The Time when the Babushka was on My Team

It's been about a year since I wrote about our crazy adventure here in Moscow. We have definitely continued to overcome challenges and laughed at our crazy life here, but I had decided to not blog until I had come up with a top 5 list of things I enjoy more about in Russia than back home... (plus life with two little kids got in the way)

Well the list is still in progress....

But, today something so phenomenal happened that I must break my blog world silence....

A babushka was on my side and rooting for Team Kristen as I navigated the oh-so-daring world of the Moscow metro with my double stroller.

For over a year now I have navigated the underground world of Moscow with a stroller and two kids and have become quite proficient at it. I have wheeled my double stroller through the warped, heavy metals double-doors into the station, down the numerous not-quite-wide-enough ramps and down what seem to be the longest escalators in the world.....uphill, in the snow, both ways ;) Well, all joking aside, I have to go down the escalator backwards because the stroller is so heavy.

We are a true spectacle as we move about the city......
Or at least the crowd would have me think that as they all stand around and stare, comment and point at me as if we were the latest circus act. I don't understand all of what they are saying, but I think its usually something like "wow", "thats hard", "two kids?", "both yours?" (as if two close in age was the craziest thing they have ever seen), and my favorite "oh look at his curly hair!".

They all love to point and comment, but no one lifts a finger to help....(except for the rare sweet soul that tries to awkwardly prop up 100 pounds on a front swivel wheel for the looooong escalator ride up or the one time a guy helped me all the way through several stops and a line change, also a bit awkward). One time a security guard even ran after me, yelling that I just absolutely could not go down the escalator. I told him that I couldn't understand him, and that unless he was going to make an elevator magically appear that he was of no help to me.

BUT, now there is hope for all you that have long been awaiting a better system for moving about the Moscow metro with stroller and kids in-tow. The new system was explained to me last week, in English, by a sweet young lady that stopped me on the metro as I was struggling to get my crew to preschool. She told me about this new, free system that the metro has just started where large, strong men come to help you wherever and whenever as long as you just called them ahead of time and schedule your route. I archived the information, of course never intending to use it, because as I mentioned earlier, I am quite the expert now :)

Well, lo-and-behold, today I was detained by a lovely babushka, about half my size, as I began my trek home. She had on her official Moscow metro vest and began to explain to me that she was going to help me get to my home metro station. She walked me over to the guard gate and pulled out a phone.......

Ah, the promised big, strong men were about to come to my rescue and gracefully lift my kids up through the metro as I would be pulled behind in my lovely chariot.....oh oops...enough dreaming.....back to reality......

I had to give her my name, number and then I had to write "spacibo Jones" under my phone number.....yes, I had to write "Thank you Jones" on her random piece of paper. Why? I may never know, but at least now the city of Moscow has my name, phone number, handwriting and fingerprints for future use.

The phone call was to alert her superiors, or whoever, that she was about to embark on an rescue mission starring the family Jones as we navigated the metro an entire one stop to get home. I started wheeling the stroller towards the escalator and she immediately assumed "barricade stance" -arms wide open and shuffled her feet as she yelled at people that got in the way of my "kalyaska" - I kid you not! The super human babushka kept up her barricade the entire way down the escalator as she yelled at anyone who tried to pass us and continued to shuffle her feet as we moved towards our platform and onto the metro train as the doors opened. I quickly found out that it was the end of her journey and I think she promised some big, strong men on the other side to help me out. Not holding my breath.....

Now, this may not sound like a positive experience, and yes, it took me about twice the amount of time to get home as normal, but beneath it all there is something so incredible, the biggest win of all.....today for the first time in my life, a babushka was on my team and rooting for Team Kristen....

For the first time a babushka was rooting on my side and yelling for my team, instead of against me for my poor mothering skills and allowing my kids bare skin to be exposed to quite certain death as the frigid temperature of about 45 F breezes through the streets of Moscow.