Hot Helpful Hints (Things we've learned)

This will be an ongoing list of things we've learned to do (and maybe not to do) while traveling for Russian adoption. I will add to it as we go through the process.

• Several people said bring Ziploc bags for travel and I didn't heed the warning. I wished I had when the bottle for the shampoo decided to leak in my bag. Bring Ziploc bags.

• It makes life a little easier to know some Russian when traveling. I listened to CDs in the car and read a few books. I know the courtesies so I could come across as friendly enough. The MOST helpful thing was the husband learning the Russian alphabet and knowing the sounds for the letters. He's great with puzzles so this project was right up his alley. You'd be amazed at how many Russian words sound like the English equivalent when you know the phonetics of the Cyrillic alphabet. I highly recommend The Russian Language Map by Kristine Kershul. This was a hand-me-down from some previous APs that said it was their travel "bible." http://www.amazon.com/RUSSIAN-language-map%C2%AE-Kristine-Kershul/dp/0944502903 Learn the Cyrillic alphabet.

• If you are prone to cold sores when stressed or going from cold to hot locations like I am, bring some Abreva. Russian pharmacies are a challenge and dancing around pointing at your lip doesn't help either. At this time I should give a shout out to the nice man that figured out what I was saying and was able to help. I also want to thank him for walking with us three blocks over to save 40 cents. Thank you for your patience and understanding of my crazy sign language. Folks, bring your Abreva.

• If you plan on saving your receipts to track your expenses write what you bought on each receipt right after the transaction while still in-country. It's no fun trying to translate the receipt and remember what the heck it was for once you get home...trust me, you won't remember.