2021

Time for the yearly blog post! Which honestly seems like just enough to me, so let's get into it. 

First off, I'm writing this one from America, where I am visiting for the first time in over 2 years! How about that! But already stuck in the house for over a week with covid.  How about that.  I was home for about 5 days before I came down with the sniffles, and isolating for another 5 when I took a test that came out positive.  And getting a test at all turned out to be lucky, since apparently there's a huge testing shortage in the US. How? No shortages in Russia, I don't get it.  But here we are. 

What about the rest of the year? Not a single business trip for the first time in a long time, although I did have the pleasure of speaking remotely for the 5th annual FISU Leadership Academy - a nice treat, as I was a speaker at their first in Kazan 5 years ago.  

There were some personal achievements to be proud of as well.  I had my first kickboxing fight in April! Officially it was a tie. Technically I lost.  But I still have a first place medal, thank you very much. And I won a pair of new boxing gloves, which were sorely needed. In July I went to Sochi with some of my kickboxing group and our coach to train 3x a day for 10 days.  That was another first, and something I'd love to do again.  Then in October I had my second (!) kickboxing fight. That one I also lost, so you can take a guess at what my 2022 goal is. 

I also took my first pottery class when my lovely friend Anna invited me to one for her birthday, the results of which I'll have when I get back to Moscow. Other than that I can't say there was anything super exciting to report. I worked, a lot. I read, also quite a lot. I got vaccinated in the end of February and my second dose in the end of March. I lived as normal a life as I could hope for "in these difficult and unprecedented times."

So as we all ease cautiously into the new year, my plans are to keep making progress in my career, keep learning, and keep moving forward. I hope you'll do the same!

Goodbye 2020

Sitting at home in my Christmas socks, I've got just enough time to squeeze in a year-end review for 2020, as if any of us will be able to forget.  Nevertheless...

It actually started off really well - at a cabin in the woods with a great group of friends. In February I spontaneously ran off to Armenia for a few days, where I had time to tour the capital, Yerevan, and see the mountains and lakes of some nearby regions.  One particularly amazing site was a monastery carved into the mountains and surrounded by cliffs.

But then March came and things changed fast.  I spent my 30th birthday alone in my kitchen eating cake on a zoom call.  My new roommate and I started working from home and ventured out for groceries as if going into battle.  The floor was lava and the air was poison.  

So I started brushing back up on my Spanish.  I took 7 online courses on different aspects of my profession - teaching online, teaching children, assessment, IELTS, TOEFL, and a few others.  All voluntary, most helpful, some even fun. 

There were still some adventures. In August, one of my good friends visited Moscow.  Later that month, my coworker, Irina, and I wound up at a summer camp in Kaluga Oblast for kids from regions of the Russian Arctic and Far East. 

For 2 weeks we lived in a yurt and worked off wifi in the woods.  We walked around the ethnographic, educational-recreational complex Etnomir rowing boats, going on museum tours, watching fire shows and shamen, and taking lots of pictures. In October, we continued adventuring - this time to Russian soccer games, courtesy of our company's work teaching English to referees. 

By Thanksgiving the cooking and online shopping phases everyone went through in the spring finally hit me, and I stocked up on things for my home office (and sweatpants, the newest work attire). 

Of all the challenges this year has brought, from changing the way we work and socialize to the constant "Am I dying from covid?" scares, the toughest has been not knowing when I can visit home.  My June flight was predictably cancelled, but even now I'm a bit stuck; if I leave Russia, I can't re-enter, as their borders are still closed to US citizens.  So for now I write, call, and wait.

It wasn't all bad, though.  I'm thankful for my friendships, family, and work. I'm glad I had time to learn and relax (so much Netflix).  I'm relieved that Trump is 20 days away from being out of the White House. And I'm proud of a few milestones: kickboxing for 2 years, vegan for 2.5, and in Russia for EIGHT YEARS. 

Everything got turned on its head in 2020.  So here's to looking forward, crossing our fingers, and getting this thing over with!

2019 in a nutshell

It seems I've got just enough time to sneak in my one and only blog post of 2019, so I'll try my best to sum up the key moments from this year. Let's go!

I started the new year off surrounded by my closest friends and family, since I went home to CT for the first time since moving to Moscow.  It was perfect, and I couldn't have asked for a better start to the year.  But then...

...I got sick just as vacation ended, and on the first working day of the year, found myself packing a quick bag for my evening flight to Karaganda, Kazakhstan (side note: this was actually Attempt #2. The first try was in December, when our flight got diverted to Astana due to ice storms, we slept and had a conference call in a capsule hotel upon realizing we were not getting to our destination, entered and exited and entered and exited the country once more without leaving the actual airport, and then barely got ourselves on a flight back to Moscow 15 hours later).  We arrived at 5am, slept for a couple of hours before our meeting after a struggle to locate our taxi, and left early the next morning.  It was -35, but I got a little walk in, and saw the university.  Exciting beginning. 

The next big event was in March, when my dear old dad came to visit Moscow for the first time! I had him walking until our feet were sore, but he saw just about everything in the 6 days he was here: Red Square; inside the Kremlin, GUM, and St. Basil's; Patriarch's Ponds; the zoo; my apartment and office; New and Old Arbat; Tsarytsino; Aviapark; Moscow City; Moscow River cruise; Swan Lake at RAMT; VDNX; the botanical garden at Prospekt Mira; Komsomolskaya station. He tried Russian, Ukrainian, and Georgian food.  I got to take him to some of my favorite cafes, and to some posher places as well.  In all, it was the best visit ever - and coincided with our birthday!

Fast forward to August and September, which I spent travelling for work.  The first half of August, I led an alternative program at a youth forum in the Northern Caucasian town of Pyatigorsk for 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks in Anapa working with kids from Arctic, Siberian, and Far Easter regions of Russia.  Both were challenging and rewarding in different ways, and called for a lot of creativity while I was preparing the programs.  

After living in summer camps for a month and getting some sort of virus/food poisoning in Anapa, I finally got to take a break and head home in September.  I had the honor of being at my cousin and first best friend's wedding! It was Game of Thrones themed, and we all wore costumes, had sword fights, and slept in cabins.  I also got to see my friend's new guinea pigs and titi's new house for the first time. 

There were other events sprinkled throughout the year as well.  I planned my first webinar series.  I had my 1 year anniversary of kickboxing. I got a new roommate. I visited Tver, Tula, and Chekhov on road trips with friends. 2019 was full of challenges and surprises. And most importantly, as it comes to an end, I'm happy, healthy, and surrounded by love.  Here's to 2020!

2018 - before it's over

Before the year gets away from me (maybe it already has?), I wanted to write about what I've been up to in 2018.Where I've been, work I've done (what do I even do?), etc.

The main thing, and the one you've probably heard something or other about from me already, is Tyumen! It really deserves its own post to be honest, so I'll try to make that a priority.  For now, I'll summarize it by saying that I was out there once a month to train teachers as part of a professional development program the region started at the beginning of this year. 

Another big trip was Lebanon, where I went in the beginning of May to visit one of my best friends from college who's living in Beirut.  First of all, Lebanese food is officially my all time favorite.  I was in Lebanon for 10 days, and we got a lot done - walked all of Beirut; visited ruins, markets, and a palace in Sidon - one of the most important Phoenician cities; swam in Batroun, which boasts its own Phoenician ruins; camped in the mountains; saw the Old Souks in Tripoli; hiked in the Chouf biosphere; walked around the castle ruins in Byblos; went through the Jeita grotto, and much more! Not to mention driving in a foreign country for the first time, which in Lebanon was a whole experience in and of itself.
The country was buzzing with energy because elections were looming, so there would be parades of cars honking their horns for 10 minutes straight, huge posters everywhere, and fireworks in the middle of the day.  For everyone asking: yes, I was and felt safe, the whole time.  And yes, a lot of people speak English there, though it was definitely helpful having someone who spoke Arabic by my side. In short, I highly recommend a visit and would love to go back myself!

In June I was home for: my best friend's wedding; my mom's birthday; Father's day.  Not the most relaxing trip home, but is it ever? And I got to work on my frolf skills.

Not having gotten nearly enough beach time in Connecticut and facing an unexpected long weekend, I flew off to Sochi. During the World Cup. Which turned out to be the best time for a trip, because there were people everywhere and I made great friends with some Uruguayans in my hostel, who then came and stayed in Moscow! The World Cup as a whole was much better than I'd expected - instead of being crowded, poorly organized, and generally overwhelming, it created a really positive atmosphere - the whole city was like a big party for that month, and people were noticeably happier than usual.  And I got some good Spanish practice in!

Those are the main points from this year so far.  Other than that I've been working on some fun projects, hosting people who've come to visit Moscow (come visit Moscow!), trying to strike a balance between ignoring what's going on in America while still staying informed enough, and thinking of what to do next - whether that's going back to school, or something else.  I know I'm not a consistent blogger (sorry mom and dad), but I'm here! And everything is going pretty well.  Keep an eye out for a post about Tyumen, I promise it'll happen!

Happy happy new year!

It's time to stop being lazy and write about my year, for the friends and family who've asked me to! We'll brush aside the fact that this is the only thing I've bothered to write in 2017. I think I can manage to stop eating cake just long enough to get this all down...

January: The temperature went down to -33C/F (it's pretty much the same at that point).  Luckily we were all on vacation and didn't need to go outside.  Which we didn't.

(skipping months where nothing much happened and moving on)

March: Steve announced that he was ABANDONING ME to find his own place.  But then I found Masha, who is even more awesome.  Also I turned 27 surrounded by close friends (or as I like to say, celebrated the 2nd anniversary of my 25th birthday).

May: We had nice summer weather for the May holidays, followed by snow.  First attempt at a business trip to Tatarstan foiled by Moscow traffic.

June: There was more snow, but I dodged that bullet by going home! Attended my best friend's engagement party and said yes to the bridesmaid dress.  Visited Williams for my 5 year reunion, which was everything I expected and more. Had another mini reunion in NYC, and attended my first Pride parade thanks to Ben and Bill.  Was home for both my mom's birthday and Father's Day for the first time in 5 years. Spent a lot of time on the beach.

July: 24 hours after arriving in Moscow I was on my way back to the airport for Kazan, where I was a speaker at the FISU (International University Sports Federation) volunteer training academy. Then I went onward to Aktanysh, ie the middle of nowhere, to observe lessons at a summer camp and speak with some of the children (many of whom had never met a native speaker before). 

August: Our friends from Aktanysh came to Moscow for a week of training seminars that I got to help lead.  Then I fulfilled my long-time dream of travelling to Barcelona! More beach time, plus great food, amazing people, and all the Gaudi architecture my little heart desired.  We also managed to visit the highest point around at Tibidabo. 

October: The memory that sticks out most is Halloween, which I hosted at mine before heading to a club.  I did my Pinterest best and introduced the Russians to worms in the mud.  I was also responsible for the Halloween event one of our clients requested, where we discussed and then planned extreme pranks 💀

November: Thanksgiving! As usual, we celebrated twice.  This was the home stretch until Christmas.  But first...

December: ...I got really sick for a couple of weeks.  What's winter without being out of commission for a week or two? But thanks to the internet I was able to get all of my Christmas shopping done and watch loads of movies.  Speaking of which, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. We celebrated Christmas with 2 feasts as well, and I lead a whole bevy of Christmas events for the companies we work with which was actually really fun.  I showed them how to decorate Christmas cookies American style, and then got shown up by them. My lovely students gave me tons of cake and tea and chocolate that I'm currently working my way through.  I've walked around plenty and seen Moscow in all its New Year's glory.  Now all that's left is to wait for the New Year and see what it has in store for all of us!

2016: the good, the bad, the mundane

It's been noted that 2016 wasn't a great year for the world - take your pick of natural disasters, wars, terrorist attacks, or elections as an illustrating point.  However, I've decided to end on a good note by writing down some of the highlights from my year, starting from the last post.  So, before it's too late, my 2016:

- My friend, Brendan, came to visit from Connecticut and found my 10 tips super useful.  We had a cultural tour of Moscow which consisted mainly of food, but also included museums, parks, and a visit to the Bolshoi where we saw the opera Katerina Izmailova.

- My translations for an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Moscow were published in a bilingual book! And my name was printed! I did not buy the book.  It was expensive.  Instead, I took a picture of the book.

- I went on a field trip to a cheese farm run by an American guy and his family.  There were over a dozen kinds of cheeses, wines, and meats, and I got to befriend the goats!

- There was the annual America trip with the traditional food, New York stop, beach time, and shopping.  Also the Olympics!

- I voted in the presidential election.  It was a really complicated process, but it was important to get done.

-  I finally had the opportunity to travel to Sochi in October, at first for work and then for play.  I spent a day in the botanical gardens, made friends with a monkey, and jumped off of a boat into the Black Sea.

- After that, I got to travel to Kazan twice, this time to train FIFA volunteers ahead of the Confederations Cup in 2017.  I saw the sites in one day and spent the rest of my trips eating Tatar food.

- I had a very American Thanksgiving in that there was an all-you-can-eat buffet with every traditional dish, and eat it all we did.

- There was one weekend where I was without my phone, and I first realized, then accepted, that I am rather useless without it.

- Last weekend we celebrated Christmas together, and it was nice enough to make up for my having been sick with the flu for the past week.

So, 2017: here's to more interesting projects, more laughs, more learning, more love!

In memory of Gene Wilder, a great man and a personal friend - we will never forget you or your kindness.  

10 tips for Moscow

As my friend's Moscow visit gets closer and closer, I've started thinking of things about Russia which I take for granted but would throw newcomers for a loop.  Can I even remember what makes Russia and the US so different now that I've been here for nearly 4 years? Here's what I've come up with so far (note: all of these things have happened to me personally):

 1.  Just because you have an address doesn't mean you even remotely know where it is. 

Russia has this bizarre system of courtyards that you need to struggle your way through to find things sometimes.  For example, you might need to find Ulitsa Pravdy, Dom 20, but on the main road the numbers go from 18 straight to 22, skipping 20 altogether.  (Not so) obviously, this means you need to walk through the parking lot next to you and wander through some courtyards before you maybe find what you need.  
Similarly, there are "korpuses" - so you might need Ulitsa Pravdy, Dom 20, Korpus 3. Korpus 3 may or may not be anywhere near Korpus 1 or 2, and there's a good chance you'll be wandering through more courtyards.  In the US, we tend to just give separate buildings their own numbers.
Another common thing is needing to walk through one store to get to another, because why not. 
Final thing about addresses - sometimes you might be walking down a street which forks, but both sides of the fork have the same street name and even people who work in the area don't know where you are and once you've finally gotten to where you wanted, you can show a picture to the person you were meeting to prove the address you ended up at really does exist.  

 2.  Buying things can be really hard.  

Someone might refuse to sell you something because you don't have exact change.  Or the cashier might see you and choose not to acknowledge your existence for several minutes.  Or, a customer may have (I have no idea how this even happens) put an oranges sticker on his tomatoes when weighing them, so the cashier will have to argue with him about how tomatoes aren't oranges, go look at the tomatoes and oranges on the shelves, get a manager, argue with the manager about how tomatoes aren't oranges, and then finally put the right sticker on the bag and ring them up.  Or you might change your mind about buying something that's been rung up, and then you'll have to wait ten minutes because only one person in the entire store has the authorization to void purchases.  Or there might just straight up not be food on the shelves.  Or you might order from the menu at a restaurant and then get told they don't have that...or that or that.  Or...you can see where I'm going with this.
 

3.   If you come in the summer, there might not be any hot water where you're staying. 

Every summer, everyone gets to experience the fun times of systematically getting their hot water shut off for ten days, regardless of the temperature outside.  And by fun, I mean awful. 

4.   You will likely get shouted at. 

 If you're doing something wrong, you will hear about it; even if you don't understand what you're hearing.  If you're standing/sitting in the wrong place, if you hand over the wrong piece of paper, if you don't have exact change, if you exist - there is a good chance you will get yelled at.  Every time I go back to the US, I'm really surprised by how comparatively polite and not-shouty people are. 
 

5.  However, people might also go out of their way to help you.

There have been a couple of times where I was lost and asked for directions, but instead of telling me and sending me on my way, the people just walked me to where I needed.  Sometimes this comes after being shouted at, but sometimes there's no shouting!

 6.  You really do need to carry your passport with you everywhere.

Think of it like carrying your license everywhere.  But contrary to what a lot of travel guides say, I've often found that a signed and stamped official photocopy of my passport/visa weren't good enough, so it's a good idea to have a copy at home and the real thing with you.  
 

7.  Something might stop existing overnight. 

Like those stores outside of metros.  Or like this one time when on my way to work I passed a corner store, and on the way back 4 hours later I passed a pile of rubble.  Or a store might get replaced by a totally different store, also pretty much overnight.  The possibilities are endless. 
 

 8.  There is free Wi-Fi pretty much everywhere. 

And I mean everywhere.  In cafes/restaurants.  On the metro.  Even in a lot of the parks now.  Enjoy!
 

9.  If you get invited to a Russian's house, you'd better be hungry.

Somewhere between taking your shoes off and walking to the kitchen, an empty table will suddenly groan under the weight of all the snacks and drinks your host has pulled out of nowhere.  Cookies, cakes, candy, fruit, sandwiches, meat, cheese, vegetables, tea, etc.  It's rude to refuse, as well as futile.  My host mother once cried because I tried to resist eating dinner at home before going out to dinner.  

 

10.   People might come up and talk to you when they hear you speaking English. 

It's usually in a friendly way, to ask where you're from and what you're doing here, or to offer help.  I've gotten offered jobs after people heard me speaking English.  There were unfortunately a couple of times when people reacted really aggressively, but that's not the norm.  

So I guess that makes this my Top 10 of things to expect when in Moscow! I highly recommend visiting, but I might be a little biased.