28 Days To Go

[Vaughn]

At this moment a few dozen people are beginning to gather at the Yoshkar Ola train station
to greet my wife and stepdaughter as they arrive after a prolonged absence. I've been mostly
awake and punchy since they departed 35 hours ago - last night I tracked their flight every hour,
and today I literally ran out of things to do. They'll be home in 28 days. 672 hours.

We haven't been apart very much for many years - and I'm trying to figure out how to best make
the time pass without going bonkers....  it's so deafeningly quiet in the house.

Vaughn

[Daveman]

Hey Vaughn, now is the perfect time to study Russian!  no, you've already done that... I know, each day she's gone, move three or four items in the kitchen to a different location. And rearrange some things around the house.  :evil:

Then as the day of her return approaches, try to remember where everything was and put it back and see if she notices anything!

Typical suggestion from a non married guy.. eh? 

Hopefully the 4 weeks (seems shorter than 28) will pass by quickly and she has a wonderful visit with family and friends.

Dave

[Caddydaddy]

Maybe you want to listen to Музыка Авторадио:

http://www.101.ru/?an=chan_popplay&uid=20&bit=128

Good mix of Western and Russian music, куул! 

Or yes, good idea, учись по-русски язык 

I must wait another long 20 days until my Baby will be here again. This will be our destiny meet...

[KenC]

Vaughn,
I know those extended fsu vacations can be lonely.  I always enjoyed them for about the first five days and then bummed out for the rest of the time.  I am sure of a daily call will help.  Until then, I guess we will be seing quite a bit of you here.  LOL.
KenC

[GoodOlBoy]

We haven't been apart very much for many years -

You know what the great thing about prolonged separation from your beautiful RW is Vaughn?.........

REUNITING when she returns!! 


GOB


BTW....My wife goes home to Omsk every year to see her family. I was a little anxious the first time to Vaughn. You will get use to it!

Heck, you should have book a flight and gone to UTROBINA's (Dave and Svetlana) wedding in Jamaica!

[ConnerVT]

For me, it has always been the time that I get the major renovations on the house done.  One time, I refinished all of the kitchen cabinets.  Coming up in a few weeks, it will be new flooring and vanity in the bathroom.

[Vaughn]

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. I dwell in unfamiliar territory, home alone with a cat. Last night
I booked a flight to Texas for next week, just to break up the silence and visit old friends.

They arrived благополучно...Ladies, gents, in that context, does it mean safely or happily?

Everything went fine, despite them hauling 95 kg of baggage, more than their own combined weight.
The only time they had to touch it was between baggage claim at SVO and the waiting taxi. Elvira
uses some Moscow taxi service that quotes her upfront by phone...they have a driver waiting with
a sign, and off they go. So far the service is 4 for 4, always meeting my stepdaughter for summer
travel without a hitch.   

A nice surprising touch was a waiting Irina at the Kazansky train station. She is one of my wife's
lifelong pals who was on business there - and rode back to Yoshkar Ola with my two sweeties. It's
a 16 hour overnight ride - Yoshkar Ola has an airport, but no passenger service. There was a brief
time in 2003 when passenger flights were available, but within months they were back in the Dark Age
with cargo only....all that aside, Elvira enjoys some snooze time between Moscow and home and
usually springs for a nice compartment.

OK, here are a few pics of their arrival, everyone's quite thrilled to see her after 3 years away...

Vaughn

[sideskraft]

Thanks for sharing your story and photos Vaughn -- obviously very happy times for your wife!  It will be interesting to hear her reflect on her experiences and feelings after she comes home and gets settled back in.  I'm guessing that she'll gain further appreciation of her current life and culture, but at the same time have some emotional longings for the old country.  Those close family and friendship ties and re-familiarization of the memories she left behind have comfort value too.  That's what makes international relationships so interesting IMHO!

[Vaughn]

I'm guessing that she'll gain further appreciation of her current life and culture, but at the same time have some emotional longings for the old country.

That's an accurate guess, in fact, some of the ladies here on RWD have mentioned that the distance from
friends and family is a difficult facet of the change - for my wife, that's certainly true.

Hey - you're a Michigan man - I'm in NC, but I'm pulling for State to kick some Tar Heel butt on Monday night.

[Lily]

They arrived благополучно...Ladies, gents, in that context, does it mean safely or happily?
 

Rather safely.

[Turboguy]

I am sure it must be lonely for you.  I miss my wife even when I am away from her at work for a few hours.   VWRW will be going home in 6 weeks for a two month visit.  She needs to renew her Russian Passport which takes 6 weeks so a shorter trip was not possible. 

My plans are about like Conner mentioned.  I have all kinds of projects I need to do and plan to take that opportunity to work my butt off.  Whatever you can find to keep busy will be good for you.  Remodel, learn more Russian, keep as busy as you can and the time will pass quickly.  I am glad to hear she arrived safely.  I am sure in no time you will be at the airport to pick her up from her return. 

[Vaughn]

She needs to renew her Russian Passport which takes 6 weeks so a shorter trip was not possible. 

Funny how these threads bring up other topics - soemone could start a thread about pelmyeni
and it might turn into an age gap slugfest, LOL.

Ray, Elvira plans to do exactly that - renew her internal pssport, with a fine attached because renewal
was due at age 45, and she's 46 now. But she's only there for 4 weeks ~ believe me, I'll be asking about
that later today. Maybe she knows someone - or maybe that explains why she brought along all these
"little gifts"...

[groovlstk]

Vaughn, my wife is headed back to Moscow for a two-week visit on the 18th, so please keep an extra whiskey glass handy for me   

We're still at the point where these separations are traumatic - one moment my wife is dizzy with anticipation of seeing her family and the next she's in tears and doesn't want to leave. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been under enormous stress at work for the last six months, without her to come home to every night for two weeks is going to be tough.

Good luck and I hope this time passes quickly for you.

[Vaughn]

groov, thanks. On the other hand, I am quickly recalling the side benefits of the solitude I knew
in the 90's. As Tom Waits sang, "goin' out when I wanto, comin' home when I please..."

[Gator]

Vaughn,

Enjoy your "vacation."  You are doing all of those "honey do's" that were on Elvira's list, floors, cabinets.  My list is huge and there never is time.   

Please post at RWD because you always have something insightful to say.  Elvira's thoughts about Russia Today would be very interesting.

My wife has also mentioned that in two years she and the kids need to return to get passports renewed.  I would think that this could be done through the Russian consulate, yet they all opt for the trip home.  If I were in her shoes, I would do the same if not sooner.  Understandable to want to see family, friends and country.

[Vaughn]

Gator,

  She renewed the International Passport through the Consulate a year ago - I'm not sure
that the internal one can be renewed except in person. And yes, I'll post her thoughts
when the dust settles. Right now she's in heaven reuniting with her world before me.

I plan to G.I. the fridge this afternoon. Can't wait!

[Chicagoguy]

Vaughn,

When you receive a green card here and them maybe apply for citizenship why do you still need Russian passports ? Can you have dual citizenship ?

My fiance mentioned something about going home after a couple of years to apply for a pension. Where does that fit in ?

[Vaughn]

Chicago,

   Some may feel our thinking is clouded on this point - but other than voting, what benefits
does USA citizenship serve to my wife? She happens to be quite indifferent to politics, and
we figure right now with Permanent Residency she has the best of both worlds...the freedom
to travel freely and work, while not having to ever worry that the Russian Federation might
alter its stance on ex-patriots, that is - what IF she takes USA citizenship, and later faces
restrictions in the FSU? We have a large and close family over there. Visiting them remains
a prioruty.

  As things stand, she needs no visa in either direction. Maintaining what we've got is of
utmost importance to us. Thoughts? Are we missing something here?

[Chicagoguy]

Can green card/non citizens collect Social Security ?

[Vaughn]

Yes, at least as the rules stand now. She pays into the system every two weeks.

[Chicagoguy]

Thanks for the info. My fiance was approved for her visa in Moscow on April 2 and will arrive here on April 22. Now she will have choices.

Maybe soon I can change the "commited" on my profile

[Vaughn]

Hey, Chicagoguy, that's great news! Will you grace the gallery with a couple of wedding photos?

[Faux Pas]

Can green card/non citizens collect Social Security ?

Theoretically. They would qualify according to what they pay in. I would say it is highly questionable as to SS even existing in the next decade or so for any lifetime contributors. Existing as we know it now anyway.

[JR]

Chicago,

   Some may feel our thinking is clouded on this point - but other than voting, what benefits
does USA citizenship serve to my wife? She happens to be quite indifferent to politics, and
we figure right now with Permanent Residency she has the best of both worlds...the freedom
to travel freely and work, while not having to ever worry that the Russian Federation might
alter its stance on ex-patriots, that is - what IF she takes USA citizenship, and later faces
restrictions in the FSU? We have a large and close family over there. Visiting them remains
a prioruty.

  As things stand, she needs no visa in either direction. Maintaining what we've got is of
utmost importance to us. Thoughts? Are we missing something here?

My Ex was the same for pretty much the same reasons. She only became a citizen after we got a divorce.

[Vaughn]

My ladies returned late last night after 1 1/2 days of travel, and although all smiles, you
could see the weariness of a 14 hour trainride followed by two flights plus layovers to
add to the tally. As with their departure they returned with baggage that exceeded
their combined weight. When Atlanta customs asked, "Got any food?" they flatly
denied it, and managed to slip through with a few varieties of kobasa, several salted fish -
and no fewer than eight bottles of vodka and cognac.

They spent time in Yoshkar Ola, Azanova (a dacha there), with visits to Zelyenodolsk and Kazan.

Folks there were consumed with interest about "the crisis", posing questions about our
lives here, unemployment, etc. It's all they seemed to talk about. To my wife, costs there for
everything had risen, with clothing and electronics unreasonably priced. Despite all, most
people were faring better than ten years ago. She noticed an abundance of young children,
and new construction in progress.

Familial relationships remained firmly intact - with even those folks growing distant over seven
years' time showing up for parties, dinners and celebrations. There was an event of some sort
almost nightly. She brought back gifts to me from people I've never met. Bottom line: A great
time overseas, but both more than ready to return here. I've grown incompetent with bachelorhood,
and it's good to have them back home.

Vaughn

PS  Beachcomber and Diplomacy - please forgive my lack of contact. I wound up flying down to Houston
and never broke stride until I returned here 5 days later...