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!

Grr...

For a minute there, I almost forgot I was moving to Russia... and then I got an email saying that my letter of invitation would be delayed. Ah yes, there's the Russia I've come to know and love! Silly me for thinking things would be different this time - my last visa took nearly 3 months from start to finish. Being the semi optimistic person that I am (as in, optimistic until proven otherwise) I thought that this whole process would go smoothly and entirely according to plan... But this is just the way Russia works, no rhyme or reason, things just happen as they happen. It always works out in the end, but sometimes the end is much farther away than it should be!

The biggest problem with this is that I'm now stuck in America for longer than I had planned, and with nothing left to do. I have two things left on my 'to buy' list, just a few errands to run, and a handful of phone calls to make - definitely not enough to occupy me for the next 2/3/4 weeks. I have clothes to fix, jewelry to make, and of course I can spend all day studying Russian... but what I really need are things to do that require leaving the house! I'm one of those strange people who is exponentially happier when I'm ridiculously busy. I get bored if I don't have a lot to do!

To look on the bright side, I'm getting to spend a lot of extra time with my family and my cat (I'm a real cat person, and I hate living without at least one cat - which I'll have to do in Moscow), and I'm getting to eat at all of my favorite restaurants multiple times! Normally I don't eat out a lot, but I figure I have to stock up on all of the things I won't be able to get in Moscow. Mexican and Thai are two of my favorite cuisines, and I'm fairly certain that they'll be hard to come by in Moscow. I have my doubts that I'll find a Mexican restaurant at all, let alone a good one! I've been spoiled by the wonderful Mexican restaurant that's 30 minutes from my house here, and it's hard to find others that live up to its standards!

On that note, I'm headed off to lunch with my dad!

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...

View from the Astronomical Clock tower

Testing from flickr again....

Test post from flickr

IMG_6142, originally uploaded by aroundiemiru.

This is just one of many wonderful doors I saw in Prague.

Perhaps I'll come back later and write a post with some actual information in it...?

Done!

So, the CELTA course is officially over now. The last day was fun, we just played games with our students, and then got to talk to them for a while. After that it was just some paperwork, and we received our certificates - we all passed! Afterwards we semi took over a nearby restaurant (our group was 17 people, and then the other class came as well!), and then headed downtown to a bar/club place. I was so tired, I only stayed there for a little while, then went home to SLEEP :) I never realized how amazing sleep could be!

Now, I plan to spend the next 3 days photographing like a mad woman! I'm about to head off into the city soon - just have to wait for my camera battery to finish charging. I'll try to post a couple pictures here, but I make no guarantees - but I promise when I get back to America I'll post a ton!

Alright - I'm off to go exploring :)

Oh, two random things that I keep meaning to write about... The crosswalk signals here tick, as well as show the little walk/don't walk people. They tick rapidly when you can cross the street, and slower when you can't. I think that's pretty clever! And I've heard people joke that in the Czech Republic, pork is considered vegetarian - turns out that's not a joke! They only consider meat to be red meat... seriously! That explains why on most "vegetarian" sections of menus, especially in the center, the options were either pork or seafood! Crazy, crazy ideas about food here...

I survived the CELTA course!!!

It still hasn’t sunk in that I've basically finished the course. On one hand, it feels like I’ve been here forever, but on the other it feels like I just began. All in all, it was an amazing experience. The sheer amount that I learned amazes me – I didn’t know it was possible to cram so much information into a four week period of time!

Teaching my last observed lesson today was a bit surreal – and it still hasn’t entirely sunken in that I’m done. No more CTLs (evil, evil papers…) or cover sheets, or analyzed lesson plans! No more assignments to write, no more teaching observations, no more lectures…. it’s weird to think about, really. All we have left is a fun group lesson with our students tomorrow (we’re playing games the entire time) some admin stuff, and finally getting our grades!

I've become so used to stressing about everything, and pressure/time constraints, that I’m not sure if I remember what relaxing is like. I also don’t remember what it’s like not waking up before the sun to finish a lesson plan or assignment. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow! Tomorrow afternoon/evening will be fun too – we’re all going out to a restaurant to celebrate the end of the course, and to just blow off some steam. It will be a nice reward. I treated myself to a piece of cake today as a treat for finishing all the hard parts of the course!

I am sooooooo looking forward to Saturday though – my tentative plan is to spend as many hours in the city as possible – so basically whenever the metro opens to whenever it closes! I have a long to do list, and not really enough time to do it all – but I’ll manage somehow! The hardest part of it will be going through my thousands of pictures when I get home! I already have around 800 – and that’s mostly from 1 day!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures, more to come soon!