March 25

When I woke up on Wednesday, I saw a fresh layer of snow on the ground and grey skies above. I shook my head and thought, "What are we doing here?" I drove through the mud and slush to Prokrovsky Hills and back until I could barely see out my newly washed windows for all the grime that had collected on the car. Throughout the cooking class, the lunch afterwards and the chatting with friends, I had a nagging question in the back of my mind, wondering if our days in Moscow were numbered in weeks, months or years. My questions were answered later that evening when Andrew told me that his application to Skadden's Side Bar program had been accepted. In short, we are going home, and soon.

The Side Bar is Skadden's response to the slumping economy. It gives lawyers a year long sabbatical with full benefits and partial pay to allow them to do something else for a year. It was just introduced to European associates last week. So events have been moving quickly for us. Ella and I will be returning to the states as planned on April 25 (the baby is due May 26), but we will not be coming back. Andrew will stay in Moscow until May 22, and then joining us in the US. There is something so satisfying about buying three one-way tickets home. Our sights are set on the Bay Area where Andrew wants to pursue a project that has been simmering on the back burner for over a year now. I'm already fantasizing about leaving the house without a coat on.