OK...so it has been a month now and the following words come to mind:
Apartment is ready tomorrow!!!
Beautiful scenery along the Moscow river
Careful
Dusty and dirty
Expensive
Friends...old and new
Grinning from ear to ear
Holding hands
Interesting
Job opportunity
Killer heels on the women (N G-C would be in heaven)
Luxury cars everywhere (BMW, Porsche, Mercedes)
Market shopping is better for produce, meat and cheese
New
Old habits die hard
Photographs
Quick
Reading
Supermodels everywhere -Russian women really are that beautiful
Time zones -too many to count
Underground metro stations are stunning works of art
Vodka is not sold after 10PM (by the bottle, of course)
Warm summer breeze blowing through the window
Хорошо (hey, nobody said I had to stick to English and since I make the rules...)
Yes
Zoo
Top 15 things I’ve learned over the course of the past month:
1) Construction takes place 7 days a week and beware the potholes. You are at risk and at fault here.
2) There is something in the drinking water here. The men and women here tower over me. That isn’t even taking into account the sky-high heels on the women.
3) No matter what the time of day, a party dress is always appropriate.
4) If no price is posted, there is always room for negotiation. Apparently I’m “in” with my fruit guy at the Wednesday/Sunday market. I paid local prices this time around. Don’t ask me what they were, I just know that I walked away with 3x what I bought last week for 1/2 the price. Negotiating for the icon of St. George slaying the dragon was funny too. I’m sure he would have gone lower but I was tired of the banter so I settled for a drop from 1500 РУБ to 700 РУБ. It seemed fair to me.
5) Women would rather starve than pass up the chance to buy a new pair of shoes. That might explain the waifs walking around everywhere. They do have great shoes though...
6) The pedestrian walk bonhomme only allows you enough time to get across 3/4 of the crossing before it starts to flash. How do the little old ladies cross the road? No, that was NOT the opening line of what could only be a bad joke.
7) Gas stations are few and far between. I have only seen 3 so far which leads me to wonder where everyone fills up their tanks.
8) “Walking on the right” does not apply here. Free for all is more the protocol on the sidewalk, crossing the street, waiting to buy tickets, etc. The only time that convention does apply is on the world’s longest escalators down to hell. Then you stand right and walk left. Personally, I prefer to cower against the handrail.
9) People are very outwardly affectionate. Couples hold hands and kiss in public no matter their age, old or young.
10) Flowers are brought home on a regular basis. You don’t necessarily offer them only by way of apology. Roses are especially popular. I wouldn’t know though as I haven’t yet received any...hint hint hint
11) Ice cream is a very popular treat here any time of day. This morning at 9AM I saw a woman eating a McDonald’s soft serve cone. They also have these little booths set up everywhere and they sell nothing but ice cream cones of various flavours and styles. They come in little bags that you tear open and they range in price from 25 РУБ to 50 РУБ. I tend to prefer the 50 РУБ ones, go figure!
12) Beer is sold by the 0,3L or 0,5L and I am addicted to lemonade mojitos with basil.
13) If it doesn’t say негазированная, your water will be carbonated. *sigh* I really don’t enjoy carbonated water. I really have to learn to decode faster.
14) Anything is available here...for a price.
15) The men here have no issue staring at the beautiful women walking by and the beautiful women walking by have no issue with the men staring at them.
Happy one month anniversary to me...I think I’m going to like it here. I think I’ll go buy myself some flowers.
The following images were taken at Victory Park, WWII memorial. St. George is the patron saint of Moscow. The last photo is part of the monument to all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust -an arresting sculpture.
Apartment is ready tomorrow!!!
Beautiful scenery along the Moscow river
Careful
Dusty and dirty
Expensive
Friends...old and new
Grinning from ear to ear
Holding hands
Interesting
Job opportunity
Killer heels on the women (N G-C would be in heaven)
Luxury cars everywhere (BMW, Porsche, Mercedes)
Market shopping is better for produce, meat and cheese
New
Old habits die hard
Photographs
Quick
Reading
Supermodels everywhere -Russian women really are that beautiful
Time zones -too many to count
Underground metro stations are stunning works of art
Vodka is not sold after 10PM (by the bottle, of course)
Warm summer breeze blowing through the window
Хорошо (hey, nobody said I had to stick to English and since I make the rules...)
Yes
Zoo
Top 15 things I’ve learned over the course of the past month:
1) Construction takes place 7 days a week and beware the potholes. You are at risk and at fault here.
2) There is something in the drinking water here. The men and women here tower over me. That isn’t even taking into account the sky-high heels on the women.
3) No matter what the time of day, a party dress is always appropriate.
4) If no price is posted, there is always room for negotiation. Apparently I’m “in” with my fruit guy at the Wednesday/Sunday market. I paid local prices this time around. Don’t ask me what they were, I just know that I walked away with 3x what I bought last week for 1/2 the price. Negotiating for the icon of St. George slaying the dragon was funny too. I’m sure he would have gone lower but I was tired of the banter so I settled for a drop from 1500 РУБ to 700 РУБ. It seemed fair to me.
5) Women would rather starve than pass up the chance to buy a new pair of shoes. That might explain the waifs walking around everywhere. They do have great shoes though...
6) The pedestrian walk bonhomme only allows you enough time to get across 3/4 of the crossing before it starts to flash. How do the little old ladies cross the road? No, that was NOT the opening line of what could only be a bad joke.
7) Gas stations are few and far between. I have only seen 3 so far which leads me to wonder where everyone fills up their tanks.
8) “Walking on the right” does not apply here. Free for all is more the protocol on the sidewalk, crossing the street, waiting to buy tickets, etc. The only time that convention does apply is on the world’s longest escalators down to hell. Then you stand right and walk left. Personally, I prefer to cower against the handrail.
9) People are very outwardly affectionate. Couples hold hands and kiss in public no matter their age, old or young.
10) Flowers are brought home on a regular basis. You don’t necessarily offer them only by way of apology. Roses are especially popular. I wouldn’t know though as I haven’t yet received any...hint hint hint
11) Ice cream is a very popular treat here any time of day. This morning at 9AM I saw a woman eating a McDonald’s soft serve cone. They also have these little booths set up everywhere and they sell nothing but ice cream cones of various flavours and styles. They come in little bags that you tear open and they range in price from 25 РУБ to 50 РУБ. I tend to prefer the 50 РУБ ones, go figure!
12) Beer is sold by the 0,3L or 0,5L and I am addicted to lemonade mojitos with basil.
13) If it doesn’t say негазированная, your water will be carbonated. *sigh* I really don’t enjoy carbonated water. I really have to learn to decode faster.
14) Anything is available here...for a price.
15) The men here have no issue staring at the beautiful women walking by and the beautiful women walking by have no issue with the men staring at them.
Happy one month anniversary to me...I think I’m going to like it here. I think I’ll go buy myself some flowers.
The following images were taken at Victory Park, WWII memorial. St. George is the patron saint of Moscow. The last photo is part of the monument to all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust -an arresting sculpture.
Sounds like you enjoyed your first month. You express yourself very well. You might consider writing a book about your experience. How about articles to a magazine?? Take care.
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