A Good Day

Today was a really good day.  It was Saturday, so there was not much going on.  We visited the orphanage from about 10:30-12:30am.  It was a sunny and not-so-cold day, so we played outside for the entire time we were there.  Our handler left us there alone with the kids for almost the entire time.  Amazingly, it wasn't all that hard to communicate using our few russian words and their few english words plus good old hand motions.  It helped a lot being outdoors.  We gave them some candy, which they shared with us and many friends.  They were happy to show us some of the grounds.  Vitalik pointed out some landscaping he had helped with, and showed us an old abandoned castle on the grounds.  Lera and I climbed on monkey bars and slid down firemen's poles.  Eugene and Vitalik played a game of pick-up basketball with several other kids, and when Eugene tried to show Vitalik the "porper shooting form," telling him, "practice," Vitalik returned the favor, showing Eugene how to make a two-handed throw-up and saying, "practice."  :o)   Lera and I spent a lot of time with her friends, eating twizzlers, looking at pictures and listening to music on Eugene's IPad.  It was a good day, and we are expecting to go back again tomorrow for more fun. :o)