Я живу в Америке.

I'm going through an "I miss America SO much more than I ever thought I would..." stage right now. I never thought I'd get this homesick. Especially so close to the beginning of my Eurotrip.

I'm so used to life the way I have lived it the past few years. THE AMERICAN WAY, lol. I do what I want, when I want, because I want to do it. I'm young and reckless, and my friends are (to a certain degree) the same way. And I love that life. I have fun all the time (whether I should or not!) and smile as the days fly by :)

But time travels much slower in Russia than it does back home. Probably because I'm... well, trapped isn't the right word, but it's the only one that seems to fit. I can count on two hands the number of people I know in this place. And of those, only a few are even within walking distance. So, what do I do every night? I watch movies with Mitya. Which is great, don't get me wrong. But the kid's nine years old. There's only so much we can talk about.

I guess I didn't expect life in Russia to be so different from life in America. That was foolish of me, of course things would change! But the realization didn't hit me till I was knee-deep in the culture. Smoke-filled, phlegm-covered, high-heeled culture. And it's STICKY.

I decided to jump into this culture full immersion style; perhaps that was a mistake. Regardless, fully immersed is the state in which I find myself, and I have no choice but to shrug my shoulders and make the best of it. Look on the bright side: my Russian is going to be GREAT after four months of this.

But still... can't wait to see you again, America.