First, I just want to say that I think it's hilarious how many words in Russian are actually English words just transfigured into Russian lettering ... I mean that literally translates letter for letter to "Starbaks Kofye Haoos", which just makes me giggle. I spent the better part of the morni... okay, I'll be honest... it took me the whole day before I was finally able to stand up before falling over again. Fortunately I wasn't meeting with Irina until 18.00. Today it was really raining for the first time since my arrival, and the driving somehow managed to get even worse. I chose to wear my 'Sector 9' hat today since it has an elastic band and I thought it might help to hold my pounding skull together in case it chose to actually explode as it was threatening to. By the time I got to the bus stop though the thudding had mostly abated.
Crossing the street from the block where the flats are located, a dog wandered up beside me, maybe 10 feet to my right. This dog was seriously looking left, then right, then left.. checking for an opening in traffic. I swear to God, this dog saw me watching it, and walked up to me and just started watching me, as soon as there was an opening I crossed, and the dog followed me across, looking up at me instead of at the cars. As soon as we got across the street I turned left into the park and he turned right. But seriously, smart dog... I've never seen anything like that before.
Then, however, the bus drive started. As I approached the bus stop I realized I had forgotten my small bills and coins at the flat, but it was raining and I was in a hurry, so I didn't have any bills smaller than 500 р and had to find a way to apologize and explain it was all I had (the fare is only 60 p). I got my change from the guy who looked at me like I was an idiot, and we were on our way.
That out of the way, I then discovered that the buses apparently aren't water-tight and water was pouring in everywhere, some people moved out from under the spouts and others just looked up, realized they were sitting under a waterfall and just pulled their hoods up. Whatever, right? This is Russia! What can you do? I managed to evade getting totally drenched in the bus and hopped a few puddles to get to the metro.
Going back a minute, I should point out that I also noticed that when I came in last night, since I was asleep I didn't notice that the city near my home has started to get cleaner. I made several inquiries and discovered there are several cleaning companies responsible for going around the city cleaning garbage and washing buildings. Apparently when I arrived they were just working on the far end of the city. Well they finally made it to our end, and the city is really starting to shape up. It really is a beautiful city actually, just a bit ... time worn. The vast majority of buildings of course date to the soviet era and are not always fantastically built... some of them kind of look like they're actually at an angle and I'm pretty sure it's not safe to set anything on the table that has a round bottom unless you want it to break.
The metro stopped right after I boarded for about 5 minutes.. I assume to let another train change tracks, but they never made an announcement... everyone looked dead ahead like nothing weird was happening, so apparently it's just an occasional part of the system. Ran through the underground to try to make up for lost time, and ended up getting to the station about 15 minutes late. We headed a few blocks over to the Starbucks where we got Tazo teas... mostly because it was the only thing I recognized. I know it tastes the same as Lipton, but I like the packaging "Please recycle this bottle, it deserves to be reincarnated too." and "ATTENTION: Contents will actually taste delicious."
Irina explained that she liked this particular Starbuck's because it was a bit out of the way and was quieter than most. She was right, and it was quite lovely until that crazy American guy started yelling and laughing (for those that are slow, I'm talking about me). She also told me she had studied English for years, and could read and write, but just didn't have any actual practice speaking; something I hear frequently. It seems to be the most common problem with learning English... real life application. It's just not really an option for most people in Russia, and for obvious reasons.. there aren't a lot of native English speakers hanging out here... for even more obvious reasons. I started off trying to speak slowly but within a few minutes I was speaking normal speed and she seemed to be keeping up. I have to admit I'm continually impressed by how quickly all of these guys get used to hearing and comprehending what is being said.
I'd like to point out that I don't know if tissues are just crazy expensive or if people just flat out don't care who watches them picking their nose, but I see it constantly. Now, I realize after a week here that the air is pretty dirty by American standards. I mean, I've really noticed that I have to blow my nose about 50 times a day from all the gunk that my body has blocked while I was breathing. It's not enough to prevent easy breathing and I honestly haven't noticed anything other than the natural fact that the air smells different, but that's understandable... I'm 6,000 miles from home. On that note though, the colognes and perfumes people think smell good are VERY different here. It seems to me that Americans tend to favor sweet smells whereas Russians have a more subtle taste... almost like a light musk. I like it... except on Friday and Saturday nights when all the guys are wearing so much I feel like I'm going to choke on the bus.
There was a group of guys sitting at the end of the table we were seated at that kept checking out Irina and winking at her, and she seemed to not even notice, even when I pointed it out. *shrug* Whatever. That's Russian guys. After an hour or so she asked if her friend could join us. I was immediately confused because she hadn't picked up her phone, but she advised me that her friend, Amy, had been sitting at the table just 6 or 7 feet away the entire time. Smart girl.. meet in a public place and have a friend close by as an escape plan if things go poorly, lol =D Luckily things went over without any hitches though, and Amy and her brother joined us. We chatted for maybe another hour before heading out.
I want to point out that family dynamics are very very different here. It seems strange to most Russians that Americans have such horrible relationships with their parents and that we move out at 17 or 18 years old. Most families here have 2-3 rooms, with the parents getting a room, the children sharing a room, and maybe an office (not including the kitchen of course). As a result of sharing such a small space, the siblings tend to get along soooo much better than we do in the US. I haven't met any siblings so far that didn't hang out with each other on a regular basis and get along great. Additionally, the relationships with parents seems to be much closer, and most kids don't even think about moving out until they're at least 21 or 22 when they start really thinking about moving up in the world and starting a real career and having families of their own. Even then, it seems like families stay very close, with the grandparents either living with the family or very close by. It's a really awesome dynamic, and I find myself wishing that families were this close in America.
Since on the ride in I had to switch trains and because I had expressed a fear that I wouldn't be able to get back in time, Amy's brother gave me a ride to a station on the orange line that would take me home so I wouldn't have to switch stations again. He insisted that I buckle up, and I assured him there was no way I wasn't going to buckle up in Russia. The drive past Red Square and through downtown had me holding on for dear life. If you've ever seen Jumper.. remember that scene in Tokyo where he's jumping the car through traffic? I felt like he was doing that. Accelerating through tight spaces and accelerating to the point that I thought we'd never stop in time if a wreck occurred anywhere less than a mile in front of us. He assured me that you have to drive like everyone else if you want to survive on the road in Moscow ... okay, I'll take your word for it. I've been told that when visiting another country you can drive without a license for under 3 months, at which time you need to actually get a certification in that country ... but I'm sure I don't want to drive here. I'd rather live, thank you very much.
Before bed I purchased tickets to Saratov for Monday, so I'm really looking forward to that as well! Will take nearly a day by train .. and it will be my first train experience, so this should be fun! Maybe I'll wear my kilt ~.^ Ahhhh, but I forgot you can't wear anything under it .. maybe not this time, lol =D
Not much else to tell honestly... OH! Except that I turned 24 about 2 and a half hours ago. Natasha was of course the first to congratulate me, texting me at exactly midnight... bless that girl, she's absolutely the best. Within about 10 seconds, Petr, knowing that I'm Scottish, and having just returned last week from England/Scotland presented me with a real kilt with my families tartan on it, complete with sporran. Definitely the best birthday present I could have hoped for. I honestly wasn't expecting anything from anyone, and it totally rocked my day.
Hope everyone has an excellent day! Take care, all!
Crossing the street from the block where the flats are located, a dog wandered up beside me, maybe 10 feet to my right. This dog was seriously looking left, then right, then left.. checking for an opening in traffic. I swear to God, this dog saw me watching it, and walked up to me and just started watching me, as soon as there was an opening I crossed, and the dog followed me across, looking up at me instead of at the cars. As soon as we got across the street I turned left into the park and he turned right. But seriously, smart dog... I've never seen anything like that before.
Then, however, the bus drive started. As I approached the bus stop I realized I had forgotten my small bills and coins at the flat, but it was raining and I was in a hurry, so I didn't have any bills smaller than 500 р and had to find a way to apologize and explain it was all I had (the fare is only 60 p). I got my change from the guy who looked at me like I was an idiot, and we were on our way.
That out of the way, I then discovered that the buses apparently aren't water-tight and water was pouring in everywhere, some people moved out from under the spouts and others just looked up, realized they were sitting under a waterfall and just pulled their hoods up. Whatever, right? This is Russia! What can you do? I managed to evade getting totally drenched in the bus and hopped a few puddles to get to the metro.
Going back a minute, I should point out that I also noticed that when I came in last night, since I was asleep I didn't notice that the city near my home has started to get cleaner. I made several inquiries and discovered there are several cleaning companies responsible for going around the city cleaning garbage and washing buildings. Apparently when I arrived they were just working on the far end of the city. Well they finally made it to our end, and the city is really starting to shape up. It really is a beautiful city actually, just a bit ... time worn. The vast majority of buildings of course date to the soviet era and are not always fantastically built... some of them kind of look like they're actually at an angle and I'm pretty sure it's not safe to set anything on the table that has a round bottom unless you want it to break.
The metro stopped right after I boarded for about 5 minutes.. I assume to let another train change tracks, but they never made an announcement... everyone looked dead ahead like nothing weird was happening, so apparently it's just an occasional part of the system. Ran through the underground to try to make up for lost time, and ended up getting to the station about 15 minutes late. We headed a few blocks over to the Starbucks where we got Tazo teas... mostly because it was the only thing I recognized. I know it tastes the same as Lipton, but I like the packaging "Please recycle this bottle, it deserves to be reincarnated too." and "ATTENTION: Contents will actually taste delicious."
Irina explained that she liked this particular Starbuck's because it was a bit out of the way and was quieter than most. She was right, and it was quite lovely until that crazy American guy started yelling and laughing (for those that are slow, I'm talking about me). She also told me she had studied English for years, and could read and write, but just didn't have any actual practice speaking; something I hear frequently. It seems to be the most common problem with learning English... real life application. It's just not really an option for most people in Russia, and for obvious reasons.. there aren't a lot of native English speakers hanging out here... for even more obvious reasons. I started off trying to speak slowly but within a few minutes I was speaking normal speed and she seemed to be keeping up. I have to admit I'm continually impressed by how quickly all of these guys get used to hearing and comprehending what is being said.
I'd like to point out that I don't know if tissues are just crazy expensive or if people just flat out don't care who watches them picking their nose, but I see it constantly. Now, I realize after a week here that the air is pretty dirty by American standards. I mean, I've really noticed that I have to blow my nose about 50 times a day from all the gunk that my body has blocked while I was breathing. It's not enough to prevent easy breathing and I honestly haven't noticed anything other than the natural fact that the air smells different, but that's understandable... I'm 6,000 miles from home. On that note though, the colognes and perfumes people think smell good are VERY different here. It seems to me that Americans tend to favor sweet smells whereas Russians have a more subtle taste... almost like a light musk. I like it... except on Friday and Saturday nights when all the guys are wearing so much I feel like I'm going to choke on the bus.
There was a group of guys sitting at the end of the table we were seated at that kept checking out Irina and winking at her, and she seemed to not even notice, even when I pointed it out. *shrug* Whatever. That's Russian guys. After an hour or so she asked if her friend could join us. I was immediately confused because she hadn't picked up her phone, but she advised me that her friend, Amy, had been sitting at the table just 6 or 7 feet away the entire time. Smart girl.. meet in a public place and have a friend close by as an escape plan if things go poorly, lol =D Luckily things went over without any hitches though, and Amy and her brother joined us. We chatted for maybe another hour before heading out.
I want to point out that family dynamics are very very different here. It seems strange to most Russians that Americans have such horrible relationships with their parents and that we move out at 17 or 18 years old. Most families here have 2-3 rooms, with the parents getting a room, the children sharing a room, and maybe an office (not including the kitchen of course). As a result of sharing such a small space, the siblings tend to get along soooo much better than we do in the US. I haven't met any siblings so far that didn't hang out with each other on a regular basis and get along great. Additionally, the relationships with parents seems to be much closer, and most kids don't even think about moving out until they're at least 21 or 22 when they start really thinking about moving up in the world and starting a real career and having families of their own. Even then, it seems like families stay very close, with the grandparents either living with the family or very close by. It's a really awesome dynamic, and I find myself wishing that families were this close in America.
Since on the ride in I had to switch trains and because I had expressed a fear that I wouldn't be able to get back in time, Amy's brother gave me a ride to a station on the orange line that would take me home so I wouldn't have to switch stations again. He insisted that I buckle up, and I assured him there was no way I wasn't going to buckle up in Russia. The drive past Red Square and through downtown had me holding on for dear life. If you've ever seen Jumper.. remember that scene in Tokyo where he's jumping the car through traffic? I felt like he was doing that. Accelerating through tight spaces and accelerating to the point that I thought we'd never stop in time if a wreck occurred anywhere less than a mile in front of us. He assured me that you have to drive like everyone else if you want to survive on the road in Moscow ... okay, I'll take your word for it. I've been told that when visiting another country you can drive without a license for under 3 months, at which time you need to actually get a certification in that country ... but I'm sure I don't want to drive here. I'd rather live, thank you very much.
Before bed I purchased tickets to Saratov for Monday, so I'm really looking forward to that as well! Will take nearly a day by train .. and it will be my first train experience, so this should be fun! Maybe I'll wear my kilt ~.^ Ahhhh, but I forgot you can't wear anything under it .. maybe not this time, lol =D
Not much else to tell honestly... OH! Except that I turned 24 about 2 and a half hours ago. Natasha was of course the first to congratulate me, texting me at exactly midnight... bless that girl, she's absolutely the best. Within about 10 seconds, Petr, knowing that I'm Scottish, and having just returned last week from England/Scotland presented me with a real kilt with my families tartan on it, complete with sporran. Definitely the best birthday present I could have hoped for. I honestly wasn't expecting anything from anyone, and it totally rocked my day.
Hope everyone has an excellent day! Take care, all!
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