A Taste of Home

Over the past few days I've been having a bit of a hard time with Moscow. I can't quite put my finger on it but I believe it's a combination of missing home, missing Saint Petersburg, and being all the way out in the city suburbs here in Moscow. In addition, some of the people in the other dorm have been behaving in a less than desirable manner this weekend. So since it's Sunday, Hannah and I decided to put in a load of laundry and go out into the city. Someone had told us about the Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow, so we decided to go check it out. We had to take the metro across the city to Smolenskaya and then walk down the Starii Arbat Ulitsa. We've been feeling a little off, so imagine our absolute and total delight when we encountered the holy grail of American-ness: STARBUCKS. I paid 211 rubles ($7-8) for a caramel frappuccino and it was the best damn thing I have ever tasted. The taste of home was just the thing to pull us out of our Moscow induced funk!

Following our epic Starbucks adventure, we hunted down the Hard Rock Cafe where I ordered what was probably the best cheeseburger I've ever had in my whole life. A real cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and fries was just what I needed today. There's nothing like some good old American food to perk you up in a foreign country. See below my extremely satisfied face...

And on the way home, after purchasing a Hard Rock Cafe Moscow t-shirt (hell yes I did), we encountered another one of the Seven Gothic Sisters built during the Soviet Union. It pretty much dominates the skyline of the Old Arbat, and with good cause, it's ridiculous! This particular sister currently houses the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the end of it all, today was a good day. I got out of my "I hate you Moscow" funk (mostly) and I'm feeling less homesick. Funny how the cure for that is food... So now it's one week in Moscow down, four to go! Wish me luck!

Love and hugs to all! xoxo

Kremlinology

Last night Hannah and I had an epic adventure to the Rus Market down the street in search of goodies for the night's festivities. This resulted in the most college student-esque shopping basket ever. Sushki (round, crunch bread things), cookies, a tomato, a bottle of red wine, and a bottle of vodka. We actually got a crazy deal on the vodka: we paid 170 rubles ($6.50) for a half liter of vodka on sale, where it was originally 280 ($10). Being crafty, even in Russia! And to top it all off, I got carded. In Russia. I got carded in Russia. I turned 21 two weeks before I left for Russia. International drinking age fail. So, I had to whip out my U.S. passport in the grocery store to prove I was over 18. I hate pulling my American documents out in public, I prefer to blend in. Oh well! All in the name of a good party! (Which it was!)

Vodka!

This morning we had an excursion to the Kremlin, which was really cool although mostly another tour of another billion churches. The saborii here are beautiful, but they all start to look the same after a while. (So awful of me to say...) The Kemlin acts the political center of Moscow. Originally built as a citadel (kremel) at the highest point of the city, the Kremlin today is where the President of Russia works. Seeing as how today was Saturday, Medvedev wasn't present, but it's my goal to see Putin before I leave! The Kremlin is impressive, if in scale and architecture if nothing else. It's hard enough to describe things in Russia, even harder to get across the significance and elegance of the Kremlin. So! I have pictures for you all! Let the viewing ensue!

Entrance to the Kremlin

Kremlin Walls

The Arsenal

State Kremlin Palace

One of the churches (I forgot which one...)

Senate Building (Medvedev's offices)

Soldiers on march in the Kremlin

Cathedral of the Assumption

Another nameless church

Me in the Kremlin Garden

View of the City from the Kremlin

Annunciation Cathedral

Cathedral of the Assumption

After the Kremlin, Austin and I made a mad dash for some very necessary food at 2pm. We found a good Russian place in a food court outside of the Kremlin walls and inhaled everything we bought. The food here is good, but thank god we walk 5-6 miles a day otherwise I'd be so fat! Our next mission was to find Moscow State University (MGU), which is a landmark in Moscow. One of the buildings on campus (picture below!) is one of the Seven Gothic Sisters built throughout Moscow by Stalin. The campus is just like other college campuses all over the world, but it's dominated by the administration building, which is so beautiful! On the way home, we dozed on the metro and then got caught in a monsoon on the walk back from the metro station to campus. (We go to the Moscow University for the Humanities, by the way.) I returned to my dorm room soaked to the bone, but I felt very accomplished with my escapades for the day!

Moscow State University

And now it's 11:30 at night, we just finished eating dinner and enjoying a good peach, a luxury here in Russia where fruit and veggies don't really exist. Well they do, but they're awful. So now I'm full, happy, and I have my (5th) cup of tea in my hand. I'm now going to enjoy sleeping in tomorrow and then beginning my sixth week in Russia, second week in Moscow!

Love and hugs to all! And to any of my former or current teachers reading this, please pass no judgment, I swear I'm learning lots! :)

xoxo

P.S. Foreign Policy magazine is running a good series of articles in response to 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union (1991-2011), go check them out! Revolution Road (Foreign Policy)