew what to do, but I stayed on a surface road too long and missed the underpass that would have taken us where we wanted to be.  Instead we were on the right road but the wrong side, and in Moscow you can’t make left turns.  We had to go about four miles pass the housing area before we found a way to loop around and under the road and come up on the correct side.  What an ordeal.

We got all the stuff delivered and as we were leaving we spied another friend who lives in our housing area so we were able to give her a ride home in what had now become very heavy rain.  Again, there was no easy way to get home since it would have involved a left turn, which wasn’t an option.  Instead we just drove over and around twice, before getting to the right road towards home.  Always an adventure when you take to the streets of Moscow.  When we were back in the apartment I realized that my reading glasses must have fallen out of my pocket while I was trying to lug the big box into the apartment.  Of course I sent all my spares back, so now I have just my emergency Ben Franklin glasses.  I think I’ll go shopping tomorrow. 

Hannah In Biz

Colin, Meagan, and Hannah are finally on their way to Auckland and according to my Flight Track, they have been airborne for a few hours and are most likely sleeping like babies since they are in Business Class with flat beds.  Colin sent me a picture of Hannah in her seat just before they closed the doors on the flight.  She looks so small in such a big seat.

The pasta last night was just wonderful, as were the guests.  Cindy is finding it hard to say goodbye to some people that she has become very friendly with at AAS.  I have no such difficulties with the double-edged sword of friendship here in Moscow.  I ain’t got any problems leaving!!

Cindy found this great Mockumentary on the National Bird of Bahrain, the Plastic Bag.  It is very wonderfully done and very sad that it needed to be done.  Happy Sunday,  Cindy and Wm.