And so it begins...

Tomorrow, October 1st, marks 18 days until I leave - wow! The last two and a half weeks have all but flown by, which I suppose isn't really such a bad thing. I've enjoyed being ridiculously lazy, spending time just lounging around the house, not having to put on makeup or be anywhere in particular. I've enjoyed a couple days where I've gone no farther than the little convenience store - 4 minutes away by car. I've made sure to drive at least once per day, even if I have nowhere to go...
All of that was nice while it lasted, but it's time to kick it up a notch - in just two and a half more weeks, I'll be boarding a plane to Moscow!!

In some ways, it seems like I have a lot left to do, in others, not much at all. My most time consuming effort will be figuring out how to take exactly 23 kilo of luggage per large suitcase (2 of them), 10 kilo for my carry on, and as much weight as possible in my wonderfully large purse! Luckily coming from America I'm allowed two 23 kilo suitcases, rather than the measly European rule of one 20 kilo suitcase. Other big tasks are running around to a few different stores to stock up on things I can't get in Moscow, selling things to try to make a few bucks before I go, and fixing the clothes that I've been neglecting to repair (translation - having my lovely talented mom fix them for me :) it pays to have a seamstress in the family!) The actual to do list is considerably longer than that - but those are the most time consuming pieces of it.

So, I've thoroughly enjoyed my vacation, but now it's time for slightly crazy moving mode to begin. Full blown crazy moving mode will commence in about a week!
Stay tuned : )

Why Moscow?

Why not? : )
Okay, honestly - let's start from the beginning. Russia was a childhood fantasy for me - I was a competitive figure skater for 13 years, and I grew up in an ice rink surrounded by Russians! I think I was 11 years old when I first saw Saint Basil's on TV, and decided then that I would be there someday. I finally got the opportunity to go in the summer of 2007, when I went there with friends to help them get settled into their new apartment. It was a wonderful time - I would leave my apartment in the morning, and not return until it was dark. I simply wandered around the city with nothing but my camera as my companion. No maps, no agendas, just wandering. It was then that I truly fell in love with the city. Unfortunately, that was not the time for me to be there, so I returned to America in September. I knew for a fact that one day I would be going back, and now that time has finally come!


So what is it about Russia? I love the Russian language and culture. It's so deeply routed in traditions that are still upheld. It's a modern world, yet with so much of the old world still there. As for Moscow specifically, I love the energy of the city - and I'm not talking about the nightlife! I'm not a party girl and never even stepped foot inside a club or a bar the whole time I was there. Being in Moscow also gives me a lot of freedom to take weekend trips to any of the surrounding towns by simply hopping on a train! Something else I really love is being able to visit places that have been around for centuries upon centuries. Moscow is 862 years old - just imagine everything it has seen and weathered! The architecture is a wonderful bonus - I'm an avid photographer and buildings are my favorite subject. 


Lastly, this is what's right for me at this point in my life. It's my first step in my multi country journey - and I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd want to start. I gave plenty of other places a good amount of consideration, but in the end Moscow won out - it just feels right. I'll be doing something I love (teaching English) in a place that I love. Does it really get any better than that?




This picture sums up why I love Russia - amidst the modern and new, you can always find jewels like this!

One Month

Exactly one month from now I'll be on a plane heading to Moscow! It's still rather surreal at this point, but I think that's partially due to the fact that I've wanted this for so long (2 years to be specific) and up until this point it just wasn't realistic for me to be there. I always knew I'd be going back, I just had to wait for things to fall into place. I had to wait until I was truly ready to go.

I am going to enjoy my last month in America spending a lot of time with my family, and spoiling myself with luxuries like drying my clothes in a dryer and driving! This month is going to be a busy one, but I plan on enjoying every moment of it. After all, it's just another part of the journey! For now, I should probably go put away the mountain of laundry I have sitting on my couch - I keep hoping it will put itself away, but I've been waiting a week and it hasn't happened yet...

I'm moving to Moscow!

It's official now - I'm moving to Moscow to teach English!

The Alexander Garden (Александровский сад) outside of Red Square, pictured above, is just one of the many places I can't wait to return to visit. It will be interesting to see the differences in the fall and winter, as I've only seen Moscow in the summer.

On being home...

I've been home for a bit over two weeks now - and I figure it's time for a new post. It took me about a week to catch up on all of the sleep I missed during the CELTA course, and then another week to feel like doing anything... I was thoroughly enjoying not having a single thing to do!

My last four days in Prague were enjoyable. I took around 2,000 photos - I'm still going through them, and eventually I'll get around to uploading them to my flickr account :) I spent a couple evenings admiring the cathedral inside the castle grounds, and otherwise just ran around seeing as much of the city as I possibly could. I trekked up Petrin Hill, and there were some wonderful views of the city throughout the entire walk. Overall, Prague is a beautiful city, and I would like to return sometime to see anything that I missed (and to take a few photos I didn't get to this trip!)

I must admit, the thing I'm enjoying most about being home is the food. I'm savoring all of the wonderful fruit and vegetables that are available here - the one thing I was sorely lacking in Prague. I didn't find any good fruit or veggies the whole time I was there! My first meal in America was at my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Tolteca, and it was wonderful. Since then, I've been treating myself to all of the food that I won't be able to find as easily when I move back overseas.

Other things I'm enjoying about being home are being able to drive, spending time watching my cat be a complete spaz, sleeping in my own very comfortable bed, and having a washing machine that actually washes more than 10 items of clothing at a time! I'm enjoying the weather as well - it's starting to feel a bit like fall!

Well, I'm out of things to write, so, until next time...