McDonald's and still more moving stuff

It's so funny how a place I would never go to in the US is somewhere I find myself frequenting here :) Not for the food, of course - but for the free internet! The new apartment doesn't have internet yet - and the McD's is only a 10 minute walk from me!

The new apartment is spacious and clean - yeay! It's a HUGE improvement from my first place. However, it's a bit too spacious. My room has only a bed, a stool, a tiny desk, and a desk chair. Nothing else... as is nowhere to put my clothes! There's a wardrobe in the hallway, but I'm guessing I'm supposed to share that with my roomate, who I haven't met yet. Either way, there's nowhere for my small stuff, like socks and undergarments...

I was really hoping to not have to spend a ton of money here, but it's looking like I don't have a choice. My bed, while not poking me to death with springs like the last one, is about as soft as the floor. It's about as comfortable too. I tried folding my blanket and sleeping on that - but even that doesn't do much! So I'll definitely be buying a mattress pad from IKEA to fix that problem.

So far, I have to buy:a mattress pad

• good blanket
• duvet cover
• sheets
• a rug
• cooking utensils
• hangers
• a set of shelves w/ drawers from IKEA for my clothes
• pyrex dishes for baking
• a water filter pitcher

And that's just the big stuff... oh how I wish to be settled in! Now I'm going through the IKEA website to try to find a few cheaper things... wish me luck :)

On the move again

I've been in Moscow for exactly 1 week now, but it feels like so much longer. I think that's due to the fact that I've only had 1 free day since I've been here. Even that wasn't entirely free, as I had three lessons to plan for Monday. I didn't even get the chance to unpack, although that turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I'm moving again tomorrow!

The apartment I'm currently in is about an hour and a half away from the main school that I'm teaching at - which is a real problem when my classes finish at 9:15pm, and I'm not home until sometime around 11:00pm! I've been eating dinner at 11:15 or 11:30 almost every night. The new apartment is only one metro stop away from the school - and I'm actually hoping there's a bus, since the school is still a 15 minute walk from the metro. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

I'm not looking forward to having to repack my suitcases - my room right now looks like something exploded, due to the fact that I've had to dig through one or both suitcases whenever I wanted to find something. I really can't wait to get to the new apartment and unpack for good! I know I will feel a lot more settled in once everything is in its own place, and I can tuck the suitcases away.

I'm not sure if I'll have internet at my new place, so it might be a few days until you hear from me again.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!

Moscow!

First, I want to thank all of you for commenting! It's great to have so much support.
I am so busy right now - I arrived Wednesday night, and Thursday I had my orientation. Friday, I met with my supervising teacher to plan my lessons. Saturday was a teachers' seminar. Today I went out and enjoyed the small bit of sunshine and blue sky. I haven't even unpacked yet!
I finally got internet today - Beeline has wifi in a lot of areas, and as long as I sit by my window I get a signal. It's actually decently fast as well. It seems to kick me off every 20 minutes or so, but hey, internet it internet! It was only 500 rubles/$17.25 US for a month, and I can use it anywhere in the city. I won't be on much, since I need to get settled with my teaching and living arrangements. Hopefully by the end of the week I can write a more substantial post.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying Moscow, and it feels great to be back. More later, I promise!

And I'm Off!

This will be my last post from America for a while :)
I'm headed off to the airport in a little more than an hour, and then I'm on my way!   I have a layover in Paris, where I'll get to enjoy some yummy French food before I embark on the final leg of my journey. Right now I'm thoroughly enjoying my last mom-cooked meal - chicken with onion gravy and stuffing. Delicious! I've had lots of cooking lessons over the past couple of weeks, so I should be able to reproduce everything... that's the plan anyways!
Now that things are winding down, I'm truly feeling that this is real, that it's actually happening - and that is a wonderful feeling! My mind is going miles a minute now, and I'm sure it will be until I get onto the plane... So with that, I'll end here - and my next post will be from Moscow!

Two

Most things that needed doing are done, and basically everything left from now on out is optional. If it gets done, great, if not, no big deal. My checklist continues to shrink, and my packing list is now complete. It's set up so that I've already decided what goes into each suitcase. All that's left to do is actually pack them! I'll do a post on my packing method soon, it deserves one of its own. All I have to say is that OCD tendencies come in handy sometimes. ; )

I'm off to get some much needed rest, as these last few days have been busy and emotional. To make matters worse, my good camera decided it needed to break on Saturday, and it's now on its way to Canon Repairland. Honestly, I'm thankful that it broke here, and not in Moscow, since it's relatively easy to deal with here. My new friend at the camera shop is taking care of sending it and dealing with Canon, which makes life even easier. However, I then had to decide whether I go to Moscow camera-less, and only use my little point and shoot for the next 4 months, or buy a new camera... After a day and a half of battling with myself, I've decided to go ahead and buy a new one. Once my old camera is repaired, my mom will get to keep it - and I'm happy that it's going to a good home. It was my firstborn, and I like to know that it will be in good hands. Yes, I'm a loser - but hey - that camera truly was my baby!

Well, now I really should get some rest - two days go by fast, and before I know it I'll be on a plane headed across the ocean...

Things I'll miss about America

• Family. I'll definitely miss being close to my family, but we'll make good use of Skype for video chatting. Family also includes my kitty Dascha. I'm a cat person, and I've had always had at least 1 cat. This will be my first time being pet-less :( I'm hoping to make friends with some street kitties in Moscow. 
• Mexican food. More specifically, La Tolteca and Chipotle. La Tolteca has been my favorite restaurant for quite a while - always delicious, fresh food, and I've never once had a bad meal! Chipotle serves larger than life burritos - my mom and I get one and split it for dinners, and sometimes that is even too much food! Something tells me I won't be finding anything like this in Moscow...
• Cheap clothes. TJ Maxx and Marshall's are my absolute favorite places to shop. They're both discount stores, and I can come home with four things for the regular retail price of one! 
• Driving. I love being able to walk everywhere, but I also love to drive. It's not convenience - I simply love the act of driving. If I'm feeling stressed or frustrated, I simply get in my car, put in a good CD, and drive... 
• A clothes dryer. There's nothing like warm, soft clothes straight out of the dryer! Crunchy line dried clothes just aren't the same... especially the towels. 
• Unscented products. I'm really not a fan of scented things, especially laundry detergent and fabric softener. Europe doesn't seem to believe in unscented anything!
• White meat only chicken. I'm not a big meat eater, simply because I don't like things with fat or skin. Skinless, boneless, white meat is perfect for me. The last time I ate dark meat chicken was over 2 years ago, in Moscow!
• My bed. It's big and very comfy. No further explanation needed :)

Visa!

I am now the proud new owner of a Russian visa! All in all it was a very painless experience, I was in and out of the Consulate within 15 minutes. That was great, it gave my mom and I more time to wander around New York City. We got to witness some stereotypical New Yorker behavior - a guy screaming at a crew of workers to move their truck, which resulted in nothing except for a further traffic backup! We also found the Russian Orthodox Church on Madison Ave. It had the traditional onion domes, but it also had a large stained glass window, and the crosses were bulkier than those I've seen on the churches in Moscow. It was part of a row of buildings too, rather than standing alone. Still fun too see, and it gave mom a taste of Russian architecture!

It took a while for this to feel real. Yes, I knew I would be leaving - but until I actually had the visa in my hand I just felt like something could still come up. But now, it has definitely sunken in that I leave in 1 week. I keep realizing that it's the last time I'll be doing certain things in America. I'll only get to watch 1 more episode of Grey's Anatomy with mom, only 1 more episode of the other series that my mom, dad, and I watch together, last time eating something, etc. It's strange... I've moved away before, but this time it just feels different. This time I know it's permanent. I'm going into this completely differently than I did before. Last time, I went because I finally had the opportunity, but with nothing specifically lined up. I didn't know then if I would be ice skating, teaching ice skating, working for my friends, or anything! This time, I have a job already - that's why I'm going. I'm prepared, and more than anything, I'm ready. I've had to wait much longer than I expected I would, and in the long run, I'm okay with that. It makes it all that more real, I suppose. Life isn't easy, and it rarely goes exactly as planned - and I think that this whole experience was just a reminder of that.

Now the REAL fun begins - I get to book my flight and I get to start packing! I have to weigh everything again - my initial method just wasn't precise enough, so I'm using my mom's postal scale to weigh things individually. I figure that way, when I get to actually packing, it will simply be like putting together a puzzle. It should save me from having to weigh the entire suitcase dozens of times. Other than fixing a few pieces of clothing and jewelry, I'm pretty much set to go. I have a few things that need to be taken care of before I leave, but honestly there's not much left to do. The first thing on my agenda is to get a good night's sleep!

More progress!

Things are finally moving along! I'll be heading back up to New York on Tuesday to pick up my visa, and then I'll be booking my flight by Tuesday night. I refuse to book it until I have the visa in my hands! The original ticket I booked for October 18 turned out to be non-refundable since I booked it through Orbitz, and the travel insurance didn't cover visa delays... oh well, live and learn. I've learned, and that's why I'm not making that mistake again!

I had a wonderful time in New York on Thursday with my mom. The whole process at the Russian Consulate was quick and painless. In and out in under 20 minutes! After that we wandered around a bit, found a wonderful little French bakery/restaurant for lunch, and strolled through all of Central Park. I also used the American metro system for the first time! It was nice to see more of New York City than just the touristy spots.

Yesterday I spent the day with my dad. We went to Duke Farms and walked around the gorgeous grounds, and took a nice scenic drive through New Jersey on our way home. It was a great daddy-daughter day!

Overall, I'm really enjoying my last few weeks in America. I've gotten to see places I've never been to, and spent lots of quality time with my family. I've been savoring all the time I get to drive, since I won't get to drive at all in Moscow. All the meals I've been eating at my favorite restaurants have been great as well. We're going out to eat at my favorite Chinese restaurant tonight, actually. I'm getting spoiled!

As for today, I've been finalizing my packing checklist and going through my to do/make/fix/don't forget lists. I like making lists, in case you couldn't tell :) My next project is weighing everything I'm planning to take. Yes, I've made a list for that too! My fingers are crossed that it all comes out to under 140 pounds...

Finally, the Invitation!

My letter of invitation is finally here! The two measly pieces of paper that stand between me and my visa... I'll head up to New York tomorrow to apply for the visa, and I'm paying for expedited processing so that I know it won't take too long. The next step is hearing from my company as to when I can actually arrive in Moscow. My fingers and toes are crossed for an early date!

It's finally feeling like the end is in sight - the last few weeks have been dragging by, and I really had no idea when I would actually be getting to Moscow. It's very nice knowing that the most I'll have to wait now is just under 4 weeks. As long as I'm in Moscow by my birthday, December 6th, then I'm happy :)

I also finally feel like I can start preparing to leave again. When I found out I would be delayed the first time, I stopped prepping. I figured it would frustrate me even more to be completely ready and then have to wait an indefinite amount of time to leave. Now I'm trying not to do everything at once, since I could potentially be in America for another few weeks, but it's still quite nice to be preparing again.

So, I guess this is more interesting news than hair dying, no?

It's November...

...and I'm still in America. That's why I haven't been updating this blog. There's nothing interesting to blog about. The highlight of my past 2 weeks was dying my hair... I promise to update when I have something that's actually blog worthy!