Lucky

I feel that after the months of griping and complaining, and stressing on this blog, it's time to exhibit some gratefulness.  I am obviously extremely lucky in many many respects.  But how fortunate is the fact that I am got assigned to and adopting from Moscow?  My agency tells me that it's a really great region to adopt from, b/c things are going so much smoother and faster than in other regions.  (that frankly is as saddening as it is unbelievable).  But if you look at how huge Russia is, and how many orphanages are scattered in remote regions, and little towns, it's incredibly fortunate that I "only" have to go to Moscow.  First off, the trip is shorter.  Yes, it's a major nightmare, but most people have to go to Moscow, and THEN get on another plane/train and travel even further.  Moscow is also a world class city with tons and tons of things to do, so the many hours of waiting around can be spent by sightseeing, world famous museums, theaters etc.  I have heard of many families being stuck in small towns, with nothing to do, and no way of getting around.  Moscow was/is an adventure and a trip of a lifetime.  Moscow is the largest city in Europe, and you can literally find everything there -- any kind of food, shopping -- whatever your heart desires and you wallet can handle. Hotel/lodging options abound.  There is wi-fi internet everywhere, cell phone service -- making communication with home and getting stuff done easy and problem free.  And, as difficult as it was to interact with people, and as unhelpful as I thought they were -- I bet it's still a lot easier than in a small town  somewhere in rural Russia.  There were restaurant menus in English, and a lot of the younger people spoke English.
So, there is no better place to go in Russia than Moscow  -- for so many reasons.  I am grateful that in that sense this process was easier for me, and I got to/get to explore a city, which while by no means is easy or fun,  is a world class city with fantastic architecture, amazing history and culture, and is well worth exploring with or without being there for an adoption.