Where is it? Pskov Oblast, or region, is located in the northwest corner of Russia about 12 miles from the border of Estonia. Latvia and Belarus are also on its borders. It is in the same time zone as Moscow.

What's the biggest city? Pskov, which accounts for 202,000 of the region's 760,810 people. Other major cities are Velikie Luki, Ostrov and Nevel.

Who lives here? Overwhelmingly ethnic Russians. Pskov was an independent republic in the Middle Ages, but it was annexed by Moscow... more

Rose Alaimo doesn't know any Russian orphans. She's never been to a Russian orphanage, or even to Russia itself. But all that is going to change this summer--if Rose gets our help. This young woman from Dallas, Pa. wants to spend three weeks volunteering at a Russian orphanage. But she needs to raise money for travel and other expenses. Not much, $1,800, but that's enough to stretch the budget of somebody who's in grad school studying to be a veterinarian.

That was one of the first things to surprise me about Rose, when... more

As I have noted before, Russia has 86 governing subdivisions that are potential locations for an adoption. The 59 agencies that are now seeking accreditation and re-accreditation from the Ministry of Education each operate in only a handful of these regions. I've given you five tips on choosing a region once you have selected your agency.

But there's a lot more to learn about Russia's regions. Not only for the prospective parents now waiting... more

When I was researching Saturday's post about The Frog Princess, I got a rude awakening to just how much things have changed in Russia since my first adoption: I checked up on the Hotel Vladivostok, only to discover that its top rooms now go for more than $300 a night!

In December 1999, my room at the Hotel Vladivostok was $33 a night. It was small, with space only for a bed, a portable crib and a small television whose sole English-language... more

I was in my twenties when I went to work for The Wall Street Journal overseas, and there were days when I would come home shaking my head in disbelief. Civil unrest or violence would flare up in some part of the world, and the Journal would blithely editorialize that the problem could be solved by economic development or a progressive tax code. It seemed, to this younger me, completely out of touch.

Of course now I understand how right the Journal was, and that was why I was very heartened by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail... more

St. Petersburg is, hands down, the most beautiful city in Russia. The capital of tsarist Russia for more than 200 years, it has a trove of striking buildings and bridges set along the Neva River and its canals. Here are my five tips on what to do if your adoption journey takes you to the city.

1. The Hermitage: Centered on the former winter palace of the tsars, the Hermitage could be all of the most important things to see in "Petya" by itself. One of the largest... more

A few weeks ago, I wrote about five things you must see in Moscow when you pass through there on your adoption travels. But those five really are just the tip of the iceberg, and walking around in daylight can be a great way to shake off the jet lag. So here are five more things I would do. Please note that the Bolshoi Theater is not on this list because it is closed for renovations through 2008.

1. Gorky Park: When I first came... more

Your trips to Russia are going to be a whirlwind of sights and sounds, blurred by jet lag and anxiety. But chances are you'll have a few hours to do some sightseeing in Moscow. Jennefer posted a long list of her favorites at her blog "Three Sons And A Princess" last fall. But I'm going to narrow it to my five picks for the "must" sights to take in.

1. The Kremlin: The current... more

Yo, ho, heave ho. Yo, ho, heave ho. Something something something something...

And that's all I remember of "The Song of the Volga Boatmen," practically the first song I learned on the piano when I started playing at age 6. I looked up the lyrics of the song to include in this blog, but I think I played a very Americanized version because the translated lyrics did not go along with my memories.

In any case, the Volga river runs right through the Russian oblast of Volgograd so perhaps the song of my childhood started there as well.... more

A couple of weeks ago someone wrote me an e-mail to tell me she was going to give me lots of information about their recent trip to Murmansk, but I think in the excitement of bringing their child home as well as summer vacation for the other children in the house her travelogue was pushed to the side.

No matter. I will tell you what I've found out about Murmansk and if she finds any time I'm sure she'll chime in later.

Here's what wikipedia says about Murmansk:

Murmansk (Russian: Му́рманск)... more