It took being in Moscow for three weeks to get to the point that I needed to start to write a bit about what I was doing on a daily basis. My AAMS reports showed what Aaron was going thru but not the daily grind I was living – or the routine or the things I did regularly as I ‘lived’ in Moscow for a month. It took another 2 weeks being home to re-write it a million times and then share it here now.
My days were not what you might describe as ‘easy’ or ‘fun’ or ‘enjoyable’ there were 'fun' moments and 'enjoyable' times but it wasn’t in general a ‘fun’ time. I was in a foreign country for 30 days. Essentially I was alone and overseas for the very first time in my life! And I was in a country that is not English speaking as well as being half way across the world geographically from everything and everyone I know and love. Russia has a different culture to anything I had ever been exposed to! Eating was a constant challenge, finding a suitable place to eat meant searching for a menu in English or a food that looked familiar to the eye. Shopping was a whole new experience with the App Word Lens on my mobile becoming my best friend! I only got caught out once with purchasing something the Russians like that is a sour milk – just add to Coffee and it curdles straight away, you know pretty quickly you got the wrong thing :P That was the last time I rushed a purchase!
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| The view from my window at the Vega when I arrived 22/09/2014 |
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| The view from my window at the Vega on the day I was leaving 20/10/2014 |
I was so lucky to often have the company of other carers - we traveled at similar times or ate together. The night we arrived we had diner with Emma’s carers, her Mum Libby and close family friend Jenn. The day after we arrived Troy from southern NSW and his Carer Neil arrived, Neil’s wife Marilyn came along to watch out for Neil so that was two other Aussies right from the start. A week later Natalie and her hubby Paul arrived – Paul was also staying at Vega. The day they admitted to Pirogov we also met Matt and his girlfriend Laura and brother Bryn, both staying at the Vega; our honorary Aussies for the next few weeks! We would travel together and share our trials and tribulations as we traveled the HSCT Journey as carers together in Moscow. I forged a true bond with the group and I miss our evening meals and nights in the lobby ;)
Each day I would get up quite early – usually by 7:15am to shower and dress and prepare my backpack (which was heavy and actually bigger than me) with supplies for Aaron such as clean clothes (that I had hand washed in my bathroom and hung to dry), bottles of water and food. Most days I would arrange to meet at 8:00 to 8:15am in the lobby with one or more of the other carers staying at the Vega where we would buy a coffee at the coffee shop head off for the day. I was lucky to have the route shown to me by two lovely ladies (Warrior Em's Mum and BF); Jen & Libby – they showed me the ropes which I then passed along to other carers.
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| Jen & Libby - visiting the ISO ward. |
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| Jenny, me & Libby in The Vega lobby the morning of their departure :( |
Our daily route was this: we would walk a few blocks from the hotel through the estate of buildings, through the underground tunnel, through Izmailovsky park and across to the tram. The tram ride was $100 rubles (approx. $2.60!) for 4 trips or on average two days back and forth to the hospital – so it cost me approx. $10 a week or $40 for the months travel on the tram! It was a quick 10-15 minute ride as long as there are no accidents on the line or delays - in which case it is about a one hour walk. Some days the seats were heated which was a strange experience but also appreciated on the cold mornings and nights! Hop off the tram at the end of the line and walk a block to the hospital – some days stopping at the supermarkets or shops on the way.
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| The walk thru the hotel complex - shops and restaurants along this section. |
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| Izmailovsky park |
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| Izmailovsky park in the rain - looking towards the tram station |
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| The tram stop in the morning on one of the colder days! |
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| The morning tram after a small snow storm |
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| Tram stop in the morning on my 2nd last day |
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| The park on a wet miserable day - still beautiful! |
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| The guards gate look out from inside the Hospital grounds |
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| Walking into the Hospital grounds |
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| The second and third floors of this building are where HSCT patients spend the month. |
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| Heading to the entry doors - this view changed over the month as did the entire city! |
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| Photo: Aaron enjoying a meal in his 2nd floor room |
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| The Hallway on the 2nd floor |
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| 2nd Floor hallway looking towards the famous patient lounge area |
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| Aaron's room on the 2nd floor |
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| Aaron a little bewildered by the move the the 3rd floor Isolation Rooms |
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| Sam's Laundry room aka my bathroom at the Vega! |
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| Outside the Beautiful Church in the Hospital Grounds |
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| Enjoying the sunshine before treatment started |
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| Inside the church - it is so amazing, full of gold! |
The days varied and in the first week and a half the days were full with testing then a few rest days that we were able to go outside in the grounds and out on a day trip. General 'treatment' days (that was the whole remaining 3 weeks) Aaron was served 4 meals per day, generally I didn’t eat while I was at the hospital and spent my time doing ‘housekeeping’ for Aaron i.e. washing plates from the 4 meals he was fed per day, sorting clothes (he wore 2x t-shirts a day and clean underwear and socks daily for 28 days), checked & re-filled water, checked and refilled tablet supplies (meds that we brought with us). Some days I would bring something to heat in the microwave and others I would eat some of our 2 min noodles.
* Here are some of the meals Aaron was served;
The famous tongue (including veins and taste buds!)
Fish (looked like trout and smelt even worse)
The fish soup - often served with the tongue?!
'Smashed' potato & mushy peas
Boiled Chicken and some kind of loaf?!
Apples and Bread
Various types of porridge
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| The famous Russian Apples! |
Many nights we (myself and anywhere from 1-6 other carers) would arrive back at the hotel between 7-7:30pm after leaving the hospital just after 6:30pm most nights. We would walk to the tram stop, catch the tram 15-20 mins, walk through the park under the main road back through the tunnel, through the hotel complex and into our hotel. It was light in the first week then progressively got darker earlier so that we were ‘commuting home’ in the dark in the last two weeks! It became a joke between some of the carers that we were like shift workers. We would often have a quick drink to refresh on arriving at the hotel, a short ‘people watch’ and unload our bags to our rooms and meet again in the lobby. We would then have to pick a place to eat and walk to chosen place, order, wait and often have to choose again as the item we ordered was not available. It was often hit and miss and once we established a few ‘favourites’ we were able to rotate between them.
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| The complex with restaurants and shops also the route to the tram |
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| Russian Shopping Centre just near the Vega |
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| Hotels by night |
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| Walking back towards the hotel thru the complex. |
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| Enjoying my first Vodka shot in what would become one of our favorite restaurants. |
We had an extra visitor one night when El, Bryn’s girlfriend (he was another of the other carers; Matt from the UK’s Brother) who happens to speak fluent Russian visited for a night. We had a few extra drinks with them and a lot of fun was had. Including El talking to a group of the ladies for us and asking them a few quick questions – very entertaining! Another evening I arrived back at the hotel after an evening out alone and introduced myself to an English couple that were taking photos in the lobby. They offered to buy me a beer and I dare not refuse. Richard and Heather were intriguing to talk with, he is an English Journolist and she is an Australian, they were visiting Russia before the big move back to Oz after many years abroad! I would suggest you take a look at their website to learn more about them: www.holdsworthwrites.co.uk. It was an enjoyable evening and again broadened my knowledge of the world, travelers as well as Russia. I was also able to share our story and the reason why I was in Russia for a month.
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| Having a beer with Richard & Heather Holdsworth www.holdsworthwrites.co.uk |
I was lucky enough to have two visits to Red Square; the first was with Aaron and Troy, Neil and Marrilyn. Anastasia arranged a driver to take us in, we had one hour with the boys in wheelchairs on the cobblestones so it was a quick and bumpy hour! The second time I took the Moscow Metro or the underground subway, with three others, Neil, Marilyn and Frank (antother carer). We attended the Bolshoi Ballet and then saw the Moscow Light Show and then saw Red Square by night in the fog and rain – an amazing atmosphere and a night I will never forget!
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| My first visit to Red Square - St Basils in the background |
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| Aaron and I in Red Square! |
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| Aaron in Red Square! |
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| Aaron, Neil, Troy & Marilyn in Red Square |
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| Red Square by Night - just WOW! |
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| La Sylphide - The Bolshoi Ballet |
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| At the Bolshoi. |
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| The Theater itself is amazing - such beautiful architecture |
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| Amazed to be at The Bolshoi Ballet! Listening to the Orchestra with Mum's ears xx |
Russia was not a place I ever thought I would want to visit, it wasn’t on a bucket list – not that I have one, but I am very grateful and glad I had the opportunity to live, eat, travel and be a tourist for a few days as well as be involved in Aaron’s care at one of Moscow’s top private hospitals for a month. It was an experience I will never forget and there are stories in my memory that I will remember whenever I look back at the pictures of our time in Moscow.
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