This one is the final and most important

So today is my last day in Moscow. I decided to leave a week and a half early because I have really been missing home. So I guess this is pretty much my final post about Russia. I'll try not to make it too sappy.
I dreamed to come to Russia and not just figuratively speaking but literally. I would sleep at night and dream about the day I would come to Russia and as I liked to put it, 'see what was going on over here.' So I did. I got on a plane, with minimal expectations and landed in an airport where I was so nervous I could not even ask where the elevator was. I honestly found a lot more than an elevator in Russia.
I've been to museums, other cities, a ballet, the zoo, classes, dates, parks, festivals and so many other places. All of those events add up to equal my total experience and what I will take away from this. 
I had read so much about when traveling that we should try really hard to see past the differences and focus on how we are the same. But, I felt like here, I had to try really hard to see the differences because the majority of the time I was shocked at how we ARE in fact all the same. We are humans and no matter what language we speak or where we are born, we all survive the same ways, doing the same things, falling in to routines, loving our children, working 9-5, going to class, etc. At this point, I don't understand how racism or discrimination even exists because of how ALIKE we all truly are.
Because we are so alike, humans will communicate...no matter what. Since about my second week here, I communicated on a daily basis with someone who spoke absolutely NO English. Yes, overtime our conversations got better as my Russian improved but even from the beginning, the communication was there.
I have been to the cafe here at the school almost every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. There is a lady that works there and we have developed a great relationship over the past few months not because we chit chat about each other or get to know each others personal business, but because I am kind to her and she is kind to me. The saying, a smile is the same in every language is extremely true. Contrary to popular belief, Russians do smile and when they do, it is extremely genuine. I would rather someone smile at me because they mean it rather than smile at me and then say terrible things about me behind my back (which tends to happen a lot with the 'famous' American smile.)
The Russians I have met have been phenomenal. I will really miss them while I am back in the United States. I have also met some great Americans as well along with Je and Omer. I have been blessed with an AMAZING roommate that has helped me since the first day when she gave me the gift of drinkable water. 
Over the duration of this study abroad experience, I have learned more than I ever thought I would. I can have a full blown out conversation in Russian, navigate the metro, take a taxi, order a pizza on the phone in Russia, fix a broken shower, clean up 5+ gallons of toilet water off the floor with a towel, drink responsibly, convert rubles to dollars in my head, cook macaroni with a tea pot, teach English and most importantly, I can ask where the elevator is.

Vladimir and Suzdal

With less than a month left to go, another excursion is marked off the list. We traveled to Vladimir and Suzdal this weekend by tour bus. The tour bus part reminded me so much of my travels to Europe but I actually stayed awake on the bus tour! :)
In Vladimir, the highlights included all of the cats that I saw and the playground. Yes, we saw some cathedrals and those are nice to look at and appreciate, but the memorable moments come with doing fun things with your friends like sticking your hand in a fountain and cutting your finger on a soviet playground. After spending a few hours in Vladimir we went to a large grocery store called Globus. This store was amazing. It was large, clean and had everything you could possible need plus a place to eat. My friend Doria and I bought macaroni and cheese to cook for dinner. After shopping we went back on the bus to Suzdal.

When we got to Suzdal we pulled up down an dirt road and got off the bus. There were a lot of old houses, beautiful green grass, mud, clean air, and I smelled horse poop right off. If I closed my eyes I would have thought I was back home. Suzdal reminded me so much of where I grew up. It was a small town with not many places to eat, a river, wooden bridges, gravel and farm land. I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be someplace quiet and relaxing. The hostel was the best. I encourage anyone that goes to Suzdal to stay in a hostel called Godzillas.
http://godzillashostel.com/suzdal/
Doria and I started cooking our Macaroni using an electric tea pot to heat the water and then letting the pasta sit in the hot water. We started cutting up the cheese when I realized it was Parmesan cheese and it would never melt. We literally ran through the woods and up a hill to get back to town to buy cheese. On our way we saw a fox! We ran back and made some delicious macaroni and cheese. We finished the night by playing a Russian card game and tasting 'medovukha' which is a honey based beer or alcohol that is made and is very popular in that area. To me, it tasted like an apple juice but with honey.
The next day we toured the rest of the town seeing a wooden village, learning how Russians lived in the past, and visiting a cathedral and a monastery. After, we had an hour or so,  so we ate business lunch at a restaurant and then went to a craft fair. At 3pm we were back on the bus and heading back to Moscow. We got home around 8:30.

I really liked Suzdal because it reminded me a lot of where I grew up. I really love being outside with fresh air and green grass, or sitting over a bridge looking at the water. I even like walking on gravel and petting horses in a field. I guess no matter where I move to or how far I go away from home, there is a little piece of home in every country and Suzdal was definitely it. I literally felt like I was 10 years old again.
If anyone is in Russia and looking for a nice quiet place to get away for a weekend, Suzdal is definitely the place!

This is not an uplifting post.

So like previously mentioned, studying abroad brings about a lot of emotions, both good and bad. I have not really posted recently about what point I am right now...so here it is.
I'm usually pretty happy and upbeat, even when things don't go my way.. which is pretty much every single day since I have been here. I mean, I am usually so happy it is down right annoying, even to myself, but there are just some times when I get fed up with it. I get fed up with the negative attitudes of others, the brown water, the rude comments, the bee infestation, the lack of air conditioning and the boring classes. I am frustrated. My Russian seems to be getting increasingly worse and I don't understand how and I have 0 energy to do anything. Now, this could all very well just be in my head and more than likely my Russian is not really getting worse and I'm just as usual being hard on myself, but that is how I feel.
No matter where you travel to, at some point, everyone will get a little homesick and miss the luxury of home. I am really sad today and the only thing I can pin point it to is being homesick. I miss my friends that  like who I am and what I stand for in life. I miss my cat that loves me because I feed her/him. I miss my boyfriend that I broke up with because I thought I wanted something more and decided Russia might have had it. I miss my mom and family who are only a phone call away to help comfort me. I miss the wonderful girls that I worked with in the international office and the amazing professors on campus that made class so interesting I actually wanted to come.
I came to Russia for a change in my life. I was mesmerized by Russian culture when I first learned about it and needed to experience it.  I was also bored with the same old routine and wanted to mix things up. But I've learned that no matter where you go, things become routine and the things that haunt you will follow you even when you are 4,000 miles away.
I love Moscow and all of the friends I've met here and I am so thankful for the experience, but I am ready to get back home to my same old boring routine that I tried to hard to get away from.

While I have about a month left to go, there are a few things I get to look forward to like my trip to Suzdal this weekend and a few more museum visits. I also get to look forward to no hot water next month.
Like I've said many times before, this has been nothing less of an adventure but eventually adventure leaves you too exhausted to move.

Coca Cola Factory

Yesterday, we had a trip to the Coca Cola factory. I was so excited about it because of my love for coca cola lite here.  Coca Cola lite tastes just like coke zero and I would put money on it that they are the exact same things. We watched a really inspiring video about coke and then put on white lab coats for our tour. I did not realize how much goes into the coca cola lite that I drink daily. It was a really friendly environment and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed their job at the plant. After the tour we got to drink fresh coke. There is a huge difference between coke straight off the line and coke that has been packed, shipped and sat on a shelf for weeks. We got free notebooks, a polar bear pin and little baby cans of coke. Usually our excursions are physically and emotionally tiring, but this one was an insightful and fun. I feel like the coca cola company is a great place to work. I'm proud to be a customer :)

After our tour we went to a Japanese restaurant and then took a marshrootka back to the dorms.
I took a nap and woke up to screaming about cockroaches. The lady in charge of the floor was basically saying that the reason there are cockroaches in our room is because it is dirty. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that this building has not been remodeled since it was built in like 1755 and that I'm sure they don't spray for bugs. Anytime I try to take a nap during the day, I am always rudely woken up by some kind of dramatic affair. One day, a man was changing the locks on the door, one day they were doing obnoxious construction work and a few times they were checking to make sure the keys still fit in the lock. They must have some serious problems with people changing locks or something.
I do not have a passport right now because they ( I don't know who they is) have taken it for me to get a new multi-entry visa. So, for the next 3-5 weeks I will be stuck in Moscow. Luckily, there are lots of things to do here to keep my busy. The three things I really want to do in the near future are, Moscow zoo, circus and a banya.
I'm looking forward to an exciting last month here :)

This is a game changer

So I'm totally going for the 'everything happens for a reason' approach to life. I did my laundry yesterday and of course the dryer did not dry my clothes so I had to hang a laundry line across my room. One side was connected to my curtain rod and the other was wrapped around a cabinet in the upper corner of my room. As I started angrily hanging the clothes, the line kept sinking farther and farther down until the cabinet burst open and inside.....a mattress pad. To those back at home sleeping on memory foam, I don't think you understand the excitement I felt when I looked up and saw this. I have been sleeping on a rock hard mattress from the 1950's (no exaggeration) for over two months now and this extremely old, chicken feather mattress pad is a game changer for the duration of my sleep here in Moscow. I am so happy that my clothes did not dry in the dryer because I never would have made this discovery without that not so great experience.
Enough about the mattress pad.
My friend Doria and I went to a really great restaurant yesterday called 'Meat and Fish' and yes it is in English. It was a little bit pricey but sometimes you just need a good lunch.
I've come to the conclusion that I will never fully understand the Russian grammar but I'm hoping it can achieve 3/4 of the way understanding. When I come home I will have enough credits to be in advanced intermediate Russian language and that is a serious problem because I know I am not advanced intermediate. I'm probably just beginning intermediate. I schedule my classes for next semester at UK in 2 hours. I'll be taking political classes and Russian classes.
Nothing extraordinary has happened lately because I'm adjusted to life here and I have developed my own little routine. I'm looking forward to the coca cola factory visit on Tuesday.

Weekend activities

Friday:
After class I took my daily nap and then my friends and I baked chocolate chip cookies. They were not perfect but we had to use different brands of ingredients. I must say they were pretty good given the ratchet stove we had to use and the improv ingredients. Tory (always with a 'y' never an 'i'), did most of the cooking while Doria and I sampled Russian wines.

Saturday:
I met with my friend Julia and we went to chocolate "museum." It was a chocolate store and not a museum so that was a let down. We then went to a little cafe and I had my first iced coffee in 2 months. It was AMAZING! Two things I miss here, ice and iced coffee. They seem to think if you want iced coffee that you want the iced pureed with the coffee and that is far from what I want. In America we constantly complain that places give us too much ice in our drink but be happy you have clean enough water to make ice out of and they offer you ice free of charge. I'll never complain about that again.
After that I met with my new friend Irina and her Best Friend. We sat at the mall and talked a lot. It always makes me so nervous to speak Russian to native Russian speakers. Luckily, she speaks English really well. I even learned some new words :)
I took the metro home by myself and on my way out I noticed one of my friends and we were talking outside of the metro when a police officer came up behind him and asked for his passport. The police did not talk, look or even acknowledge my existence. My friend did not have his passport so the police took him to a corner and he had to pay them to not go to jail. Russian bribery at its finest. I don't understand how some of these people sleep at night.

Sunday:
I like to keep my Sundays as peaceful as possible since my weeks are always extremely busy. Today, I just ate at the cafe, watched Grey's Anatomy, studied a little Russian and ate pizza at the cafe. Yes, I ate at the cafe twice and yes, they have pizza here. I liked waking up and hearing that UK won. I'm a little sad that I'm not home to celebrate with everyone. :(

Ясная Поляна

Leo Tolstoy is one of the most famous authors in Russian history. He is an icon to Russia and after learning more about him yesterday, I now know why...
Yesterday, we traveled to Tula, via Electreechka, which is just like an above ground metro. It was over a 3 hour trip and the electreechka is something I wouldn't mind never riding again for that long of a time period. We did get to see the Russian country side though. Once we arrived in Tula, we paid 20 rubles (about 56 cents) to use a toilet that was a hole in the ground. It was an experience I guess. We then  boarded our own personal marshrootka to Leo Tolstoy's estate. It was about a 20 minute ride. The Russian country side reminded me of the Kentucky countryside. 

Leo Tolstoy’s estate was a farm with a horse, ducks and dogs. I note that first because I really loved the ducks.  His home was simple but tasteful and filled with thousands of books in multiple different languages. Everything was as he left it and inventoried by his wife before she died. I could tell that he was a man that appreciated his culture as well as others because in his study he had a copy of the bible as well as the Quran. In his study there was also an old leather couch that he was born on as well as all of his children. It was said that if children were born on that couch that they would live to an old age. That statement was found out to be false because many of his children died in infancy. He obviously just wanted a simple life and that was shown by his estate.

After the tour, we ate at a small restaurant and had salad, borscht, potatoes, chicken and finished with cake and tea. The food was delicious and allegedly was from Tolstoy’s personal cookbook. The borscht was amazing.

Later, we shopped at the little shops and I bought a gingerbread cat. It was different from any gingerbread that I had had before and I can’t decide if it was better or worse. I also bought two cat statues, a refrigerator magnet and a wooden spoon with cats on it. My obsession with cats has gotten stronger since being here.  

 On the way back from Tula, two drunken Russian police officers took one of the wonderful Russian girls with us to talk to her so the rest of the Russian’s went as well. They were asking who we were, why we were there, and who was in charge of us.  It was a pointless conversation and is a little bit concerning that the people who are paid to keep citizens safe were wasted. Way to keep the stereotypes alive, Russian police. So when you see a sober police officer, please thank him from Kallie McDaniel.

Overall my day was extremely exhausting. I woke up at 3 am and did not get home until 1 am. Due to that, I overslept and missed my first class this morning. Traveling is fulfilling, but no one said it was supposed to be easy.

Being nice is not something you should have to 'try' to do.

I started off the morning by taking the Marshrootka to class. The driver and I had a conversation the entire way there. He said he remembered me from the other day and he just wanted to know where I was from and what I was studying in Moscow. He is from Tajikistan and works everyday. Yesterday, when I was talking about immigration from Mexico to the United States, A Russian girl mentioned that in Russia they have a lot of immigrants from Tajikistan. She said that they come here because there are more job opportunities.  From what I have noticed during my many rides, people tend to treat those who drive marshrootkas as if they are less than human. I refuse to treat them or anyone else for that matter like that. It is amazing how many friends you can make and how much you can learn from people by just being kind to strangers. The sooner we all realize that not everyone has ulterior motives including but not limited to, kidnapping us, killing us, marrying us, beating us up, or selling us into white slavery, the less arrogant American's will seem. Humans are generally curious and usually a lot of people just want to know why in the heck I chose to come to Russia out of every other place in the world. That's a very logical question considering everyone in America asks me the same thing. (Stepping down off my soapbox). 
When I got off at my stop, a wonderful young lady overheard the conversation and said that my Russian was not bad at all and that I can practice with her anytime. By being kind to only one person, I was automatically deemed approachable and made two new friends.
Since I started off my morning with a Russian conversation, I was on fire and ready for my test in grammar. I think I did really well. It's amazing how much my Russian has improved because if I would have tried to take that test 2 months ago, I would not have been able to take it. Since I only have one class on Thursdays, I got to go home. Going home is never anything less than an adventure with me, because I got on a different marshootka and who would have guessed, I am also friends with the two people who work on that one. When I was getting off, a Russian guy who was riding told me "Good Luck." I'm not sure exactly what he meant by that. Maybe he meant "Good Luck learning Russian, Good Luck finding where you need to be, Good Luck surviving in Moscow, Good Luck living life."  I'll just assume he meant a general, "Good Luck living life, Kallie." I officially can never leave Moscow because I will miss my marshootka adventures too much. America should seriously start these. For a standard fee 30 roubles (Less than $1) I can go a good distance.

Currently, I am trying to memorize a song called 'Katyusha' for my tutoring on Monday. It is a really catchy song and I feel like it is something I should sing to my children one day.

I see snow and bright future in IR

As I look out the window right now, I get the view of how I pictured Russia from America...snowy. This is the fluffiest snow I have ever seen in my life!
Today was a great day. I learned new words in Reading and was extremely sarcastic in phonetics class! I'm pretty sarcastic in English but I did not mean for it to carry over to Russian. Whoops :)
I've noticed two major things lately: 1.) My understanding has gotten phenomenally better. 2.) My pronunciation and Russian accent is really amazing and I think I have definitely chosen the right language to learn.
We got to miss grammar class because we were required to meet with Russian students to do some activities together. We were divided into two groups and each group had to pick a country to represent. We then had to pick a 'leader' for the country and make a commercial advertising them. We chose Mexico and made a song about how our leader was automatically better because she was not Miles (the other country's leader). We then had to narrate a video without sound on YouTube, create a closing speech, and make new laws for the country we chose. It was a really fun experience and I met new Russian friends in the process. I feel like activities like these are extremely necessary to promote positive dialogue between cultures in a fun and creative way. It wouldn't kill Putin and Obama to try it sometime. If the citizens of countries can get along, I'm not quite understanding why those who allegedly represent the citizens can't. Thank God the future of both countries were cooperating and having fun today in room 107 of Moscow State University. The future is looking so much brighter. But hey, I'm not going to get political on everyone.
Today was another one of those days to remember. :)

I'm posting the latest security warning...

Simply because I have nothing else to discuss........
This is what a security message looks like: 


UNITED STATES EMBASSY MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Security Message to U.S. Citizens: Large Rally/Concert in Red Square and Possible Other Locations in Russia

March 18, 2014

U.S. Embassy Moscow notifies U.S. citizens and family members that Russian government authorities will permit a large-scale “mass rally-concert” entitled “We Are Together” to take place in Red Square at 18:00 today, March 18.  The event will express political support for residents of Crimea and with President Putin’s policies there.  Tens of thousands are expected to participate.  It is possible that similar rallies will take place in other Russian cities, including St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.  Such large gatherings may cause significant traffic and mass-transit disruptions.

A larger-than-usual police presence will likely be evident in and around downtown Moscow to monitor the events.  U.S. citizens should carry their identification and show it if requested to do so by legitimate authorities.

Please note the following guidance from the U.S. Department of State’s Country Specific Information for the Russian Federation:  “U.S. citizens should avoid all public demonstrations, whether properly authorized by local officials or not, and avoid any large crowds and public gatherings that lack enhanced security measures.”

U.S. citizens are reminded that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.  Review your personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, and monitor local news stations for updates.  Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

For those at home watching CNN (my aunt, mom, grandmother, father), let me reiterate this fact, the views/actions of the government do not always reflect that of the people. Just because the leaders of Russia and the USA are having issues does not mean that I have issues with Russian citizens and Russians really are not going to care much about Kallie McDaniel trying to get on the marshootka to class.

 

Am I really in danger? 

Absolutely not.

Am I going to adventure to the gathering?

Absolutely not.

Do Russians hate Americans now that there are some disagreements between the governments?

Absolutely not.

Most importantly, will there be blini at the gathering?

That question will remain unanswered.

 

Ps. I'm still having an amazing time :)

Saint Petersburg

Friday morning we arrived in Saint Petersburg and went to the hostel. This was my first stay in a hostel and it was really nice. The first day started off with a walk to the hermitage and on our way we stopped at Kazan cathedral. It was an actual working cathedral so I had to wear a headscarf. After, we continued on to the hermitage and began our very long tour. The highlights for me included the ballrooms and Queen’s throne. After the hermitage we went to Saint Isaac’s cathedral and then ate a delicious American styled burger at a restaurant. 

Saturday we saw the Peter and Paul fortress and since it was snowing it gave a feeling of authenticity. In the past, they shot two cannons a day. One signified the beginning of the day and the other signified the ending of the working day. Now, they only shoot the cannon once a day and we were there to hear and witness it. I had never heard a cannon before. It was very loud and scary. At the fortress there was a prison for political prisoners only.  While the rooms were better than mine at MSU, the people that stayed there got absolutely NO socialization and they rarely if ever got to leave their room.  After the fortress we saw a battle “sheap.” That is kind of an inside joke because on our schedule it said “sheap” rather than “ship” and we couldn’t stop making jokes about it. The ship was called the Aurora and was in the Russo-Japanese war, WWI, WWII and three revolutions. While I am not interested in ships, it was cool to see what one actually looks like on the inside.

Sunday we saw Catherine’s Palace. The palace was breathtakingly beautiful and the land surrounding it was also wonderful. I encourage anyone who can to travel and visit it for themselves. Catherine was a woman with obvious great taste in home décor. Our group did a rendition of “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen, by the lake. Russia really is a winter wonderland.

I saw The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. As I stood in the cathedral, I looked around and had one of those 'aw' moments. This church was what inspired me to continue to study Russian. My freshman year of college, I sat in a Russian history class and this was the first church we learned about and from then on I was completely in love with the idea of Russia. I never would have imagined when I sat in that history class looking at pictures on the projector that one day I would actually be able to stand inside of it! The ability to experience moments like that are why I am here in Russia.

 Tonight (Sunday) we are on the night train heading back to Moscow. Overall, I have decided that I personally like Moscow better. I feel like I now have an attachment to the city and the life I have started there. While Saint Petersburg was a beautiful city to visit, travel and explore the history, Moscow is a city of a life that I have grown to enjoy.  Sitting on this train, I feel as if I am going home and I have the same excitement that I felt when leaving Europe three years ago to go back to the United States.

Have you heard? There's a rumor in St. Petersburg

So this post cannot be officially read until you listen to the attached video.
Tomorrow evening (technically today), I am going to St. Petersburg! In my Russian history class in the US, we focused a lot on St. Petersburg, so I am so excited to get to see it for myself. That is the beauty of travel. Things are always more beautiful in real life rather than photos (except for the Mona Lisa but that is a different story).
My schedule for the next few days include an overnight train Thursday night. Overnight trains are one of those things you only want to do once, and since I've already taken an overnight train once, I am not as excited as I could be about that part. We will be coming back on Sunday night and arriving in Moscow on Monday morning. Over the weekend I will be seeing (copied and pasted from my schedule) :
Hermitage
Isaaky Cathedral
Peter&Pavel Fortress
Battel sheap "Aurora" 
Castle and Church
Dostoevsky Museum
Russky Museum
I will make sure to give my review on each place.

We also have a lot of free time and according to one of my friends that time will be spend reenacting Anastasia. If you have not watched the movie Anastasia, I would encourage you to do so now.
 I'm really looking forward to my adventure tomorrow. I will keep everyone posted and upload plenty of new photos on Facebook. 

A day in the park-no classes today :)

There is nothing like a relaxing day in the park, no matter where in the world you may be! Today, my two friends and I went to Gorky Park, which is a happening place in Moscow. It was a beautiful 50+ degrees Fahrenheit, the sun was shining and I didn't have to wear my heavy jacket. The park itself is very beautiful and everyone rides bikes, roller blades, skateboards, romantically walks with their significant other or pushes their adorable Russian baby in a stroller.  The park is very large and we didn't really get to see all of it. There was a river and we just sat there and looked at the water, while taking in the very rare sunlight. I even got to see some ducks! With the stresses of trying to learn Russian, wondering what to pack for St. Petersburg and classes in general, a nice relaxing day was very much needed. I noticed some interesting things; Russian's apparently like their hotdogs because we waited in line for over 30 minutes for one and mine was so spicy that I couldn't even eat it. Out of all the things in Russia, I would have never expected a hot dog to be spicy. Also, corn on the cob is a casual, not to mention popular treat at the park. If you are not into corn on the cob, there are also cups of corn available topped off with butter. That's not what I would have chosen for a park treat, but hey, to each his own. I also got to see Russian's in a more relaxed, family friendly atmosphere. Here, mothers dearly love their children, kids throw tantrums and everyone enjoys a nice relaxing day in the park-just like anywhere else in the world.

The language struggle.

Anytime you meet someone who is living in a country where there native language is not spoken, commend them on their efforts to learn the native language. I've heard so many times in the United States, "If you are in the United States, speak English." I'm not going to get into how ridiculous that statement is but rather explain the struggle of learning a language. I came to Russia with a very minimal knowledge of the language. In order to communicate with almost anyone I have to speak in Russian. From getting a bag of chips to getting directions, it is all in Russian. Every single day I learn new words and phrases, but there is only so much I can learn in a day. In class we can go over the phrase, "Where are you from?" and I can answer not only perfectly but with wonderful pronunciation. When I am on the street and someone asks me that question, I get so nervous that I can't remember anything. Speaking a new language is like giving a presentation every single day. I learn something in class and go out and present my new knowledge the Russian citizens. There, they can understand what I said, not understand a word, or laugh at my efforts. It is definitely a self esteem booster when they say that my Russian is great, but when they don't understand it is heartbreaking.
The majority of the Russian I have learned has been through my non English speaking Russian friends. Their patience with me and effort to help me along this Russian language journey has helped my Russian skills develop tremendously. Until you have lived in a country where you don't speak the most commonly spoken language, it is impossible to understand the wide range of emotions that are experienced while trying to learn.

So I encourage you, when you are on the phone with a customer service agent who speaks English poorly, or it is hard to understand through their accent, to address them with respect and patience. Not only is talking with you great practice, but it shows that their hard work and effort to learn English really does pay off. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to communicate and from personal experience it is really saddening when someone won't give you the opportunity to try.

Масленица & Armed Forces

The day started early with a trip to the Armed Forces museum. This was an amazing place and it was extremely well designed. We had a Russian speaker as a tour guide and then another one to translate. My favorite part was the military vehicle display outside. I had never seen military vehicles that close! Germany had 2 tons of medals in Russia to give to the soldiers when they captured Moscow, since that did not happen and they left so abruptly, the museum now has 2 tons of those medals.

After, we all went to the Масленица festival. You can read about the history of it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslenitsa
There was so much Блины! Its like a very thin pancake filled with anything that you want. I started out the morning with a chocolate and banana one and then I had one with ham & cheese. Sorry to all of my non pork eaters :)

This was a wonderful experience that I had looked forward to since before I came to Russia. I'm a little bit sad that I don't get to celebrate it with the University of Kentucky Russian club on Tuesday, but maybe next year!
Today was an overall great day except for the fact that I can't find shoes in my size but I'm not getting into that :(

Sorry for the wait!

I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to write much. That in addition to me blowing my macbook charger, but no need to worry, I found the blackmarket in moscow and bought a new charger! I'm going to begin by talking about Monday night. My friends and I thought it would be a great idea to go to a little club on Monday evening. We danced, met new people and had a great time. We took a "gypsy" cab home, which is just a random person who will drive you home. I know that doesn't sound that safe, but it is a normal thing here. The next morning, after an hour of sleep we had an excursion to the museum of the revolution. There we walked through the history of Russia seeing things from Russia's grim past to it's promising future. Our tour guide was amazing, not to mention his snazzy snake skin shoes :). The sun was shining that day, so I couldn't help but smile. The marshooka door opener said I was his girlfriend. I guess a smiling woman is a rare oddity here. The rest of the week has just been filled with homework, homework and more homework. My Russian is dramatically improving though. 
Today after class I decided to do laundry. The laundry room is the place for social activity because I met a Russian guy and he helped me with my homework. I'm done with all my homework so the weekend can officially begin. :D

Я понимаю! I understand!

The past two days the sun has finally decided to come out in Moscow. It's a beautiful and mood lifting sight! The more the sun shines, the more the temperature drops and I really do not understand how. My room is always so cold! I bought a poster today to add a little bit of decoration to my very depressing room. It's amazing how much you want to do when the sun finally shines!
I had a breakthrough in class today! The teacher kept talking and asking questions in Russian and I realized that I was translating everything in my head at a reasonable pace and basically perfectly. This was an ah ha moment for me because I can finally see some drastic improvement. There are rarely ever times in my life where I sit back and think, "Good job, Kallie," but today I realized that I am so proud of myself. Listening and understanding is extremely difficult for me and I am on my way to mastering it with Russian. I never imagined that I would come this far with Russian language and even though it is a little difficult and overwhelming at times, the reward of progress is well worth it all. 
It's finally the weekend and much needed at that. The thing is, since I'm in Moscow, even though its the weekend and I have no language classes, the lessons continue in real life situations. For example, in class I would never learn the word "таракан" which means "cockroach," but since there are allegedly some in the kitchen on our floor, I learned the word. :) The adventures never end here.
I also went to a political seminar on Thursday night. I was going to make a post about Russian politics in general but I didn't think everyone wanted to read about politics.
Well, I can mark this off as another successful week in Moscow!

Nothing much here.

I had three Russian classes today in a row-reading, phonetics and then grammar. That's 5 hours of intensive Russian language. Needless to say I was so tired after because there is nothing like learning a foreign language to put stress on your brain. Nothing too exciting has really been happening in the past couple of days. The highlight of my day yesterday was when a 1 and a half year old little Russian boy waved at me.
I read an awesome page about some of the issues that I have been going through so far while being abroad. So far I've gone through 8/10 listed. The hard/soft water thing is a serious issue here.
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/17/beauty-problems-study-abroad_n_4612765.html

I dropped the Russian political economic system class that required the 20 page paper. Yes, I'm being a little lazy but I'm  here to explore, have fun and learn...not write a novel. I have a wonderful Russian literature class and since I love to read, I know I will really enjoy it. I've started reading the first required reading already called, The Life of Archpriest Avvakum and it is written by himself. It's not very long and an interesting read. According to a small review on wikipedia:

    "Avvakum's colourful autobiography memorably recounts hardships of his imprisonment and exile  to the Russian Far East, the story of his friendship and rupture with the Tsar Alexis, his practice of exorcising demons and devils, and his boundless admiration for nature and other works of God."

Feel free to read it at this link, http://www2.potsdam.edu/mausdc/class/481/avvakum.htm

Well, that is honestly about it.

My ballet review

So, as some people know, Russia is famous for ballet. Tonight I got to watch sleeping beauty. The costumes were beyond wonderful, the scenery was magnificent and the dancers did a perfect performance. I was thoroughly entertained. A guy named Je in my group was also entertained because he was clapping really really loud :).

After the ballet we went to eat at a traditional Russian/Ukraine place and they fed us so much delicious food. I now know why there is so much sour cream in Russia-because it is amazing with pancakes! I know that sounds strange but it is soooo great.
During the performance I feel like I got homesick because I started thinking about how my cousin does ballet and she would really enjoy watching this. That made me think about missing my aunt. Then there were two ballet dancers acting like cats and it reminded me of how much I miss my cat. Later that night my mom skyped me at a restaurant and then I started missing her. My dad sent me a message on facebook and I started missing him. I then started thinking about kabsa (middle eastern dish) and I started missing all my friends back home. This was just a downward spiral of homesickness.
In addition to the ballet, great food and homesickness, I was told today that I have to write a 20 page paper and I am really not interested in doing that at all. If it was a paper about Russian history then that would be awesome but no, it's about why America's economy is better than Russia's and why a lot of American businesses wont come to Russia. It could be a potentially interesting topic, but not 20 pages worth of interesting.
Everyone wish me luck :).

Never a dull moment

It's Sunday and on Sunday's I like to do laundry. I was going to ask my roommate to help me figure it out but I decided to take the adventure myself. The laundry room is on the bottom floor of my sector so it is very close to me. Before I came to Russia, the only advice that was repeatedly given to me was "be prepared to wait and have a lot of patience." I didn't think I would need patience to do a small task such as laundry, but I was very wrong. I had to wait over an hour to put my clothes in the washer because there was a "laundry room monitor" who would tell you when you could put your clothes in the washer. It cost around $2.85 (100 rubles) and she gave you the coins to put in the machine as well as the laundry detergent. I thought that was convenient. After your laundry was done washing, you put it in the dryer yourself, pay her again and she gave you the coins. There is an option to have her wash your clothes but that can take up to 3 days.
While I was waiting, I met some other Americans as well as a new Russian friend, so my time waiting was time very well spent.
So, I thought tonight I would order a pizza from the cafe and have it delivered to my room. I must have been feeling very confident or something. I didn't understand what the lady on the phone was saying, even with my best Russian she didn't know what I was saying so in the end I just hung up and walked downstairs and ordered it.
Other than that I have just been working on my Russian homework and trying to memorize some new verbs. I have class tomorrow at 9 am and I am definitely not looking forward to that.

Today was a day to remember

Today, Feb 15th, was just one of those days I will never forget. The American's got together with some Russians along with a Finnish guy (Mark) and watched the US-Russia hockey match. I can't explain what a fulfilling experience this was for me. These few hours encompassed why I came to Russia. The fact that people from all different backgrounds, world views, and experiences could come together and cheer for our countries without hard feelings was amazing. It is possible to have pride for your own country and not be obnoxious or arrogant about it. I thought both teams did an amazing job and I am happy that I was able to be in Russia at this time. I am so thankful for my new Russian friends that are so willing to help me with the language and willing to show me the Russia that they know and love. I will forever be grateful for this day.
After the hockey match we all walked to the red square and it was so amazing with all of the lights. Some of us went to Mcdonalds and some of us went to a London styled pub. We ate, drank, and talked about the game. One of the Russian guys told me how hard it is to understand us when we talk fast and that made me feel better because to me it is also difficult to understand Russians when they talk fast. We all are experiencing the same things when learning each other's native language. Every day I learn how we all are the same rather than how we are different. We're students on a limited budget. We study, learn and have dreams for the future. I'm just so happy I got to achieve one of my dreams of coming to Russia.

If America sneezes, the world catches cold.

The past few days have been extremely busy which is why I really haven't had a lot of time to write about whats been going on. On Thursday I only had one class, but then that afternoon our group met with a group of Russians (some young, most old) to talk about politics and stereotypes. Amazingly, one of the older women talked about when she was younger and she read a book called "Tom Sawyer." She always dreamed of the imaginary land in the book until one day she learned that there really was a place like that and it is called America. Her entire childhood she saw America as a competitor in sports and the race to the moon but she never saw America as the enemy.The way she described America made me want to go there myself. She was speaking like she was a young child again and by the way her eyes shined, you could tell that everything she said was straight from the heart.
Another lady spoke on how Russian women aren't so wrapped up in worrying about what Russian models look like, but they do want to look like American models. They do all these things that Americans do such as "eat hamburgers."It broke my heart that she said that because even though America is pretty great, Russia is also great as well. They are two different cultures but that doesn't make one culture better than the other. Obviously I thought Russia is pretty amazing because I'm willing to take 4 months out of my life in America to come here, explore and learn.
A lot was earned from this experience and I now have a greater respect for America as well as Russia. We have to realize that the actions of the government do not always reflect the beliefs of the people. Just because Russia and the USA have some issues on a governmental level does not mean the Russians and American people have to have issues with each other. We are all humans. We want a lot of the same things out of life; to make a comfortable living, have our children have a better life than we do and to live in a peaceful environment. Until we all communicate with one another on a personal level, we will sit 4,000 miles away from each other, watching CNN and FOX news believing whatever 'news' they happen to be selling that day.

Back to school

I started class today! Each class is an hour and a half long with 20 minute breaks in between. My first class was reading, followed by phonetics, followed by grammar. The classes had 6 people in it including me, so its very easy to get one on one attention. I feel like the classes are right on my level and they really were not to bad. The teachers come to you rather than everyone changing classrooms, so I stayed in the same room, in the same seat all day long. In reading class we were given a worksheet and we just read it together and translated. Phonetics class we were given a list of words and we read them while working on pronouncing them correctly. In grammar class we learned new vocabulary and went over masculine, feminine and neuter. It was good to have a review! Alex and I ate boneless wings and fries after class because we were not in the mood for culture exploration. Haha.
Tomorrow, I only have one class and then Friday I have 3 again. I think this semester will be just fine.
I went to the bookstore and bought a notebook. Lined paper must not be a thing here because all I can find is graphing paper. 

PS, I didn't write a post yesterday because I didn't feel like me sleeping all day was blogworthy. Sooner or later my sleeping will get adjusted.

At least I tried...

This morning I got up to take my Russian placement test -_-. Since I couldn't even understand the directions, its obvious I didn't do very good. It consisted of listening, grammar, reading and speaking. I wrote on my entire paper, 'Я не знаю' ( I don't know). I never even made it to the speaking before I gave up and said "just put me in the beginner class."I am definitely struggling with the listening part. I'm not going to get discouraged though because I'm here to learn and I'm getting better everyday. After that me and some others went to the mall and ate Lebanese food and it was actually really good. I've believe I've previously mentioned the shower issue where the water wouldn't drain for like 5 minutes. Well, my roommate being the angel that we all know she is, bought me drain cleaner. I don't believe anyone fully understands how wonderful she is. I would have never found drain cleaner here because it's all in Russian. I will forever be grateful for her helping me to adjust and figure things out here.
Not much else is really going on today. We don't start class until Wednesday and mine doesn't start until 10:50. Thank the good lord Jesus. A good tourist would probably spend the rest of the day and tomorrow out adventuring, but it has been non stop since I've got here and I think I just need to sit back and take it all in. We are going to be visiting a historical sight once a week for the rest of the trip so I think I'll see plenty of sights.

Note to self

Today I woke up and thought I would navigate the bus system since I had a free day. I have to get to the classroom building tomorrow to take a placement test at 10 am. Luckily, the first bus I got on took me straight to the bus stop in front of the language department. Walking there is around a 25-30 minute walk, which is very reasonable but I know most days I will not want to be trudging through the Russian winter at 8 am for class. After getting off, I took a little mini bus back to where all the shops were to go to Ashan, which is like a little Walmart. I bought, 10 hangers, hair ties, 2 books, a towel, and a shower caddy all for 9 USD. I then went to McDonalds and ate. A man was walking around asking people for money and it was a little creepy. My friend Alex went with me on all of these little adventures today.
On Sundays, you cant walk through the entirety of the building, so you can only get to your dorm room by entering from the outside door of your sector. Alex and I entered in sector Б rather than sector В and there was no way to walk through the building to get to the right side. A guy from China walked us through some sketchy underground doors that lead to outside and then walked us to sector B. I am so thankful that he did that because we would never have found it ourselves.
Tomorrow I have to get up early for the placement test. I need to be in the beginner class to review on the grammar. I wish I could just tell them that rather than going through this whole testing process that includes speaking. I hope they don't judge me on my southern Russian accent.

New russian friends

Today was one of those days where it was so cold outside that I just wanted to stay in bed and not move, but I made myself get up and get ready to go on the tour.

The morning started off with breakfast at the cafe. I tried to ask if it was breakfast or lunch and it turned into a complicated scenario but in the end I got an omelet. I then took the "marshooka" (little mini van bus) to the metro with my new friend Alex. We met our group, a girl from Florida, some new American students and 4 Russians. We all went and met our tour guide who gave us a walking tour of historical points in Moscow and gave us interesting information on the political situation and basically why Russia is so far behind everyone else. It all boils down to geography and Russia not having mountains or rivers like everyone else. Fun fact for everyone, did you know that currently, United Russia is the number one political party in Russia and the Communist party is number 2? I thought that was interesting information. I saw St. Basil's cathedral and it was extremely breathtaking especially with all the snow! Ivan the Terrible had St. Basil's cathedral built and it is the first Russian building with the onion domes on the top. He actually took the idea from India. There was a story that he wanted this building to be the most beautiful in the world and no one could remake it, so he cut the tongue and eyes out of the architect. I'm not sure of the validity of the story.
After the tour we all set down at an armenian restaraunt for dinner. This gave us time to talk to the native Russian's about their stereotypes of Americans and our stereotypes of them.  The interesting thing was that they had to think really hard on American stereotypes and only came up with one which was that Americans were going to steal the Russian people. This was a big contrast to the 20+ stereotypes that Americans have of Russian people. We are so quick to think that Russians "hate" Americans but in reality they all don't. The Russians actually invited me and 3 others over next week for pancakes and we all exchanged numbers. Since one of my mental life goals was to meet a Russian person and become friends, I did that x4 today. I ate potatoes at the restaurant. I'm still trying to figure out the foods to eat. :)
After eating, we all took the metro back to MSU and here I am. I've had a struggle trying to get on the internet because I kept getting some warning page in Russian. After pushing buttons for an hour I think I might have fixed the situation. Fingers crossed.

кофе досвидания

Today was a great day! I started off the morning with a coffee with milk and sugar which they refer to as a cappuccino and I also got eggs with tomatoes and their version of pancakes. I've decided that the language barrier is not that hard to break through if you can get creative with what you know. I wanted to get my coffee to go and I knew the word for coffee but not for "to go" so I said "кофе досвидания" which means, coffee goodbye. She understood.
We then all met at the Метро Университет ( Metro University) and got off at the stop Библиотека (Library). There we went to the Kremlin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Kremlin
I saw some pretty amazing cathedrals with beautiful and historical paintings. The best part was it was snowing so we really got the full Russian effect. After, a few of us went to eat at an Irish pub and then went to a pretty interesting bar to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The cool thing was, the bar/restaurant had multiple American flags and a sign that said God Bless America. This was right in the main part of Moscow. Like I said before, the stereotypes are just NOT true. I have to say, America really represented at the opening ceremony.

After that, we took the metro back home and I went back to my room. The small steps and improvements that I'm making in communication as well as navigation is really motivating to me. I didn't have to even find my student ID today because some students went and brought back everyone's.
I'm looking forward to language classes starting next week so I can improve on my Russian more and more.

Breaking Stereotypes

After one of my group members posted a status about stereotypes about Russian people, I felt the need to also address the issue as well. It's easy to pass judgement on people when you are being fed information from the media. If all you have ever known about Russia is from American news channels and TV shows, it would be easy to think that Russia is a terrible place with rude people who are mean to foreigners. I figured that when I got here I was going to be mistreated and Russians wouldn't help me and that they wouldn't smile. I can agree that Russians do not smile as much as Americans do but the rest is ridiculous. Any time I have been to a restaurant or have been lost and needed directions, Russians have been willing to help me in any way possible. Even though their English isn't very good and my Russian is very bad, they still manage to help as much as they can up until actually walking me to where I need to be. I had heard so many negative things about Russian people that when I got here I was shocked. I am having problems with the money because I don't know my numbers very well and every cashier has been patient and helpful with me.
I think it is very important that students study abroad in lesser explored areas because now I have a new outlook on Russia that I can take home and share with others. By doing that, I will be contributing first hand information on the truths about Russia rather than accepting everything that the American news posts as fact.

My roommate is a gift from God.

 Today we didn't get started till around 2 pm. We took our first trip on the metro. The doors on the metro close without warning and they close with extreme force. It's very scary. Other than that it is very convenient to use. We went to a tourist street in Moscow and it was definitely aimed at Americans with English music playing, the statue of liberty and mickey mouse. A drunk, old, Russian man kept trying to talk to us. We then went to red square and are going back tomorrow to go inside and actually tour. I have to go get my student ID tomorrow which is about 2 miles away and then meet at the metro station all before 2:30. I know I can get to the metro station but getting to the language department to get my ID is another story. Today, after the metro ride, I got into a little van which is used as a type of bus here and got to the university all by myself.
That was really the main excitement of the day. I came back to my room and took a nap. I needed to put roubles on my phone so that I will have minutes to call our director tomorrow when I am lost in Moscow looking for my student ID, and my angel roommate helped me do that. She is from Japan and speaks some English.
Prayers that I don't get lost tomorrow.

I like the view from here

I'm finally in Moscow! It was not as easy getting here as I had hoped. There was a huge snowstorm that caused a lot of flights to JFK airport to be cancelled so I ended up getting rerouted. I left the Louisville airport at 5 pm on Monday then flew to Minnesota then immediately borded the plane to Amsterdam then immediately borded the plane to Moscow. I arrived at Moscow about 4 am US time. There were no layovers, just constant travel. When I got to the airport I realized I was definitely in for an adventure as I tried to find terminal D arrivals. Eventually after using all the Russian I knew, a Russian guy walked me to the elevators. I found where I needed to be.

The ride from the airport was nothing less of exciting. Russian drivers drive like they are shown on youtube; CRAZY. The traffic was extremely backed up and it took us every bit of 2 hours to get from the airport to the dorm. I got into my room after a long drawn out process and I soon realized the lack of wifi. At this point I was tired, STARVING, dying of thirst and going through internet withdraws. We were given phones that can have minutes put on them so I was excited to call home when I found out the entire phone was in Russian. I really questioned my sanity and choice of coming to Russia at this point. My roommate came back from Sweden at around 6 am Moscow time and she was so sweet and helped me find where to get food and after I ate and was in a better mood I figured out the phone situation. Carbonated water is very common here and is sold right beside bottles of regular water. (I learned that the hard way.) I definitely have the word for non carbonated water memorized now.

Today (Feb 5th), the group got together and waited a long time for our passports to be registered with the university, then we went and took pictures for our student ID's, we then walked to the language department, walked around Moscow, went to a little mall and wrapped up the day at a sports bar that served boneless wings!

For everyone who is concerned for my safety, I promise, this has to be the safest campus in the world. The university is gated and in order to get through the gate you have to go into a little house and have your documents checked by very intimidating security guards. Once you are in the gate, in order to get into the area of the dorm rooms you have to have your documents checked by another security guard. Russia is very secure in the sense that they know who is in the country, where they are, and when they better be gone. I kind of like it.

I know that everyone is concerned about the weather and right now at 10:00pm it is 21 degrees. It honestly does not feel that cold outside because there is no wind. I was walking most of the day and had no problem. Some sidewalks are a mixture of snow and mud which can be slippery, but the majority of the sidewalks were pretty clear.

I'm having a good time so far and I'm excited for classes to start soon. We have a metro tour tomorrow, walking tour on Saturday and then a placement test on Monday.

The Rollercoaster Ride

I keep reading about how studying abroad is like a roller coaster with ups and downs. I hadn't really experienced any feeling other than pretty good about the preparation for the trip, that is until tonight. When I got accepted to the program I was so excited because things were starting to move forward. I wasn't even sure that I would be able to study abroad this semester because I started the process so late. After the initial excitement things just kind of stayed the same and I didn't have any change of emotion. The past week I've felt like I was in a dream. Russia seems so far away and for some reason I can't believe I will actually be there very soon. So here it at 1 am on Feb 2nd so that means I will be heading to Moscow tomorrow. This dream that I've had for so long will actually become a reality and in theory I should be overjoyed, but that is far from what I'm feeling tonight. I think I'm scared and I don't know what I'm even scared of. It might be just a fear of the unknown. I'm one of those people that is over prepared for everything. Knowledge is not only power to me, but it is comfort. If I know what is going on, what to expect and a few random facts about something then I'm 100% comfortable. Don't get me wrong, I've done my research, took a semester of Russian, went to my Russia club meetings and read my Moscow tourist guide but I still have no idea what to expect. I have absolutely no expectations because I just don't know what expectations to have. I'm hopeful that this nervousness will pass soon because the rest of today is totally dedicated to visiting my family and doing some last minute Russian studies (I feel like I'm cramming before the ultimate test.)
I intend to keep my goals in mind and remember all of the reasons that I fell in love with the idea of Russia to begin with. I know these next four months will fly by and I am going to spend that time embracing, experiencing and learning all that I can.

Ready or not, Russia, here I come.

Goals > Fears

Its officially less than a week until I'll be in Russia. I still don't have my visa, but never fear because it will be here on Saturday. In the mean time, I can't get past all of the "warnings" my fellow American's have been giving me. I called customer service for my health insurance and the guy on the phone kept saying things like, "I've heard a lot of things on the news. Make sure you come back safe" etc. etc. My aunt is concerned that there is a shortage of clothes in Russia and everyone will be trying to steal my clothes, my dad thinks I'm going to get robbed, my mom is afraid I'll end up in prison and my grandmother thinks I'm going to die. I honesty have got minimal positive feedback from others when I tell them I'm going to Russia. Listening to everyone's thoughts and fears hasn't really given me time to evaluate my own. When I come to think of it, my main fear is losing my luggage. Maybe this is the young and care free side coming out in me because I really am not in fear for my safety. I am excited for this adventure and I am looking forward to how much I'll grow as a person during this experience. I can't let the fears of others get in the way of having a great time and getting the most out of this experience. I have set some goals for myself to achieve in the next four months:

1.) Make 3 new friends.
2.) Improve on my Russian grammar
3.) Go to a banya (Russian bath)
4.) See a Russian ballet
5.) Visit the Red Square
6.) Read 4 new pieces of Russian literature
7.) Learn how to type in Russian on my computer without having to use the keyboard viewer

On a side note, In preparation for the trip I got a flu shot, hepatitis A shot, and a TDAP shot (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis). When I went for my pre departure check up these were what the doctor suggested I get for travel to Russia.

До Свидания!

Getting Close & No Visa

So, this time next month I will officially be in Russia. Right now I'm just getting really excited and nervous for my trip. As this is my first time going to Russia, I am a little bit in shock at how long the visa process actually takes. I decided that I had to get to Russia on November 1st, 2013 and the deadline to apply to the study abroad company was November 13th, so I was really in a rush. I got everything done and even got a scholarship from the Russian department! Nothing is impossible when I set my mind to it.
It's less than a month until I leave and I still have not received my visa. The company that I am studying abroad with says not to worry, that this happens every semester but I can't help but be a little bit concerned. I have everything together (passport, passport photos, $325.00 check, and HIV test results), but I'm just waiting on the invitation letter, which has a code that I will use to finish the Visa process online, print out a paper, sign it, Fed Ex overnight it to the company with the supporting documents and then they will overnight it back to me when my visa is completed. They said I'll probably end up getting it the night before I leave. Tell me that is not pushing it a little bit. In the mean time I'm making list after list of things I need to buy before I go to take with me. I have two new jackets, one is a north face (my dad got it for me for Christmas) and the other one Tommy Hilfiger and it is warm but stylish (from my wonderful boyfriend). I definitely want to stay warm while I'm over there. I guess I'll give everyone a review later on how insulated the jackets really are. 
I really am thankful for my friends and family who are helping me prepare for this trip even though it was one of my usual spur of the moment ideas.

Only 1 Month until Take Off!

So this is my very first post. This time next month I'll be on a plane and beginning my four month journey of living and studying in Moscow Russia.
I'll start this blog by answering the question I get asked almost every day of my life: Why Russia?
Out of every country in the entire world that I could have gone to, yes, I willingly and happily chose Russia. I can't say what first attracted me to Russian language but there was a sign hanging up in White Hall Classroom building my freshman year of college that said, "Free Russian Lessons." At this point I had honestly never given Russia a thought but I wanted to incorporate something new into my weekly routine so I started going to these lessons once a week. The language lessons sparked my interest so I took a Russian history class and was hooked. Their history was so foreign to me and every day of the class I was learning things I didn't know that I didn't know. 
Now, here I am after one full semester of a Russian history class as well as a semester of Russian language. I don't know if I could ever have enough Russian language classes in America to prepare me for the immense amount of Russian I'll be facing come February 4th, but I'm ready and willing to take on this adventure. I am looking forward to all of the new Russian I will be learning while abroad as well as visiting the historical landmarks I've only read about in text books. 
This might not be every other person's interest or destination of choice, but it is mine and that's all that matters.