Now, that title had a unintentional negative connotation...but what it really means is that all three of us (will) find ourselves in different places in the next few days that aren't Moscow. Yes, we love this place and seeing St Basil's on a casual everyday errand will never get old but it's also rather refreshing to escape the sweaty metro and angry babushka every now and then.
Separation anxiety has kicked in already with me having left earlier this morning to a seaside spot called Gelendzhik. Jackie is on her way out to the country side for the weekend and Ree is jetting off to live in Italy for 2 months. The life we're living hey.
Since I can pretty much only speak for my one third of this trio, I will share some news with the black sea lying just outside my window. A wonderful family that I work for invited me down here to spend a couple of days so I was able to see a different part of Russia.
This place is definitely a different part of Moscow...so much so that I feel like I might have even left the world. I cannot describe how beautiful it is. It is a mixture of a people beach, steep cliffs and mountains, forest, valleys, a holiday beach town that you see in movies and then a clear and flat ocean with no waves at all. People are Kenton-on-Sea chilled out and everyone is brown, happy and relaxed. There are boats and jetskis out on the water, people tanning under thatch umbrellas, playing all sorts of games and sports...it's all activities and summer.
The place where I am staying is comfortable and lush with a tennis court, playground and infinity pool that are screaming my name. Yes, the playground too...my student and I have the best time coming up.
The airport here is an interesting one. Its basically all outside as the waiting area is outside and the luggage can be collected off the back of a trailer which parks under a shed...and then its a grab and run situation. But don't people steal each others bags, you might ask...Noooo, because a) this is Russia and b) everyone's so happy to be here they dont care about stealing someone else's stuff.
"Putin's Palace" is rumoured to be here too but it's a bit of a Nkandla situation so he denies that it is actually his. Needless to say, he doesn't have to wait in any luggage sheds with his helicopter waiting to jet him off to his palace as he lands. Also, "palace" being in the name kind of says it all. We flew past it...and basically if something's big enough to be seen from up there, it pretty much has to be a palace.
Anyway, we're going to check it out for ourselves sometime so I will try use my South African background to help add some light on it.
For now, I'm happy that I'm here, and not anywhere else.
Friday 4 July 2014
Thursday 3 July 2014
The Catch-up on crazy!
Family and friends...we are still alive and kicking in Moscow, I've just been caught up in the end of the academic year lessons and life which is the reason for the lack of blogging. I even missed our 5th Moscowversary which was last week Saturday! Some days it's really difficult to believe that we've been here for five months already and other days it feels like we've been here for years.
This week, we have all been on holiday which has been fantastic! We managed to get some sleep, do some shopping, relaxing, bonding and generally being able to do things that we don't usually get to do when we're metro-ing between clients and playing outside with the kiddies.
The other night, we sat around our kitchen table, drank wine and reflected on the last couple of months.
The three girls that stepped off that plane, slipped in the snow and shivered into Moscow have been replaced with woman who glide and layer up (or down, in the heat we've been experiencing lately). We spoke about things that each one of us has had to overcome, learn, accept and change within ourselves and our life here. It is one thing when other people notice the difference in you and a completely different one when you recognise it to be true...and then later learn to be proud of it. I think that it is near impossible to not become a more refined person when living abroad, but most importantly when you grow up. I refused to believe I would one day stop loving 2 minute noodles and that I would like being able to pay my own rent. It's safe to say that we've definitely grown up.
What contributed to all these realisations probably had a lot to do with Rose going back home. She's spent her time here with us and is now moving on to her greener pastures and studying her Masters degree in Holland from September. Casually.
When Rose arrived, we were all apprehensive, learning things and getting things wrong time after time. When we bid her farewell, we did so knowing that she walked away being someone that can as opposed to someone who maybe could of.
As our friend quite literally ran away from us last Sunday, we stood there with a rather surreal feeling remembering how anxious and scared we first felt when we first entered that very station that freezing night.
So Rosie's chapter in Moscow has come to an end. It was filled with many laughs (mostly at her expense), fun adventures, discussions about books/series, practice at her being a psychologist person and priceless lessons.
We still have a couple of chapters left, but if all that can happen in one, imagine what can happen in the rest.
This week, we have all been on holiday which has been fantastic! We managed to get some sleep, do some shopping, relaxing, bonding and generally being able to do things that we don't usually get to do when we're metro-ing between clients and playing outside with the kiddies.
The other night, we sat around our kitchen table, drank wine and reflected on the last couple of months.
The three girls that stepped off that plane, slipped in the snow and shivered into Moscow have been replaced with woman who glide and layer up (or down, in the heat we've been experiencing lately). We spoke about things that each one of us has had to overcome, learn, accept and change within ourselves and our life here. It is one thing when other people notice the difference in you and a completely different one when you recognise it to be true...and then later learn to be proud of it. I think that it is near impossible to not become a more refined person when living abroad, but most importantly when you grow up. I refused to believe I would one day stop loving 2 minute noodles and that I would like being able to pay my own rent. It's safe to say that we've definitely grown up.
What contributed to all these realisations probably had a lot to do with Rose going back home. She's spent her time here with us and is now moving on to her greener pastures and studying her Masters degree in Holland from September. Casually.
When Rose arrived, we were all apprehensive, learning things and getting things wrong time after time. When we bid her farewell, we did so knowing that she walked away being someone that can as opposed to someone who maybe could of.
As our friend quite literally ran away from us last Sunday, we stood there with a rather surreal feeling remembering how anxious and scared we first felt when we first entered that very station that freezing night.
So Rosie's chapter in Moscow has come to an end. It was filled with many laughs (mostly at her expense), fun adventures, discussions about books/series, practice at her being a psychologist person and priceless lessons.
We still have a couple of chapters left, but if all that can happen in one, imagine what can happen in the rest.
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