Prior to moving Kazan, we did some serious prepping for the cold. Simon’s parents busted out Simon’s Dublionka from the depths of their storage closet and Simon’s aunt loaned me a Dublionka. My mom bought me a long Columbia parka outfitted with Omniheat and other top chill-fighting technologies for my birthday. I searched Amazon for the best-reviewed long johns and wool knee-high socks. Luba helped outfit all our kids with proper hats, gloves, and other gear to survive a Russian winter. But alas, the cold has not been as frigid as we were expecting. Don’t get me wrong–there have been a few days that have brought back sensations that I haven’t felt since leaving NH for mild Portland winters- the tingling fingers after coming inside when I forgot my gloves, the crunch of frozen hair when I’m too lazy to blow-dry post-swim, and snotcicles. But, I am actually quite disappointed at how mild the winter has been.

We had heard tales of waist deep snow on the football pitch, but this year it is only shin-deep. The ice labrynth in a city park was shut down in January due to hazards from melting. And though the 10 day forecast shows snow, snow, snow, the actual snow just hasn’t seemed to materialize. Although the snow and cold haven’t lived up to the hype, we have certainly had some novel snow fun.

In January, I took the kids sledding with a bunch of the other expat kids and parents. Though the conditions were not ideal, the kids still had a blast sliding down and trying to climb back up the icy hills.

Alden has become an avid ice skater (thanks Darian for the pre-Russia tutorial). On Saturday mornings by 7 am he is already asking if we can go skate. I have such fond memories of skating in my own childhood in the town rink, flooded by the Amherst Fire Department. Though my skating skills are a bit rusty, I have found that it’s a bit like riding a bike, except that falling hurts much more in your 40s. I can still skate backwards and do some non-graceful spin moves. Mila also enjoys the ice, but prefers to slide around in her boots. Simon has been a “risk-taker” (IB lingo) and has re-donned skates 30 some years after an injury turned him off to slippery sports. Both kids will be learning more about skating in PE class soon.

The kids have been learning to ski in their PE class though neither seems particularly enthralled with skiing. I have enjoyed being able to stroll out of the apartment over to the football pitch where I can ski every night while listening to a podcast. The conditions haven’t been great lately, but fingers-crossed we will get some new snow soon. There are also some ski trails in the city, and Alden and I ventured out to one via the metro. The trail was relatively crowded on the day we went, but no more crowded than any groomed trail on Mt. Hood. There were skiers of all ages, including adorably bundled babies being pushed in ski strollers. We skied by a crew having a winter cookout in the woods- Shashlik (meat-skewers) and a warm thermos of beverage- what a great winter picnic. When we got hot from all the exercise and took off our hats (it was around 32 F), many concerned citizens offered us advice about our dangerous choice. After skiing, we popped by the cafe in the park for a coffee and hot cocoa before heading back to catch the metro to our apartment.