Our post-Babel world

(Brent writing) After our last post we decided to brave the Moscow subway system.  We had been wanting to attempt this, but were deterred by the limitations imposed by language, as all of the maps and signs are in Russian.  I  have been intent in trying to at least read some Russian, even if the word that I sound out is one that I am unfamiliar with.  We had a few failed attempts at purchasing and using the metro cards, but eventually found our way to a marbled platform.  Between Ann-Marie's compass-like sense of direction and my elementary reading skills, we eventually were able to make it to Red Square, which is bordered on one side by the red walls of the Kremlin.  Although some day we may visit the Kremlin itself, we instead wanted to take a closer look at St. Basil's Cathedral (or St. Vasiliy the Blessed as he is known here).  The cathedral was not what we expected, but is instead a conglomeration of nine different chambers, or 'churches' as they are called, although none would be large enough to hold church services as we have experienced them to be.  The place is a bit of a maze, with many different colors and textures.  The interior of the brightly colored domes are as ornate and varied on the inside as they are on the outside.  Unexpectedly, there were many signs with English translations, which enabled us to put a bit of historical perspective to what we were seeing.

This morning we went to see Nikita again.  The drive out to the orphanage was difficult as we have been feeling isolated.  It is so frustrating to be somewhere that you feel perpetually misunderstood.  Not only in terms of the language itself, but in terms of customs and cultural norms that we all take for granted.  Even the ability to read body language is so different from our own culture.  This has been wearing on us for some time, but seemed to be coming to a head for us.  Our first moments with Nikita even seemed to perpetuate this.  He was not his normal self when we met today and it was so frustrating not knowing what was wrong.  A kind orphanage worker helped, but again it was difficult to understand what was wrong.  As time wore on, Nikita became his normal self again and the visit ended really well.  At the end of our visit we were able to make him understand on our own that we would see him tomorrow.  He walked us to his quarters and showed us his locker, and then even walked us a bit further than we had been into part of his living quarters, which has a small kitchenette, bathroom, and what was sort of like a school room area.  We did not go further to what was surely sleeping quarters.  Nikita let us help him shed his outdoor clothes and shoes and said goodbye "Baca" to us without shedding any tears.  This was an unexpected blessing at the end of what had started as our most difficult visit. 







The Kremlin at Red Square

Looking up inside one of the towers of St. Basil's Cathedral. The ceiling is very high



 



Coloring and Enjoying a Snack!



We finally got Nikita to take his hat off!


 

The "lockers" in the orphanage where the kids keep their coats. Very similar to
cubbies kids have at school in the US.