Aerial shots of Moscow

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?

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...

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.

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

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?