Tuesday in Podolsk

Hi Everyone-
I snuck out of the orphanage to post on my blog - yesterday I had an escort and I felt badly making her wait so I didn't blog. I think Svetlana thinks I'll get lost if I venture out by myself! I saw the doctor this morning, because this illness has gone to my chest and I'm hacking like a sick dog! She looked at my throat and murmured something that sounded bad and she shook her head from side to side so I think I'm sicker than I thought. God knows what I am taking, I hope it is antibiotics. Katya is sitting beside me now doing a puzzle book so she's content. She has been wonderful while I've felt badly; she's been mothering me! I was told this morning that Moscow is in a heatwave. NO KIDDING! It is unbearably hot, and most of the windows at Podolsk aren't or don't open so I'm sweating buckets. I had to open my bedroom window last night but the 10 pound mosquitos and biting flies made a meal of me. When Katya first saw me this morning she said, "OH MAMA!!" I have four huge bites on my face plus numerous other welts that look horrible.
The construction occurring at Podolsk is transforming the place! They are making the huge rooms that sleep 20 into smaller rooms that sleep three. A great improvement! I will take photos for all of you who have been here so you can see the difference.

This evening we are going to a park by the river where there will be a breeze, hopefully. Tomorrow we are going out to the camp where some of Katya's friends are so she can visit and play with them. We are having English lessons everyday and she now knows the alphabet! Today we worked on letter sounds. T-H-R-E-E is proving to be very hard. The TH sound is not in the Russian language.

I still don't know if we are returning on Sept. 5th, but when I find out for sure I'll post it here on the blog.

Dosvidonya