The Motherland.

Gahhh I've been in Russia for thirteen days & I already have so much to write about. I don't know where to start. Everything here is peachy so far. The last couple weeks have been full of adventure, happiness, excitement, sickness, stress, & much more.

Traveling here went well. On the flight from Salt Lake to Houston I sat next to the cutest old Peruvian man. About half way through the flight he randomly leaned over to me & said "My Mother just passed away." & honestly I didn't know what to say. He told me how he was flying back to Peru to see his whole family & how it was a really hard time for all of them. We chatted most of the flight & I really appreciated him. I hit the jackpot with people because on the flight, from Houston to Frankfurt, I also made friends with those sitting around me. One women was going to India & another Budapest. We talked politics, travel, & life in general. A combination of them, & watching great movies (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Exit Through the Gift Shop & The Place Beyond the Pines) made the ten hour flight pretty painless. Frankfurt to Moscow was also easy seeing as I slept most of the way & watched a cute German boy play cards with his grandpa. Although when we got to Moscow they almost didn't let Bailey though customs & three of my teachers had missing luggage. That was a whole different adventure.Here is a darling picture of Bailey & I in the airport. (There are a lot more of these cute photos to come. Bailey & I have been notorious for them on this trip & its kind of become a new thing.)

My host family is awesome. They have had several different teacher stay here before so they know the system.They are super low key & pretty much just let me do my thing. We have had some good conversations though & I really like them. They live in a beautiful pent style apartment. My room has a great view of the city & I get to keep my socks & underwear in a baby cradle.I feel really lucky. They have two boys Syoma (who is seven) & Andre (who is twelve). I especially like playing with Syoma. He loves to show me everything he does in school, play the trumpet for me, & scare me when I get home at night. Oh & my host mom Natasha wears a size twelve shoe & is a great cook. She always makes me blini & last night told me that she fed me hedgehog.

Inside shoes. I forgot about this silly concept. I wear these sexy floral slippers at my house but when we go to the school we wear these. Talk about a fashion statement.

Moscow has a vibe. It's hard to explain. It's dark & dreary but happy & hopeful all in one dirty beautiful city. I dig it & I love knowing that there is always something new to see. I truly didn't realize how massive this city is until I got here. Around 12 million people live here. Don't quote me on that but that's like four times more than all the people living in Utah. Also they have awesome graffiti here. I always try to find new stuff when I go running. 

The Malls here are UNREAL. Seriously Bailey & I got lost in one yesterday. The Vegas Mall is insane. Way cooler than any mall I've ever been to in Vegas. Not only are they massive but they are nicer than all get out. I felt under dressed (in a skirt) just walking around that place. THEY HAD SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS IN THE WALKWAYS.

The food here is awesome compared to China. AWESOME. I didn't have a major issue with food there but man I'm grateful for the grub I eat here. I've actually had some super yummy stuff & they sell ice cream snickers so everything will be okay. Plus you can basically find any kind of western restaurant that you want here. I have a love hate relationship with that fact.

K lets just talk about the metro system for a second. Its unreal. Seriously I love the set up. Not only is it the largest metro system in the world but it is absolutely beautiful & well kept. Every stop is like a museum & a new train comes every two minutes which is unbelievably convenient. Lucky for me I get to navigate all over that thing on a daily basis to get to our different schools. I feel like such a city slicker. I could write a whole blog post about the metro alone. Maybe I will..

The kiddos. I already love them so much & I may or may not have favorites even though its been four days. I must admit I have a special love for the kindergartners. Here are two of my favorites, Masha & Misha.

K I know this was scattered but I will get my thoughts sorted out soon & create something with more substance. Till then!