After months of planning & a 16-hour airplane trip my father has finally arrived to the US. I bought him an electronic ticket, translated his travel itinerary in great detail & even provided him a list of helpful travel phrases in English & Russian. My only requests were for my Dad to bring his own cigarettes (like most Russian men, he smokes, & cigarettes are really expensive here) & Russian tea (he drinks inordinate amounts of really dark & concentrated tea & thought my little tea packets were a joke). Aside from a delayed departing flight in Moscow (which created a time crunch for going through Customs in New York & catching a connecting flight to Seattle) and delayed luggage (it was put on the next flight out from New York), my Dad's trip went smoothly. He was slightly disappointed his grandchildren couldn't get their presents until tomorrow.
The last time I've seen my Dad was in 2005 when my husband & I traveled to Russia for our honeymoon (we thought it was a great idea back then). My parents divorced when I was young, however, my Dad & I remained in contact (increasingly so during the last 10 years).
Aside from a few photos, he has never seen his 3 grandchildren. With my Mom being gone to Russia for 2 months, it seemed like a perfect time for him to visit. I am slightly relieved my Mom & Dad won't be in each other's company for longer than 3 weeks (she returns in early July).
I am excited about getting to know my Dad all over again, without any outside interferences. I don't have any expectations & want his visit to unfold naturally. Tonight I learned that we both like to drink lots of tea & read right before falling asleep. Also just like me my Dad loves dogs. So happy my Dad made it in time for Gerritt's preschool graduation this Friday. Looking forward to a busy 1st week!
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