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 :)

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?

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!

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...

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...