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

Maybe it's because of the endless round of parties in Anna Karenina, but I've been thinking about cooking a Russian feast. I've worked on soups like borscht and Shchi, and I shop the Russian grocery store for weekday meal staples. But this meal would be something more.

I'm... more

In the general scheme of things, and given the current state of the adoption process in Russia, this is only a minor annoyance. But I want to make sure those of you who are traveling or will be traveling soon are up to date.

This morning, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow posted a notice on its Web site that it will need more time to process adoption exit visas. As of June 18, the standard processing time will be at least two business days instead of one. Why?... more

In adoption news, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said Friday that, as of Monday, June 18, 2007, its standard processing time for adoption visas will change to two business days from one. Families will still submit their documents in the morning, but will come back for their interviews at 2 p.m. the following day, instead of the same afternoon. Still no news on accreditations from the Russian Ministry of Education, however.

There was a mix of good news... more

One week ago today, Brenda and Robert Matthey heard their fate. They merited much more jail time than they got, but it was the best that the our legal system could devise. Now it is time to think about the legacy of the Russian child that they did not care for.

Brenda and Robert Matthey are a couple from southern New Jersey who adopted three boys from Russia in December 1999. Less than one year later, the oldest of the three boys, Viktor,... more

I wrote a while back that Moscow's subway system is one of the top five things to see when you are visiting Russia's capital city on your adoption journey. But mass transit can be an odd experience for us car-crazy Americans. So I thought I'd take a minute today to look at how to ride the Moscow Metro and the city's trams.

First, some background. While the London Underground has far more kilometers of track (408 to Moscow's... more

This is a potentially plot-spoiling post if you have not gotten far in our group reading of Anna Karenina. If you are not yet up to Section Two, Chapter 10 please put down this post and catch up on other adoption blog reading.

For the rest of us, I want to talk about what happens in chapters 10 and 11 of Section Two, or perhaps more appropriately, what doesn't happen.

Section... more

I would love to say that, while I was waiting for my second adoption from Russia to finally happen, I waited with grace. I didn't. I ranted, I raved, I ripped out old bushes and an old patio.

Maybe that's what some of you are doing now as you wait for Moscow to get the accreditations moving again. This slowdown has seemed more nerve-wracking than the one I went through in 2005. But as I was working on another assignment last night, I was reminded of the calming, and inspirational power of an image. Of how looking at the right picture can mentally... more

What are the odds of this: Two positive stories about Russian adoption appearing in the mainstream press on the same day, which just happens to be Mother's Day? I just about fell off my chair this morning when I opened my Google Alerts. I had been reading a very dreamlike sequence in Anna Karenina last night and, looking at the news alerts at 6 in the morning, I had to make sure I wasn't still dreaming.

But it gets even better:... more