I'd like to write a brief thank you note to myself. What for? For choosing to move to a country where I actually speak the language because it comes in handy during situations like today, when I went to Raifeissen to pick up my bank card expecting them to speak English (thanks for that lie, HR. Always a pleasure) and finding that they most certainly do not. Luckily I was able to both A) tell them what I wanted/needed and B) understand what the hell they were saying, for it would surely have been a terrifying experience otherwise.
After finally getting my bank card, I had a few hours before work and decided to do some sight seeing. I attempted to find Gogol's apartment and failed, but did get a better idea of what's around metro Arbatskaya (answer: a ton of theaters and a cool vegetarian restaurant that's having a pumpkin fest this weekend...I LOVE pumpkin EVERYTHING so this was great. Pretty artsy district overall and great for walking around). There were many cops and security guards around who I could have asked about the museum's location, but you know what? Cops here terrify me. Don't get me wrong, back home I love the police and am definitely not one of those "f#*k the po-lice" kind of people. I think they're generally pretty great and always ask them for directions/feel safer when I'm walking somewhere late at night and a cop car drives by. So why is it different here? Maybe it's because it has been drilled into our heads not to speak to authorities, who may randomly ask you for your documents and then give you a hard time for being foreign; if you're American there's also a decent chance of a bribe being involved. Maybe it's because they carry huge, unnecessarily powerful weapons. Maybe I'm a baby (hey, that rhymed. Go me!). All I know is that I will walk around looking for one museum for over an hour only to give up rather than ask these guys for directions.
Also worth mentioning is that today, I feel like a super grown up. No, it's not because I got a bank account/card finally (this wasn't the first time, guys. It's not like I've been keeping my money under a mattress for the last 22 years...what a dumb guess). I've resembled a grown up (God, do grown ups use the word grown up? Probably not...thus the phrase "resembled a grown up") for quite a while now, between paying tuition and working several jobs and being more or less a responsible human being, etc. But today really put the icing on the cake: today, for the first time ever, I paid rent. For an apartment that belongs (at least halfway belongs) to me - not my parents and not Williams, but me. I've been here for over a month now, but actually handing over a big chunk of money in exchange for shelter and utilities made it finally start to sink in that I'm living on my own and earning a salary to cover all of my basic needs. It still hasn't totally sunk in, but I'm not sure that I want it to just yet; this is about as much grown up-ness as I'm comfortable with for now. Speaking of being a grown up, it's time to go cook myself dinner, so TTFN ta ta for now (yes I watched Winnie the Pooh with my little ones the other day. Sorry not sorry) and here is a song for you:
After finally getting my bank card, I had a few hours before work and decided to do some sight seeing. I attempted to find Gogol's apartment and failed, but did get a better idea of what's around metro Arbatskaya (answer: a ton of theaters and a cool vegetarian restaurant that's having a pumpkin fest this weekend...I LOVE pumpkin EVERYTHING so this was great. Pretty artsy district overall and great for walking around). There were many cops and security guards around who I could have asked about the museum's location, but you know what? Cops here terrify me. Don't get me wrong, back home I love the police and am definitely not one of those "f#*k the po-lice" kind of people. I think they're generally pretty great and always ask them for directions/feel safer when I'm walking somewhere late at night and a cop car drives by. So why is it different here? Maybe it's because it has been drilled into our heads not to speak to authorities, who may randomly ask you for your documents and then give you a hard time for being foreign; if you're American there's also a decent chance of a bribe being involved. Maybe it's because they carry huge, unnecessarily powerful weapons. Maybe I'm a baby (hey, that rhymed. Go me!). All I know is that I will walk around looking for one museum for over an hour only to give up rather than ask these guys for directions.
Also worth mentioning is that today, I feel like a super grown up. No, it's not because I got a bank account/card finally (this wasn't the first time, guys. It's not like I've been keeping my money under a mattress for the last 22 years...what a dumb guess). I've resembled a grown up (God, do grown ups use the word grown up? Probably not...thus the phrase "resembled a grown up") for quite a while now, between paying tuition and working several jobs and being more or less a responsible human being, etc. But today really put the icing on the cake: today, for the first time ever, I paid rent. For an apartment that belongs (at least halfway belongs) to me - not my parents and not Williams, but me. I've been here for over a month now, but actually handing over a big chunk of money in exchange for shelter and utilities made it finally start to sink in that I'm living on my own and earning a salary to cover all of my basic needs. It still hasn't totally sunk in, but I'm not sure that I want it to just yet; this is about as much grown up-ness as I'm comfortable with for now. Speaking of being a grown up, it's time to go cook myself dinner, so TTFN ta ta for now (yes I watched Winnie the Pooh with my little ones the other day. Sorry not sorry) and here is a song for you:
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