Micah Moves

More than a year later, the final post I said I would do

2010-01-22T22:38:00.001-08:00

In December of 2008 I visited the Novodevichy Convent & cemetery in Moscow. It was founded in the 16th Century and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was one of the places I wouldn't leave Russia with out seeing. It took me a year, but I got there. And now it took another year to post about it, but I just rediscovered the photos and must share them.
The headstones in the cemetery are unique... but that word doesn't accurately describe the affect at all. Only the photos will. During the Soviet Union it became one of the most high profile cemeteries in Russia, with many well-known artists, writers, military men of high ranking, astronauts, and supposedly Boris Yeltsin is buried there.

Here are some of my more interesting photos:

Yep.. he's talking on the phone. Your eyes do not lie.

In case it's too hard to see, it's a tree.

I think this guy was a writer.

Haha, look closely at the photos. And then look at the man made of stone.

Creepy award.

I think that it's kind of cruel they immortalized him in this outfit.

The cemetery reminds me of this children's book:
If you've read it, you'll understand.

2009-05-30T12:26:00.001-07:00

I've been in the US since December.

I really miss Moscow. I can't bear to delete this blog, I enjoy recollecting too much...

2009-01-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

it's time to go!

I'm deleting this in a few days.

bye bye, farewell!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

2008-12-25T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just a few photos of holiday decorations in Moscow, taken before I left:

They have all of this great new stuff built behind the Red Square, outside of Ploschad Revolutsii Metro. Rows and rows of souvenir shops, hot tea and other food vendors, and wooden rides!!! This is a mini-ferris wheel that is pumped by man power!

The ice skating rink outside of GUM-

Christmas, Lenin, and Canon at Oktyabrskaya metro-

And this is year-round, but a couple of pictures of the beautiful Eleseevskiy store(/palace!!) on Tverskaya Ulitsa, a must see!

just check out those chandeliers, the mirros, the walls... it's the most luxurious shopping experience!

So Happy Holidays everyone, if anyone actually reads this still.
I have a few more interesting photos, including some of the impressive, artistic headstones from Novodevichy Monastery's famous cemetery.
So while I am back in the U.S. now, don't give up on the blog quite yet!!

failblog.org

2008-12-10T09:24:00.001-08:00

close up...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v38/micahXrisk/failgeography-2.jpg

crap, I can't get it to work right.

2008-11-29T04:51:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday afternoon, 3:30 PM and already it's almost dark. I haven't even left the house yet! It's cold, the ground is covered in slush, AND dark. How am I ever suppose to leave the house?

So instead of actually doing something, I'll talk about some other times that I left the house this week...

Jogging has become more and more difficult as the weeks go on. So, I've started walking for an hour or so every day in addition to yoga. On other days I do pilates or other muscle toning.
Ok, so, I walk. In my neighborhood there is this circular lake- almost like a moat but much bigger. And in the middle is a 17th Century Intercession Cathedral. There are some nice walking paths through the island and around the outer rim of the lake. It recently started freezing over, but is still swarmed by about 50 ducks. Here are some interesting pictures of the area-

Looking across the lake at the island-

Close up of the Cathedral-

Check out the cool robe the monk is wearing-

Walking East on the island, looking across the lake you see this-

This is the souvenir headquarters of Moscow. It's a part of a huge market that I've talked about at least once in here. The castle looking thing is a part of the market, and a part of the Vodka Museum.

The difference between freezing weather in the US and in Moscow-

That's a beer bottle (one of many) littered onto the sheet of ice that's covering the lake. Stay classy Moscow!

This made me giggle:

The other night V and I went to an ice sculpture museum "The Ice Palace" This is something they do every year in some park in the city. We've been trying to go out more, so this is what we picked for this week. It was interesting. Glad we went, and I'm glad that he can get us Russian entry prices, because it was not worth the foreign entry price of almost $20.

3 Headed dragon-

Coming out of the ocean-

Me, behind a Princess' body-

They gave us ridiculous coats to wear. I had a light blue robe and this is what the guys wear-

hahaha.

Afterward we took a long walk in the city-

And that's that.

Iran + Russia + U.S. = nukes in bad hands

2008-11-23T01:01:00.000-08:00

Cutting it short..

2008-11-18T01:57:00.000-08:00

Moving back to the U.S.

I moved to Moscow with the intention of living here for a couple of years. Learning the language, finding a decent job in Public Health and starting a life with V.
And I am not sorry at all that I am giving it up and moving back to the U.S. (although I still plan on doing listed things in the US....)

I bought my ticket last night! My last ticket (for a long while) between Moscow and the U.S.
It's bittersweet, but I feel relieved with the plans.

I'm not sure what to do with the blog. I'll probably do 2 or 3 more updates before I leave. And 1 after a week or so to recollect and sum up my thoughts. Maybe a few months after I will delete it.
I hope that people traveling to Moscow find this blog and get some use out of it, but I don't think many do. So once my friends/family have read it, I will toss it.

For now, I will share some random photos I have taken around Moscow.

Metro train turned art gallery:

Amateur football games in the sleeper cities:

Interesting stuff in the sleeper city:

Local outdoor market Autumn celebration concert:

^where I buy my produce every weekend

At our metro:

I love walking through the city and stumbling upon beautiful buildings:

French Embassy:

The U.S. Election and Russia

2008-11-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

I know everyone is sick of talking about politics, but I thought it would be appropriate to post a little something about the election from my viewpoint and my experience with the reaction in Russia.

Relatively speaking, we do have a lot of freedom and have been granted a lot of rights as U.S. citizens that you don't find in another countries (I don't have any other particular country in mind... no of course not...) and it's times like these that it is made apparent to me. For the first time in a long time I feel like the American people got the President they really wanted. I'm young, and have only been following politics closely for a short time, but I feel like this election actually worked the way it should. I don't feel like people were cheated, the popular vote and electoral vote went to the same candidate, and more people are pleased with the chosen President than not.

Being on the other side of the world, I was not isolated from the hype of the election at all. Part of that is because I am a bit of a political/news/current events junkie and I hardly miss a headline, but also because this was such a closely watched election all over the world. Even here in Russia. Or rather, especially here in Russia.
I was very impressed with how well-educated and opinionated Russians were about the election. I hate to say it, but I got the impression that people here were more educated about the candidates and the issues than most people I know back home(which I think is a fair representation of the general public). Partially because people choose not to educate themselves and choose to not be involved in politics, and partially because of the bipartisan division. Republicans and democrats tend to be die-hard one way or the other and be receptive towards information tailored by and for the party of choice. Personally, when an issue comes about, I like to get my information from different sources such as CNN, BBC, candidate's websites, FOX news, NYTimes, debates, etc.(not to say that I'm not guilty of biases, I will quickly admit that YES I am). I wasn't interested in only getting wrapped up in the hype of Obama or McCain/Palin, I was interested in making an educated decision.

So which way did Russians go? I did not speak to one person who wanted the McCain/Palin ticket to win. And 90% of the time their reasoning was based on issues, not hype, which I really appreciate. It seems that this was the opinion shared by people from other countries, also. Sure it doesn't REALLY matter what foreigners want, it is OUR President, not theirs. But lets face it, one of the greatest problems created by the current administration is poor U.S. foreign relations and poor U.S. reputation(I have been treated with prejudice because I am an American while travelling in other countries). We are not an isolated country and our well-being DOES have some dependence on the rest of the world. Their opinion does matter. And they don't have the partisan bias- they actually know the issues and not what a Dem/Rep. campaign funded commercial tells them.

The only really strange thing I heard on numerous occasions from Russians about the election is this: They believe that you are supposed to do what your leader does, out of respect I suppose. If your leader wears a hat, you wear a hat. Therefore, if a leader has dark skin, you wear dark makeup and make your skin darker.
And surprisingly, I did actually hear this more than once.

Before the election I was asked by a journalist friend to help with a story she was doing. It was a story about Americans living in Russia, their opinion about the election and about the election in general. The story was on a major television station here run by the Mayor, TV Center or ТВ Центр.
So here I am making my starring debut on Russian television:

The election results came in around 3 AM to 8 AM Moscow time. A bunch of Americans gathered at the various Starlite Diners(very American style diners) around Moscow. One of my friends invited me and a bunch of other friends to one of the diners where we sat for at least 5 hours, drinking coffee, tea, milkshakes, eating hashbrowns, eggs, and watching the results and cheering everytime the democrats had a success. I would not have been able to get up so early had I not been so excited- I could barely fall asleep the evening before.

I'm so glad I didn't just stay at home and hit the refresh button the CNN Election website all morning.
When Obama was announced as the next President of the United States, everyone in the room was silent, eyes glued to the television, listening attentively to his speech, and nobody could hold back the tears. It really was a beautiful moment.

Only a couple of hours later I had a Russian lesson so I left.
It was a surreal moment. Walking out of the diner that crisp morning, I felt like I was walking out into a different world than what I had last seen before those 5 hours in the diner. At 3 AM it was of course dark outside, which is when I arrived to the diner, and at 8 AM the sun was out, the streets were still quiet and the only person I saw was a street cleaner. The air was chill, the breeze refreshing, my mind a bit warped by the lack of sleep, and what I was feeling in my head and heart was indescribable. But the beautiful morning in Moscow was the perfect setting to walk through as I recalled what had just happened.

What I saw immediately after exiting the diner:

The diner:

Berlin, Germany

2008-11-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Last week was spent in the city that was the host for the most recent and possibly most important points of the 20th century battle with communism, the capital of the Cold War, Berlin.

The Berlin Wall-

These are both at the East Side Gallery, the longest existing portion of the wall.

Checkpoint Charlie-

I stood in front of Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and was lost in amazement by what happened right there. Right where I was standing. An historic event that is actually younger than me, and has had a major impact on my life. My existence at that moment, an American girl living in Russia visiting Berlin, with all the freedom in the world, is explained by the stories that the wall tells. The lives lost, the desperation, the fear, the anger, the resentment, and here I am. The American living in Russia wondering around Berlin, between East and West, with out much of a care in the world except for the enjoyment of a holiday in Berlin.
And oddly enough, I really felt at home here. Maybe it was the return to a western world city, or having been in Moscow for so long. There was something very familiar about Berlin. I've never spent time in Germany (only in the German side of Switzerland, Austria and German airports). But I had to repeatedly remind myself that I was not in the U.S. Upon arrival I felt this way. It was so comforting. It reminded me a little bit of Seattle and a little bit of Montreal. So if you like either cities, I think that you will like Berlin.

The first day we arrived I immediately set out on my own. Into the city, using the U-Bahn (underground transportation system) and made my way out of the center of the city to a neighborhood that is home to THREE (3!!!) vegan cafes. I enjoyed a great meal of apple/parsnip cream soup, smoked tofu with sauerkraut and horseradish, and a fresh green salad. This deliciousness can be found at HansWurst Vegan Cafe, a DIY local artsy joint with a small menu, but filled with lots of flavor.

HansWurst-

The area reminded me a lot of Montreal. It was a little bit rundown though. I noticed many vacant buildings, but it still held on to it's charm. On another day I visited another great vegan cafe called Majas Deli. Here I ate the largest portion of vegan lasagna and salad I have ever seen. And I took home a chocolate cupcake with cherry buttercream frosting and chocolate cookie cheesecake. I was satisfied for a few days.

As far as sightseeing goes, I had a few places in mind that were "must-sees" but I just ended up walking aimlessly. The only time I set out with a mission is when I was out for vegan food.

We stayed in the Russian House- a cultural entity of Russia that sits in the very center of the upscale and history-filld Unter Den Linden neighborhood in East Berlin. We stayed in the "compound" of the Russian House. It was nicer than it sounds. V and I shared a 2 bedroom apartment style room with a kitchen and a living room. The room we had was twice the size of our apartment in Moscow. The downside, it was very very Soviet style.

The entrance of the Russian House-

Fancy french shopping center across the street-

Around the corner is the Russian Embassy where we atteneded a black tie event. I made the mistake of wearing high heels, and at 5 1/2 months pregnant, I didn't last long. I did get a chance to see a Russian marianette group perform 3 classic Russian stories. One was about a tired mother who suffocated her baby, another was about a father having to pay off his son's teacher, and the other about a cheating husband. It was so pleasant....heh, heh...

In the embassy-

Outside-

It was easy to enjoy getting lost walking around Berlin. I really enjoy architecture in other cities and countries. I am 100% content visiting a new place and only exploring the vegan scene and walking around the city to enjoy the architecture. So this is what I did in Berlin. Even though it was almost freezing, overcast and raining the entire time. Still, it's so easy to do this in Berlin because the architecture is fantastic. A lot of it is new and really unique. There is not as much of the old & classic European architecture there. Possibly because of the all of the bombing that occured mid-20th century. But as much as the new is exciting, the old is intriguing and I appreciate it a bit more. Some historical buildings do still stand. I am under the impression that many were restored or recreated. Many were just forgotten.

Reichstag, German Parliament-

New architecture around Parliament-

(check out those stairs!!!)

More Old + New, The "TV Asparagus" and an old church-

The Berliner Dom (aka creepy huge building)-

Old + river-

Berlin mascot found all over the city-

Biggest cylindrical aquarium in the world, found in the Radisson downtown-

All vegan store at Gorlitzer-

The vegan store was in an interesting Turkish neighborhood. I found some "sidewalk" stores that I had to take pictures of-

We saw Wall-E one night (I'm sure being in a German city with a pregnant woman is quite a buzzkill) and the theatre was underground, underneath this scary UFO thing-

Alexanderplatz-

The transportation system in Berlin is PHENOMENAL. It was so easy to use. It was quick, efficient, CLEAN, and not a total pain in the ass like most cities'. It isn't planned nearly as well as Moscow's, but to actually use it was so much more of a peaceful experience.
U-Bahn stop Spittelmarkt-

Downtown near Checkpoint Charlie (only a few blocks from where we stayed)-

Also in our neighborhood-

And my favorite part of German culture that I can enjoy as a pregnant woman-

On a quick side note, I went to H&M (there were TWO within one block of our place) and bought my first items for the baby. Oh yes, which we found out is a GIRL!!!!!! Thank God we don't have to worry about Russian military requirements now. Before being born, my baby will have been in 4 countries. What a little globetrotter :)

Overall, 2 big thumbs up for Berlin. The food, the beer (or so I heard), the history, the architecture, the shopping, the tourist-friendliness, the culture and subcultures, the view, all of it... it's a place I could see myself living.

"Berlin ist mehr ein Weltteil als eine Stadt" ("Berlin is rather a part of the world than a city")
(Jean Paul, writer, 1800)[2]

Lacking

2008-10-14T01:23:00.001-07:00

So I've been trying really hard to think of an interesting post.
There hasn't been a whole lot of unique experiences to write about, since the last post.
But this is with good reason. Something has changed my life, something unique to me, but nothing particular to Moscow/Russia/International Travel/the topic of this blog.

I will go ahead and share it anyways, because it is major!

A few months ago we found out that we are having a baby!!!

This is pretty much the craziest thing that has ever happened to me/us. It is definitely the coolest, most exciting, joyful experiences, and it is only the beginning.

So far being pregnant has been pretty nice. My only complaint is that I miss playing football!

So my midsection is growing and growing and my stomach is acting like a black hole for food.
Right now I am just short of 20 weeks, which is the halfway point. We are not certain yet, but the last ultrasound made it look like we are having a little boy. Ever since the beginning I have had a gut feeling that it is a boy- I'm not sure if that can be attributed to all of the time I spend around very young boys here in Moscow, or if it's a real motherly instinct.
We have discussed a few names for a boy or a girl, some of them being classic Russian names.

Something to relate this to Moscow, practical info for anyone living in Moscow.
While expensive, I have been going to the European Medical Center for my prental care. I am seeing Dr. Churlet who is one of the must fun, kind doctors I have ever seen. I have really enjoyed my experience with the EMC and I would recommend it to anybody.
I have seen two other doctors in Moscow since finding out that I am pregnant. One was at the American Medical Clinic, NOT to be confused with the American Medical Center which is on the same road, just 2 blocks away (hm, how could that mix up happen?!) which I did mix up- I spent about 15 minutes in the waiting room of the American Medical Center before they proposed the idea that I was at the wrong place completely. Yikes, embarassing!
The American Clinic was less than desirable for me. I did not appreciate the care that was given to me- I thought that it was lazy and fairly wreckless, it was by far the worst experience I have had with a doctor.
I also went for my first ultrasound at a clinic on Old Arbat. It was uncomfortable for me- very different than a typical experience I would have in the U.S. It was a little too informal for me, and I questioned the hygiene in some cases.

So I have had very little to blog about the last few weeks, unless you want to hear all about my baby planning, pregnancy hunger, peeing every 15 minutes or sleeping problems.
I have been spending countless hours on the internet reading birth stories, searching for a doctor back home (where I plan to deliver/live for a little while), making gift registries, connecting with other like-minded moms, finding the best, all-natural/affordable products for the baby, etc. I have found some ridiculously cool stuff that is worth sharing:

Baby clothes-

Cloth diapers-

And a pregnant me-

So on another note- what kinds of suggestions do you have for topics? I would like to do themes, for instance- taking photographs of chain restaurants/shops in Moscow so you can see what is typical here.
Any other ideas?

An Autumn Russian Tradition

2008-10-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's a tradition that is common in Baltic and Slavic countries, (and apparently the Northeast US) but is still VERY popular in Russia. The beginning of autumn is mushroom season, and Russians are MUSHROOM CRAZY!
Everybody wants to eat them all of the time- my favorite is the mushroom soup. It's salty, a tiny bit slimey, watery and full of delicious fungi. All of the restaurants have specials with mushroom dishes, people are on the side of the road selling baskets full of mushrooms.
For me, it's wonderful! It's like the best holiday ever invented! Most holidays are too screwed up- full of material, gluttony and unhealthy practices (not that I don't LOVE having a couple of drinks with my family) So a tradition all about going to the forest, spending a day hunting mushrooms, then having enough to cook for weeks?!
This is my Halloween!

Actually, it was like a really chill, family oriented Halloween mixed with the raddest Easter Egg Hunt imaginable.

Ever since reading about this tradition in my Moscow Eyewitness Travel book, I was excited and looking forward to this time more than any other.

We made 2 trips out to the forest to hunt for mushrooms. The first time, I didn't have my camera, which of course was the most successful of the trips. I do have pictures from the cellphone that are of horrible quality, but I will share them anyways.
The second trip was completely unsuccessful, but at least I had my camera.

We woke up at 6 AM, met up with the family, and packed in the car for a ~2 1/2 hour drive out to the countryside. We arrived around 10 30 AM to a very small house in a very small village.
The Russian countryside is REALLY beautiful and I have been dying to visit it more closely. The villages for the most part still run like they did during the days of communism. Unfortunately there is a lot of poverty, and not much opportunity for anything but.
The houses are all little shacks, brightly painted with great window decoration- they look like they are out of a children's book. They have outhouses for bathrooms and wells for water. Nothing has changed in a very, very long time. They share the land, their livestock, firewood and every house has a garden. There's a lot that's really appealing about the lifestyle.
So the family knows someone who has a house out in one of these little communist villages, and they live there during the summertime (the rest of the time in the city). These people were... interesting....

The first thing we did is have breakfast in the little 2-room house. One room was the kitchen/dining room/parlor/radio room (rather than a TV), the other, separated by a sheet, was the bedroom that held 4 beds. The roof and siding were all made of different materials, as if they had just patched things up as they rotted away. I had to duck to walk around the house. It reminded me of the old cabins up in the mountains of North Carolina.

So we had breakfast, I ate some bread and a Luna bar (had already eaten at home) and the family was doing the regular Russian thing- bread, boiled eggs, cucumbers, and different kinds of Russian processed meats (such as kolbasof). The food was paired with plenty to drink- plenty of black tea and vodka.

The host offered me milk- I respectfully declined, and they proceeded to tell him that I am vegan. (I think it was unnecessary, I usually dont offer explanations to people in this situation)

His response- "I know sick people like that, too"
(Ouch, man!!)
oh and this great statistic he gave us "People who eat soy live 40 years less than those who don't"

(Actually, real scientific studies show that healthy vegans live an average of 10 years longer than omnivores)

I think that his bad attitude is common in Russia. During the Soviet Union soy was cheaper, so people ate mostly soy instead of meat. I think that they were lied to many times about the contents of the meat- so I think that the good name of soy has been ruined here.

ANYWAYS- on to the good stuff.
After breakfast we walked for about a kilometer to the forest. We spent at least 3 hours walking through the forest with our cute little woven baskets. Hunting for mushrooms is no easy task! For every 20 mushrooms I found, 1 was edible. Luckily we had some experienced people with us who knew exactly what is good and bad. Some of the mushrooms are highly poisonous- they showed me a mushroom that can kill an adult if only 1/3 is consumed. Ouch!
Some mushrooms that we found:

BAD!

Poisonous, but impressive!

I think we all know that this one is a little bit poisonous...

Yuri, my dear friend, at his proud moment- he was the first to find an edible mushroom. And it's quite an impressive find:

Also found by Yuri, also edible and impressive in size:

Not edible, but a good example of what slugs do to the mushrooms:

There were a couple of species that were big, brown and delicious. But only a trained eye could find them. I could only find them if they were really big, like the circumferance of my face, but by the time they had grown to that size they were too old.
So I stuck to the bright yellow mushrooms that were easy to see even for an untrained eye. I ended up with a basket overflowing of these mushrooms.

All in all, we hit the jackpot:
(poor quality cameraphone pictures)

Me, quite proudly, after a long day of the best kind of vegan hunting:

PS- I hope that this p1.photobucket.com/albums/x128/riskme/blog/IMAG0036.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">

After a day of travelling and hunting for mushrooms, I was completely exhausted.

Two weeks later we went back again. Mushroom season was at it's peak and it had been rainy and foggy- the perfect environment for our little friends!
However, we had no luck at all. The mushrooms hadn't grown back yet, or we were looking in the wrong places- I found 1 edible mushroom in about 2 hours.

But, I can share the pictures I took that day, supplemented with pictures from the first day:

On our way into the forest, Day 1

Day 2

In the middle of nowhere:

I LOVE the beautiful white birch trees- there are huge forests of them here:

Houses in the village:

Cutting down our mushroom rich forest :(

Stealing well water from the poor old babushkas

Afterwards we piled back in the car and headed back to Moscow. The older men sat in the back, drank 2 bottles of vodka and we made at least 5 stops for food to go with it, which I thought was hilarious.
I feel like I had a true Russian experience, mushroom success or not!

PS- I hope that this post wasn't totally dull and boring for you. I'm probably a bit abnormally over excited about the thought of mushroom picking :)

Nice, France

2008-09-19T07:01:00.001-07:00

I spent the first 10 days of September in the beautiful, warm, sunny French Riviera.
Unfortunately my time was spent "working" and not a whole lot of playing.
But I got a little taste of the good life, and I really fell in love with the area.

I spent some time in France last summer as well. I was in Paris for a little while and then lived in Geneva, Switzerland which is right on the border with France. So I would go grocery shopping in France becaue it was cheaper, or when I went jogging in the evenings after work I would just jog across the border. Or I would take a ferry ride with friends across the gigantic Lake Geneva to quaint French villages and go exploring.
I liked these experiences a lot- but I did not care for Paris at all. Overall, I would describe France as one of my least favorite countries.
Until now, at least.

There are not a lot of stories to share about this trip, so I will just share some pictures.

I stayed in a beautiful renovated 1890s villa- 8 bedrooms, stained glass windows, marble floors and high ceilings. This little paradise is where I spent most of my time. The villa is situated upon a hill just east of the Port of Nice in a quiet residential area.

This is our street-

The driveway, massive lavendar plants, and the top of the house-

Fresh figs, oranges and lemons from the backyard-

Me in the backyard-

In the elevator up to the roof of the house-

The view from the roof-
towards the port

the backyard

We spent a lot of our time in two places.
Our evenings were spent in VilleFranche at this restaurant on the water-

And many of our days were spent at a lighthouse park area in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat-

Other pictures-

The port from far away-

A cute little french girl at the playground-

From the beach-

The port on the night of an international culinary festival-

Notice the gigantic yachts. Ohh that would be a dream come true!

Highlights of the trip:
Lizards in the backyard, finding a hedgehog in the driveway, the french bread and olive oil, vegan ice cream, walking everywhere, the SUN and consistently high temperatures, all of the vegan food I brought home (I really want to take a picture of all of it but I lost my camera battery charger!) I bought: fake tuna, tofu ravioli, pudding, veggie burgers, VEGAN DORITOS!!, vegan nutella, a sweet chestnut spread, vegan fig newtons, vegan M&M's, vegan mayo, vegan pesto dip, etc.

I also brought home a little bit of a tan and a swelling stomach.

I am convinced that the French Riviera is paradise, if in the right circumstances. I was not, but I am absolutely desperate to go back with my fiance or friends/family.

I will be updating again soon about a completely awesome Russian tradition- mushroom picking in the forest! Seriously, it's the coolest experience I've had so far while living here.
Oh yes and I almost forgot, there are some beuatiful wildflowers in Nice:

HB and MIA

2008-09-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

First off, and most importantly,

Happy Birthday to my beautiful and amazing mother!!!!!!!!

More than anything, I wish that I could be with her today to give her a big hug and kiss. So, mommy, consider this my e-kisses and hugs :)

Here is our family on my brother's big day-

My beautiful mother is towards the right, in a white shirt.
And I am the bridesmaid posing like Paris Hilton with long, dark hair.

Secondly, I have been doing some of that international travelling for a while and have an update coming soon- but the internet and scheduling has not been supporting this desire. Just know that it's coming, don't give up on me and my infrequent posting.

More for the sports fans...

2008-08-29T00:09:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks have been physically difficult.
I keep getting sick and it feels like I have lost the ability to take care of myself. Times like these I feel like I need to be back home in my childhood room, receiving the hot washcloths, ginger ale and saltine crackers from mommy.

I had some mild food poisoning that passed after a couple of days, just in time to welcome the nastiest cold I have ever had.
Mostly I have just been bed-ridden. Too tired to walk to the store even. I had a small temperature, coughing up lots of gooey stuff, not sleeping well, sore throat, and the most impressive amount of nose-blowing. Yesterday my wonderful french doctor gave me some antibiotics. I really hate taking medication, but the pain I am feeling all over my head with this sinus pressure is pretty unbearable.

I should be better just in time for my September trip to Nice, France. Oh yes my friends. I am going to the beautiful French Riviera for "work"
I will be there for 10 days, afterwards I am sure I will have some great pictures to share.

Before that, I want to show some pictures/share some stories about two things that we did this summer that are of interest- the Eurofolk festival and the Russian Railways Cups with Chelsea, AC Milan, Sevilla FC and Lokomotiv.

In the previous post with aerial shots of Moscow, I included two pictures from Tsaritsino Park. We visited this park for a Eurofolk Festival.
We only stayed for a few acts. First was an Irish duo, then a soloist from Czech Republic and we left after a quartet from Sweden. It was a pretty cool experience to see famous folk musicians from all over Europe.

Festival:

Park:

If you look at the center left, you can see a newlywed couple taking photos.

The other side of the bridge from the last picture.

For the most part, the pictures of the castle didn't work because the sun was on the wrong side, so everything is dark.

The glass museum.

The music-cued fountains.
A youtube video I found of the fountain at night:

Like I said in the other post about this park, it was built and used by Catherine the Great and other Tsaritsinas during the 16th-18th centuries.

So, "more for the sports fans"

If you remember my previous post about the Champions League Final 2008 that took place here in Moscow, between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Again we were able to see Chelsea and other equally as talented teams.

Lokomotiv, the football club in our neighborhood in Moscow held a tournament called the Russian Railways Cup.

Sevilla FC from Spain, AC Milan from Italy, Chelsea from England (a Russian favorite) and Lokomtiv played 4 games in 2 days.
We went the second day for the finals.

Chelsea and AC Milan played for the 3rd place spot. I was hoping that AC Milan's recently signed player(and my absolute favorite footballer), Ronaldinho would be there, but he was away for the Olympics.

They were all friendly matches, more of the second-string was played, and there wasn't a very competitive spirit, but knowing all of this did not prepare me for this game. It was quite possibly the most embarassing game of football I have ever seen adults play.
Chelsea beat AC Milan 5-0. At least 2 of the goals were completely fudge ups by the big goon of a goalie.

Here is a video of the 5 goals. It isn't very clear and the audio is a little bit annoying, but you can see that the first goal goes between his legs and the third one he completely misses the ball as he kicks it, falling on his ass and the Chelsea forward just tapping it into the goal. That is maybe the worst and most embarassing way to mess up in a game, especially for a keeper.

Really, it seemed as if AC's defenders were paid to give these goals up. The first goal none of the defenders even try for the ball, and the second goal is assisted by the defender heading the ball to the top of the 18. WORST!

Ok yeah so pictures:
Vasili, Sarah Beth, and our Russian friend Dima outside of the stadium

SB and I

The incredibly elaborate Lokomotiv mascot

Fans of Lokomotiv

Lokomotiv vs. Sevilla

Cute kids do a victory lap with their trophy after winning the youth Railway Cup.

So cute!

The stadium and the train

Something interesting about the stadium- there is a story that it was built to cover up the construction of an underground bunker during the Soviet Union.
There is also a bunker underneath the Kremlin and our family's neighborhood in Taganska. They are all connected by a secret metro system. Their purpose is partly for the fear of nuclear attack, and I think partly because they were sneaky.
This is all according to a television show I watched in the U.S. a couple of months ago with my dad. The only Russian I talked to about it said that it's all rubbish.
The bunker that is supposedly underneath the stadium looks like a beautiful palace inside.

Actually, I just found this article about one of the bunkers being opened up to the public:

"Underground Marvels

A once-secret bunker, located 60 meters beneath central Moscow, opens to the public and may soon contain a museum devoted to the Cold War.

By Anna Malpas
Published: April 20, 2007

The entrance to the Tagansky Protected Command Point is concealed in an unassuming 19th-century building a few minutes' walk from a busy intersection. Given a paper pass by the guard, visitors take a high-speed elevator down to the formerly secret headquarters located 60 meters -- almost the height of a 20-story building -- underground. At that depth, conversation is drowned out every few minutes by the roar of metro trains passing overhead.

Sold off in an auction last year, the bunker now belongs to a private company that plans to turn it into an entertainment complex with a museum about the Cold War, a restaurant and even a spa. But it is already possible to book excursions around the 600-meter-long network of bare, cavernous tunnels."
http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/04/20/106.html

I must go, as soon as possible.

Now, my stomach is growling and I think that the banana bread has finally cooled off enough to eat.... I'll be back in a week and a half with pictures of the beautiful French Riviera.

Georgia-Russia War

2008-08-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

This video sums up my opinion about the war:

Don't believe what you are hearing in the United States. If anything, follow BBC News (if you have the television channel or the website)

And if you want to know why the U.S. has such a bias:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26097719/

OIL!

-More than 37,000 refugees from South Ossetia have applied to the Russian Migration Service for temporary shelter in Russia

I added a newsreel on the right that shows the top stories about Russia from GoogleNews. Not the best source for unbiased news, but at least this way if you visit my blog you can see the basics of what is going on in this country.

At least one of my friends loves me enough to visit me in Russia!

2008-08-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Look at me! Two posts in one week!
The truth is, life has been slow. I've been feeling really under the weather and haven't had much responsibility, so I have been taking it realllyyy slowly. I have been spending most of my time sleeping and reading. I just got a bunch of new books and have read about 3 or 4 of them in just 2 weeks.

The last few weeks have been pleasant though, because we have some very welcomed visitors. Right now the "in-laws" from VA are here which has been such a delight. And last week my friend from Richmond, Sarah Beth was here. So she got me out of the house a little bit. We did a few things I haven't done before, but mostly it was just really, really nice having an old friend here.

Sarah Beth took some great pictures and I want to share some of them here. Much of the content you have seen before, but these are from different eyes, so they are captured much differently. It's like hearing two sides of a story, and I really like her version of Moscow:

Pictures from the Red Square at sunset:

Metro pictures:

The dark, steep escalator tunnel in/out of the stations

Waiting for the train at our station, Taganskaya

Lucky dog statue at the metro station of the Red Square

a high ceiling with a painting of the Soviet flag at the top the Taganskaya station

Young boy playing the accordion for money in the metro

Around the city:

Famous graffiti wall for a Russian musician on Old Arbat

Delicious looking greens at the Alexander Gardens of the Kremlin

Sarah Beth at the KGB at sunset

Pictures from our day at the Moscow State University:

The great part about MSU is not only the cool architecture, but this fantastic view that you get of the entire city. The campus is set upon a high hill that overlooks Moscow. Pictures of the view in another post.

A newlywed couple on the side of the hill, about to release some doves.

Behind them you can see the ski slope down the hill that is used, no matter what the weather.

The lift wasn't working so we just walked down the hill to the river.
The walk down reminded me of an old video game I use to play on Playstation.
My knees hurt so badly after walking down this steep hill.

We walked along the river to this metro station that is situated right above the water.

Something I really love about other cities (outside of the ones I lived in for a significant amount of time) is the markets.
Moscow has GREAT markets. One of them is a food market that I had heard of but never been to. Sarah Beth and I went, spent about $40 on fresh fruits and veggies, and I had about 15 conversations in Russian. It was great practice.

But my favorite market is the one in our neighborhood at Izmaylova. Our neighborhood is known for 2 big things: the gigantic park and the market.
The market is indescribable- it's another world where the rules are different, the dialects and languages change at every hall and you can literally get lost shopping.
I like to take people there because it really is like being in another country. Sometimes you are in China, Vietnam, the Caucasus, somewhere in the Middle East- all developing, and nothing western. The entire place is probably as big as the town I grew up in. You think you are in the market before you actually even see the high arched doorway. It is a maze inside. A maze where every hall has a different item. The first two halls as you enter are fur coats. Then some are shoes, purses, umbrellas, jeans, etc.

I usually just stay on the main path and enjoy all of the sights, sounds and smells. For the first time I ventured into the Asian part (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, I really don't know) and bought some delicious tofu!! The only tofu I have been able to find here is the soft silken tofu that's really only good for making pudding or as an egg substitute.

But for $1.5/$2 (30/40 rubles) I found firm and smoked tofu!! This is a huge improvement for my diet since lent ended. This part of the market also has greens that I have never seen in Moscow, and never seen in my life. I can't wait to go back this weekend. They also have some things that are hard to see and stomach- chicken carcasses completely exposed, buckets of live fish bigger than my midsection, crawfish, squid, and all kinds of animal parts. All exposed and butchered how you want it on a piece of cardboard on the ground. Yeah, maybe buying anything from them is risky- but the tofu is pre packaged so I feel okay about it.

Here are general pictures of walking through the market:

They have these vendors that walk through the market and sell food, cigarettes, and even small stationary items. We saw a couple of guys with huge carts holding 10-20 melons, they were cutting them up with big machetes right there and selling them piece by piece.

‘Nothing can stop our independence now’ – breakaway republics

Saint Petersburg trip with our Swiss/German friends

2008-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, finally here I am with the Saint Petersburg pictures.
It's about time, I know, I know!!

Before moving to Russia I really did not know much at all about Saint Petersburg- you could probably say that I knew nothing except that it was a major city second to Moscow. So, I will assume that many others don't know too much about it either and I will share some information that I have learned before the pictures.

I have heard many Americans and tourists say that Saint Petersburg is their city of preference in Russia because of it's aesthetics that Moscow is lacking. It is a gorgeous city, very European, with colorful architecture (for a while it was illegal for owner's to not paint their buildings, we saw only one black one), it is called the Cultral Capital, it holds a lot of history as it once was the capital of Russia and an important city in many wars.

In the last century Saint Petersburg has undergone many name changes. Up until 1914 it was Saint Petersburg, then for 10 yeas it was Petrograd, then for 67 years it was Leningrad and was changed back to Saint Petersburg in 1991. Some people, mainly the generations older than mine, still refer to it as Leningrad.

The city is Europe's 4th largest (Moscow being #1), therefore Russia's 2nd, with 4.6 million people. And it is the northern most city with a population over 1 million.

On the train- 12 hours overnight. But we had a personal 4-bunk room which was nice and cozy.

Russian countryside from the train.

After leaving 12 AM Friday night(Sat morn.) we arrived in Saint Petersburg around noon on Saturday.

Saint Petersburg is known for it's many canals, which gives it the nickname "Venice of the North"
Yeah... sort of maybe... but you can't really compare anything to Venice.
One of the first things we did after checking into our hostel was explore these canals on an hour long "cruise"

Our friends on the boat.

Us on the boat.

Winter Palace/Hermitage Museum. We didn't get to go inside, and it's a hard one to miss out on. There are over 3 million pieces in the museum, including works by Picasso and Rembrandt. It is a major attraction of the city.

Beautiful European-like architecture.

Exploring.

The Northern-most mosque in the entire world.

We rested here for a bit and played a little bit of Durak (Russian card game)

Evening falls....

The main reason I wanted to come to Saint Petersburg during this time is not only that the weather is comfortable, but to experience the "White Nights"
This is the time of the year when the sun never completely sets and full darkness is not experienced.
At 1 AM-2 AM we climbed up to the balcony of St. Isaac's Cathedral:

And this is what we saw:

The next morning we had brunch at a famous restaurant called "The Idiot" where I had one of the best salads of my life- it is VERY difficult to find a leafy green salad in Russia. They usually consist of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh dill and maybe cabbage.
However, the real leafy green salads I have had here have been out of this world. I highly reccommend The Idiot if you visit Saint Petersburg.

Our main venture for the day was the Imperial Palace (Peterhof) which requires a half hour boat ride on a hydrofoil across the Gulf of Finland (of the Baltic Sea.)

This palace is known for it's great gold fountains.
It's called "the Russian Versaille" and I thought that that was a more accurate comparison.
It was built in 1721.

In front of the palace, looking down above the waterfalls towards the Gulf of Finland.

Our lovely group-

Inside the palace-

Behind the palace in the gardens, a newlywed couple were enjoying their day

We didn't stay long, headed back to St. Petersburg and walked around a bit more before we had to go back to Moscow.

The WWII Eternal Flame-

He didn't feel like smiling in front of a war memorial, but I felt a connection to it since my grandfather spent a significant amount of time in Russia during WWII and it is something our entire family holds a lot of pride in.

What was really strange were these brides taking pictures at the eternal flame. Some of them were holding Cosmopolitan stuff, so I suspect that it was a photoshoot or a contest for them.

The last big thing we saw was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood which is similar to that of Moscow's St. Basil's

Afterwards, we headed back to the train station and found a cafe to watch the Germany-Spain EuroCup final. We had a little bit to drink, watched some football, bought some fruit and water for the big trip back, and returned to the little 4-bunk room for the 12 hour ride home.

*I want to mention that we stayed at the Nevsky Hostel on Nevsky Prospekt. It was PERFECT. They were extremely accommodating, affordable, comfortable and right around the corner from the center of the city. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Aerial shots of Moscow

2008-07-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have been able to post, which means there is a lot to post about.

About a month ago a friend visited from Germany, his lady friend came along and the four of us took a quick trip to Saint Petersburg.
Shortly after the trip I went back to the United States for my big brother's wedding.
And then as soon as I returned here, I discovered something very big and exciting about my life.
All of these will have their own posts, but it may take a few days.

Lately I have been working, finishing up a project and getting ready for the coming months.

Last week we had our first true Couch Surfing experience when we hosted a pilot from Arizona. He was a wonderful guest and we have only been encouraged to become more involved with the system. Next week we are expecting 2 girls from Belgium.

More importantly however, in 2 days one of my very good friends from Richmond is coming to visit. It will be wonderful to share this city and country with her, and it will be really really nice just to have her around. I only hope that she leaves with as good of an impression of the country that I have, and that she will want to return again.
I have enjoyed people visiting- so far we have had 2 people visit. I took a lot of time showing them around the city, visiting the landmarks with them and exploring. It's been nice to be reintroduced to the wonders of Moscow, to rediscover them with new eyes. This really is an exciting city, I am so proud to be able to share it with people.

Right now I want to share some pictures with you that I did not take. They are from one of my favorite websites, englishrussia.com, and they are aerial shots of Moscow, taken in a helicopter.
I intend to share more of my favorite pictures from this website, because they really are able to show Moscow and Russia in a way that I can not capture with my camera.

These last 2 are from Tsaritsino's Park, or Queen's Park, that was once owned by Catherine the Great. We were there last weekend for a Eurofolk festival. It was very beautiful, as you can see.

This is our local football club's stadium, Lokomotiv.
We are hoping to attend some games this Sunday at the stadium. Lokomotiv is hosting a tournament with Chelsea and AC Milan.

This "castle" is also in our neighborhood, and actually a really big outdoor souvenir market.

Readers?

2008-06-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to post quickly with a request.

I keep this blog partly for myself, but mostly for my family and friends afar. If it were only for personal use no one would know about it! So please let me know when you read it- whether with a comment to the post or at least whenever we talk. It helps to know that you are reading this and care about what I am writing about!

Oh and I am visiting the States again in less than 2 weeks!

I am beginning to truely love this country...

2008-06-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Football is the center of my life whenever I live in Europe. I love it. It is the one great thing I have in common with everyone and there is almost always something exciting going on as far as football goes. If I'm not showing the male skeptics how girls can play or just kicking the ball around the apartment, there is consistently good football to watch.
Of course I am referring to the Champions final we went to a few weeks ago and the current UEFA Cup games. Switzerland and Austria are hosting the tournament games this year. Last summer when I lived in Switzerland they were heavily promoting the Cup and it pained me to think that I wouldn't be there for the games. But being here is the next best thing. Especially as the Russians are successful.
We have been going out almost every night to watch the games. I think we have found a bar that we will frequent from now on. They have food that we can both enjoy, it's fairly cheap, and although it isn't incredibly convenient to our apartment, it is uniquely situated- it is across the Lubyanka Square from the former-KGB headquarters. Emerging from the basement bar, usually a little bit buzzed, the first thing you see is the building of the former secret police of the Soviet Union- the symbolism of the building in itself is profound... let alone the fact that I am there so casually.
Two nights ago we went this bar to eat, drink and watch more football. For some reason we thought it would be a good idea to order the "personal beer flask" with out inquiring about it first. This is what $50 of beer looks like:

$50 and we have to fill our own glasses.
And yes, somehow we drank the whole thing before the beginning of the second game.
We ended up spending over a wopping $100 watching one game, and all I had was a salad and pickled veggies. Have I mentioned that Moscow is incredibly expensive?

Last night Russia was victorious over Greece- we went to another bar and had a great time. Afterwards we went to a club and salsa danced to techno. As soon as I took my camera out they pounced and told me I couldn't take any pictures. It's a shame.

June 12 was Russia Day, marking "the day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty" So we are all on a long holiday weekend.
It was only appropriate to visit Victory Park:

See the cute little conqueror?

It's very common on nice days to see wedding parties out at popular landmarks.

Close up- it's a tribute to the Russian cities that served during WWII on the bottom it says "Murmansk" and "Odessa"

Someone caught this little guy and was selling him :(

Cingular advertisement.

And last weekend we returned to Gorky Park for a "The Beatles & India" festival. It turned out to just be a Hare Krishna festival with a Beatles cover band that we couldn't stay for. I think their false advertisement jipped me out of a Sunday, but it was interesting nonetheless. Hare Krishnas make great veggie food and I picked up some vegan red caviar. mmmm fake fish eggs.

In the last picture you can see the Moscow spring "snow." Everywhere, it looks like it is snowing because of these fluffy seeds that float through the air.

I love this city and this country.

"Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
-Winston Churchill

life.

2008-06-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

I love my life.
I really, really love it.

I am 23 years old, and I am able to look at myself in the mirror and honestly say that I like the person that I am. With out hesitation or second thought, I really like the woman I have grown into and the human being that I am. I have no big regrets about my past and I like the way I have decided to live my life. I can proudly say that I have done a lot of things that people wish they could do just once in their life. I will probably never do them again but I am 23 and I have plenty of time to complete more of those "once in a lifetime"'s
It's a refreshing feeling... to not lie to yourself, to love yourself and be truely grateful for what you have. Even if it isn't all glamorous. It is so peaceful to just be content. I am not perfect or ideal by any definition... I am flawed and ugly or difficult in some ways. But I understand that this is human character. Sometimes I experience jealousy or greed- but I do my best to recognize this and correct it before my actions are influenced. I do my best to be understanding and patient with life. I hold my ethics, ideals and morals above any of life's flaws- sometimes this means not being the best dressed or best looking. Sometimes it means not eating well or at all. Sometimes I am challenged as a woman, as an American, as a young person, as a stranger, a progressive, a vegan, an idealist, a roamer, a thinker, an environmentalist, a humanist- in every facet of life I am challenged. In every facet of life I have found myself to be strange and to therefore challenge others. I can only hope that while I raise eyebrows, I do not turn people off, instead I challenge them to think differently. You can't live or grow by being afraid or separated by what you don't know. Time will leave you behind if you don't open up to change or difference. This is a forever evolving world and this leaves no room for stagnation.

I want to keep moving. Not to another city or country now. I want life to keep moving. I want to learn, grow, and progress. I want to improve who I am, I want to improve what I am. I have never been happier with who I am or with life. But this is no reason to stop moving. I want to see more, experience more, learn more, taste more, feel more. Life's opportunities never cease. I never want to get stuck watching them pass by.

-------------------------------------------

so.

I am very excited about the coming months. It's summer and everyone gets to slack off.
I work only for a few more weeks and then I am done until late August.
I have new adventures coming up.
One being the Northern Lights/White Nights in Northern Russia later this month.
Visiting St. Petersburg, Venice of the North, later this month.

I have bought my plane tickets for another visit home.
My brother is getting married and I don't know that I've ever been so excited for anyone else before. I feel selfish because it makes me so happy and excited- this isn't suppose to be about me :) , but I can't wait to be there and see my brother say "I Do."
His future wife is an amazing woman and I am so happy that they have chosen each other, and that she is a part of our family.
I am also so excited for the extra, recent extention to my family. As you probably already know, I have recently become engaged. I couldn't possibly be happier with love. I have found the man that little girls (and older girls) dream of. :D !!!
I could go on forever about love and the engagement, but I don't think that it's entirely appropriate for this blog.

So, I will be back in the U.S. during the first 2 weeks of July.
I will be spending most of the time in North Carolina, and a little bit in Richmond.
Oh and of course in Florida for the wedding.

I have been listening to Chuck Ragan a lot lately. His music reminds me of home. Well, a lot of music reminds me of home because that's where I discovered the artists or saw them perform. But his music reminds me of home just because of the sound... it's the sound of the river, of the mountains... of the south. It's sort of embarassing to have that opinion, because his Myspace page says he is from California. But during the song "Distant Land to Roam" I can close my eyes and I swear I am in the Carolina mountains or on the bank of the James or driving down I-40. I swear I can feel the breeze, smell the trees and I am basking in the sun. To me, his music captures this and it is the most refreshing feeling I have ever felt by sound.
http://www.myspace.com/chuckragan

To end this before I blab more, some pictures:

The last visit to the States:

Our friend from Portugal, Nuno, came to visit:

The 3 of us at our home in Moscow:

A real once in a lifetime opportunity

2008-05-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

So, I came to the States and left what seems like immediately as soon as I arrived. Being home I never find enough time for everything I want to do or everyone that I want to see.
But this is another post for another time.

Today I need to post about last night- while I am still in this high of amazement.
Last night Vas and I went to the Champions League Final match, Moscow 2008, Manchester United vs. Chelsea.
It is incredible that Moscow was the host this year, and that these 2 English football teams were playing. Some of the absolute best players in the world are on the roster- the most notable of which is Christiano Ronaldo.
I imagine that most of you can understand the magnitude of this game with out me explaining too much.
This is one of the most important games of the year across the board, in any sport. For some it exceeds the World Cup or Olympics, and it definitely surpasses the SuperBowl or any sports we have back in the States.

So. Here is my post of pictures from the game.
We found the tickets from a post on-line, and although we were incredibly hesitant, Vas decided to take the chance and buy them.
We felt a small victory when we made it through the 4 ticket checks- they were valid- we were not jipped.
We made our way to our seats, we kept walking down, down down down the aisle- we couldn't believe how far down we were walking.
We ended up being in the first section, row 22 from the field. We were just above the corner where the players enter/exit to the locker room. So we got a special up close glimpse of everyone.

The Red Square was full of football excitement, from UEFA festivities to the thousands upon thousands of English fans

Chelsea fans in the metro

The stadium... Chelsea, Man U, and then there's Lenin

Warm-ups

We sat on the edge of the Chelsea section and the rich Russian boring section

We were really, really excited. (like the rock?!)

The 2 teams, before kick off

Score

play, 1st half

still

Ronaldo goes for the head (far in the red)

and scores!

that's him.. number 7

Score

Chelsea picks up the pace

And equalizes!

Half-time

Again, the greatest player in the world

Our half-time photoshoot

Pictures of play from second half and over time

Red card..

And to PK's!

It's 2-2 and Ronaldo steps up (or the new nickname, "Ronal-no")

bah! he misses! yesssss!!! things are looking good until..

and we go into extra PK's
and finally the winner of the 2008 Final in Moscow..

Man U...

the swinging camera celebrated, too

And I juggled a giant official match ball

so, what did you do last night?

Coming home~

2008-05-07T13:03:00.001-07:00

For 10 days, starting tomorrow!!

I leave for the airport in 4 hours.

See you guys soon!!!!

Surfers, Prisons, Pictures, Sunny spring days

2008-04-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Vas and I became apart of the Moscow Couch Surfing group. We signed up with the Couch Surfing website last month and just began taking part in the activities.

If you don't know of Couch Surfing, it's an international network of travelers. It's like a grassroots, DIY movement to traveling. It's for the more adventerous travelers, not those who stay in chain hotels and sight-see with guided tours.

No, this is the "roughing-it" side of traveling. But for those who appreciate the adventure in it. So the name is pretty self-explanatory. It's a network on-line for couch surfing. Unless you have friends in every place you want to visit, you can use this website for surfing couches of complete strangers. Yes, it sounds strange and I'm sure it would worry any mom and dad. But there is a great verification system and references are used- it seems pretty reliable. I have not surfed anyone's couch nor have I hosted any surfer yet, but I have friends and have met plenty of people who have used the network to it's full potential and have loved it. My first encounter with the website was back in October when I visited NYC and stayed on my cousin's couch in Brooklyn. His roommate is a user of the network and was hosting a young couple from Vienna. This was their first trip to the U.S. and while staying in one of the most expensive cities in the world they were able to save $$ by staying on someone's couch. They were also able to make a new friend and learn about the city from a local- this always beats a travel brochure.

Ok, so enough background. The Moscow Couch Surfing group meets weekly and last Tuesday Vas and I went.

Most of the people were Russian but we made company with a guy from Kazakhastan, the group organizer from South Korea, a guy who works for a Czech beer company in Russia (from Czech Republic), a couple of guys from Turkey, and so on. We had a great time. It was fun to go out and be social with people other than each other and family.

Last weekend we took a day trip with the couch surfing group to Vladimir, Russia.

Vladimir was a midieval capital of Russia, about 120 miles outside of Moscow. Our purpose of the trip was to visit the famous prison there, described as the "harshest prison in Russia"

They don't do tours anymore but they made an exception for the CS'ers. Stalin's son was imprisoned here, Nazis, famous artists/authors, and many political prisoners. It is still in use and holds only Russians, and some of the most dangerous in the country. Although, as the guard told us, no political prisoners are held there anymore. This video describes the prisoners as the "murderers, rapists, thieves, etc"
According to the guard, lol, the government has no political prisoners anymore.

I can't seem to get a video about the prison to work, so go here to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrqaWiicr-8

Pictures from Vladimir:

Assumption Cathedral, 1160

St. Demetrius' Cathedral is famous for its masterfully carved exterior, representing the Biblical story of king David, 1194

Golden Gate, once the cities main gate, 1160

A remarkable view, and walking around the city/edge of the city

I love the faces on old European buildings:

Prison Entrance (we couldn't take pictures inside and this picture is incredibly deceiving and does not come anywhere near capturing the feeling of a prison or what it actually looked like)

I took this picture because I seriously thought that this guy was selling rodent brains. Turned out they were just funky looking mushrooms.

and I love the colors of buildings here

The train on the way home (my worst train experiences to date. On the way to Vladimir it felt like we were on a bus- the seats were horrible, it was crowded and uncomfortable. For the first 1 1/2 hour we had no seat. Inbetween cars we saw either pee, human feces or vomit. On the second train we had these horrible beds instead of seats and the all too common aroma of body odor to add to our discomfort)

(I don't know this person.... sorry dude)

Pictures of the west side of Moscow, driving to work on Sunday afternoon:

Every city has an "Arc de Triomphe"

"Moscow City" a new area in the city being built by the present Mayor.

New apartment/condo buildings

yes, the weather is absolutely GORGEOUS.

Spring is magnificent. I am in love with this city right now. It is so green and lush!! The spring colors are complimenting the new and old of this city so perfectly. Every day is sunny- the sky is SO blue and the green is SO green. And it isn't dark until 10 PM so there is more time to enjoy it all.

On another note- I am visiting the States in a week and a half!!! I can't wait to see my friends, family, speak english to everyone and eat my weight in vegan ice cream. Ellwood's, I hope you are all stocked up for me, because I am coming with a craving you have never seen before!

"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within."
--Lillian Smith, The Journey (1954)

A post of pictures.

2008-04-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Pictures from some daily Moscow adventures:

Last Saturday it was warm out. So we bought some cheap rollerblades and went to Gorky Park. It was a strange amusement park, carnival, meets typical European metro park from the Soviet times.

The Entrance.

Our friend Dema joined us.

An old, out of use Ferris Wheel (one among many strange rides)

Us

Soviet Shuttle (actually been in space)

The gang

Gorilla Vas

Camels in Russia are totally the norm around here

Abandoned pirate restaurant entrance

Me and the Green Man (my parent's will laugh at this)

Peter the Great on the Mockva River

Vasya my Great on the Mockva River

It's still slightly chilly here. There is a constant crisp breeze that makes a thick sweater/jacket a must. But the sun is out more often than it is not. The sun is perfectly blue, the grass and leaves are bright green and the sun doesn't go down until about 10 PM.

Also, a trip to The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which is the tallest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world. It is situated in Moscow, on the bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks west of the Kremlin.

Picture shot down the river/street, you can see the red wall of the Kremlin in the distance

A shot turning the other way (notice Peter again)

Me and Alexander II

Wild doggies playing outside of the metro downtown

Oh and I found my comfortable place here in Moscow:

AFHV with Bob Saget in Russian!

2008-04-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Something that I am finding rather frustrating about my experiences so far.... is that I really want certain people to be here to share it with me.

There are times when I go out exploring by myself, and each time I see many new things- not see as in a site, landmark, monument, etc... but the kind of things you can't find listed in a tourist phamphlet. The sort of things that I can't even begin to explain in a blabbering blog post. The way people act, the way places make you feel, the way different things touch you or just puzzle you because they are so different than anything you have experienced.

When I lived in Switzerland for a short time I changed and grew a lot without realizing it. I returned home a very different person. Travelling does that almost inevitably, I'm sure anyone has experienced it. But it's difficult to predict how much you are affected, until long after the experience. It is only months after Switzerland that I am able to really understand the experiences I had and the changes that followed.

So when I think of what to write in this blog, I feel like I'm robbing myself and friends that are reading because I am unable to accurately explain what each event really means.

Yesterday, Saturday, is the one day of the week that Vas and have all to ourselves to do whatever we choose with it. Neither of us have any responsibility on Saturday... so we usually end up just trying to enjoy the freedom. We relaxed all day and then tried to go see a movie. The listings were wrong so we decided to visit the Starbuck's on Stary Arbat. Stary Arbat is a pedestrian street that is one of the best places for a tourist to visit. There are lots of shops, good restaurants, artists upon artists wasting their talent on simple portrait sketches for dollars, musicians busking, street vendors upon street vendors all selling the same Russian souvenirs and Soviet Union knock-offs.

After the sun goes down, the street transforms into an entirely new world that neither of us had ever experienced. All of the vendors and artists had broken down their sets and tourists had retreated to their hotels. In their place were carnival games, crews of angsty Russian teenagers, the more talented musicians drawing large crowds dancing, the most extreme cases of drunk in public you can imagine upon other strange spectacles. People find peculiar ways to make a few bucks here. As we walked down the street we saw different people who had brought rabbits, displayed them upon cardboard posts with signs that said "Photo: 20 rubles" So for a dollar you could have your picture taken with a rabbit. And people were actually doing this. It's legal for anyone to ride horses in the city (you can't even have a horse in my hometown of some 12,000 residents... but this is a city of 10.5 million) and a teenage girl was taking her horse around the drunk-crowded street. One guy had a bottle with little tiny baby turtles in it and somehow was making money from it. I've seen people selling kittens here before. This was a moment where I really wanted someone in particular with me. Having certain people in certain situations can really make them into something entirely different. I would have done anything to have my friend Chris there.

Afterwards Vas and I did something so typically Russian.

We ate and had drinks at a Hard Rock Cafe. I had never been to one and we didn't feel like taking a taxi to another restaurant.

In the short time I've been here, I've had "first times" like this that I could have had easily done in the States, but just never got around to doing.

For instance, last week I gambled for the first time.

It was April 1st, Fool's Day, and I went to an event with one of Vas' colleagues. It was a big celebrity chess tournament that is held annually on April 1st at a French hotel and casino. My "date" is a well known businessman/politician who won last year's tournament. He introduced me to all of the Russian bigwigs and I enjoyed the free champagne and fresh fruit. I had my picture taken with a producer, director, musician, poet, the great hockey goalie and current president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretiak. All of the players received giftbags from the hotel which included some playing chips. So while my friend played I hit the Roulette table and won a wopping $10.

I'm sure if I understood the games a little bit better I would have enjoyed myself, but I didn't quite get the whole gambling fever thing. It's probably better that way anyways.

Something I dislike and at the same time like about Moscow...

women are very, very different. In general, they are very feminine and to me, can look provocative. The make-up is always heavy, the clothing ensemble is always over the top (I would say gaudy but they would probably call me dull) the boots always very high-heeled and overall very suggestive.

Aside from my tattoos I think that I present myself rather conservatively. For the most part I stay away from anything too short or too low, I wear minimal make-up and jewelry and don't try to show off anything... be it money or my body...

so men don't notice me as much. Which I think of as a blessing. Being approached by strange men makes me extremely uncomfortable even if they are harmless. I should find it flattering, but instead the whole situation makes me embarassed. So being a sort of plain jane American girl here works for my favor.

In Europe last summer I was approached by men regularly (not for anything special about me, that's just culture.) I don't think that I was dressed any differently, but I think that Moscovite men are use to a different kind of woman.

The other evening I was waiting for my friend outside of a restaurant at another pedestrian street that's populated by the young and trendy with a little bit more money to spend- so a safe place, I think. And I was approached by a young Russian, presentable looking man. He asked me where one can get ice-cream around here (which is hilariously typical of Russians because they LOVE their ice-cream. Even in below freezing, blizzard-like weather they stop at a street kiosk to satisfy their cravings). He continued to ask me further questions... he invited me for a walk and to see a photo exhibition with him the following day, etc. I made sure to show him that I was not interested and to tell him that I was happily in a relationship. He was relentless, however. About 10 minutes went by and he finally gave up, said goodbye, shook my hand, kissed me on the cheek and pulled the creepiest move. He sniffed me. It was a move straight out of Saturday Night Live. He sniffed up my shoulder, neck, to my hair and lightly groaned. Ugh it was so filthy! I pushed his shoulder and he took off. I looked around for a group of his friends laughing as if they had just dared him to do it, but I didn't see any.

So those creepy guys you see in those "far fetched" SNL or MAD TV skits... they actually do exist.

A friend told me a statistic that Russian women spend 17% of their income on make-up. This is strange to me because Russia is known for it's beautiful women. To me, money in general seems to be used differently here. Well, I should rephrase that. I think that my family and many of my close friends are very careful with their money, they don't put a lot of it towards the smaller material things. So my view is probably different than many Americans. I've been raised to spend money in certain ways that is entirely different than what I have seen from the average Moscovite. I predict that if I had been raised here, I would not be so different. After thinking it through, and talking about it with a couple of people, I realized that there is nothing wrong at all with this difference. It has been almost 2 decades since the fall of the Soviet Union. With the new era of a market economy people for the first time have money to spend and products to spend the money on. People that are my age are the first generation to have this financial freedom. So who wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity... the opportunity to buy stuff while you're in the metro stations, riding the metro, walking across the street, walking in the tunnels underneath the streets, in the open markets, boutiques, or shopping malls the size of Cornelius (my hometown in North Carolina).

To quickly revert back to the beginning,
I'm beginning to miss people back home a little bit more. I constantly catch myself thinking about what this person would think of this situation or that situation... I catch myself making up the conversation we would have in my head.. then I just catch myself missing the sound of their voice or their little mannerisms.
But I'm okay with missing everyone. I think that this is one of the most important adventures of my life, and I am happier than I have ever been going through it, especially with Vas. I know that you have to give (up) a little to gain a little (/a lot). But everything that I am doing and seeing and learning is more than I could ever have expected from life and I welcome all of the good with the bad.
As this is truly the happiest I have been in my life, it really is the greatest challenge I have faced yet.

And although this is a lesson we have all learned many times before and has been solidified into all of our minds since childhood, a great doctor on a great t.v. show called Scrubs told me this morning,

"nothing that's worth it comes easily"

St. Patrick's Day, snow and TopShop

2008-03-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

I love waking up to a white morning in Moscow.
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:

2008-03-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

oh and I almost forgot....

returning home!!!

and if you want to see these pictures in a bigger, more clear form, go to:
www.photobucket.com
Login name: riskme
guest password: pourvous

and click on the Moscow album

here you can also see my pictures from Switzerland, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, Spain, and eventually I will put up the Grand Canyon pictures as well.

I start my job today! eee! I'm so nervous!

---------------------------------
oh and please read this article:

Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/politics/09obama.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Senator Barack Obama stood before Washington’s elite at the spring dinner of the storied Gridiron Club. In self-parody, he ticked off his accomplishments, little more than a year after arriving in town.

Mr. Obama poked fun at himself at the Gridiron Club in 2006 with, left, his current chief strategist, David Axelrod, and his communications director, Robert Gibbs.

“I’ve been very blessed,” Mr. Obama told the crowd assembled in March 2006. “Keynote speaker at the Democratic convention. The cover of Newsweek. My book made the best-seller list. I just won a Grammy for reading it on tape.

“Really, what else is there to do?” he said, his smile now broad. “Well, I guess I could pass a law or something.”

---------------------------------

really??!!!!???... I guess I could pass a law or something??

Not much has happened, yet so much has happened...

2008-03-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

So I have been in Moscow, Russia for about 3 weeks now. I wish I could say that I have done more than I have. I wish I could say that I have been everywhere in my tourist book by now- 3 weeks is certainly enough time- but so much of this time has been spent settling in, rather than having fun.

Settling sure does take a lot out of you. Trying to create new systems, procedures, routines- in a new city, a new home, with a new person... I suppose the best way to describe it is simply as... "adjusting."

Unfortunately adjusting does not provide a lot of exciting stories for blogging.

But to describe a regular day for Micah in Moscow:

-Wake up around 8 or 9 with Vas, fix breakfast and start studying Russian.

-3 days of the week I have Russian lessons with Olga. Olga is 24, and a very nice, modest teacher. Private lessons don't come cheap, but I think they will be worth it.

-I usually spend my day walking around and learning the neighborhood. Sometimes I go running, sometimes I spend too much time on the internet, mostly I obsessively clean the kitchen and go through old grandmother treasures.

-Sometimes in the evenings Vas and I play football with some neighborhood kids by his fathers'. Running around, playing well and spending time with people in this way has been my source of sanity. Thank goodness for endorphins.

-Recently I figured out how to watch Scrubs and Arrested Development on-line for free. There is another "thank goodness."

I've also been playing around with food a lot. I have been forced to be very creative. A vegan diet does not come easily or cheap in Moscow. But for over 6 years I have been working through it... there is no way that living in another country will change that. Luckily we have that wonderful Hare Krishna veggie restaurant.

I love food, wait- I really love vegan food- so this may only be interesting to me, but here is a picture of the food I am eating on a regular basis:

Pictured: Mueslii, dark chocolate, sugar puff pastry, juice, soymilk, canned cherries, jasmine green tea, instant coffee, rice cakes, dried fruit and nuts, seaweed, fake salami (almost all gone), fake hot dogs, vegan mayo and indian spiced tea.

Not pictured: apples and lots of them, frozen spinach, cucumbers, rice, miso, and other veggies (mostly frozen).

I have been cooking and baking every day- and I think that I am getting better.

I may be starting a job soon, which is FANTASTIC news. If all works out, I will be taking care of a 3 year old boy 3 days a week, and teaching him English. It seems that this family will be taking very good care of me, and I will get to join them in France in the summer for a few weeks.

Let us cross our fingers on this opportunity.

Yesterday I took my first lone trip out into the city using the metro. This is no easy task, I will call it adventerous and even a little bit courageous, because it is much different than any metro I have used before (and I have ridden metros in Boston, NYC, Washington DC, Paris, Madrid, Prague, Rome, etc) and nothing is in English. It's like getting through a maze sometimes. Plus, the entire metro system is humongous. It is bigger than the systems of London and NYC put together:

Here are pictures from my outting, there are many I meant to take but forgot to.

Pictures from the nearby Market:

This is usual for markets here. They are like flea markets, but more official and formal. There are many of these small, privately owned mini stores. There are maybe 10 for fresh produce, 10 for cigarettes, womens clothing, housing, coffee/tea, meat, cheese, salami, some asian, toilettries, the list goes on.

We went to a similar market that was all electronics and it was set up the same way. Some specialized in computer monitors, others in WiFi stuff, and so on.

Walking to the Metro:

Eventually I will be making a post just for the metro. The stations are works of art in their own- and hold so much history.. it definitely deserves it's own post.

Pictures from the Red Square area:

this is the stage in which Putin and Medvedev, Russia's new leader, spoke to the country after the results of the election on Sunday came in.

and I thought you would all be happy/relieved to know that when Vas and I went to Ikea last week, I got a new hippo:

We bought new bookcases, wardrobe, dresser, chair, lamps and a big red couch. I will post pictures of the apartment soon.
I was also informed today that in May we will be going through an entire renovation of the apartment. So the completion of the apartment may not come until the end of the summer.

I began this actual post last week.
Today it is Saturday, the 8th of March.
Unfortunately it is the one year anniversary of a tragic loss- a day when we lost one of the most amazing people I have been lucky enough to know in life, Charles Lewis.
Charles, I hope that you know we will never forget you, and there is still so much love for you that exists here on Earth- from Richmond, VA all the way to Russia. And I can just see your bright, shiny smile right now as I type this. We love you and miss you my dear friend!

On another note, March 8th is a good day for Russians.
It is National Woman's Day.
The last post was Man's Day, and ironically today is Woman's Day.

Every woman in Russia is walking around with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. It's quite a nice sight.

"A little more matriarchy is what the world needs, and I know it. Period. Paragraph."
-Dorothy Thompson

National Man's Day

2008-02-23T13:36:00.001-08:00

So today in Russia, it is Man's Day.
Well, technically it is National Defender's of the Motherland Day, and it is tradition to give gifts to the men.
But this silly tradition is offset by a Woman's Day, where men give women gifts.
I didn't have anything to give Vasili, but I did make an amazing vegan dinner and am now letting him play his xbox on the ceiling.
I'm so sweet.

So I just started this blog and haven't talked about Moscow at all. I need to get started so that I don't forget anything.

I have been here for a week and a day, and unfortunately almost all of my time has been spent towards settling in. Vas and I moved into the apartment of his late grandmother who lived here for 40 years. I have spent almost every day rummaging through and scrubbing 40 years of living. The work seems endless right now.

I have come across a few treasures.
Some beautiful china, traditional Russian wooden utensils, USSR ("CCP") coins and little porcelain communist bears.
I am a huge fan of traditional Russian stuff. Particularly the utensils and embroidery.
Just so you know what I am talking about, here is a picture of Russian spoons I found on Google:

Yesterday we finally got the internet hooked up. A family friend came to wait with me for the internet guy. I know zero Russian, and I have found that most people know zero English. This particular family friend knows no English, so we spent a couple of hours cleaning and sorting through things together- we developed our own sign language and found some common understanding in the little French that we both know. Not being able to communicate with people is becoming more and more frustrating. Especially when I am developing relationships with people, with out any words. Luckily they found me a Russian teacher, and I begin lessons on Monday.
I will probably begin typing my entries in Russian and English at some point for extra practice.

Last Saturday Vasili, his younger brother and myself went to the Red Square.
It was painfully cold so we didn't stay long. I just had to go as soon as possible.
Here are some pictures from my camera:

St. Basil's

Lenin Mausoleum.

Museum.

Ice skating at the Red Square.

Kazan Cathedral.

Vas & bro at what once was the center of Russia.
Throw a coin for good luck.

The temperature was only -10C, but the wind made it worse- it was so crisp that the skull under my forehead began to ache.

Other than the quick trip to the Red Square, I have spent most of my time at our apartment, the family's apartment, our neighborhood grocery store "Yum Yum" and a visit to the Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant where I was lucky enough to find faux Russian meats and vegan cakes.

We spent 2 days of last week in Ivanova, Russia. Ivanova is a smaller city about 4 hours north of Moscow. The guys had to go for work, and I tagged along.
Wednesday we drove through a nasty snowstorm- thicker than I have ever seen- so we didn't arrive until late.
Vas wanted to catch the Champions League game at a sports bar, so we took a taxi around the city until we finally found one to show the game.
It was my first time eating at a regular Russian restaurant.
I had a bowl of vegetarian Borsch (a traditional Russian soup made of beets and cabbage), a plate of fresh veggies and 2 beers.

This was a simple meal, but it scarred me for life. I spent the entire night hugging the toilet.
I have never had food poisoning like this. It came on half way through the bowl of borsch and lasted for about 10 hours- until my entire body was flushed out.

This was unfortunate timing because the next day was long and tiring.

First I tagged along for the business half of the trip.
Some local vendors/artists came to sell us stuff after the meeting.
We bought 2 lacquer boxes.
I can't seem to get a picture of ours without the flash ruining the picture, so I will yet again share a Google Image with you:

I don't know much about lacquer boxes, but I do know that they are Russian novelty- hand-made, hand-painted and the gold color is real gold. They are very attractive pieces.

After Ivanova we went to another small city nearby that is famous for it's jewelry factory. The factory hosted our small group for a tour, a shopping spree and the most decadent lunch and drinks. Unfortunately I had no appetite yet, I couldn't bear to make myself eat- which was difficult because I am sure that it was culturally offensive and distasteful.

There was one other American with us. She is a Russian scholar from Chicago- and also a vegetarian. Needless to say, we got along very well.
It was refreshing to be around a vegetarian and an American for the day. Every now and again we would both find something funny about the way Russians are and we would look at each other and chuckle.
On the way back to Moscow we stopped twice, for more food and for more wine.
ohhhhhh Russia.

Traveling to cities outside of Moscow and seeing the countryside was extremely exciting for me.
Beautiful, uniquely colored onion-dome cathedrals are everywhere.
The other towns/cities look outdated and like they are still stuck in the Soviet-era.
Moscow has a little bit of this feeling as well.
Pictures from the trip:

Things I dislike about Moscow so far:
-horrible, horrible roads
-horrible, horrible drivers
-horrible, horrible traffic
-it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city, no matter what transportation is used
-the water is not drinkable
-the food is so stinky it makes my stomach hurt
-everyone drinks more than my college friends back home do
-fresh fruit/veggies from street vendors will make me sick and give me spots all over my body

I thought that a Russian proverb would be appropriate to end this post:

"Better a dove on the plate than a woodgrouse in the mating place."

And sorry about these pictures- click on them and you should be able to view them. I will try to re-size them and edit this post later.

Arrival.

2008-02-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

In Moscow, it is 11:48 AM on Sunday morning.

I arrived here at 1:30 PM on Friday, the 15th of February.

I have been staying at Vasili's family's apartment in the center of the city.

Tonight we are moving into our apartment, which is Northeast of the center.

I will update again in a few days with pictures and stories and descriptions and observations and thoughts and everything I can think of that is interesting about my life so far in Russia.

I do want to state that this blog is for my friends and family who want to remain updated on the big move, and all the moves I will be making around the world in visits, adventures, vacations and business.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine