Daily Life

Day 10 of "bonding" went very well. Life here is surreal. A wonderful couple across the hall from us summed up life here is Ust very well - "Think "Groundhog Day" meets "Life in Translation." What really makes bizarre is the one CD that the hotel has that they play over and over and over again - just a little too loudly. Stylized muzak versions of "Over the Rainbow", some Godfather song, some wierd circus theme and then some synthesizer thing. Everyday we go to the breakfast buffet, the boys say hello and thank you in russian, we pass over the number of beef tounge and cabbage choices and stick to the yogurt, tomatoes, cucumbers, fruit and baked goods. Dan has an omelette daily. We carry out breakfast and instant coffee to a table while listening to hear where we are in the music rotation.
There are several wonderful families here. There are four from Spain, including an adorable three year old. I pull out my Spanish and they pull out their English and we all do our best. The 10 plus families with six or so siblings are kind and supportive. Joe has started playing a little soccer with a dad from Spain - Joe is trying to hit his ball with his head.
We just finished lunch - peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, apples, peanuts, milk with a 1 year shelf life and Nesquik. I did a "load of laundry" in the bathroom sink. Being married to a sailor has advantages - you should see what he can do with a 6X3 bathroom and a laundry line.
I hit paydirt yesterday - I traded 2 of my books with a Canadian mom for three of hers.
We are meeting with another couple of and their child tonight. We will all share what we have for a feast. Last night we met with 2 families from our hotel. We shared Kazak beer, screwdrivers (when in Rome...), Kazak bread, and a delicious cake from the grocery store.

More tomorrow,
The Byrne Family