I had every intention of arriving in Moscow this morning and spending the day productively...a bit of sight seeing, grocery shopping, and a few other errands. But then I arrived at my hotel and saw my bed. Farewell productivity, hello blissful sleep and lounging! After two red-eye flights, I could have cared less about waging a war with jet lag.
Said flights passed without incident. Unless you want me to launch into my tirade against sandwich seating. I do NOT do the middle seat gracefully. Or ungracefully. NEVER sit there actually. I have 6 feet of lengthy limbs to manage. But I wasn't going to get into this...
As the wheels hit the ground, I felt what's been possibly the second wave of nerves I've had in preparing for 300+ days in Moscow. The first round came on Tuesday when I had a Russian language evaluation via phone. As it turns out, NOT fluent. Thank you for reminding me. Right before I leave. The emotional basket case that was packing my bags and saying my goodbyes doesn't even warrant the Nerves category..way too much of a trainwreck to be appropriately identified. I actually lost it just seeing a commercial for the Michigan vs. Alabama game. Don't judge...I believe in true love when it comes to Michigan football. ANYWAY,that brings us to Round 2. We landed and for a solid 5 minutes I felt like I was approximately 15 years old. Who was going to walk me through passport control? What if my luggage didn't make it? Would my driver be there? How would I find my hotel without a functioning phone?!? The list goes on.
But everything went flawlessly. Luggage intact. Driver on time. Smooth passage through passport control (I even skipped the long line at a tip from a fellow passenger and hit up the Diplomat entry). And driving into Moscow, I finally felt the excitement that's been suppressed amidst the mounds of planning. I'm back in a city I love, surrounded by a language I love, and I've even figured out how to watch the football I love! Though it might have to be at 4 am...
And Moscow was excited to see me as it turns out. Street parties, live bands, fireworks over Red Square. They really went all out. It may have had something to with the fact that it's a city holiday...happy 865th anniversary to Moscow!...but I'd rather flatter myself thinking it was for me.
Highlights of venturing out when I finally tore myself from my bed:
A man walking a jaguar. Had to do a double take for that one. The advantage to staying near the circus. Or disadvantage, should the jaguar choose.
Hot chocolate. My favorite Russian past time. Yes, it's already cold enough here to warrant it. This does not bode well for the upcoming winter...
PINK! Most who know me are aware that this is actually my least favorite color. But, it happens to be the color of my new hair dryer, as well as the predominant color in my current hostel, especially when it comes to paint AND toilet paper choices.
Finding a hair dryer ended up taking far longer than I anticipated, but after several stores and a bit of google research I discovered why. They're sold primarily in stores that are the equivalent of our American Best Buy. I purchased mine at М Видео. A media/video store. Of course that's where you would look for a blow dryer. Right across the aisle from the Wii.
And now with no further ado...back to my bed! I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to be a fabulous year.
Said flights passed without incident. Unless you want me to launch into my tirade against sandwich seating. I do NOT do the middle seat gracefully. Or ungracefully. NEVER sit there actually. I have 6 feet of lengthy limbs to manage. But I wasn't going to get into this...
As the wheels hit the ground, I felt what's been possibly the second wave of nerves I've had in preparing for 300+ days in Moscow. The first round came on Tuesday when I had a Russian language evaluation via phone. As it turns out, NOT fluent. Thank you for reminding me. Right before I leave. The emotional basket case that was packing my bags and saying my goodbyes doesn't even warrant the Nerves category..way too much of a trainwreck to be appropriately identified. I actually lost it just seeing a commercial for the Michigan vs. Alabama game. Don't judge...I believe in true love when it comes to Michigan football. ANYWAY,that brings us to Round 2. We landed and for a solid 5 minutes I felt like I was approximately 15 years old. Who was going to walk me through passport control? What if my luggage didn't make it? Would my driver be there? How would I find my hotel without a functioning phone?!? The list goes on.
But everything went flawlessly. Luggage intact. Driver on time. Smooth passage through passport control (I even skipped the long line at a tip from a fellow passenger and hit up the Diplomat entry). And driving into Moscow, I finally felt the excitement that's been suppressed amidst the mounds of planning. I'm back in a city I love, surrounded by a language I love, and I've even figured out how to watch the football I love! Though it might have to be at 4 am...
And Moscow was excited to see me as it turns out. Street parties, live bands, fireworks over Red Square. They really went all out. It may have had something to with the fact that it's a city holiday...happy 865th anniversary to Moscow!...but I'd rather flatter myself thinking it was for me.
Highlights of venturing out when I finally tore myself from my bed:
A man walking a jaguar. Had to do a double take for that one. The advantage to staying near the circus. Or disadvantage, should the jaguar choose.
Hot chocolate. My favorite Russian past time. Yes, it's already cold enough here to warrant it. This does not bode well for the upcoming winter...
PINK! Most who know me are aware that this is actually my least favorite color. But, it happens to be the color of my new hair dryer, as well as the predominant color in my current hostel, especially when it comes to paint AND toilet paper choices.
yay! glad you're there safely, and that the city decided to throw you a party - we certainly think you're worth the celebration! xoxo
ReplyDeleteAh! I miss you! But that post about the man and his exotic pet ltierally made me laugh out loud as I pictured Anastasia. (Because that happens mid-song!) I love you AND your pink blow drier!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me so happy that you are excited and happy and somewhere you love! This is so fun! And the other day I swear I saw a guy in Alpine running his jaguar...weird how close I feel to you..I know you are not all about pink but the light pink walls in the hotel definitely sing a friendly tune. Glad you are safe! Keep blogging!!
ReplyDeletePS (Yes your blog DOES ask you to prove you're not a robot by entering funky characters and YES this is my third attempt. Here's to hoping it works....)