We're here!

Greetings from foggy, cold Angarsk! We arrived safe and sound after 1 great flight from Boston to Paris via AirFrance, 1 good flight from Paris to Moscow, and 1 long miserable flight from Moscow to Irkutsk (Mike says no matter what we're going to heaven, because after that last segment on Aeorflot, we've been to hell) We were met at the Irkutsk airport by Irina, the translator, and Boris, our co-ordinator. Both are great. We had to wait almost 2 hours for a frozen lock on the aircraft to thaw out so they could unload our luggage (first we've heard that excuse for late luggage arrival) and then Boris & Irina drove us here to Angarsk, about 40 minutes away. We're staying at an apartment that Boris rents for CHSM clients. Its spacious & modern for their standards but nothing like we're used to back in the States. It's much better than a hotel room though as it has a little kitchen, a T.V. that carries BOTH Russian channels, a DVD player, but no dvds, a microwave and a portable washer from the 50's! They left us here to unpack and rest and are picking us up again at 12 noon (we're 13 hours ahead of you guys) when we'll go to the Ministry of Education to formally receive the medical information on Vadim, and then go to the Baby Home here in Angarsk to see him, FINALLY. The city is something you must see to really appreciate. At times it's like being in a third world country, and then you drive by something that looks like a Wal-mart.....
Well, more later, we need a nap before we go out again! Hopefully pictures by tomorrow!