I've been searching for some time for bloggers writing from Russia. Not the politics and economics wonks (not that there's anything wrong with that), but ordinary, everyday people. The informed "everyman" that every journalist yearns to find when sent out on the street to do what would otherwise be a pedestrian story. Somebody who could tell us all what life is like every day for people in Russia. I've recently found two of them and I'd like to tell you about them.

You hopefully got to read a bit of "snowsquare" earlier this week. This was the Moscow-based blog on which I found the fabulous link to the virtual ride on the Trans-Siberian railroad. "snowsquare" doesn't write frequently but his/her somewhat irreverent look at doings in the Russian capital is refreshing.

Then there is "Adventures in Vladimir", which I found through an otherwise serious blog on politics and security in Eastern Europe. "Adventures" is written by a young women working for Serendipity-Russia, which is teaching American culture at an American-style house it built in Vladimir, which is east of Moscow. She seems to love her job and her students, but she puts life in a rapidly modernizing Russia in perspective. Take her post on the differences between Russia and Latvia after she took a side trip to the latter.

"Tap water was drinkable, even without boiling for 10 minutes. Toilets were free, had lids, seats, a steady supply of toilet paper, flushed without overflowing, didn't smell like sewage and bathrooms weren't full of old shoes, newspapers, jars, bottles, cans, drying laundry or pets. Internet access was free, readily available, and lacked bandwith restrictions. Rooms were clean (well those sheets might be questionable) and well-lit. Staff was friendly and customer-service oriented. Coffee and tea were free for all guests."

This morning, she wrote about marshrutka, the privately run minivans that stand in for public transportation in many places in Russia. I doubt you'll have to ride in one during your adoption journey, but you will definitely see them on the streets. (If you do need to ride on one, read her post to find the safest place to sit in it.)

And for a few laughs, she passes along a friend's Russian version of those 10 signs you're from Minnesota/New Jersey/Texas/California lists that seem land in my e-mail every so often. I particularly liked this one:

"You are paying 11,000 more roubles in monthly rent than your official contract states --but that's okay, because you're earning 20,000 more roubles than your work contract states."