Quiet Time

It's been pretty quiet lately. Just language lessons and studying. I ventured onto the Metro again the other day in order to do some shopping for Olga's birthday present. This trip was much easier I must say. I'm getting better at reading the signs and getting out of the way of the masses. She liked the present and I won't be subjected to going back to the store to return my gift (I'm sure that the girl that sold it to me will be equally happy that I won't be returning).

The weather has been, well, it's been terrible. Until Saturday I believe it rained almost everyday for over two weeks. Not every day was end-to-end rain, but still it was getting old. I was starting to wonder if we were actually going to get a summer. That is all set to change this week, as I hear the highs are to move into the 30's (that's the 80's for the Americans). Although I'm generally opposed to heat, I'm looking forward to a change in the weather.

We went to dinner for Olga's birthday on Saturday night and were joined by her mother and friend (Valery), aunt Luba, cousin Irene, and childhood friend Tanya. It was a nice, low-key event full of toasts and memories (people took turns translating for the Amerikanitz). It's nice to see Olga be able to spend time with her family and friends, which is one of the key reasons we decided to undertake this adventure.

Still no luck on the search for a home. Saw a few more places last week, but they all had deal-killers (i.e. no air, terrible kitchen, horrible smell in hall, etc.). I have to admit that I'm getting a bit concerned with only a few weeks left to find something. Oh yeah, we also heard that our stuff finally left the NYC port. Now the heat is on to find something. We may have to extend our perimeter in order to meet our needs.