1. My parents always told me not to fill up on bread. It’s quite the opposite here.
2. Cabbage is delicious. Either the Russians perfected this first class cabbage over the centuries or more simply it addresses the crippling nutritional deficiencies of my diet. What's important is that it tastes good right?
3. 50% of toilets don’t have toilet paper.
4. In the ones that do, you can’t flush the paper. Instead you stack it in a filthy bin beside the toilet.
5. Classes here are all one and a half or three hours long.
6. Taking exams in another language is difficult.
7. Russia has its own Starbucks addiction in the form of ‘Kofe Haus’. They somehow manage to charge 5 dollars for a cup of coffee and can be found on every major street corner.
8. You can walk into people on the street without apologizing. It’s acceptable to be similarly assertive on all forms of public transport.
9. I literally survive off cookies.
10. I’m eating coconut macaroons as I type this. Oh yes, I splashed out.
11. I have watched as many movies here as in my four semesters at Williams.
12. Because most of the time it’s too cold and dark to do anything else.
13. There was a record breaking frost in Moscow yesterday. -10°F on 1st December.
14. The nightlife here is crazy. It’s not uncommon to leave the house at nine and come back at six.
15. The gym also gets intense. Again probably because there’s not much else to do.
16. You can actually survive off of milk and cookies. My continued existence bears testament to this fact. I’m talking about food again. Okay no more fun facts about food.
17. It’s actually really hard to get a driving license here, if you don’t bribe the instructor.
18. Despite what I said in one of my earliest posts, gypsy cabs have proved the most efficient means of transport after the metro closes. I’m a massive fan.
19. You thought British football fans were a disgrace…
20. Christmas decorations have started to go up and St. Petersburg looks beautiful.
21. There’s a stereotype that Russians trudge through life without a single smile. I can’t tell you how far from the truth this is.
22. MacDonald’s is considered a high-class restaurant here. Russians go there on dates. (For interest: http://freerefillsamerica.com/2010/03/01/defeating-communism-with-a-big-mac-mcdonald%E2%80%99s/ I especially enjoyed the part with the spoon.)
23. Every weekend we’ll have at least one random Russian join our table to have a conversation. It's a good way to meet both people and crazy people.
24. If a shop owner doesn’t have change, they won’t let you buy what you want. The vendor-buyer relationship is very different here, and somewhat stupid.
25. Russian babushkee (Grandmothers) are obsessed with dressing warm and will give you a piece of their mind on the street if you’re not dressed warmly enough. They were all wearing 5 layers in October. Where is there to go from there I ask?
26. Tea is a delicious, low-calorie beverage. I don’t understand why we don’t drink more of it.
27. Five separate Russians have told me that I look like Ben Affleck. I should probably start thinking about a career in Russian cinema.
28. Who would have known that Russians flock over to Finland at Christmas to buy high quality goods at discount prices? The Finnish government is even smart enough to give them a refund on purchased goods when they cross back into Russia. Bravo Finland, that’s how it’s done.
29. All the doors here open outwards. Harder to break into?
30. On that grisly note, a coin rolled under my wardrobe and while retrieving it I stumbled across a gun. Sobering.
31. This music video was produced, which suggests that someone thought it was a good idea. Is this the Russian take on a boyband? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_rmLmrCv6E
32. I miss dogs, especially big smiley golden retrievers. They only have Pekingese here. I’m not sure that even counts.
33. There are packs of wild dogs that roam the street, but I’m not allowed to befriend them.
34. Okay wild dogs makes them sound menacing, but some of them are really very cute.
35. This video is really worth watching. Vladimir Vysotsky was a Russian bard and is well-known to almost every Russian. Moving I think even if you don’t understand what he’s saying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ97BTBGCMI
36. I'm told that if I drink cold water I’ll get sick. Ask for ice and they’ll look at you like you’re crazy.
37. People in St. Petersburg read A LOT. Most people on the metro are reading and some even read while they walk. This can be very annoying, even though I respect their interest. Russians here seems pretty cultured in general. The cultural capital of Russia has many theatres and museums... And the opera and ballet we went to were both packed!
38. Women are still wearing stilettos. Over a foot of snow has fallen.
39. Putin now comes in a bite-size form: http://putincracker.ytmnd.com/
40. He also got a baby tiger for his birthday: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27113957/ (*Note to mom: Christmas idea!!*)
41. World Cup 2018!!!!!!
Lutheran international midnight mass:
Lutheran international midnight mass:
