May 9th is Victory Day here in Russia! It is a big celebration! The holiday is from Sunday, May 6th through Wednesday, May 9th. (Russians worked on Saturday to make up for a working day so they can have a longer holiday weekend---more details on this interesting fact later)
Our friend A and her family invited us on a picnic today. We were not sure what a picnic really involved. I mean, when you think picnic you probably think a checkered table cloth, sandwiches, and a Frisbee, right? Well, there were about 15 people at our picnic. Friends of friends of friends. It was a lot of fun! Our friend, A, and her family picked us up and we all drove out to the forest (it was a woodsy area with empty places where you can have fires and camp). Once we arrived, we waited for the rest of the people to join us.
Gwen chilled in the baby carrier and the stroller.
The girls enjoyed the bubbles...
No, they are not playing American football and no, Adalynn is not getting ready to tackle little K!
When the rest of our group arrived, the barbeque began! They grilled some sausage things, and we all ate them wrapped in this bread, like tortillas. You could add some fresh dill, parsley, and green onions if you wanted. Then there was some volleyball and soccer playing, and some more grilling of pork. It was delicious! My friend, A, and I basically watched our girls. We also went on a walk and played on a blanket and talked. Another lady there joined us as well because she is going to be a mom this fall. Adalynn really liked her! A is really interested in the church so we are excited to have her and her family join us for a service here soon.
About 3 hours into our picnic, it began to rain and the girls all gathered in the car while it passed. Then when it stopped, we all got out and ate some more! Soon we started to hear thunder so we all quickly packed up and headed back to Vladimir.
It was a good day! The weather was perfect (besides the rain toward the end!), the girls were super, and Adalynn even went to the bathroom outside for the first time---like a real Russian kid! We really enjoyed our time today!
Can you tell these girls had a good day? This is a picture of them on the way home!
Blessings,
Philip, Kara, Adalynn, and Gwen
Sounds like a GREAT time! Glad you guys are able to connect with people so well. Can I ask, were all the conversations in Russian all day?
ReplyDeleteAlso a few cultural questions:
Is it common for little kids to just go to the bathroom outside? What about the grown ups...did you have to do that as well?
Also, are car seats common there or is it normal to just hold your baby in the car?
Hey! We did some talking in Russian, probably most in English for me since "A" likes to speak English to me even though I try in Russian! Philip spoke more Russian because he hung out with the guys and most of them only knew Russian.
ReplyDeleteYes, little kids go to the bathroom all the time outside! And old men by the bus stop...usually only adults do if they are out in the forest.
Car seats are now the "law". Some people use them some people don't. You get a fine if you don't have your child in a car seat and get caught. We don't have a car so if we are with someone with a car we usually just hold them. The kids ride without car seats on the buses as well.