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!