Only the Strong Survive.....

I have been a bad blogger and haven't posted in a while....so I have some catching up to do. Two weeks ago, I had a really bad week with my kids. They were naughty beyond all reason and I really wanted to give up because I was at my wits end with them. I was going to call their parents but I thought I would give them one more chance, because I didn't want to feel like a failure. My kids are very smart and have really great personalities so I can't help but love them. They have to go to school all day and then they have an hour and a half English lesson with me....I don't blame them for acting out. Anyways I was really depressed going into the weekend. But previously, I had planned for my friend Abby to come to my apartment in Z-grad for a sleepover on Friday. So this cheered me up when I went to pick her up at the train station. Friday is the best day anyways because you have the whole weekend to look forward to and you really need a break by that time.

Abby and I had a great time doing nothing. I was excited to show her my apartment and to give her some old fashioned hospitality. I had an extra air mattress and I made her a bed right next to mine so that we could talk all night long...hehehehe. I cooked dinner for us and we watched feel good movies, like Mulan, and lounged around. We woke up late on Saturday and the plan was to walk around Zelenograd, as I don't know where anything is here because I spend all my extra time in Moscow. This was my first weekend staying the night in Zelenograd for over a month! It took quite a bit of effort on my part to get little Miss Lazy Bones out of her bed. We goofed around and listened to music and re-wrote the lyrics to my favorite song, "Walking in Memphis". We changed it all to "Walking in Moscow"......I am pretty proud of the outcome and the collaboration that went into the production of the song:) But eventually we got out of bed and explored the forests near my apartment. It was great, we took pictures of everything and anything and were just a pair of silly billies the whole time. I am pretty sure we spent 20 min taking pictures of each other jumping off of a stump to get some sweet aerial shots! It was really pretty because it was around the time of sunset and the leaves were extra fiery.

Although lounging about with Abby was great, I never feel like my weekend is complete unless I journey into Moscow. So I went back to Moscow with Abby and we met Iain at our friend Nick's apartment. We all love his apartment, so we call him up with any excuse to come over...hahaha. I was pretty obsessed with wearing these nerdy glasses that were lying around his apartment. I hate sharing and wouldn't let anyone else try them on....hehehehe. It was a good time but since I was only in Moscow for part of a day and not overnight like usual I felt short changed and was in a funk on Sunday night and Monday morning. I never feel like talking to anybody and ignore everyone as part of my "mourning the weekend" ritual. But then I go to teach my kids and they always cheer me up and that is why I love them. I finally realized for the first time today how much I will miss them.....they are my little buddies and I really can't imagine not seeing them next year.

Last week I introduced a new game to my class......Mafia! They loved it, but now I have a slight problem.....they demand to play it everyday and I have had to compromise to playing it once a week....which is still too much. They are master negotiators! I am trying to look for more fun and interactive games like Mafia to play with them periodically in order to break up the monotony of class.....although my classes aren't very monotonous because I also get bored easily so I play lots of games and just talk with them. It was really nice to have a good week after such a bad week.

This past weekend was pretty typical. I went into Moscow on Saturday and had lunch at TGIFridays with Abby, which we hadn't done in a really long time. Then we went to a cafe to meet Iain before going to our friend Nick's apartment. It was really funny actually because we were supposed to call Iain and tell him which cafe to meet us at, but we weren't supposed to meet him until later and when we walked into the cafe.....there he was! He was doing some private English lessons and so we sat about 15 feet away from him and stalked him for an hour and a half without his knowing and then we called him as promised to tell him to meet us about 15 feet to his left......it was funny and it thoroughly entertained Abby and I. Abby was teaching me Russian during this time. I have to learn some new Russian phrases every weekend, because my babies always quiz me on what Russian I learn during my weekends. Oh boy, they will do anything to procrastinate learning English....how can you not love them?

Abby, Iain and I went to Nick's apartment and we also met our good friend Kate Miller there. I can only refer to Kate Miller by both first and last name.....I don't know why....it just sounds right. I hadn't seen Kate since the internship and it was so good to see her again. We were shooting the breeze for a while and then we decided to go out. We went to a couple of different bars and clubs and I went home with Kate Miller and crashed on her floor......my bedding was a pile of her clothes actually. Kate and I had a very interesting night, one which I won't go into too much detail about......let's just say that she abandoned me on a playground and I thought I would be sleeping outside, but she did come back for me...phew! On Sunday, Kate and I saw a Subway by her house and we ate lunch there. I was so excited when I saw it because I love Subway beyond a normal amount and I was told that there were hardly any located in Russia. Apparently, they had just opened this Subway two weeks prior. So I will definitely be visiting Kate Miller again! After this eventful weekend, I went back home to Zelenograd and I realized how much I had missed my bed and the comfort of my room.

I am so used to my normal routine now and I really find solace in it. The regularity of the Russians themselves makes me feel at home. I have several impressions of Russia, all of which revolve around the people. Every time I get on the bus to go to school, I am reminded of the old ladies with big purses that will beat you senseless and shout Russian at you unless you get out of their way. You can't help but love their Soviet attitudes. When I am waiting on the metro escalators, I like to look around and I see the delightful Moscovian style that is so unique. Moscow is bright and bold and so is the fashion! Every woman, and I mean EVERY woman, wears a pair of high heels or knee high boots....if you don't have a pair you might as well leave the country. Their jackets and outfits are straight off of the runways of Paris. You can't help but feel happy when you look at the spirit that their clothes have. The clothes are almost bordering on a 1980's theme.....it is a fine line between tacky and stylish.....not all succeed. The other essential item needed in order to survive besides knee high boots, is the leather jacket. They are all about the leather and fur here. I really like the style because it is hardcore and bold, which is exactly how I try to portray myself to others. However, one thing that really burns my biscuits is all the PDA (public displays of affection)! My God, people are upping the ante in Russia from PDA to PDS (public displays of sex!). I sort of feel like the Russians always think they are on the brink of dying so they live life in this manner.....by rushing around everywhere, kissing and groping in public, and being really really intense about everything. There is nothing care free about Russia, it is a very deliberate country. Every decision from clothes to conduct reflects that it was made as a very clear choice and it sends the message, that the people have become hardened through suffering, but will overcome and persevere by being bolder than everybody else. You can't help but respect a people like that. As I came to appreciate the passion of the Greeks, now I have come to appreciate the bold tenacity of the Russians, a people of perseverance.