Being from North Carolina, it is quite a treat to be welcomed into a new day by snowflakes falling outside your window.
Spring is approaching Moscow so the frostiness that I have become use to is beginning to fade. Unfortunately in a few hours this white blanket will again turn into a greyish-brown mush.
For the last two weeks the temperature has consistently been above freezing during the day. Luckily I arrived during the last half of the Moscow winter and did not witness any -40 temperatures.
Moscow is becoming home more and more. This new apartment is finally becoming what I like in a home and I am finally meeting people. The routine of Russian lessons, work, apartment up-keep, a relationship, running errands and having fun is turning into a life that I can really enjoy.
Every day passes and I am happier to be here, and even more confident in my decision to make this big move. I told Vas yesterday that I know if I had decided to stay in the U.S. and given up this opportunity, I know I would regret it for the rest of my life. I would always wonder what it would have been like, what could it have turned into and what I would be missing out on. So regardless of how this situation turns out to be in months or years later, I know that I have avoided a great deal of regret by taking the chance.
As each day passes I am becoming more comfortable in Russia, but nothing is wearing at the feeling I have each day when I remind myself that I am actually in Russia. I still say to myself, ‘oh my god, I am actually in Russia,’ or, ‘Russia is my home, I can't believe it.’
Was that paragraph full of enough redundancy for you?
Last weekend was St. Patrick’s Day and I think that we celebrated in the best way a Moscovite possibly could.
Friday evening we were invited to a party at the Irish Embassy, hosted by his Excellency, the Irish Ambassador. It was a formal gathering of various ambassadors, other important internationals and prominent peoples of Moscow. The attractive mix of people was complimented by a surplus of Jameson’s, freshly imported Guiness and Russian riverdancers. The Irish drink their whiskey very differently than Americans do. I strongly recommend trying Jameson’s with apple or cranberry juice.
On Sunday we went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade where we were honored to sit in the “VIP” stands with the same mix of people and got special viewings of all of the entertainers. Jameson’s was served again, only this time hot with cider to make the chilly afternoon more comfortable.
I have a couple of (poor) photos from the parade that I will add to this post soon.
On the way out of the parade I looked a stray dog in the eyes and it charged at me- they are cute, but beware!!!
I am looking forward to the coming week. On Saturday we are going to an exclusive spa where we will be pampered and truly be able to relax. Then after I work we will visit a couple of cat shelters in hopes of finding an addition to our little family. This will provide for a more interesting post I am sure.
My work weeks are stressful, let me tell you what! Late Sunday afternoon I join the family and leave late Monday night. It’s tough, working such long hours day after day after day… :)
Yesterday I actually spent some of my hard earned money. I went out on a shopping “spree”
I visited the underground mall behind the Red Square that has become my new favorite spot in Moscow. I was excited to finally shop at TopShop, which is an H&M/Forever 21 upgrade only found in Europe. I have drooled over their clothing over the internet for many years, and I was finally able to go. I treated myself to a new outfit with my hard earned money.
Here are pictures from the trip to the underground mall (the outside is very picture-worthy):
Entertainment at the Square: (Completely unethical, but who doesn't love to see such amazing/cute animals?)
On top of the mall:
Moscow is on top of the world:
and the blurry metro:
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