Russia: The Adventure Begins

(WARNING: This is a 4,000 word post. Sometimes I just can't help but be a little wordy. But I hope you enjoy sharing our journey with us.)

And we’re off. Maybe. What an adventure we had starting our Big Adventure! By the end, I wasn’t sure how much more adventure our little family could handle.

The plan was simple: Leave Tuesday, May 29^th and drive to Las Vegas.  Stay in motel right next to airport. Get up and get to airport to leave on 11:35 AM flight to Los Angeles.  Then a short 3-1/2 hour layover at LAX and catch our 4:30 flight to Moscow.  Lastly, an 8-hour van ride to our new home. Easy as pie.

What really happened? Almost none of it.

The bulk of Tuesday, May 29^th was a lot of sorting, cleaning, last minute errands, and odds and ends. Our renters started moving stuff in the same day we were moving stuff out and there was the small matter of getting my “Russia Room” all into our suitcases.

Russia Room: View I

My mom worked nonstop all day performing this daunting and (to me) nearly impossible feat.

Russia Room: View 2

I tried to be very selective in what I brought, but there were a lot of categories for which to pack: Clothes and personal items for each person, horse and work stuff for the farms, cooking paraphernalia and spices, educational material for homeschooling the girls, church materials for helping at our branch meetings, medicine cabinet and other first aid, toys and entertainment for the girls, diapers and wipes, etc. I even pared down as we packed.

But 20 pieces of luggage later, the feat was accomplished. We left a LOT of loose ends for family to tie up (BIG THANK YOU!).

I know there's a kitchen sink in there somewhere, too.

Maybelline was feeling quite insecure that day. Poor girl.

We had to take the truck to fit all the luggage and us into one vehicle. We could’ve taken the shuttle to the airport, but after the shuttle fee for each person and $5 extra for every piece of luggage above their allotted 2/passenger, it was cheaper to pay our own fuel and have the flexibility to stop if needed.

We ate a quick dinner at Denny’s in St. George. Halfway through my chicken sandwich, I realized it was raw in the middle. I was really worried I would have food poisoning for the whole trip, but luckily I bypassed that one. Then we drove to Las Vegas and checked into our hotel next to the airport.

Echo enjoying her fries at Denny's.

The girls had been on some crazy schedules lately, so putting them to bed was a challenge. Echo fussed and screamed for hours.  She was so exhausted, but she’s not one to cuddle and rock to sleep. As soon as she starts to feel confined, she starts struggling more.  My best bet has been to put her in her play pen and shut the door when it’s bed time, and rarely is there a fuss. She just goes to sleep. But obviously we were going to have to relearn how to go to sleep without a playpen for the next several nights.  We all took turns holding Echo trying to get her to sleep, which didn’t happen until about 3 AM.

Shane left early in the morning to be at IFA when it opened at 8 to pick up a new hat. He was back by 8:30 and we were ready to head to airport.

Once we were parked, we had to rig up a system where we could move all our luggage at once. We rented two carts and tied the rest together. Then it was off to the ticket counter to check in. And so began the world of lines and waiting. I took our e-tickets to the kiosks and checked in, but there was one problem. The baby was not listed on our trip itinerary with the other passengers. That was the Delay Number One. After finally getting helped, it was determined that with American Airlines, Echo is required to ride as an infant in one of our laps, rather than in the car seat that we specifically brought for this reason, AND even though we had requested the company to buy a separate ticket for her.

I know, YIKES!

Delay Number Two: the Luggage. Shane wanted to check our luggage straight through to Moscow, which at first they said they couldn’t do, which meant we would have to collect it in LA and then recheck and repay all the luggage fees to Aeroflot, the Russian airline. Then they wanted to charge ridiculous fees for the luggage. For each passenger, the first piece was free, the second was $50.00 and the third and each piece after was $150. We bought 3 large airline bags they offered for $25/each and stuffed them full of our smaller pieces of luggage. We further condensed our luggage from 20 pieces to 13. I’m not sure what changed, but $825 later, our luggage was checked and was going to meet us in Moscow. Then it was the mad dash to get to our gate. Shane pulled most of the carry-on’s, I carried my purse, the diaper bag, and Echo most of the way. And typically, Mesa HAD to be holding one of our hands in order for her feet to work. She was also PETRIFIED of the escalators, and the “running walkways”. Between Rain and Mesa, we had a few spills. Rain did a pretty good job at walking by herself and keeping up with our crazy convoy. She also navigated the escalators and walkways with a little self-mastery. It was one less hand or object that I had to drag, pull, carry, or coerce, so I was thankful for that small mercy.

Delay Number Three: Security. Line after line we begged and pleaded with people to let us cut in front so that we could get through security faster. Poor Mesa. She is scared to walk under trees and stop signs, so everything went WAY beyond her pace of comfort. Just walking through the metal detector was a life and death act. I’m sure they will be forever traumatized after all the pushing, pulling, waiting, dragging, screaming, and scary airport security and such. I can’t wait to do it all over again in a couple weeks.

I herded the luggage and the girls up to the tram that would take us to the remote international terminal and waited and waited for Shane. Train after train came and went while the girls cried as each one left us behind. I didn’t want to be separated from Shane that much, so I just waited. Finally, I dragged all the luggage and the girls back down to security to see what the delay was: the diaper bag. Every baby bottle had to be individually tested. If I had known that was the issue I would have told Shane to throw them all away. But we finally got on the train and made it to the international terminal. Then we were running and dragging girls again. I could feel the last of my energy sapping out. It had been a very emotionally and physically taxing morning and I was starting to hit a sugar low. I was shaking, out of breath, and pushing myself to our gate check-in counter. I got there first and the lady very abruptly and unsympathetically said that it was too late. My heart seemed to stop even though it was pounding out of my chest.

I shook my head at Shane who was still a little ways down the hall, conveying the message that we were too late. He was as incredulous as I was. There sat our plane out the window, with the jetway tunnel from the terminal gate to the airplane still in place. And they wouldn’t let us board. My body had hit its max by that point, especially with such a horrible culmination. I sat down on a chair at our gate and we watched as our plane eventually pulled away from the ramp and took its place in the flow of plane traffic and left without us. I tried to entertain the girls and explain the situation to them of why we had to “wait again” instead of get on our airplane, while Shane stood in line trying to figure out what we were supposed to do.

Blessed naptime

American Airlines said they could put us on the next flight to LA, which left in about 5 hours, but by then we would have missed our connecting flight to Moscow. Since the company bought the tickets, we didn’t know what we were or were not allowed to do about rearranging our flight schedule. We tried to call them but obviously with the time difference nobody was going to be awake and in the office to hear our predicament.

We sent emails to everyone in the company we had a connection with that might be able to get a message to the head office and help us find an alternate flight. If I had been a little more confident, I would have tried to buy tickets ourselves to get our family to LA as soon as possible.  The flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles is only about a 42 minute flight. Even if we had to fork out money to go with a different airline to get us to LA, there was a possibility we could use our layover time (3-1/2 hours) to catch our connecting flight if we could just get to LA. But I didn’t know if I would cause more trouble doing something like that. So, after MORE WAITING around the airport, catching some lunch, throwing in a couple naps, and emailing back and forth with some of the other Americans in Russia, we went ahead and caught the next AA flight out of Vegas to LA. We got to LA Wednesday night at about 6:30PM and I finally felt like we were making progress. We got to the baggage carousel to pick up our luggage, because they had cancelled our luggage shipment to Moscow. But it never came. So I sat there with our carry-ons, the diaper bag, the purse, and the 3 girls while Shane stood in a line, trying to track down our luggage.  3 HOURS LATER, Shane said that nobody knew for sure where our luggage was. American Airlines said 9 of the 13 pieces had been checked to Aeroflot, but Aeroflot wasn’t open to confirm it or not. Either way, we weren't going to get to see any of it that night.

We found a hotel close that offered free airport shuttle service and booked a room. What a relief it was to close the door to that hotel room and let the girls roam freely for once in the last 24 hours. We ordered in some late night takeout and put the girls to bed. The hotel had complimentary cribs which fit PERFECTLY in the closet. At last there was some semblance of a nighttime routine for Echo and a much needed rest for Shane and me.

Aeroflot flies out of LA on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and there is no one at the desk on the off-days, which meant we were stuck in LA for at least 2 days. Shane took the shuttle back to the airport in the morning and was there for several hours again trying to sort out our luggage so that when our flight left the next day, it would be going with us. We finally got an email from the company. They told us that they had rebooked our flight on the next day, but “unfortunately, [we] would be responsible for paying for the flight from LA to Moscow.” When we were researching flights on Expedia, our flight for our family was over $7,000. So that was a disappointment knowing that we weren’t even there yet, but we would be paying for our tickets. I understand the company’s position, but it wasn’t entirely our fault that we missed our flight. And I don’t know how I personally could have physically done any more to get us there on time. I pushed myself as far and as fast as I could. But from what everyone tells me, people miss flights all the time and it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to just bump us to the next flight for a minimal fee. So, we’ll see what happens. I told Shane that I hope he enjoys his new $7,000 cowboy hat because that was probably the one thing we could pin it on for making us miss our flight.

Since we were stuck in LA until Friday, we decided to make the best of it. We used the city buses to ride to Target to pick up some things to hold us over since we didn’t have all of our luggage. We tried to go swimming with the girls at the pool, but it was a little chilly and there was no hot tub. We went to bed early and prepared for our second attempt at conquering the airport.

My little troopers! THIS is how I want to remember the trip.

If I remember right, our flight to Moscow left at around 4:30 local time, but we were at the airport by about noon, trying to track down the last of our luggage. There was more waiting for the girls and me while Shane stood in line. In the end, some of our carry-ons were overweight for the international flight overhead bin weight limit. From a distance, I cringed helplessly as I watched Shane trying to rearrange our suitcases. Out came my one glass casserole dish I brought, which had been carefully packed and protected with padding, get shoved into a suitcase with hangers, books, and toys. But there was little I could do about it. Another 2 hours later, the luggage was checked again and our fingers were crossed that everything would end up with us on the other end of the flight.

Not wanting to take any chances, we went straight through security and to our gate. And waited. Again. The time finally came and we gathered up our stuff one more time to make the bus trip to the plane. We were doing so well, and then Mesa latched onto some irrational thought of needing a green bag of some sort somewhere back from where we had come. Once Mesa sets her mind on a certain thought, she becomes undistractable, inconsolable, and uncooperative. She literally screamed the entire way off the bus, into the building, up the long ramp, through the jetway, and onto the plane.

I endured many looks from pity, to sympathy, to scorn. The non-English-speaking stewardess who tried to console Mesa as we passed only made her scream louder. On I marched, carrying my purse and the diaper bag over one shoulder, clutching Echo on one hip, and dragging Mesa with the other hand. I marched resolutely past all of First Class, who were already comfortably seated, then Business class, trying not to make eye contact, nor take anyone’s head out with the diaper bag which by then had slid down my arm in my attempt to keep Mesa moving and was now precariously swinging back and forth. My arm was also in a death loop around Echo’s midsection and I was sure she would choose that moment to throw up the gallons of fluids we had drowned her in, trying to keep her placated during the day. I was also trying to keep tabs on Echo’s bottle and binky (which I never got a chance to put binky keeper on), trying to keep Rain moving along, and finding our seat so I could crawl under them and hide.

Thankfully, Row 32 appeared and I started unloading my arms so I could help Shane, who I thought was right behind me but had somehow disappeared. Come to find out, the aisles are too narrow to roll your carry-ons through, so once you board the plane, everyone collapses the pullout handles and carries them on the plane. But we had 4 carry-ons and a laptop, so Shane was having a hard time carrying them all at once. Suddenly another passenger appeared carrying our luggage. I don’t think she even understood me when I said thank you. She just moved along down the aisle. Shane appeared, slightly flustered, and began putting things in the overhead bins.

Our seats were not all together but we sat together anyway in hopes that the other passengers would have mercy on our plight and take the other seats. Mesa FINALLY quieted down after we buckled everyone in.  I think having a little TV screen of her very own in front of her seat might have had something to do with it. Echo was doing fine on my lap until the stewardess brought a nylon strap that attached to my seat belt and became Echo’s seat belt. Maybe it didn’t matter that we didn’t have our car seat with us—she despises confinement in any form, and this seat belt was no different. She started to fuss, then cry, then scream. Nothing consoled her, and again the looks began. I’m sure everyone was tired of our family and the 13-hour flight hadn’t even started. But I couldn’t blame her, really. It had been a taxing day, without a nap, and it was starting to come through. We gave her a Melatonin tablet and I held her while she struggled until she finally fell asleep just before take-off.
Thankfully there are no photos of this segment of the trip for I’m sure I would die of embarrassment all over again.

All the girls slept for the first little while and I dozed with Echo in my arms before I gave up and watched a movie. The girls didn’t care for much of the food that was served on the plane, but we tried to get them to eat something to help them from getting too hungry or nauseous. It was barely an hour into the flight when I felt a warm sensation in my lap and I knew instantly Echo’s diaper had leaked. Super. This trip was getting longer by the minute.

Airplane restrooms are cramped quarters as it is. Trying to lay a child down to change a diaper was even more challenging. And trying to fit me and one of the girls in the bathroom at the same time when one of them needed to go was more than awkward. Especially after about 8 hours into the trip when the floor began to get sticky from tipsy passengers who couldn’t hit the mark.

Even though we left Friday evening, it’s like you fly with the sun, so it’s day the whole time you are flying. Everyone kept the windows covered so they could sleep. When one of the covers was lifted, the light was unbelievably blinding. After hours of sitting in the same chair holding Echo, my mind and body were feeling quite claustrophobic. Shane took Echo for a while, but somehow Rain ended up sleeping in my lap, so I didn’t feel it was much of a break.  

Without being able to sleep or read leisurely, the flight seemed never-ending. But end it eventually did. We disembarked directly onto the tarmac and approached an imposing building. Already there were military personnel stationed around and along with it, the guilty feeling like I am in imposter and have committed some crime. Don’t ask me why.

We found the international/overweight baggage carousel and settled in for another wait. I think we arrived in Moscow between 2-3 PM local time, but we didn’t leave on our van to the farms until about 8 PM. Our luggage was missing again. I settled into our “waiting routine” with the girls again while Shane went in search of someone who spoke English. I was very thankful we had our laptop for the girls to watch movies on, Wi-Fi to keep connected with people, and Welch’s fruit snacks.

We had two Russians drivers to take us to the farms. They pretty much grumbled and rolled their eyes at our mound of luggage. Neither one spoke a word of English. We could barely get them to stop long enough for us to use the ATM at the airport. We pulled out 5,000 rubles (approx. 150USD) and went to the van. After loading all of the luggage, we settled the girls in for the last stretch of the journey. It might not have been so bad, except we left at night so it wasn’t like you could watch the scenery, it rained sporadically, the seats were hard, and the roads did not make sleeping very comfortable. And then the drivers started smoking in the van. Being around cigarette smoke out of doors gives me an instant migraine. The one inch gap in the windows did little to alleviate the fumes. I was not very pleased with the situation and I wanted to cover up all my girls’ faces so they didn’t have to breathe it.

About 4 hours into the trip we stopped at a gas station to stretch our legs, grab a snack, and go to the bathroom.  Each task got more challenging as we went. The girls’ jackets were stuffed somewhere unreachable, so it was too chilly to really walk around much outside. Picking snacks was interesting. We got some bread, some yogurt drinks, and some Lay’s chips. We had to have our driver get some change for our 1,000 ruble bill because it was too big for the cashier to break.

But going to the bathroom takes the cake. Oh, the bathrooms. That was the kicker. It took a little communication juggling to get the point across that we needed a restroom. They finally directed us out the store, around the back, and away from the building to a concrete structure. There were no signs on the doors indicating BOYS/GIRLS, well, what am I saying, there weren’t any doors at all for that matter! Shane stood in front of the opening to guard the “bathroom”. The stench curled my nostril hairs and made my stomach roll a bit. I didn’t even bother looking for toilet paper. I mostly tried to keep my feet clean while I held each girl over “The Hole”. Forgive me, but I had to take a picture, which doesn’t even do it justice. We just put on our brave faces and went about our business. Escaping back to the smoke-filled van almost seemed better?

Our 5-Star bathroom, fondly dubbed "The Hole"

The drivers swapped and the other driver started drinking and soon passed out for the rest of the trip. I can’t be certain what was in the bottles they were passing back and forth, but I was more than a little concerned about our drivers being intoxicated and being responsible for getting my little family to our new home safely.

“It was a dark and rainy night”, and Russian drivers are crazy. The drinking, the rain, the insane passing—it was almost too much-- and then our only semi-sober driver kept falling asleep.  I just knew we were going to all die on some stretch of dark Russian highway. We stopped probably 5-6 times the second half of the trip so the driver could get out, walk around the van, slap his face, pee next to our windows (thank goodness it was dark and the girls were semi-unconscious), or do whatever else he could to wake himself up enough to drive a few dozen more kilometers.  Shane tried to get him to let him drive since Shane had his Russian ‘driver’s license’ but he either didn’t understand or didn’t think it was allowed. Only on the wings of the hundreds of prayers I offered did we pull mercifully into our new driveway just before 5 AM.

The girls were beyond fed up with being cooped up in one form or another for days and were ecstatic to have the house to themselves for freedom and exploration. Shane got right to work, pulling some food out of his freezer and fried us up some vegetables, chicken nugget things, and French fries. We were all starving, so it was a feast quickly eaten. Then we made a bed on the floor for the girls, and luckily, the company had procured a crib for us for Echo, so we went about the usual bedtime routine. We got the girls to bed as the sun was rising, but there were few complaints and Shane and I fell asleep on the couch, too exhausted to care about much else. All that mattered was that we were finally, all together again, in Russia. Let the adventure begin!



All us girls!