Russian for the Adoption Traveler

Adoption Friends:

If you'll be traveling to Russia to adopt your child, I wanted to let you know that the premier offering of "Russian for the Adoption Traveler" will begin this Monday (6/5/06) and share with you a part of my adoption story.

The first time I met my youngest son ...
I remember our trips to Russia to adopt our youngest son quite vividly. What a life changing experience! The excitement of knowing we'd get to meet our new son. The wonder we felt walking the streets of Moscow and seeing a different way of life. How we traveled to his region and saw his orphanage for the first time. How our hearts raced with anticipation when we heard little footsteps coming up the stairs ... was it him? And, frozen in my mind, the moment that he came around the corner and we saw each other for the very first time!

It was a time of such great emotion, filled with so many new experiences. We wanted to absorb as much as we could of the world in which he was born. We wanted to learn as much as we could about him from those whose care had helped put him into our arms. And - leaving the orphanage feeling how fast his heart was beating as I held him tight - knowing that this moment, this opportunity, would never come again.

I wish I learned some Russian
While I wouldn't change a thing about my experience, there is something that I wished I had done prior to taking my trips - learn some Russian. Not to be fluent, but to have been better able to interact with the many people that I met. To be able to learn more about the country of my son's birth. To be better able to thank
those who had taken care of my son. And, most importantly, to have been able to better communicate with my new son in the language he was familiar with right from the start.

Russian for the Adoption Traveler
That's why I've brought "Russian for the Adoption Traveler" to ThinkingOfAdopting.com. Taught by Russian born, native speaker Tatyana Komarova, this unique course is specially designed for you, the adoption traveler. Tatyana will teach you the Russian language skills that can help your trips be less stressful, allow you to experience more in Russia, and help you better communicate with and comfort your new child. Best of all, you'll be learning from and interacting with Tatyana live from the comfort of your own home.

"Russian for the Adoption Traveler" is a four part course presented in the webinar format - you'll listen to and speak with Tatyana using your telephone while simultaneously viewing her slides (showing the worlds in both English and Cyrillic) using your computer on the internet. It's simple and easy. Have dial up internet access? You can use your cell phone to talk with Tatyana and your dial up line to access the Internet. Or you can participate using your phone and print out the slides for your reference during the session.

The four parts include:
Session 1 (6/05/06 [Mon], 9-10 PM Eastern): Russian culture,
greeting phrases & short words
Session 2 (6/12/06 [Mon], 9-10 PM Eastern): How to ask questions
Session 3 (6/19/06 [Mon], 9-10 PM Eastern): Money and numbers
Session 4 (6/26/06 [Mon], 9-10 PM Eastern): Child's talk - how to
talk with your new child

Don't worry about missing a class
The audio from each session will be available within 48 hours for you to listen to via the Internet (no phone required) or to download to your iPod or MP3 player. You'll be able to practice or catch-up on a missed class at your convenience. Take them on your trips to Russia to review on the plane or in the hotel. Tatyana's slides will also be available via the Internet for you to review or print as a reference.

Make the most of your trips to Russia
If you want to make your trips to Russia less stressful, if you want to experience more while you are in Russia, or if you want to better communicate with and comfort your new child, "Russian for the Adoption Traveler" can help. Registrtion inlcudes all four live sessions, access to the downloadable recording of each session, as well as access to the slides containing the English and Cyrillic versions of all words taught by Tatyana. Plus, if you register for this premier edition of the course, a CD containing all of the audio and slides from the course will be mailed to you at the end of the class.

To register for Russian for the Adoption Traveler, click on the
following link:
http://www.thinkingofadopting.com/html/adoption_telecourses.html
Then click on the "Register" button next to the description for "Russian for the Adoption Traveler".

Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information. My best to you on your adoption journey.

Robin Bartko