American Woman’s Group (AWO) Annual Craft Fair

Last Thursday was the American Woman's Group (AWO) annual craft fair. AWO’s Annual Craft Fair is the largest fundraiser we have supporting the Nastenka Foundation. Nastenka is the AWO sponsored floor of the Moscow Pediatric Oncology Hospital. It was created in 2002, when two of our fellow AWO members realized their Russian language teacher had lost her daughter to Cancer. She was only three.

Several of Russia's finest artists were available to jumpstart our holiday shopping! There were more than 50 vendors selling everything from Matroyska dolls, hand painted Santa's, ornaments, Easter trays, scarves, shawls, purses, etc!

There were more than 50 "theme baskets" donated from members of our Woman's Group which were part of a raffle. I was a part of the "lazy afternoon basket" and the "board game" basket. They had wine baskets, baking baskets, Texas baskets (lots of Texans here who miss their spicy stuff), spa baskets, travel baskets, etc!
In addition, there were several donated items available for silent auction. There was some really awesome stuff! Roundtrip plane tickets, a Kindle, lots of fancy restaurant gift certificates, nights at fancy hotels, paintings, etc...

There was also a used English book table since there’s not much of a selection of good English books here! In addition there was a “American food table” which AWO members donated items and they were sold. I ran the used book table and was able to find some great new reads!

Despite the economic crisis and school closings due to the swine flu--this was the best year yet! We were able to purchase a much needed fancy microscope for Nastenka.

Little Good Luck Charm

Darron and I had the pleasure of being a "Nya Nya" (baby-sitter) to our new little 9 month old friend. We're calling her Pebbles. She just moved here from Canada 2 weeks ago, although we had met in August when her mommy and daddy visited to make sure life would be okay in Moscow. We had so much fun with her-and she pretty much had Darron wrapped around her little finger. She was such a good little girl! Being Australian (love to hear her daddy speak!) and Canadian, she had no strong ties to any NCAA teams. Boy did we fix that! We started her off right by teaching her "Boiler Up". She was fast asleep by the time the game was over but after 43 years, Purdue beat Michigan at the Big House! Now, if only she could have used her magic on the Bears...

Smile Cookie

Darron has always been an extremely hard worker. As an expat, he works a ton of hours (usually 13 hrs/day) and has lots of added stress due to Russian work culture/ethics being so different. I decided to try and make him a big cookie! The smiley face wasn't perfect, but it was so darn yummy! Most importantly...goal achieved! P.S. Like his 1980's BUM t-shirt?

Ladies who Lunch

Yep! It's Papa Johns in Moscow! I have to say it was some really good ZA! Not quite Aurelio's or Langels, but I'm not complaining! The cheese sticks were so good! There are several American restaurants in Moscow, and every once in awhile, it's nice to eat something from home. From left (can't "tag" like facebook) Jennie from Houston/Colorado, Jaime from Michigan, yours truly, and Krista-our new friend from Canada who just arrived less than a week ago! Her 9 month little girl, for blogging purposes let's call her Pebbles, is also in the picture-I don't know how she slept through the picture taking--we were laughing so loud! We had a great time!

Snowy Halloween in Moscow

Today is Halloween in the US. No such holiday here. They did have some Halloween festivities at the American Embassy, but you have to be an employee to even get on the campus. I missed handing out candy and seeing all the cute kids costumes. Here is a short video of the weather, taken from our kitchen window.

"Walk like an Egyptian:...part 2!

After the craziness of Cairo, we spent 8 full days in Sharm el Sheikh. The first thing our airport transfer company told us was "Don't Drink the Water". People that live there can't even drink the water. We could shower in it but not drink or brush our teeth. Even cooking was done with bottled water!

We had fabulous weather-right around 90 degrees and sunny-not a drop of rain! You can bet our air conditioning was on full blast! I can't imagine being there in July when the temperatures can soar over 110 degrees.

A few observations. They are hell on wheels. I mean, way more than me. Seriously. They drive super fast and don't observe the lane lines. They honk every time they go to pass someone at lightening speed! Oh, most don't have car insurance! It's too expensive! If they get into an accident, they just scream until they figure out who's going to pay. Crazy I tell you. In Egypt in general, many apartment buildings are not finished. This is planned. WHY you ask? No taxes have to be paid until they are finished. So, they just don't ever finish them to avoid paying. People just move into the lower levels!

Darron was able to scuba dive 6 of the days we were there! That's a record for him! His favorite dive was Thistlegorm (4th best dive in the world). Thistlegorm is an old shipwreck from WWI. He got to swim around it and then inside the ship! It still had tanks and motorcycles on it! I spent a lot of time at the pool just relaxing-got some great reading in! One of his diving days, I went with him and snorkeled-it was really fun! I also went parasailing, 4-Wheeling, and took a little ride on a camel!


We stayed at the Golden Renaissance Hotel. It had lots of steps and several levels of pools and gardens as you made your way down to the beach. Worked out great as one of the pools was right outside our hotel room and a few steps to the beach. Walking up to the lobby was a serious cardio workout--Here's to being a little bit closer to having thighs of steel!

View from our porch. It was nice to be so close to a pool!

Path down by the beach. Is that Scott Muir? The hunk walking may or may not be our friend Scott. No, they weren't there at the same time, I just didn't have a beach path pic so I'm using theirs! I'm not privy to the rules of picture "borrowing". Can one go to jail for such activity? We chose this hotel from Cassie and Scott's suggestion and were very happy with it! Thanks Muirs!

One of the nights we stayed at the hotel and went to a Bedouin dinner. Bedouins are wandering tribes in the Red Sea and Sinai Peninsula. We made our way down to the beach and noticed immediately the tents and low tables. We ate several different types of kabobs (chicken, lamb, beef) served as in the picture above. We also had rice and some yummy homemade bread. After dinner, we were treated to a dancing show! We shared our table with a couple from Scotland.

Couldn't resist. I am way high up on the DORK-O-METER!

Darron joining in on the fun!

Who is that hunk? My hubby checking out the sea near our hotel.

Going up! This is my second time parasailing and it was just as awesome! So peaceful!

"I Believe I Can Fly"

They gussied me up in a Muslim headcover for the 4-wheelin' and camel ridin'. Yes, I know I look extremely scarry and I apologize for any nightmares you may have...

"Born To Be Wild"

The 4-Wheeling was my favorite! I had a blast! We rode for two hours, mostly in the desert. Between the sunset, sand, sea, and smountains, it was amazingly beautiful! Yes, I know I spelled mountains with an s-I wanted all 4 words to be s-words!

My camel friend, such the poser! Wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be!

Me and "Camster" were like peas and carrots...just look at that toothy grin!

A view of our resort from the boat. Darron was going diving and I went along to snorkel!

Darron getting ready for his 13th dive of our trip!

Darron jumping into the gorgeous red sea!

"Walk Like An Egyptian"... go ahead, sing the song!

Darron and I just returned from a 12 day holiday in Egypt! We flew into Cairo and spent two days there before flying to the coast area of Sharm el Sheikh (on the Sinai peninsula) to relax. Neither of us had ever been to the country or the continent before so it was very interesting to see and learn about the Muslim culture. Cairo is on the continent of Africa and Sharm el Sheikh is on the Asia continent. Sharm el Sheikh wasn't a place we had really heard of before moving to Russia-but it is very popular holiday spot for the Russians and American expats!
Cairo was very hot, busy, and full of crazy drivers who think the lane lines are for decoration! We took a private tour of the Egyptian Museum, Pyramids, and the Sphinx. Out of respect, we both wore pants--which made the 90 degree temperture seem even hotter!

Map of Egypt

Sunset as we were descending into Cairo



Our Egypt visas. After landing at the Cairo airport, we went to a bank teller type window and gave them $30 dollars (US). They tore off two visas, pulled off the sticky stuff and plopped it right into our passports. If only our Russian visas were this easy!

Egyptian Museum. I'm not a big fan of museums, but this one was pretty interesting. Saw mummies and all! Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside.

Darron and I in front of one of the Giza pyramids. Of the 100+ pyramids in Egypt, the Giza ones are the most famous. The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest Egyptian pyramid, and the only remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World! They used approx 2.5 million stones to build the largest--each weighing an average of 2.5 tons! WOWZA! No stealing that big boy!

We were able to see a panoramic view of all three Giza Pyramids! Look how talented I am!

Self-Explanatory!

Darron and I in front of of the Giza Pyramids. We thought we should take one normal picture!

The Sphinx...is the largest monolith statue in the world!

Had to take a silly Sphinx picture too!

Daylight Savings Time

Even in the Muthaland we "fall back", although it's more like "winter back"! Tonight is the night that the whole country will get an extra 60 minutes of sleep! Which means that for the next week, we will be 8 hours ahead of Chicago, rather than 9. In recent years, there have been talks about ending daylight savings due to the possible health risks involved. Are you KIDDING me? I am certain the one hour time difference is NO more of a heath hazard than the amount of vodka Russians drink. Here's a fancy factoid--Russians men drink, on average, a pint of vodka every other day.

How big is Russia?

Come on, take a guess...BEFORE you google the answer!

Russia is the largest country in the world- covering approx. 6.6 million square miles. Russia covers about 1/8th of the world's land surface, and is 60% larger than the worlds 2nd largest country, Canana. Population is approx. 145 million.

And how many time zones do you think the the largest country has? ELEVEN. Hopefully this question will pop up in a game of trivial pursuit!

Where does Moscow fit into all of this? Moscow has approx 13 million people and covers approx (I found several different numbers so I am going with the average) 380 million square miles.

Now, just for shits and giggles, let's compare it to the USA. Why? Because I think it's fun...and it's my blog. :-) The USA covers approx. 3.6 million square miles with a population of 303 million.

Purdue

One of my favorite things to do while visiting home in the fall is heading down to good ole' Purdue for a football game. This year has proved to be a Boilermaker Fan nightmare, but we still had a great time. Darron and I were fortunate to be able to sit upstairs with his parents for the Notre Dame game (we won't discuss the score). Despite the loss, it's always a great feeling to be back at Purdue!

Moscow won the bronze

According to Mercer's cost of living survey, Moscow has lost it's reputation as the worlds most expensive city. Tokyo knocked Moscow out of the top spot with Osaka, Japan coming in second. Moscow comes in third! Who wants to win bronze? It's the gold you go for isn't it? One area where Moscow did get the "gold" is hotel rooms--still the most expensive!

Leaving for the US for visa....AGAIN

Well, it's that time again where I am headed back to the US to get another temporary visa! Darron heads back two days after me. This should be the last temporary visa we have to get--our real one will be ready soon. Below is the website Darron and I have used for our Russian temporary visas...and my friend Jen Meyers used the same one! The form is really easy to figure out and they do a great job of keeping you informed via email as your paperwork goes through the process. In case you want to come visit (hotel Damasius is FAB!)...here's the link...

http://www.russia-visa.com/

Off to the airport!

Rubbing the Dogs Nose...

I had read about "rubbing' the dogs nose" but thought it was something only the tourists did! No Sirree Bob! Russians are very superstitious! In the Ploschad Revolutsy metro station there are statues of dogs--all with shiny noses--from the Russians rubbing them for good luck. I was amazed at how many Russians took the time to walk by and rub a nose! I've also noticed that even the dogs feet are starting to look polished and shiny! Whatever works right? I'm no fool...I make sure to rub every time I go through that metro station...one can never have too much good luck!

Dreaming of a non-white Christmas.....WHAT?

Today I ran across this article online which I found to be extremely interesting-- and thought you would think so too! Cloud dispersal techniques, currently used for Victory Day and City Day to ensure no rain in the capital city, could be used to rid Moscow of it's chilly winter coat! They use silver iodide, dry ice, or cement powder to make the clouds drop the rain before it reaches Moscow. What about cross country skiiing? That was on my list of things to do!

http:/www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6824041.ece

Girl's Night at Jamie's

My friend Jamie's husband had to go to London for work. We decided to take advantage and have a slumber party (guy friends note--we did not have naked pillow fights)! We had a gourmet dinner at McDonald's, made cupcakes, and just laughed.

A bit of a sugar high?

The finished product! Like the colorful frosting?

Couldn't post without a pic of Jamie's kitty Hammy. She provided us with lots of entertainment!

American Woman's Group (AWO)

Part of the expat culture in most foreign countries includes these "groups" for expat wives to join. The purpose of such groups is to provide social opportunities for spouses (who are often alone for long periods of time because their husbands work so much...sounds familiar to me!), and to meet other expats in the area. The Moscow AWO is a wonderful group to belong!

I mentioned the AWO after I went to my first meeting (April 8th- the 5th day of living here), but since today was the kick-off meeting, I decided it warranted another write up! Today was "interest group" sign up where we get to pick all the fun activities we want to be a part of this year. I have decided to volunteer monthly at the Children's Cancer Hospital (Spread the Sunshine), signed up for Daring Diners, and Mary's Friday afternoon stitch. I might also try Nordic walking and Understanding Russia. Don't want to over commit, I need my facebook time! Oh yeah, and cleaning time! Must talk to Darron about getting a maid. Too many things to do!

Our meetings are the first three Wednesday's of each month at the Hard Rock Cafe.

"The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round..."

So, today was lunch/movie afternoon at Sheri's. Sheri doesn't live very far, only 3 metro stops away on the green line (the line we live near). So, from door to door it's about 20 minutes. At a recent AWO (American Woman's Group) meeting, we were given tricks of the trade on using the bus/tram/trolleybus system. I decided to give it a whirl. While the metro is fast, frequent, and convenient (and you avoid having to deal with traffic); in Paris I liked the busses so I could see where I was going (metro is underground). Some of the busses are newer and some I think are from the soviet era. As long as I don't touch anything, I'm okay. Some can be very dirty. The only "bus" option I have are the trolley kind (TB) and there are 6 different TB's for me to choose from. They stop almost in front of my apartment which makes them a nice option--if you know which one to take.

We live on a very busy street--15-18 lanes of traffic. In order to get to the other side of the street- to get the bus in the correct direction (going towards the city center), I have to use the walking overpass. No problem. Bought some tickets (using my Russian!). No problem. Saw TB 65 coming and knew it wasn't one of the six I recognized. Then I thought they are all attached to cables, it's got to be going towards the city center. WRONG! Thank Goodness I had mentioned to the driver that I wanted to go near Mayokovskaya metro and after a few stops, he told me to get off. Not off to a great start. Then TB 70 pulled up and that one I recognized! Yay! I got on TB 70 and it proceeded to take me several stops in the right direction. Great! Not so much. It turned around and started going back towards my apartment! I got off that TB and decided it was metro time. I walked (in the rain) to the Bellarusksaya metro (had to find the passageway to cross back over the street) and went one stop to Mayakovskaya. FINALLY! Then walked on over to Sheri's apartment. It should have taken me 20 minutes and 1 bus ticket. It took one hour and 10 minutes, 2 bus tickets, and 1 metro ticket. Had a great afternoon at Sheri's and even braved the bus on the way home. TB 12 and it dropped me off almost in front of my apartment!

Traffic on a Friday early evening...

Just a quick post and picture of the amount of traffic in Moscow. It's totally OOC (out of control). This is the street we live on at about 5:15pm on a Friday going North out of Moscow. Sometimes, the traffic is like this at 11:00am or at 10:00pm. Thank Goodness Darron does the reverse commute!

Anniversary Weekend Trip to Vladimir and Suzdal Continues...

Well, today was our Russian Banya day. Experienced a bit of the unexpected. I knew a Banya was a sauna but wasn't sure how it was set up or what we did. We went to the lobby and were told we were in Banya number "chiteer-ee" (4). We had our own little house! It was like a little wooden cabin. It had a living room with tv and DVD player, small bathroom, changing area, and the sauna area with shower. First you rent the Banya, and then you can add additional services if you wish. We added the "taking a steam bath in Russian style with the switches of green birch or oak twigs" extra. Little did we know...

So, our "Banya Dude" knocked on our door (didn't speak a lick of English) and showed us the phone and “charraded” (yes, I know that’s not a word) to us that we needed to call him when we were ready. Okay. Whatever dude. We changed into our swim suits and went to check out the sauna. Very nice. Called Banya Dude. That's where the fun began! He had Darron go into the sauna first (thank goodness!). Darron did and that's the first time I busted out laughing...he told Darron to take off his swim trunks! Darron did as was told and the Banya Dude “charraded” to him to lay on his stomach on the benches in the sauna. Banya Dude came out of the sauna and retrieved his "leaves". He then began hitting Darron with the leaves from head to toe! THEN he made Darron turn over which made me laugh even harder and he continued to beat him with leaves head to toe. The clincher. He made him get up and run out of the Banya down the steps and jump into the cold water! Let's remember people, he's in his BIRTHDAY SUIT! Darron came back in and Banya Dude went through the process again hitting him with leaves. Then he made him go lay down in the living room to rest. MY TURN.

Front of our Banya

Before the naked branch beating

Our Banya Dude getting the branches ready

Darron and Banya Dude after jumping into the refreshing water

After we move back to the US...possibly a career as a Banya Chick?

At least I knew what was going to happen. Thankfully I got to keep my bathing suit bottoms on! Same process. I have to say...I felt WONDERFUL when it was all done. So relaxed and my back and shoulders were no longer sore. The combination of the sauna/steam/twigs, and cold water was awesome! I'd do it again in a heart beat. Darron...thought one time was enough.

The ride home was uneventful. We stopped about an hour from Moscow and had dinner at a cute little restaurant. This was the first place we'd eaten that didn't offer an English menu. Luckily, we knew a few food words and dinner was delicious! All the way home we saw people on the side of the road selling things. From stuffed animals and inflatable pools to fruits and veggies from their garden. It was a great first Russian road trip!

Anniversary Weekend Trip to Vladimir and Suzdal Continues...

Hotel was very nice and we even had a jacuzzi in our room! Today was our day of just walking around Suzdal. We saw some quaint churches and had fun taking silly pictures in the downtown area. Even Darron joined in the fun! Weather was great!

Hotel with Banya

Suzdal Kremlin

We climbed up a hill to get this view of the little church. Well worth the climb!

Funny face pictures we took in downtown Suzdal. This picture pf Darron makes me laugh every time I look at it. Doesn't Darron looks HOT in pink?

Anniversary Weekend Trip to Vladimir and Suzdal

Darron planned our first Russian Road trip for the weekend after our anniversary. We were a bit nervous about figuring our way on Russian roads but we did it! Well, we did it with the help of a borrowed Russian GPS! We certainly know how to say turn left and turn right in Russian now! We lucked out and had a great weather the entire weekend. Both Vladimir and Suzdal at one time surpassed Moscow in importance. Vladimir is a town that doesn't rate a visit of it's own but is a great stop between Moscow and Suzdal. It's about 2.5-3 hours from Moscow. There were only a few things to see but we were glad we stopped. Plus, we found a nice little inexpensive pizza place for lunch. With a GROSS bathroom. But..when you gotta go, you gotta go!

The Golden Gates of Vladimir

Gross bathroom as noted above. Lovely "European style" toilet. A hole in the floor.

Cathedral of the Assumption and gardens

Cathedral of St. Demetrius