positive/negative

Having spent over a month in Russia and the surrounding countries, I have come up with some pros and cons to living in this area of the world. They are as follows.

Pro: The Juice

The juice here is spectacular. I don't know what we do differently in America, but I've never tasted fruit juice like this. My favorite is the apple-orange-carrot-lemon juice that my family gets. YUM. The only down side is that they don't sell the juice in big enough containers; you can only get a liter at a time. But I guess that's the typical American paradigm: you can never have too much of a good thing. I'm going to smuggle some of this juice home with me. I haven't figured out how yet, but it'll happen.

Con: The Milk

The milk here is heinous. I don't know what we do differently in America, but I've never tasted milk like this. I've only tried it once, but that was enough. YUCK. The only up-side is that they sell the milk in HUGE quantities; you can get a whole crate at a time. (I wish it was that way in America.) But I guess that's the typical Russian way: you can never have too much of a bad thing. The first thing I do when I get home is drink some REAL milk. I request that there be an ice cold glass of 2% in the cup holder of my mom's van when she comes to pick me up from the airport. (I hope you're reading this, mom.)

Pro: Free Lunch

The school that I teach at provides a lunch for us every other day. And for the days when lunch isn't provided I receive a stipend to spend on food. Since my host family has an "open cupboard" policy, I don't really have to spend my lunch stipend on food because I already have food to eat, regardless. And the lunch lady, Tatiana, has really taken to us. She's always very freindly, and, even though she doesn't speak a lick of English, she tries her best to make conversation. How nice :)

Con: Free Lunch

The food is kind of awful. The cafeteria lunch consists of a salad, bread, soup, and some sort of mystery meat with assorted side dishes. I've given up on the salad; it has been so disgusting in the past that I don't even try it anymore. The bread is okay (because it's bought at a store), but the rolls that Tatiana makes are often cold and filled with sourkraut. I can usually count on the soup to be all right, but sometimes it's a pickle-y mess and I can't bring myself to eat it. Don't even get me started on the mystery meat. And it's a good thing my host family feeds me all right because the stipend they give us wouldn't even pay for ONE lunch a week, let alone two.

Pro: Living in a Small Apartment

Living in an apartment/room that's even smaller than anywhere I've ever lived before has really made me realize how little space I need. I'll be the first to admit that I can be a bit high maintenance. Having to make due with a few shelves and a futon, sharing one bathroom with a family of four, living without a hair dryer OR a clothes dryer... I've really come to appreciate simplicity. I know that there are a lot of things that I will appreciate more when I'm back in America.

Con: Living in a Small EX-SOVIET Apartment

This place is falling apart. It seems centuries old and feels a bit like a prison (what with all the locks and doors I have to go through in order to get to my apartment). They don't have fire escapes, either. I live on the 17th floor. This bothers me. And I don't mean to exaggerate, but there have been times when I have feared for my life whilst riding the elevator in my apartment building. Not only does it take ages for the elevator to get where it's supposed to go, but the incessant creaks and bounces between floors don't inspire much confidence. And you can't really count on them to be working every time you need to use them, ESPECIALLY if you have to pee. Walking up 17 flights of stairs with a full bladder is NOT something I look forward to. It hasn't happened yet, but I fear the day is fast approaching.

Pro: The Beautiful Buildings and Monostaries

I love visiting all the tourist-y spots, seeing the beauty and hearing about the history. There are a lot of Russian Orthodox Churches here, and they're all beautiful. A little eerie, granted, but beautiful. And because most of these places are very highly populated by tourists (and AMERICANS), a lot of the people who work in the establishments nearby speak English. Nothing is more refreshing than going to McDonald's after the end of a long day and placing your order in your native language.

Con: Public Bathrooms

I have never experienced anything so disgusting. I used to be paranoid about bathrooms in America, but the bathrooms here are worse than the nastiest 7-11 bathroom back home. You would think that highly-populated areas (malls, tourist attractions, metro stations) would have useable facilities, but they DON'T. The train station doesn't even have toilets, they have squatters (which are exactly what they sound like). I'll never complain about a dirty, smelly bathroom again.

Pro: Russian Weather

The weather has been much dryer so far than I was expecting. It has rained only a handful of times, and with every down pour came a full morning of gray skies to warn you about it. Nothing like Washington (where it rains all the time) or Utah (where it'll rain like crazy even though ten minutes ago the sun was shining). So far, the autumn weather has been perfect.

Con: American Clothes/Shoes

This one deserves some explanation. My American clothes and shoes have been MORE than sufficient in keeping me warm and dry since I've gotten here. The problem lies with the locals. (And yes, I realize how awful that sounds. Just hear me out.) The other day, I was walking around with a light jacket, jeans, and mocassins, and I felt blissfuly content; on the street, I passed a family who looked like they were preparing for a blizzard. Puffy jackets, gloves and mittens, beanies, and snow boots. I'd dismiss it as a fluke if I didn't see EVERY OTHER FAMILY dressed the same way. And when I got home, my host dad got mad at me, saying my shoes weren't warm enough. So I guess the rule in Russia is to overdress. I recently bought a pair of furry purple boots, and everyday since I've gotten them my host parents have commented on how warm they are. "Good for Moscow cold," they say. And then scold me for not wearing a hat. Ignore the fact that I was wearing gloves, a scarf, and two jackets. And that I'm sweating my brains out. And that it's dry and over 35 degrees outside.

I hate to end on a con. One more pro: MY FRIENDS :)

I came to Russia under the impression that I knew no one, and, considering the fact that I'm the only American in my building, it was unlikely that I would make friends during my time here. But neither of the aforementioned impressions have proven to be true. I THOUGHT I didn't know anyone in Russia, but I do, thank goodness. My old home teacher/FHE brother is currently serving as a missionary here in Moscow. We have been in touch since I realized that his branch meets in the same building as mine so we get to see each other every Sunday at church. It's so comforting to have an old friend here. I mean, it's not like we get to hang out, really, but it's nice just to see a familiar face every once in a while. And I have made several friends since coming to Moscow. The teachers in my school have become a sort of family, and we spend a lot of time together. We get along, there's basically NO drama, we are comfortable with the group dynamic. It's a great bunch of people I'm here with, and I'm very grateful for their friendships :)

[WOW. And I thought my post from the airport was wordy...]