Family Dinner and Дом Книги

The American girls were brave the other night and ventured to the Moscow-equivalent of a Wal-Mart all by ourselves! We didn't have any Russians to help us translate and, surprisingly, we all made out just fine. We're learning to navigate the city (especially the metro-if nothing else, we'll be experts in that lingo). Probably my biggest goal is to be able to get around the grocery stores or markets and be familiar with the vocabulary and phrases. We picked up some food for dinner and when Maksim and Bolshoi Max heard that Shelli was cooking dinner, they both said, "Shelli's cooking? We'll stay!" Shelli whipped up potatoes and Russian pork with green beans and fresh bread. It turned into another great international family dinner.

Yesterday we got to tour the departments of the university and get a glimpse into the studies of the many Russian students. I don't remember the specifics about the programs but MSAU specifically has partnerships with certain agriculture-based companies (such as John Deere) that provide training to the students on their equipment, ultimately providing future career opportunities. We got to tour the military department where we learned a little about the Russian occupation in World War II, or the Great Patriotic War as they refer to it. On the walls were pictures of veterans and generals, including a prominent picture of Stalin. It's interesting to get a glimpse of history from the Russian perspective, particularly such prominent figures as Stalin and Lenin. Here they are revered (at least in public forms) whereas our history has a much different view.

In addition to the school tour, Karlie, Miles, Maxim (the French edition) and I went to Arbatskaya-one of the major centers in Moscow-to find the Дом Книги, a mega bookstore in Moscow that has books in English. I bought a book of Russian fables written in Cyrillic. Optimistic? Maybe, but I hope that it will improve my vocabulary as well as my reading. It's probably a bit of a stretch to think I'll be able to read it with any kind of fluency by the time we leave but I'm going to give it a shot!

The weather today was particularly Russia-esque, that is to say...the type of Russia I was expecting before we left. It was gray and snowy all day, although not very cold until we got back to the hostel. I noticed as we were trekking around in the winter wonderland that for a city the size and significance of Moscow that should be used to this kind of weather, it's surprisingly ill-equipped to handle the slush and snow. The city had been described to me as dirty and up until this point, I hadn't really seen it. But the slush and melted snow leave everything a mess. The stairs to the metro are slick and the sidewalks are slushy and full of puddles or sheets of ice. Cars kick up the brown slush and cover the lines in the road. I would have thought that the city would have perfected some kind of system for handling this kind of thing, seeing as how they experience it a great portion of the year...

Today, we're going to a Russian high school to observe Russian students learning English, possibly to help them later in the semester. And....Maksim has arranged for me to be able to play the piano! I wish I had thought to prepare something but just being able to play will be wonderful! It seems like it's been a long time, even though this trip has already flown by.

Well, it's still early in the day so I may post later, depending on how the day unfolds. I feel like there's so much more to say!

пока!

The City At Night

Went on another exploration last night.

We took the metro to downtown Moscow and got to see the city center at night. We went into a shop that had everything from tea, fresh breads, and ice cream to wine, honey and souvenirs. I even saw peanut butter, although it has been practically nonexistent in any other part of the city. It was no Jiff and at a premium of about $9.00 but it does in fact exist in Russia. Probably from all of the Americans complaining about how we can't make our PBJ's (which we have all determined is one of the quintessential all-American foods). Afterwards, we found our way to a Japanese sushi bar. I've been telling people that I had a Mexican quesadilla and Italian wine in a Japanese sushi bar in Moscow, Russia with my French and American friends. I know, clever, right? The gentleman at the door who takes people's coats was frustrated because I hung my coat over the back of the chair and it kept dragging on the floor. This is apparently a big no-no for Russians and he came over and adjusted it a couple different times.

Next, we went to Red Square so that Katie could see it. I've decided that Red Square at night is much more beautiful than during the day. All of the buildings--the Kremlin, St. Basil's, the skating rink etc.--are all lit up and there's just a very cool atmosphere about the place.

Today, Vera told us that Red Square is named because in ancient Russia, red meant beautiful. And it really is. One of the amazing things about being there to me is how much history is there. Not only ancient history but recent history. The commemoration of Lenin is everywhere around Moscow but especially in Red Square. Maksim said that many people think it is called that for all the blood that has been spilled there over history. "It's not why it was named Red Square," he said, "but it is true." Hopefully, one of our upcoming adventures will be to a museum where we can learn more about the history of the place in which we live.

I feel like I have a lot more to say about it but can't think of anything else right now. For now, we are having class with the Russians and the French so I'm going to sign off.

пока!

"When everybody else is gettin' out of bed I'm usually gettin' in it..."

All-nighter last night, Russian style!

A big group of us decided to go to downtown Moscow near Red Square last night. However, our hostel does not allow anyone to enter or re-enter the building after 1am. So...that meant that we had to stay out all night until 6am, when the hostel reopened. Right away, it promised to be an interesting night.

We took the metro to Red Square and got to see it all lit up at night, which in of itself was worth the trip. The club we went to was right on the edge of Red Square and appeared to cater to a tourist-based crowd because most of the menu was in English as well as Russian. The music, too, was mostly American music, circa 1980s and early 90s maybe? And, luckily for me, Russians don't know how to dance any better than Americans so they did not expect any sick dance moves a la Michael Jackson or anything. One of the guys, Valera, was hysterical on the dance floor and I enjoyed letting him steal the spotlight (I know, big of me, right?). We literally danced the night away and then found an all-night coffee shop around 4am or so to wait for the metro to start running again and the hostel to reopen. By that time, not even a cup of real coffee could entice me to stay awake. By the time we made it back to our rooms around 6:30am, I think I fell asleep before Karlie even lay down. I woke up around 1pm this afternoon, completely disrupting the regular sleep pattern I finally established. It was a fun night and definitely something to say I experienced. However, I can't say it's something I'll be in a hurry to do again. Turns out, I'm a big fan of sleep.

On another note, I asked Maksim this morning if the Russians ever watch the Superbowl (I didn't even care that I was living out the American football-loving stereotype). He looked at me and said, "The what?" So...it looks like I will have to root for my team from afar. Hey, what can I say-I'm a devoted fan!

пока!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Well, I got what I wished for, if not quite what I was anticipating.

Tonight, Shelli decided to be awesome and cook the American girls and Bolshoi Max and Maksim a chicken and dumpling dinner. Bolshoi Max agreed to drive Katie, Karlie, and I to a nearby grocery store to pick up a few ingredients. Simple enough, we thought. What we didn't anticipate was Moscow traffic.

Moscow appears to have no rhyme or reason to its road system-I'm pretty sure Max drove diagonally through a line of cars onto a four or five lane highway with no visible lines to guide him. Impressive, but not exactly comforting...Once we got on, the traffic was stop and go the entire way. Ambulances couldn't even get through. We passed many apartment buildings in varying states of disrepair, a hallmark of this city, I've noticed. And there's a pharmacy and a flower shop at every corner. At the very least when I leave here I will be able to read the word "аптека" with no problems. We did eventually make it to the store but they didn't have thyme or chicken broth so we had to get creative. Katie bought flour and butter to make a rue for the chicken and then handed me a bottle of oregano and said, "Is this like thyme?" In my infinite cooking wisdom I said, "Sure!" We picked up a couple of other things (we're still learning to navigate grocery stores)-I'm trying Russian pretzels.

Well, coming out of the store, poor Max's car was giving him trouble and we wound up stranded at the grocery store and had to call good ol' Maksim to come by metro to pick us up. Of course, that took him a good hour-plenty of time for Bolshoi Max to teach us some colorful Russian. But like the loyal friend that he is, Maksim did show up to escort us home and Bolshoi Max managed to get his car home a little bit later. We were all greeted three and a half hours later than expected by poor Shelli, who had no clue what had happened. She managed to make due with our substitutes and cooked a delicious chicken and dumpling dinner. I really appreciate Maksim and Bolshoi Max-they're both such great guys, they've really taken care of us this trip. And I appreciate Shelli for cooking, especially under duress!

So, I asked for an adventure and I got one. Probably not going to try that one again anytime soon but at least the day wasn't boring! We're venturing into downtown Moscow tomorrow to see what we can find. Sounds like another adventure brewing to me...

пока!

Learning About Statistics, Russian, and Friendships

It's early in the day for me to be posting a blog so, depending on how the rest of the day goes, this may be a double-post day. But we'll see.

Over the past couple of days, I haven't really left the hostel very much. Between the dreary weather (I guess I'm gonna get used to it eventually), Russian homework and class, and statistics, I have spent the majority of my time in the classroom. But I've been working on a project with some of the Russians and it's been fun getting the chance to meet them and work with them. Like everyone else, they have been very friendly. I find it funny that I somehow thought working with them would be different than working with American students. Other than a couple of language hiccups (on both ends), they really are just like every other student I've met. I don't know why I thought it would be different-if anything, I like working with them even better! Right now while we wait for class, they're playing Mario on the computer. I guess some things really are universal haha. I will be really glad when this class is over, though. It's a very painful 4 hours...

We have a new teacher in Russian, Ludmilla Aleksandrovna, who will work with Vera. She is always smiling and likes to tease Miles, especially, about having a Siberian accent. She's quick to correct and compliment. But, man, does she give a lot of homework! Last night, the girls all gathered in Shelli's room to work on it. It probably wouldn't have taken so long if we didn't keep getting so sidetracked chatting. But it was really fun to talk and goof around in between intense Russian cursive training. Even though we've only all been together for a few days, we have already had some great conversations-it feels like we've known each other a while. Hopefully, by the time this trip is over, we will have made solid friendships that will last beyond Moscow.

After this class is over, the weekend is here. I don't know yet what it will bring but I'm excited. It's time to bust out of the hostel for a while and find an adventure!

пока!

Just a blog

Not a whole lot to blog about today. It's been a pretty bleak day without sun but it's probably been the warmest day since we've been here. Some of the snow has already melted into gray-brown slush. Supposedly, it starts getting warm here within the next month. Vera told us today that the dreary days are usually the warmer ones here. For some reason, she said, clear, sunny days are always very cold and often windy.

Today was spent mostly with work and getting things done. I feel like I've been sitting in the classroom staring at Russian cursive and excel for the entire day. Unfortunately, I didn't get out much today. But hopefully tomorrow I will make up for it.

Over dinner this evening, Elisa was telling Miles and I about her grandparents living during Stalin's era. Her grandmother lived in a little village in Siberia and during that time, if you did not travel to a city to obtain a passport by the time you were fourteen, you were not allowed to leave your village for the rest of your life. Of Elisa's family, her grandmother was the only one brave enough to leave. Elisa wants to get to the United States eventually but she says it is difficult for Russians to get visas, especially if they are traveling on their own.

Well, there's not much else to say for now and I'm still getting over this obnoxious cold so I think I'll probably get to bed early tonight. But of course, I've made that plan for the last week now and it has yet to work out...

пока!

Ice Skating

This trip has already proven to be a host of new experiences and today I got to add another one: ice skating! It was the first time I've ever gone-and what more appropriate setting than Moscow? As always, the awesome Russians Maksim and Bolshoi Maksim (we've given them nicknames to help differentiate them) were at the helm of this adventure and brought along a new friend, Christine (I'm not sure how to spell her name in the Russian fashion), who is a lot of fun. They taught us how to play a skating game and saved from falling those of us who were a little uncertain on the skates. It was such a fun group and it was an awesome time. I noticed, though, that we attracted a lot of stares. I think it's because we Americans are a very boisterous and happy group. Russians in general, I've noticed, are not a very expressive group in public, preferring to display a cooler demeanor, whereas we were all bouncing around and talking loudly. Couldn't have been more obvious if we were walking around wearing shirts that said, "Hi, We're Americans!" (not that we'd be any less obvious anyway).

More Russian language class today. By the time we're done here, I hope to be a master at writing in Russian cursive. Of course, by then all of my English cursive writing will have been completely forgotten and I'll start writing my English t's as n's like they look in Russian.

Oh, and today we found out that security guards take their duty VERY seriously. We heard this but poor Shelli found this out firsthand. She did not have her entrance card that we were given the first day and she was trying to come into the hostel but the security guard wouldn't let her. Not only would he not allow her to go upstairs (despite having her passport), she had a hard time leaving the hostel without it in order to return. So far, we haven't had any problems with this because the guards knew who we were and let us by with no problem. But the new guard tonight meant business and we all learned that there's no messing around. Russian students have to carry passports with them everywhere. They have 2 types-one for the city of Moscow (plus their student IDs and driver's licenses if they have them) and their international passports. As one of the Americans pointed out, "Russians are very well documented." Interesting to think about.

I'll add pictures of the skating later.

пoка!