A review of 2015? Of my 25th year? In either case, it's about time I got on with it before I forget everything. I brought in 2015 from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. A few months later I rang in my 25th birthday back in Moscow. There was a good amount of mid-year exploring - to Manchester, up and down the east coast of the US, and a brief stint in Romania (they don't have good cheese, but their schnitzel makes up for it).
I started taking Russian lessons again for the first time since college. I successfully hosted my first Thanksgiving potluck (and without anyone destroying my apartment!) before marching straight into Christmas, which was probably the hardest away from home since I've moved here. Luckily there were plenty of good friends around to make it easier.
Next up I headed to the land of my people, where Pawel and his family made me feel right at home during the new year's holidays (even without water). I headed back to Moscow, but not before a side trip to Krakow, where Pawel tried his best to freeze us to death on his self-guided walking tours of the city. But we lived! And had a great time :)
As for life in Russia? The sanctions are still on, life is still harder, and the ruble is still in a sorry state. But Russians are really good at handling crises, and I learned about a dozen phrases to express this during my lessons. In addition to the phrasal verb "to launder money", which became really relevant after the release of the Panama papers. Spoiler alert, most people here didn't bat an eyelid after their release, and some predictably stamped it as a Western conspiracy. For some more light reading about the current state of the Russian economy, look here.
Now I'm a ripe old 26, and what do I think I've accomplished? I've traveled a bit; I've become a pretty good teacher; I've worked on translations that were used in an art exhibition. I've figured some things out, and more importantly, I've figured out some of what I still have to figure out. So here's to 2016, to 26, and to needing a new passport soon!
I started taking Russian lessons again for the first time since college. I successfully hosted my first Thanksgiving potluck (and without anyone destroying my apartment!) before marching straight into Christmas, which was probably the hardest away from home since I've moved here. Luckily there were plenty of good friends around to make it easier.
Next up I headed to the land of my people, where Pawel and his family made me feel right at home during the new year's holidays (even without water). I headed back to Moscow, but not before a side trip to Krakow, where Pawel tried his best to freeze us to death on his self-guided walking tours of the city. But we lived! And had a great time :)
As for life in Russia? The sanctions are still on, life is still harder, and the ruble is still in a sorry state. But Russians are really good at handling crises, and I learned about a dozen phrases to express this during my lessons. In addition to the phrasal verb "to launder money", which became really relevant after the release of the Panama papers. Spoiler alert, most people here didn't bat an eyelid after their release, and some predictably stamped it as a Western conspiracy. For some more light reading about the current state of the Russian economy, look here.
Now I'm a ripe old 26, and what do I think I've accomplished? I've traveled a bit; I've become a pretty good teacher; I've worked on translations that were used in an art exhibition. I've figured some things out, and more importantly, I've figured out some of what I still have to figure out. So here's to 2016, to 26, and to needing a new passport soon!
Glad to have been a part of it :) Miss you x
ReplyDeleteI'm glad as well! Moscow isn't the same without you <3
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