perks of living at 10 Smolenskaya

...FRONT ROW VIEW OF IMPROMPTU FIREWORKS!!!

It's the holidays, so Muscovite millionaires are spending their money wisely.

Why not, I say, in a country where fireworks are legal?

It's the second day in a row where I see fireworks going off randomly in the evening time. YAY HOLIDAYS!

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On a similar note, I danced a crazy dance Friday after school. Having a bit more than 3 weeks off (AND getting used to the idea of a PAID vacation for the first time in my life) is a DAMN sweet deal.

I forgot about one of the most amazing perks of being at teacher; aside from the shaping of children's lives, instilling values, broadening minds and all that, but!!

The ultimate perk: XMAS GIFTS!

seriously tho, I only got like 2 gifts, but the greatest thing was that one of them was the most wonderful thing I've received in a long time.

This particular student of mine had a hard time at the beginning of the year, and I worked really hard with her mother to get her adjusted. Now she comes to school happily without any tears, which is a huge improvement; she's come a long way, and she's one of the greatest goobers I have. I also made their family a huge origami star for their Christmas tree; it took a bit of my time and some of Aron's paper, but it wasn't a big deal; I was happy to do it, and apparently they were super grateful because they got me BOLSHOI THEATER BALLET slippers made at the special studio where they make them specially for the dancers. People can't BUY these things. They knew someone who hooked them up with it. I was stunned; it's almost one of the most representative things of Russian and Moscow culture.

I was SO blown away; they're awesome. They're labelled too! Real ballet slippers! I don't think I ever even saw real ones before. VERY cool :)

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It's 2am right now, and alessandro leaves in an hour; I told him that I'd stay up and see him off. I made a mean stir-fry tonight; a nice way to send him off, with the tummy filled with fresh veggies and tofu :) it was actually really good! Tomorrow, Le Roux moves in and I get seriously packing. Monday, I FLY HOME BABIE!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at home!

lvoelovleoveo

patey:]

all I know is ya tibia liublue

So much has been going on that I haven't had time to catch up with updating the blog....Even as I write this, I should be making my Elf costume for our xmas day at school on wednesday, but I figure I've been disregarding the blog long enough.

The crazy news is that I'll be home in 1 week.
I'm still in disbelief over it...but it's good. I'm glad to be going home. I'm listing the small personal things that I'll do when I get home, and I'm really looking forward.
I forget who I was telling this to, but the first thing I'm going to do when I walk into my house (after hugging the family) is taking a BIG WHIFF of my home. I'm gonna inhale it in and let it consume me.
I can't remember what my home smells like, and it bothers me a bit....but I think it's one of those things that you'll just instantly recognize when you sense it, and that's okay :)

Highlights of the past couple of weeks:

On December 2nd, there were elections here in Moscow, and my crazy Swedish friend Aron kept saying how cool it would be if we went with a Russian who's voting to see what it was like. I wasn't stupendously motivated, but I thought, why not? But none of our Russian friends were keen on us following them, and not only that, but most weren't even bothering. (A LOT of Russians believe that their votes are worth less than toilet paper. And the really crappy russian newspaper kind, not Bounty or Softy and whatnot)
Proof of this:

Big Putin election win, U.S. urges fraud probe
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin won a big endorsement in a parliamentary election on Sunday but the United States urged Moscow to investigate opposition charges of widespread fraud.


So, anyway...we decide to just wing it, if no one's going to hold our hand.
I just used my crazy reasoning skills and since I heard the polling stations were public places like schools, I thought, hey there's a school really close to my school, and since Aron's house is near my school and this other school, LETS GO TO THE SCHOOL and see what's what.

Now, keep in mind that, this is RUSSIA. There's militia everywhere (Militia: The russian PO-PO; aka police.), and this is a political event. I'm just am Asian-Canadian expat teacher, armed with an exceedingly optimistic and happy red-headed Swedish programer; WE HAVE NO BUSINESS IN A RUSSIAN POLLING STATION!
NONETHELESS,
we're off! and we see lots of people/action outside the school, and we FIGURE the shit's going down inside. There are 3-4 police guarding the gates. I whisper to Aron something like, lets just walk in like we belong; don't stop. AND WE DIDN'T STOP!! we just walked through! ...we walked right into the bulding and went through the metal detectors, past the inspection dude(whom we laughed with when he asked Aron if he had a knife). We just MOVED!....once we got to the staircase and were alone, Aron and I looked at each other in disbelief. We were galavanting around in the building like idiots and I felt like a fugitive frauder on an undercover op soon to be discovered by a really pissed of russian guard. We found ourselves in the room and watched as a few people cast their votes. It was really cool getting to see democracy in action first hand in a country which didn't really have the privilege not so long ago. ...of course, this is just what's going through my head, because Russia is actually fairly complex. A lot of people here think elections are just a joke. Corruption and all this stuff comes into play, and although a lot of people say that things are so much better than even 5-10 years ago, a lot of underhand stuff still goes on.
I think I live a relatively sheltered life from all that action, even though it still touches my life directy. (In ways I'm not at liberty to speak of! haha)

***************************************************************
Alessandro's leaving on the 23rd of December.
I'm a bit sad about that...because after living with somoene (regardless of how different they are from you) for three months, you get used to your life being a certain way. I joke with him and tell him that I'll miss him but it's more like the battered wife syndrome. That makes him laugh his goofy Swiss laugh. Yep, will definitely miss him.
If only you guys could hear our ridiculous banter; we have a fabulous repertoire when other people are around; and he has this hilarious accent that makes him sound like an elitist (I suspect he is!) so it makes it even funnier! We just mock each other incessantly. It's fabulous.
He doesn't say it, but I know he's gonna miss me and Moscow. He's got his ways of expressing his affection for me, and although they mostly consist of not running away screaming when I try to hug him, it's enough for me :)

On a happier note related to Alessandro's departure, I've successfuly found a fabulous new flatmate. His name is Le Roux, and he's SOUTH AFRICAN!!
I wrote today on my facebook status that I felt like I was painting the world, and I do! I feel like I know SO many people from SO many different places, it's the coolest thing! Yesterday I was in the Asian quarter in Moscow where I was speaking to all the vendors in Mandarin and no one knew that I was a foreigner (as in Canadian), just cause (as my Russian friend Pavel who speaks Mandarin too tells me) there are so many different people from China from so many different regions with different accents that they can't tell where I'm from even with my north american accent! So it was me, Aron, Le Roux and Pavel, and Le Roux pointed out that between the 4 of us, there was about 10 languages, and as I think about it now, the fabulousness that was at that table was not only good food (slightly oily though), but people who covered the entire globe. United by the beautiful international language that is English and a love of a city called Moscow.
Yesterday was a pretty cool day.

Anyway, back to Le Roux;
he's a super cool and nice guy; we actually have almost the SAME taste in music! it's madness!
We've already spent hours talking and we're both looking forward to him moving in. Actually, the reason he's in Moscow is actually the SAME exact reason I'm here too. Usually, for the most part, 90% of th expats I meet here actually have some kind of affiliation with Russia; studied the language, knows people, has a specific tie to russia or her culture. People seldomly come with NO attachments. He's got that same slightly confused and in need of guidance, yet bright eyed and bushy tailed attitude I know I had when I got here. It's actually cool helping him out; showing him the ropes and dishing out advice.

OK, but I need to stop writing now; it's getting really late, and I need my sleep.

If I forget, you'll have to ask me to tell you about the Ikea marriage proposal I received and my moments of flirting with a life of money and Ikea luxury.
good night,
lvelovleovel
patey:]

dominating impatience

I met another one...a guy.
That’s right, another guy that wows me so much that I’m not only blown away by him, but I instantaneously think I’m not good enough.

I know, I know; It’s a load of crap...I just can’t help it I guess. It’s just so rare when they fit the criteria so much that they’re instantaneously on a pedestal that I set so high, I can’t see myself standing next to them.

I actually met him a month ago at his birthday party, and I noticed him right away, but I saw that he wasn’t all that interested in anything more than a good conversation about culture, language and China’s economic ego. It’s all good, it happens, life moves right along; up on facebook he goes.

A month later, we meet again at another mutual friend’s event. Still think he’s awesome, but am super realistic. He’s not interested in me, I know it.
But this time, we talk, and I mean really talk. About everything, work, siblingness, passports, family, work...he got me talking about my kids, and you know how I get when I talk about my kids....ahaha. It goes well at the resto, cause he’s looking at me attentively, in a way that makes me think, “Hmmm...he’s looking at me attentively...”.
Once we’re at the bar/club, we small talk, poke fun at an American guy that stopped and talked to us about Moscow inefficiency, and then we ended up talking about music. We instantaneously connect. We have very similar tastes in music, both calling on random artists and bands that we don’t think either person knows of but is then pleasantly surprised. It’s good. We both promise to make each other mixed cds. Subsequently in the night, we dance in a group, dance together (sort of), dance in a group again and then when I leave and go to say goodbye, he tells me something like (I don’t remember exactly what he said but something along the lines of) “We should get together sometime and talk more about music”, to which I respond a very normal “of course, for sure...’d love to” etc...

Now, what he says is supposedly important, because this man is Swedish, and as my dearest Swedish friend Aron tells me, Swedish guys ARE NOT wave makers. They do NOT make moves, do not express themselves too extravagantly, try not to stand out and are the most PC people in the world; to a fault! It is just what makes up the people. Supposedly, that simple thing that he said to me means a heck of a lot, ‘cause if a Swede suggests further interactions, it means he’s interested, and that’s a BIG step for him.
SO, to say the least, I’m freakin excited! Is it possible such an awesome guy likes me!? So I think, OK, I’ll play the game; I wait two days and write him a facebook message telling him that I’m working on his cd, and if he knows so-and-so bands so I don’t put a bunch of stuff he already knows. This is where I get confused. It’s been about a week and he hasn’t written me back. Nothing. He was supposed to be at a group dinner on Wednesday night too, and he cancels last minute.

I feel a bit like an idiot because I got myself all excited about him.
I know it doesn’t mean much; so the guy didn’t write me back. Of course Patey, he must secretly hate you! ...ugh! I hate this stuff, it’s such stupidity and a huge waste of time. I just wish the game was easier sometimes.

I finished his cd this morning. I half decided not to make it, but then woke up Saturday morning, and just felt so moved by some of the songs I heard that I needed to express that musical intencity on a cd for him. I WANTED to make that mix cd. Not just for a great guy that I think would appreciate it, but because it’s a way to give back. The stuff on this cd is sacred to me, and I’ll be damned if I let another confused guy take my will to express that love away. I burned the cd, and it’s sitting on my table until I hand it to him and he gives me his excuse about why he didn’t write back, or how he’s sorry he didn’t have a chance to make me my cd.

I just want someone I love to love me back without hesitation.
I do NOT believe it’s too much to ask.

I think he’s just lost somewhere, and eventually he’ll find his way....or I’m lost somewhere...it’s just that reconciling my patience with my impatience is fairly difficult as I have come to recognize more and more how my impatience dominates many of my motivations.

good people

I came to Russia, thinking I would meet fairy rude people, and instead I've been surrounded by some of the kindest and most honest people I have ever met in my life.

I'm not saying that certain Russians aren't rude. They walk around with stone cold faces. There's not much GOOD service in stores; if they don't know what you're talking about on the phone, all you hear is the click of the hang up. People spit, yell, push, litter and curse (the last one is an assumption on my part, although likely an accurate one)
NONETHELESS,
there are many Russians who ARE NOT like this at all.
During my time in Moscow, and maybe it's cause I'm in a big city, and this is where people come for a safe haven away from a more strict way of life outside of the city, but I haven't met more VEGETARIANS, HOMOSEXUALS and SCANDINAVIANS in my life.

I gotta say, I LOVE it!
I just love it:)

Vegetarians: 90% of the vegetarians I have met here are Russian; which is a fairly uncommon thing in Russia where a meal is not a meal if you don't have a hunk of meat and layers of fat on it. (They bother NOT to even dispose of the layers of fat.) Being vegetarian here isn't the easiest thing to do; and being vegan is even harder. You'd basically have to not eat out at all, or stick strictly to certain vegetarian restos, but let me tell you, they're few and far in between, and this is MOSCOW. The big city.

Homosexuals: They're just nothing but fabulous, and there's something that just makes me feel so comfortable with them, THUS ensuring a wonderful time at ALL times :)

Scandinavians: I am continuously blown away by the kindness and equality that exudes out of EVERY Scandinavian that I meet.
Sometimes mid-conversation, I whip out my passport (Which, yes, I carry around at all times; Before I came here, I thought it would be a huge inconvenience, but it's not really. We're just not all that used to it at home, it's just normal now. Like guarding your wallet and cell phone, you guard your passport too) and show them my cancelled Swedish work visa. It makes me feel connected to them in a way :), and they get so happy to see it!

It's now official; my best friend here is Aron, he's this crazy swede that dances ridiculously dramatically and is the kindest and most wonderfully happy-go-lucky guy. We live relatively close to each other, and thus hang out almost everyday during the weekends. We go out dancing to random places and come home at ridiculous times in the morning (last night I was in bed at 6am!...oh my!), and all we do is fraternize with other random people. Now, it seems like every time I go out, I have at least 2 new facebook friends.

The changes in my life in the past 3 months have been paramount. If I'm a bit emotionally stunted when I get home and feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of experience that I will feel the need to speak of, please understand. It's SO much change. It's SO much change!! I hope I'll be able to do justice to it without seeming too changed, or show-off-ey. I'm a bit afraid of that, I have to admit, so tell me if I am, and I'll try to stop. If I suffer from verbal diarrhea, then tell me too. It's just a weird time, and it'll be interesting to see how I handle being back at home. (although I'm sure it'll be fine)
Still...
I can't help but love the scandinavians, and if you meet them too, you'd fall in love as well. I wish I could bring them all to montreal to show you guys :)

namaste friends,
patey:]

"no, I don't have a child at this party..."

One of my fabulous student's mother invited me to her daughter's birthday party. They're this fabulous Norwegian family and I get along with the mother super well.

It was at a cafe near this bran new ice skating rink on the highest floor of a gigantic shopping mall near my home.

It was cool!....although a bit weird...cause I was at my student's birthday party...with a bunch of strangers...and parents who's kids I teach.

So this man stops to speak to me and he goes; so do you have a kid at this party? hahaha..., and I laugh say no...and that I'm Hedda's English teacher.

Nope! ...no kids yet!
Wow...I mean, I know I can clean up real good (HAHAHHA), but to look like a parent?

I made a note before going to dress decently and it's a good thing cause these conversations with these people were very telling of what was clearly a generation gap, yet only an age gap of about ten to 15 years!

You have to understand that these are fairly well off expats in Moscow.
As much as I love Hedda and her parents, I couldn't help but feel more at ease playing with the kids....and the truth is, I don't think it was a matter of me not wanting to socialize with the adults, but none of them seemed all that keen to talk to me. When they did, I never had to struggle so hard to find things to say!

One of the parents was complaining about the taxes around the world....we started talking about ridiculous taxes in Norway and then Paris, and how Moscow doesn't tax that much and the man was saying how great that was, and all I could think of was how different we were...how privileged we all are, yet how different we were. (By privilege, I mean people who have benefits just by holding a passport of a first world country, not $ signs. I'm fairly certain this man spends more than my salary per month on his rent alone, and that's a generous assumption). I ALWAYS feel the need to find balance in a coversation when it's wayyy too one sided, so I just HAD to bring it up...How taxes aren't only about the amount of money the government takes from our pockets, it's about the social benefits that people that AREN'T as privileged as us can get. Norway has one of the BEST social public support system form the government. Education is funded; EVERYTHING's funded. Yeah things are freakin' expensive, but they balance out to a certain extent. There's almost 5 million people in Norway, and considering they've been voted most peaceful country in the world; they MUST be doing something right. It's about social programs, pensions, health care, subsidized ANYTHING for people who can't offord things as easily as we can. I'm not saying people in Norway are very impoverished; YES it's a rich country. Yes it's easier to take care of a smaller and richer country, but all I'm saying is that SOMETHING is being done to support the population. Maybe if countries did more for their people, the whole situation would be better. For SURE, not being taxed in Moscow is fabulous, but it only benefits the privileged. If we look at the poverty some people live in, the corruption, and dirt and LACK of good health/dental/pension/everything we take for granted, you'll see, MR. Privileged, that compared to somoene like you who's company will pay for a comfortable life, maybe the millions of Russians who live in the same expensive city with a fraction of your salary wouldn't mind paying a few percentages of what they make and buy just to have decent benefits.

I said all of this to him with my respect filter turned on HIGH.

All he could add to that was that Yes, he does miss having the good roads and highway structures he sees in high tax countries.
His daughter's real cute though...

***********************************************************

On a slightly funnier note:
I just got this e-mail.

I'm still recieving e-mails reagarding my flat posting I put up on an expat forum here in moscow.
THANKFULLY I made up a new e-mail address cause it's the second time I get an e-mail like this one:

"Hello dear,

My name is fatouba Dioh.
My hobbies are reading, music, watching of movies and playing of basketball.
I was impressed when i saw your profile and will like to discuss important matter with you and as well as establishe a long lasting relationship with you.In addition, please kindly contact me direct with my e-mail address: xxxx@yahoo.comWaiting to hear from you soonest.
With love.
Miss fatouba."

Actually, the other one was funnier...lemme find it:

Read it now, or save it for a SAD SAD day, cause it'll make you laugh your pants off and feel INSTANTANEOUSLY better about your life and the world we live in:

"My name is miss cherish i saw your profile today and became interested in you,i will also like to know you the more,and i want you to send a mail to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom l am.Here is my email address(@yahoo.co.uk).I believe we can move from here.I am waiting for your mail to my email address above.miss cherish.(Remeber the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life) Please reply me with my email address here"

YES I have these people's e-mails.
No I have not written them back, and
NO you can not have the e-mail addresses!
...and YES, yes I am quite the heartbreaker.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA :)

hugsalot
loveloveovlveolvoe
patey:]

Here's to my FANTABULOUS Hedda (I call her Heds:) and to kids who get so happy because of simple tiny things!! Everybody; send her happy thoughts!
Here's a pic of her being her wonderful self. She's so cool :))))

addictions

I met someone interesting.
He's has come to be a good friend as we have much in common... he's a really interesting Russian dude, who speaks VERY good Mandarin, very good Swedish, Polish, English and moderate French and of course Ruski. (shockingly enough, I may be forgetting another language in that mix!)

He's also gay (which is a big secret, so SHHHH!) and SUPER interesting. (It's not really the safest thing for people to be gay in Russia)

Most importantly, he thinks deeply, which was exactly what I needed someone to do with me here. I'm glad I have him for that.

Anyway, in one of our intense conversations (usually they go on for quite some time, and we usually lose others who may have thought they were in a group conversation) we were talking about something or other and it led to him saying that we all have addictions.

We went through what we thought our addictions were, and I was at a loss, after "love" and "the internet" haha,....but then he said (and keep in mind that he's only known me for a couple of weeks and we've only hung out 3 times at that point) that he thinks I'm addicted to talking to people.

......oh my...

I was stunned into silence.
not only cause he was so spot on, but cause he was able to read me like no one has read me in a long time without knowing me....in a way that's raw, honest, objective and most importantly in a way that I didn't see coming. I LOVED that.

And he's SO right. ....it is truly something that I would feel REALLY uncomfortable without; see I even have this BLOG! I not only want to talk to you all, I feel the NEED to. I'm not sure why, but I just do. It's this urge....a needy urge! HAHA needy urgency! THAT should have been the title of this posting!

Seriously though, I don't think I could go for more than a couple of days without SOME kind of way to express myself even if it's as little as in my journal, but even then, I woudn't be able to wait to tell someone.
I think it's the reason I love the internet so much...The net is just another tool for communication. It's not the internet that I can't live without; it's what the internet allows me do. It's just another way for me to get my fix!

Anyway, I thought that was an interesting thing to note...

EXPRESS YOURSELF.



ok...I'm done expressing myself :)

until my next fix, sending lots of love
patey:]

giving up

my French partner quit last week...
well she's leaving officially during the x-mas break.

Basically, what I was afraid would happen to me (which hasn't...in fact, thankfully the opposite occured for me) happened to her.

She REALLY doesn't like the big city, the crowds in the metro, the job's ok but the kids are "capricieux" (which I've learned means...Particular...or picky ...or, well, there's just no good english translation..."annoyingly pickly")....she's made no real connections with people here, and she misses her boyfriend back at home.
All bad combinations.

I haven't really decided how I feel about this (not that what I think about it really matters,) but I spent some energy trying to help her since the get go...giving her tips, listening to her. She's just really unhappy, and that's ok...it is what it is...
It just really sucks cause I like her, and it's kind of a shame...but what are you gonna do? it's not meant to be.
The crazy thing is, that I asked her if she feels better knowing that she's going home soon...and she said not really; which only tells me how stressed she really is about everything. I guess this is what happens to small town girls who find themselves in humoungous anonymous cities.
It's a dangerous game....it could happen to anyone of us.
When I got here, she was the only other person who was closest in profile to me. In age, in circumstance....and she's dropped out!

I remember talking to her during the first months when she told me how much trouble she was having; I asked her if she would consider leaving, and she said No, cause it would kind of be like a failure, which I agreed with. ...but is it a failure if it's just what's right? I hope she doesn't feel that way... I want to say that, but it'll be the equivalent of me showing her a box and saying "don't look in this really cool box"...she'll probably want to look in the box and then think of herself as a failure.
Did that analogy make sense? it's 9:40pm and I'm EXHAUSTED. My WiFi is still acting up. at LEAST I have the internet, so it's not all that bad; I'm just awkwardly connected to a wire and typing on my orange sofa

I'm SO going to bed. Sorry this posting is kind of crappy; will try to write something cultural or at LEAST comical soon,
hugs for you,
lovelovelvleolvoeol
patey:]

PS: thanks for all the comments! whoo hoo! I should prompt more conversations on my blog! That last one got people who hadn't responded yet! whoo! Go friends!

eating cake

dear friends,

I have a question, and I'd appreciate any kind of insight, or comments you can think of.
I apologize for being obscure, as the topic is fairly personal and I'd not giving myself the liberty to divulge, but I would like to know what people think:

CAN YOU HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO?

Can we have our cake while we eat it too? Is it selfish to do so? Is it right? Does it make cake lose meaning? Is it fair? Is it a personal choice? (wait, of course it is...)
Or, on the other hand, why can't we have both?

I know how weird of a question it is to answer not knowing context, but I'd like to hear responses anyway, if possible....I'll compile a survey for myself..hehe stats, and I'll take it all into consideration. (I heart you guys; thank you for helping)

****************************

Check out the awesome view from the bridge near my home; the building on the left; just parallel to the left blue building is MY home! (I've added this picture to make this posting less treacherous! hugs all around!)

Last week was Halloween; I didn't really write about it, cause it kind of sucked....I was a slice of pizza, which SOUNDS like a cool idea; I made my costume, and it was nice, but the kids didn't really recognize me, so it was kind of a bust. BUT, that's not the only reason...the day before; with all the preparation and all the madness (the english teachers were in charge of the whole celebrations, and there was A LOT of planning to do), I broke down a bit...

It was a combination of a lot of things, but I believe, mostly cause of PMS! haha
It was just a tiring tuesday, and I thought I would be going home right after school to waste time away on the internet....but NO, I ended up having to stay after school until 8:45PM! prepping for the next day's celebrations...and not only that, my co-worker got in a tiff with me...She said something uncool, and I went to another room and lost it. It was weird, cause it wasn't something I would usually lose it over, but I lost it...I was SO tired, and so hurt and so PMS-ing....I just started crying, and even after I spoke about it, and talked to my co-worker, I just kept crying! ...and I didn't know why...(it really was PMS hehe), but anyway, it felt nice to cry like that...I hadn't in a long time.
OK
the reason I'm writing this story (not to make you think anything's wrong; REALLY there isn't anything going on) is to say that between sobs, Elena (my friend) got all freaked out.....
She told me afterwards as she was going out of her way to walk me home, that she got scared cause I said something like "I'm SO tired, I just want to go home" and she thought I meant was that I wanted to go home to Canada. That made me laugh out loud, and I thought OF COURSE NOT! ...I meant home here home! Moscow home...Smolenskaya home!!! She was relieved, but it was then and only then that I realized how much I don't actually want to go home to Canada.

I hope it's not weird for you to read this, for those of you in Montreal, but there really is no where on this earth that I would rather be than RIGHT HERE. My soul screams contentment day in and day out...even when things are shit, I realize it's not all that shitty cause I'm here. I know there will be a time when I crave Montreal again, but I haven't been away for that long yet. Moscow is my home for now, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

BUT (and this is the reason for ALL that wrote in the above paragraphs) there ARE a few things that make me ache over not being in Montreal....
Of course, there are my friends and family (and our new OVEN! ARR! I can't wait to see it! I've been waiting my whole youth for a new oven! no joke! and my parents had to go out and buy one when I'm gone!), but the biggest thing for me is Paul and Katherine.

My friends...my close friends, are having a baby in early December.
SO little makes me want to come home at all...SO very little, but THAT ...it makes me CRY almost that I can't be there to see it happen...or hear about it...or see it...it's SUCH a crazy event, I can't even comprehend. I know that I will get to see them and the baby when I go home during xmas, but I can't help but still feel like I'm missing out on so much. The pregnancy, the birth; the everything!
That's the trade off I guess....I can't be everywhere for everything.

I think my trip home will be interesting. I see it coming so quickly, it's making my head spin!...I just came from a vacation, and I feel like I need another one... I'm not sure what that break did to me...meeting people, seeing Moscow in a different way. It very much changed the dynamic of patey in this city...

ok that's enough about me

hugs for everyone at home....I hope everything is well, and if you want to wish Paul and Katherine a happy pregnancy, you can e-mail me, or write a comment and I'll compile something for them.

lvoelovelvoelovleovleolve
patey:]

OH, and comments on the above are VERY much welcomed. It would help me figure some things out :) hugs for you

Unsupporting of Corruption!

So it's saturday night.

We're out and about and we decide to go to this club, aptly named 'Sorry Babushka' (cute; their logo is this little grandma, and a red circle barring her out...cause it's only for the wild! Incidentally, I later saw a tv going of dancing old ladies!, teehee)

anyway, we're waiting in line to get our coats checked, and they "don't have any room left"....that is, unless you slip a 100 rouble bill with your jacket. Basically if you didn't, you had to wait till people were LEAVING the club, and get a legitimate taggy for your coat!

Me and my Swedish posse (ok fine, we had a few Russians with us too), decided to stand our ground and NOT PAY! We stood up against corruption! We socked it to the MAN! We waited legitimately!! (ok fine, I didn't have any money with me, but take it as fate/my budget wanted me to stand up to the corruption too!)

...fine, alright, so we waited for 30-45 minutes in the front of the line as people after people passed their jackets over our heards. So we looked like douche bags in front of the coat check guy; the important point is that we stood up against corruption in Russia! We did it!
I've never been prouder.
We danced like idiots when we got in; it was grand :)

************************************************************

I had my first fight with Alessandro on Sunday. OOHhh...Oh noo!! trouble in paradise! hahahha

We had some people over, and he was being such an ASS for some reason...so I got really annoyed. There's no real need to go into more detail that that, but as I was going to bed and our last friend was leaving, he said something that made me laugh and totally forget what I was pissed about...but I was so determined to stay angry with him, I picked a fight after we closed the door. HAHAHAHA...what a girl thing to do...but SHIT, was he annoying that night.

anyway, all is well now... I'm glad we're growing as a home unit! hahahha

*************************************************************

OH! OH!
I went to my FIRST OPERA!!! It was Italian, called The Elixir of Amore, or something like that.
It was SUPER cool! Granted I almost nodded off in the first half one time, and also, I couldn't really understand what the heck was happening, but it was really cool. By the end, their singing was really cool. We also had awesome seats, so nothing to complain about there. What's coolest is that their singing literally fills up the whole auditorium! Their one super-powerful voice! It's awesome to hear :)


It's not over till the somwhat-slim lady sings!

Pure Hilarity

So here I am...on my own in a big city, but it's all good cause I love it, but also cause I chat with my brother more while I'm in Moscow than when I'm in Montreal. Go figure, hehe, but it's good times. EXAMPLE:

Below is a chat we JUST had. It made me laugh so loud, I felt kinda stupid...haha

It's about our dad...and for those who know my dad, it's even funnier. Just cause of the awesome man he is.
Shit balls, I miss my dad.
Enjoy friends!
lovelovle
patey;]
ps: hugbots for you gee,

******************************************************
9:04 PM
me: whatta losar
so how are things at home?
George: good
haha
oh man, something hilarious happened
9:05 PM
me: what?
George: dad found this tin box of weed in the parking lot at work
haha
so he brought it home and he walks into my room and he's like "Do you know what this is?"
me: HAHAHAHAHHAHAa
HAHAHHAHAHA
HAAHHAHAHAHAHAH
George: and i open the tin box and i'm like ... i'm pretty sure it's weed
but i'm not an expert
and there was quite a bit too ... i think enough to probably roll maybe 8 or 9 joints
but again, i'm no expert. but i'm like, i'm pretty sure it's weed
me: wow...jay
9:06 PM
George: and he's like, ya, i think it's drugs too
me: what did he do with it?!? haha
George: so he went and asked a younger co-worker at work
haha
and the guy's like
me: HAHAHAHAHAH bobi!!!
George: yeah, it's weed ... about 30 bucks worth ... smells good ... looks fresh ... he said he'd give dad $10 for the tin
HAHAHA
and dad's like ... i'll think about it.
me: HAHAHAHAHAHa
George: so yesterday we're having supper and the tin box is just sitting next to me on the table
HAHAHA
me: HAHAHAHA
AHHAHAHAHa
George: i think he's just gonna give the box to his co-worker.
me: HAHAHAHAHAHA
George: it's not like we need it.
me: YOU HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE!
George: but that was hilarious.
i want to, but i think dad may have already given it to his co-worker today
me: HAHAHAHHAHA
I'm SO putting that on my blog
HAHAHHA
George: hahaha
sure
********************************************************

SHIT! and I'm just living it up in Moscow. hahahah

I love my family....it'll be good to go home for a while :)

Fashion Show? Sure! Of course! Why not? It's Moscow after all...

It's Friday October 26th, and as of this moment in time, I am able to say that:

-I have BEEN to a fasion show!

(- and that I have walked home from Red Square in heels: OUCH!)

friends: I'm talkin' catwalk, bright lights, crazy outfits, banboo stick women strutting their stuff for people to gawk at and clap at. That's right friends, RIGHT out of Fashion File: the show you can't stand, but for SOME reason, can't not peel your eyes away for at least a few minutes. Fashion File: Moscow version.

I must thank my Swiss flatmate as he's strangely connected to people who can hook us up with second row seats to a fairly prestigious fashion show.

Hell, we dressed up; I hadn't dressed up this much since the last wedding I was at, and I felt somewhat unfashionable. (Me, unfashionable? Guffah!

hahahahhahahahAHHA

I just said guffah! ahhaha)

anyway,

it was REALLY cool actually...and really interesting.

things to note:

1) the women weren't actually STICKS...they weren't as skinny as some can be, which is good, although women their size still count for about 0.01% of the female population.

2) One of the models had a whoopsy; her boob popped out!!! hahhaa She had to nonchalantly adjust her shirt as she walked down the catwalk.

3) some models WALK/BOB quite a bit down that walkway. BOBBING up and down to the tune of the house music. It's quite unnatural.

4) it was really cool to see the models so up close...I know this sounds stupid, but to see that they are REAL people. In REAL time. REALLY.

I was so close, I could see their hair strands sticking up...thread from the fabric of the materials.

5) I mock the tackiness of fashion shows, and granted, there were tacky things I could NEVER imagine anyone sane wearing, but for 70% of the stuff I saw, it was actually nice! There was this really cool skirt/shirt thing. I realize tho that I can't describe it better than I just did, so you'll have to take my word for it.

anyway, all in all, that was my friday night.

I'm going out to get a 1Gig Ram for zoe tomorrow. What do I mean? 1? gig? ram? ahaha honestly, I have no idea. I'm just listening my new Swedish programer friend who's helping me heal her a bit. Arahghh...computer stuff.

Is one gig enough? What? ...I'm so computer NUL, but I trust the guy. He CLICKS windows and tabs, checking numbers on my computer in a VERY knowing manner.

(Sorry pete, zoe had to find herself another man to take care of her! Don't feel TOO bad...know that IF she was in Australia, she'd let no other man touch her! HAHAHA)

hugs all around

lovelovleovleovleovlevoelovole

patey:]

FOUND IN RUSSIA: sexist chocolate

I will let the pictures speak for themselves. (I speak enough as it is)
Discussions welcomed on comment section of this blog entry.

Chocolate I found in the grocery store near my flat:

Look at that pathetic purse the girl is clutching! Actually, I'm going to call it a football.

THE football the girl's gonna use to CHUCK at the man!

As for the location the girl is aiming the football, suggestions are welcome!

Picture of the front of the actual chocoalte.

No women allowed!?!?!?

Me ingesting the chocolate.

yum!

It actually tasted okay; wasn't the best, but it was THICK and substantial chocolate.

I guess the "manliest" kind possible. hahha

Alessandro joked that I'll start to grow chest hair soon.

It's been a few days, nothing yet, but I'll definitely keep you posted. HAHA, no pun intended there,

hugs for all

patey:]

Interconnectedness

It is Sunday, October 21st, and I have officially penetrated the insane social interconnectedness that is the Moscow Expat Crowd.

It is the end of my first week off from school, and ever since I found out I couldn’t go to Egypt, I have yet to feel sad once again about not being on a plane for Egypt.
I connected myself to the social scene that I was looking for. I found the people I fit well with. Exactly what I was looking for; what a trade off!

...as I’m sitting down to write this, understand that it’s REALLY complicated, and it’s REALLY interconnected. As my Indian-American downstairs neighbor says, although there are a large number of expats, there’s a limited amount of stable expats in our age bracket in Moscow, and after a while, everyone sort of just meets everyone else.

So I met this guy online; I was almost going to move in with him when I got here, but it didn’t work out and we stayed friends (not the guy who dropped me). His name is IGOR (Russian). We’ve hung out and it’s all good and fun, and this is where it starts, so bear with me. (if you’re interested)
HE just met this girl that my brother met ANYA (Russian-Canadian), just by fluke. And Anya’s friends, I met on Saturday night. Interesting people (LUMINA (American), ELENA (Russian), JELLE (Danish- journalist; pronounced Yelleh) and a few others)...THESE people, are known by SANWAREE (Indian-American), JAMES (UK) and TERESA (Asian-American) whom are people I know because Sanwaree is my downstairs neighbor, whom I know only cause I crashed her party a couple of weeks ago, and ran into randomly 2 weeks ago.
Today, I went with Igor to a contemporary art exposition of these real live filmed portraits. It was really cool....sort of like portraits out of Harry Potter...where the people just pose for a long time, and move periodically, and it’s all on film. It was really cool. It was this American artist. Steven something...darn I should know his name, but anyway, Igor invited ARON (Swedish) to come along, so I meet this Aron. Now, Aron is someone I’ve kept hearing about...because ALESSANDRO (Swiss; tall; shares my home with me) knows him. Actually, OLGA (Russian-Crazy rude girl who came to my flat and insulted me and my kitchen!) and Aron used to date. (HAHAH), so by meeting Aron, I’ve penetrated Alessandro’s crowd completely unknowingly. After Igor had to leave, Aron invites me to the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum for a special expo on Chanel. (Which Alessandro had told me he might go to, but didn’t in the end). So I go, and there I meet JOHAN (Swedish), NINNA (Swedish), KATYA (Russian) and a few others, all of whom know or know of Alessandro (...you know Alessandro? Yeah, I live with him!). After the museum (which was really cool...didn’t think I’d be all that into the HAUTE-COUTURE scene in Paris in the last century, but it was interesting to see how fashion really affects culture...How the world needed Chanel to make waves for women and our statuses. I realized that it’s just more human interactions with things as personal as how we dress! Anyway, conversations for another time) we go back to Aron’s flat, where we meet NATASHA (Russian) his flatmate. Incidentally, Aron and Nat live 5 minutes from my school. I live 5 minutes from Aron’s work. We joked that if we swapped apartments it would be more convenient for all 4 of us!! Nat’s really cool; she speaks English like a British person, since she studied it there... so finally we make it to a café, where Alessandro joins us and we have a great time. We all go back to my flat and talk some more, and I mention my experience at ONoir, (there’s on in Moscow incidentally), and so Aron goes; OH yeah, my friend who writes for a Dutch Newspaper wrote an article about that. I go: What?! Uh-oh, what’s his name?

Aron knows Jelle.
...
OF COURSE Aron knows Jelle. How could he have not?

I have NEVER in my life met so many random people who knew so many other random people.
It has just been a REALLY coincidental weekend, although if you think about it, it’s really not coincidence. It’s just the nature of where I am, and the fact that I’ve penetrated the layers of social madness...and also, that I’ve now involved myself in the Swedish social crowd in Moscow, I feel pretty damn cool.
(HAHAHHA, I’m such a loser for saying that!)

Sesiously though! It’s so crazy! ....haha, the even crazier thing, is that I didn’t even mention EVERYONE!...and not only that, but I’m fairly certain that everyone I listed above is on facebook.
Attack of the killer facebooking!

...in a couple of years, there will be academic TEXTS written about the international and cultural phenomenon that is facebook. How it has changed the way we communicate and interact with the world around us. It is just PURE craziness.
You gotta love it and hate it at the same time

Hughughsughsuhugs
Lvoelovelovleolvoe
patey:]

pooop!

awww CRAP.

Egypt is out.
ok, well not completely out, but I'm at a 11% chance of going now, as I'm scoping out a few travel agencies tomorrow to see my options, but it's not looking too good.

I guess there were overbookings, and it just didn't work out. (ahem. Welcome to Russia patey!)

I was pretty bummed about it for a bit this morning, but it's ok. It would be good to have time to relax in Moscow...see Lenin's body and all...haha
ALSO, I found a yoga place about a 10 minute walk from my home, so I'm happy about that. Gonna look into taking classes there and now I have time to leisurely check it out! We'll see...

so that's it. Just thought I'd share the bummy news.

The interesting thing is, tonight, I was speaking to this French girl I met at a work branch party, and she was telling me about how overhyped the pyramids are....and how the sphynx is actually in front of a big hotel. Fairly tourist area....I guess that's not overly surprising. Doens't make me want to see it any less, but I guess it brought the romance I had with Egypt down a bit.
One day.

this way, I get to save some money too. Good thing in the end.
Alright.

OH, must thank everyone who has commented and made me feel super loved. I was seriously really moved. It's so nice after a bummy week. I feel good now.
hugs and lovelovelovleovelovleove
patey:]

and the WiFi Gods GIVETH again

..I am in my flat.
Connected to the internet.

All is well in Patey's world again.

1) I didn't write about my flatmate yet! (other that the new smells in our living quarters hahaha) Alessandro? The Swiss dude? He's fabulous, and we have a great time together. He's got a HILARIOUS accent (which he mainly says about me and my french, but this is MY blog, so he's the accented one)
We've talked at stupid hours of the night, woken each other up on different ridiculous occasions, seen each other with bed hair, shared soap, spoken to each other's mothers; It is a roomie/flatmate/colloquataire/housemate match made in heaven.

At the moment, we have a bet going on; who's going to get laid first. I've kept it to myself, but he's likely to win, as I doubt I'm as easy as he is...AND he had a head start, seeing as he's met up with a girl he "made out with once" before in Venice or somewhere. Ahhh...the European...they're such inter-european skanks! HAHAHAHHAH
HAHAHAHHAHA
Seriously though. He's respectful, he cleans when I ask him to. He buys detergent when we need it, he doesn't think taking the garbage out is a lot of trouble (although it's really not) and he can reach the really high things in the flat. (Did I mention he's 6'6?! He's a GIANT! we stood next to each other in the mirror in our hallway HAHA it was ridiculous!)

2) I feel like I'm back from a long haitus...I can be comfortable again. Not having the net at home after having it for a while REALLY sucked. It was almost better not to have it at all until now. What stress. THAT and I essentially broke my own heart last week, so it hasn't been a thrilling past week, but I've changed all of that. Time to move on. Anyhow, I have an exciting unforgettable trip coming up! In a few days, I'll be in:

3) EGYPT!
!!!!!!
I know..just random. But you know me. I enjoy random :)
But what I enjoy even more is a good deal.

700$US = round trip from Moscow to Cairo, 7 days 6 nights in a 5 star super hotel.

I'm going to get to see the pyramids!
THE PYRAMIDS!!! DID YOU HEAR ME!?!? THE PYRAMIDS!
damn...I'm excited! hahha
I honestly don't feel like I'm ready for a holiday...I still feel like school just started! What? a holiday?! Then again, I'm not complaining! I definitely won't be when I'm lounging on the beach, or near a pool in the southern hemisphere! (Last I checked, it was 30 degrees in Cairo, but I'll actually be nearer to the sea...)

I'm really happy that I get to go. And for such a great deal too! What luck ...

4) school's still going fabulously. I wish I could talk about my kids here for paragraphs, but I shouldn't...
The other day, I was hanging out with a bunch of people, friends, co-workers and random others...and they were all smoking, and drinking and the thought actually popped into my head; I'd rather be with my kids right now.

I really do love them. It kind of shocks me a little bit how much I love them. How much fun I have at school, and how much I sing and dance stupidly with them. I can't even think about the end of the year when I might have to leave. It'll be so hard.... I could almost cry about it now! AH can't think about it!

5)Ack; I just uploaded a bunch of pictures on facebook of Moscow, and it just panged on me...the magnitude of what I'm doing...how impactful...how impactful already! But not only me, but my friends (who will visit), my family...my brother!! (hi gee:)...it's really nice. It's really good to live this way. Without regrets...just REALLY living the life that I've intended for myself. It's SO good to be alive like this. Hopefully I remember this feeling when I've got no one to meet up with and go home alone. Meh...nothing's ever that bad. There are shitty moments, but there are good ones, and those are the ones to relish in.

I hope all of you that are reading this are well, as I do care about you quite a bit.
Sometimes I write this knowing who will read it, sometimes I guess I'd be surprised to find out who is, but it doesn't matter. The fact that it is being read by people who love me makes me feel a lot less disconnected and alone. Thank you for being a part of my life, even if it is only a small part right now.

lvoelvoelovleove
patey:]

Life with WiFi

or lack of connection really...
the WiFi SAYS I'm connected...and in fact, says that my connection is actually "excellent", but doesn't let me connect to anything on the net. That's quite frustrating on a quiet weekend.

On jollier news, it was the first Moscow snow today!! It was quite nice, I do have to say. And if I wasn't writing this in an internet cafe, I would be able to post the picture that I took of it.
good times, good times.

Random news:
we have a week off after this week of school, so I might just be spontaneously jetting off to Egypt. yeah! I know! crazinesses...
it'll be with something called "hot hours" that my co-worker always travel with...SUPER cheap last minute deals...anyway, it's all good; I'll see what happens. It's not 100% yet, but it looks like I'll be jetting off somewhere....and holy giraffes, if I could cross Egypt off my to-visit-in-life list, how fabulous would that be?!
good times. DEFINITELY good times.

I had a long talk with my jubie boobie yesterday, which was good, cause I was kind of feeling bummed about not knowing anyone of real passion and substance here that I can bum around the city with, eat with, call up at stupid hours of the day, act like an idiot with and deep chat with. I think this weekend was just my first big hurdle, and man, did I call it. A couple of months in. Past the initial high of everything being new. Seriously though, worry not for me if you are...these are just normal stuff. I, in no means, want to go home, or anything.
I LOVE and relish in the freedom that I feel here. It's just, once in a while, I want to feel like I don't know which friend to hang out with in the evening. Here, people cancel SO often..and that leaves me with nothing to do.
anyway, kafuffles! as I only have 5 mins left to my net time

hugs for everyone.
lovelvoelovelovleovelve
patey:]

log from the trenches

Pppsssssttttt! .....Psstt....shhht!
...

at this VERY present moment, I’m excusing myself from my own kitchen, as it has been taken over by a Russian girl who’s a friend of Alessandro’s.
Flying poop-balls! Bad vibe from the get-go! Eek!...but no...wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Tried to engage in conversation, and she didn’t look at me at ALL!...just glances...

I think she’s TOTALLY into Alessandro, and finding me a bit threatening. She’s cooking right now for us, and I can’t stay in there. There’s essentially no room in there for me....”there are no napkins in here, no nothing at all?” is what she said. And no, I don’t have a cheese grater! Hahaha, she’s criticizing my kitchen! Should I be taking offence? I'm Asian! And I just moved in less than a month ago, so NO I don't have a cheese grater!
I’ve snuck off and I’m writing this, maybe it’s petty, but it’s my defense/revenge. I considered retort-ing to her annoyingness, but she’ll be gone in a couple of hours. I should be curteous to guests. (** added comment post-posting; I didn't realize that I misspelled COURTEOUS before...and damn; I'm not changing it. Take it as a freudian slip)

*********************
Ok, I just got back from dinner with them.
We ate for 45 minutes. She talked for 45 minutes. I asked her questions. She answered them, and then spoke. And then spoke some more. Alessandro asked some questions, and made some comments. She continued speaking. In none of those moments did she ask or inquire about ANYTHING regarding either of us. Oh no wait, she asked Alessandro something about Poland.

THAT was a torturously annoying interaction.
I offered her whatever food I had left in the flat post dinner, and she thought I was mocking her! I think cause I only had very little left. In my defence, I was not aware that we would be having guests, therefore Ice Cream, Apples and a bit of cake is pretty good no? Definitely doing groceries tomorrow!

Sigh

I’m super careful now with all of this stuff...whenever I feel the need to criticize, or feel really bothered by another human. It’s a reflection of something within myself, I know it. Which keeps me in check really. I think I did the best I could at that dinner; made genuine conversation, asked questions. Shit though, I really couldn’t stand her.

“Thank you for cooking!” I say
“You didn’t even try it” She says...(This was right when we sat down to eat...)

What are you supposed to say to that?....
I said... “oh...uh....I.....I just wanted to thank you for making the food.....??”

Ugh
What a waste of life.
No wait, it’s not.
Ok fine, I’m going to bed.

Hugsalot
Patey:]

NOT fallen off the face of the earth

hello

no, I'm definitely still alive and kicking..

-someone's coming later today to install WiFi in the flat. I'm saying that as not a fact, but a likeliness that it will happen. If it doesn't. Well, I will insert my motto when such things happens. Welcome to Russia.

-My new flatmate makes my place smell like MAN....(not complaining! HAHAHA)
Aside from that, he's FABULOUS. Definitely better...WAYYYY better than the first one, whom incidentally hasn't PAID ME YET, and he's come and gone! sigh

that's it for now.
will catch up later.
It's been rainy; happy times with the striped rain billy boots! whoot whoot!

lovelovlevlevoelov
patey:]

Back from St-Petes

Hi friends,

so I'm back from a crazy weekend of rushing, yet fun.

I'm so tired right now that even thinking about writing about it all seems pretty daunting, but I do want to keep you posted, so here are some very brief points;

1) the train ride there was...I'm not sure how to put it. I guess it changes based on whatever your standard is regarding luxury vs. unluxurious, but lets say it left many things to desire regarding basic hygene, BUT if you could get over the REALLY dirty bathroom/toilet, and the really cramped areas, it wasn't bad at all...I actually really liked the experience. I truly enjoyed swinging around like a monkey climbing up to my bunk. Going was worse than coming back, since a usually 7-9 hour ride was in fact a 12 hour ride, and the train was super old, but what more can you ask for a trip that cost less than 500 roubles? (That's about 20 bucks! From Moscow to St-Petersbourg!!)

2) Had to do only a fraction of the Hermitage. A museum that supposedly puts The Louvre to shame; DAMN was it big

3) Saw ridiculous amounts of fountains in this gigantic park outside of St-Petersbourg called Peterhof...the park was (appropriately named) Peterhof Park...and it was AWESOME because there were trees EVERYWHERE (which you DON'T see in Moscow), and gigantic multicolored leaves everywhere. Truly an Autumn paradise. George, Elena and her friend Marina and I galavanted like children; taking pictures and frolicking in the leaves; that was really cool.

4) Bought a red jacket! (WHOO HOO! I love red. I love jackets! Only normal to combine them. Will post pictures soon. ...yes, yes, I know I keep saying that, and at this point, I don't think I will EVER have the internet set up in my flat, but I remain optimistic. (Or at least, I know I'll be doing it at school sometime this weekend.)


So that's it for now.
George and I are spending some time together; I took him to my fave Indian resto yesterday and we ate like royalty. And TONIGHT; sushi with Elena and her hubby. SO glad about that!

Miss you all a lot.
looking forward to some sanity and rest and HOPEFULLY some communication from friends
hugs
hearts
lovelovelovle
patey:]

Oh baby, sing...SING SING SING!

No reason for that title,...I was just listening to a song that told me to do that. So I wrote it instead.

Home thing I crave #1: Really inexpensive no-name slices of pizza. All dressed, or Vegetarian minus the olives, ohhh...if someone could fed-ex me a fresh one of those, (I’d realize that they’re likely way too wealthy for their own good) it would hit a spot that I think is staying permanently.

NOW,
I’ve hit my cultural events goal! In fact, I surpassed my 1 cultural thing every 2 weeks quota...to my surprise!
I went to an Uzbekistani resto with some of my co-workers and some friends. It was FABULOUS and not pricey either!! I’m totally going back. It’s really quaint and really close to home too! Whomever is coming to visit me is definitely experiencing it too. By the way; who’s coming to visit me during x-mas??? Anyone? Anyone? Because if you are, you should probably start planning...Invitations, visas,...airplane tickets. AND let me know too...cause otherwise I’m still a flight risk. X-mas and New Years in Moscow is definitely not something to miss (as Elena tells me), and I won’t miss either of those dates, but you never know...a little before, a little after :) hehe

SO; I planned ahead of time my lessons and took my Wednesday afternoon off to go to the Pushkin Art Museum, which incidentally has Michelangelo’s David! (Very cool that it’s in Moscow for now.) So I made my way there, pretty good navigation skills as I easily found my way to a very cool (yet pricy) shoe store. (A little spontaneous shopping never hurt anybody! But no love yet, friends!) Ah, I’m flowing off onto a tangent, because I didn’t actually go in to the museum. I got there, but didn’t go because they had closed the second floor (conveniently where the exhibition was) and I chose not to pay the full fare to see more than half of what you can usually see. Maybe I’ll go next week when my bro’s here. THAT’S RIGHT! The ONE dude that has the most similar set of genes to me is coming to Moscow!! Officially on Friday evening!!! I’m so excited! And mostly shocked that the time has come so quickly! (and aware of how quickly it will pass too, but that’s not imp now!!) Then we’re quickly off to St-Petersburg for the weekend! I’m off on a tangent again, because I ended up walking around the area of the museum and checking out the area, and unknowingly hit the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. One of the many many cathedrals in Moscow, yet arguably one of the nicest. It was grand. I definitely didn’t regret my little stroll around the city...how can one regret any stroll anyway!?

Today, I made my way back to the city center and flashed my McGill student card and got to save 2 bucks on a ticket into St-Basil’s Cathedral. (McGill just never stops giving! Seriously though, they don’t even give the cards a slight glance!)
So far, I have to say, that St-Basil’s inside is the coolest thing I’ve seen so far in Moscow. Alright, granted, I have yet to see all that much, and aside from the view from my window, there isn’t much to wow me, but MAN was I not expecting that. It’s just gorgeous. And when you look up and realize that the really high circular ceiling you’re looking at is likely one of the many colourful domes, you can’t help but smile. Most of it is made of stone, and the color/shape of bricks are painted on. The paint in there is marvelous, and the stone floors are so worn down from wear that the floor is completely uneven in so many places. You’re literally walking on authenticity, through mazes of rooms and small corridors! Welcome to Russia!

Alright.
So things with the roomie are getting better. I’ve breached the subject of the unclean wok and the salt on the floor, and the sneakily eating my food, and using my shampoo and soap and detergent and toilet paper and paper towels and tissues and dish washing soap and cooking oil (sorry, I think I’m done now), and we’ve come to a compromise which makes me happy.
I really shouldn’t be complaining though, cause he’s a nice enough guy...and I never really SAID he couldn’t eat my food. I’ve offered him stuff on many occasions... he just declined my offers and said he’d get his own food, so I didn’t really expect to come home to find stuff half gone. As for the other household products, again, never really said he couldn’t use it...I really didn’t take into account the amount he would use! Stuff is more than half gone! So anyway, he’s pitching in on a few items above the rent he’s paying. So Phew! Again, honesty is the best policy.

Anyway,
Everything’s fine and dandy. I got myself caught up on a few episodes of The Hour online at work, so I’ve got my Strombo fix. ...yay! It definitely made me feel good. I kept breaking out into fits of laughter at the computer whenever there was something hilarious, and my co-worker Nastya (I know!! But only short for Anastasia) told me to stop laughing cause I looked like a crazy person.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH! If you want some good laughs yet serious/informative talks, go to www.cbc.ca/thehour and under previous episodes, or past shows or whatever, click on the “summer events” clip. I think it was the Top 5 list of things you may have missed in the summer. There was an American beauty pageant...and anyway, I’ll let the clip speak for itself. ...It’s never the stupidity of what is shown but the comments that George makes...SIGH. I have to remind myself sometimes that I actually MET him...SOOOO COOL! Hahahahhahahahah
OH the Top 5 list under “Torture” is really funny too...actually, it’s better than the first one : ) I heart George! (you too gee!)

Alright, I’m off!
Hugs and lovelovleovleovlelvoeove
patey:]

the good and the bad

Dear friends,

Things are fine and dandy…

Few exceptions:

1) I’m sick! …I’ve been sick for the past 5 (possibly 6) weeks! (shh, don’t tell my mom; she’ll get worried/mad at me!) It’s getting ridiculous now, and I’m breaking down and taking medication tomorrow. It’s the new climate…new sets of germs, new air…new CITY air…smoking people everywhere; new everything really, so my body is probably adjusting in a way that makes my nose either clogged or runny. Sigh! : )

2) My poor left toe; the other day, I stubbed it (which blows in general to begin with), then I dropped a big plank of wood (from my closet) horizontally across the front AND THEN cut it a bit on a sharp edge of something near the floor. I spent the evening apologizing to it for not being more careful! No one is more sorry than I am for hurting you, Left Toe!! It’s all bruised, hahahhaa! What a pathetic sight. What a patey thing to do…

3) I’m working so much I can’t find the time to appreciate Moscow the way I really want to. I made a quota for myself; at least ONE cultural thing every 2 weeks. Seeing as how I’m sick, I get home pretty zonked and my weekends are mostly spent either shopping for stuff for the flat, or getting stuff done…(or the past two, at least have been… No more, hopefully, after this!) All of this to say, that I haven’t really done all that much; minus the walks to Red Square (which is nice), but no museums, nothing worth writing home about at least. This WILL change though!

4) I’m dying to talk to people at home…dying to get the internet hooked up at home! E-mail only does so much. I realized yesterday that I haven’t heard my mother’s voice in over 3 weeks. Whenever I e-mail home, it’s my dad that responds since he’s the more internet savvy,…I’ve had almost nothing recognizable from my mother in almost a month. Not cool : ( …I miss my mom…

5) I met my roomie yesterday morning…which was fine; he’s this American dude… and he’s nice enough, but honestly, quite a bit boring…. I tried to stimulate a conversation and spoke American politics and general North American history with him…and it led to him telling me how the States were very much a country that came from wars…then he asked me “Canada hasn’t really been in any wars at all, right?”. My oh my. Not only that, but I came home today (the most tired I’ve been in a long time) and (happier news; treated myself to some salmon! Yum!) found that he had cooked, and 1) didn’t really clean my wok as it should probably be cleaned 2) had spilled salt all over the floor and didn’t really clean it up. AM I MORE ANAL THAN I THOUGHT I WAS?! He hasn’t come home yet, so I’m not sure how I will breach the subject. I don’t want to start nagging after the first day….Arr…thankfully he’s only here for another 20 days. Then it’s a really interesting sounding Swiss dude who’s coming to catch up on his Russian. He just finished defending his thesis on something to do with sustainability in aviation and the Kyoto protocol, so YAY! And he also said that since he’s Swiss, he enjoys cleaning a bit too much. Good times will be had in patey’s flat!

Now to the happier news:

1) On Sunday, Elena took me to this shopping “complex”, as she called it, and friends, I have NEVER…I repeat, NEVER seen so many shoe stores in a row…SHOES SHOES SHOES! I was SOOOOO overwhelmed! Elena was like “Yu donn like?”…and I was like… “Noo, no…I’m just…very…overwhelmed…do you know what that word means?” hahha WOW, was it insanely big. Found these boots…and there was such love for them! But they didn’t have my size which was so disappointing. They were DAMN sexy, and we could have had such a nice life together, but I was a big girl and let it go…it was just a love that wasn’t meant to be. How sad… (Speaking of which, I saw Mouse again this weekend…I was quite happy to see him…he didn’t seem all that interested in me (some take getting dumped SO badly!) but he came around after a few nudges and belly rubs)

2) My fabulous job:
a. I realize that I haven’t really written about the job…really, I think it’s cause the only net connection I have IS at school, so it’s weird to talk about it with people walking around everywhere.
b. It’s a pretty small school, but it’s small in a really quaint way. I love it….
c. The other teachers are fabuloso…the staff makes fun of my work ethic… “ Pahtzee! Kakdilla! So early! You sleep here?” haha …I LOVE how Europe is so laid back. People do what they need to do, but once you hit a level of any kind of stress, they think you’re insane. Relax! Don’t kill yourself! Here’s some vodka! (haha, that hasn’t actually happened)
d. The kiddies are the AWESOMEST little goobers! I have the older ones….which is nice. I could talk about some of them for HOURS, and I look at them and know that I am not meant to be anywhere else in the world other than right here next to them. They are the coolest bunch. There’s this Norwegian/Russian girl, who’s got SO much personality, it kills me! She’s the only kid I teach that hasn’t given me a high five; only because she decided against it! Haha, and she’s SO particular and SO picky and So damn cute…and the first time she looked and me and refused to hold anyone else’s hand except for mine, I figured I was doing something right. Her acceptance means that you’ve TRULY earned a special spot in a special little heart. The craziest thing is that all that zest is in such a little being! She’s really quiet, but you can tell that it’s only because she’s chosen not to speak to you…and once in class (I forget what stupidity I was acting out,) but to my surprise, she started BLABBING away! Blublublahblahblah! ALL in Russian, and I just looked at her and said; “MARIA! I didn’t understand what you said, but I LOVE that you are speaking!! High Five!!! No?? …OKAY! Maybe later!” HAHAHA. I wish you guys could see her….I have a pic, but yah know, privacy laws I’d like to respect, and I’m not about to ask her dad if I could post her pic on my blog. haha
e. One of my favorite things about teaching at Ptit Cref is the wee little Russian goobers…they are so happy to see people…when they see me, they ramble ON and ON in Russian, and they KNOW I don’t understand….but they want to share so much that they really don’t care! Hahah I sometimes get the gist of what they are saying, but anyone that’s worked with kids for more than 20 minutes knows that anything a 6 year old kid tells you with a big smile is something that you can respond “Ohhhh! WOW…that’s GREAT (insert name)!!” to. I LOVE that, and I LOVE them. They are fabulous; They are my little goobers : )
f. It’s SO interesting working in a trilingual setting. Not only do I get to learn Russian from 6 year olds and practice my French, but it’s just SUCH a cool atmosphere. You never know what language will pop out of people’s mouths! And the abilities of these little kids! It’s madness! There’s this kid who’s fluent in Russian and French...and he’s got some skills in English (as his mom spent her childhood in Canada, but speaks to him in French), and his English improves SO drastically every MINUTE he spends with me (it’s actually really shocking!). His name is Benjamin, and he’s SUCH a great kid. He’s got this nerve thing...whenever he gets excited or happy, he has this tick arm thing going on...which freaked a teacher out during the summer, until they asked the mother about it...and she said that it’s just a genetic thing his father has too, and not to worry and try to make him feel normal about it...and EVERY TIME he gets it, I look at him and say “Ben, I am SO happy that you are happy!”. I make it my DUTY to make him happy; it’s really the purest, happiest and most genuine thing I can do during my day.

I could talk about the kids for hours and hours...there are so many of them too! But I will spare you! I’m at home right now, pre-writing this entry to post tomorrow. I have a clock on my table which I have yet to find the will to change to Moscow time. It says that it’s almost 2 pm now. I think I’ll keep it because every time I look at it, I think; that’s the time in Montreal...I wonder what so-and-so is doing at this time. Or...oh, they must be sleeping, or Oh, they must be finishing their day...It’s a nice reminder of where I am and keeping perspective.

I heart heart and hug
Patey:]

darn lack of internet!!

hi friends

I wrote a whole great long blog posting at home, and I can't even post it because something's gone wonky with my USB drive. It's not working for some reason, so I can't transfer files! My brain is about to explode and eat itself without the internet at home. I NEEEEED to talk to people. I NEEEEED to hear some voices. I'm starting to have dreams about spontaneously popping into home, going "HI!!! I just came to visit, and I'll be going back soon!"

I guess a dream is kind of like that. Just visiting for a little bit. I'm starting to miss my mom's voice! I've got nothing concrete from my mother in 4 weeks now. It's too much, and my brain's about to disfunction. Maybe I'll break down and buy a calling card.

anyway, this is just a temporary posting until RUSSIAN BEAUROCRACY GETS THEIR ASS IN GEAR!

thanks for all the support and comments and stuff. I completely appreciate it, and although I haven't been posting regularly, I hope people don't stop checking up on it. Will be posting regularly once the internet is up and running!
hugs
patey:]

Hilow

hi friends

all is good, all is good. Yesterday, I hit my 3 week mark! How quickly time passes!!

School's great...pretty time consuming...the staff is great, and finally all the teachers are here, so we can BOND! YAYYY!

it should be tomorrow when my first flatmate joins me in our lovely apartment...His name is Joe. I hope he's a nice person, although I'm pretty sure he is...anyway, he SOUNDS nice; as much as you can sense niceness through e-mails. He's a Yahoo user though...what is UP with that? hahha...at least the next guy in October is a Gmailer...his name is Alessandro, and he sounds FABULOUS! Will include details later...I'm at school, and I really should be planning versus my current blogging.

OH I finally have my address!
it's

10 Smolenskaya ul., apt. 248, 121099 Moscow, Russia

BUT!!!
when in Russia, do as the Russians do right? Or at least, when WRITING to Russia, write the address like the Russians do....therefore:

121099 Moscow, Russia
10 Smolenskaya Ulitsa, Apt. 248
MY NAME. (teehee)

(Ulitsa means street...should be specified, cause there's a Smolenskaya embankment, Smolenskaya square etc...)

I huuuuuuug you all!
lovelovelovleovleo
patey:]

From the land of 10-15 Rouble port-o-potties and tacky female pant-suit sets.

Dearest friends

Life in Moscow is proving to be quite good. I have to say…no, I’m happy to say, that I am more than quite happy :) In retrospect, (like everything in life) everything works itself out, even when it doesn’t really look like it will. I’m glad that the David dude from the first apartment dropped me, because otherwise, I’d be further from work, and minus a gorgeous view and plus 4 roommates!
I’m not sure what I expected before coming…I thought that if I hated it, I would try to make the best of it when I got her and rough it for 11 months…I'd be better because of it…filled with battle scars and all …but really, it’s not bad! It’s actually GREAT, I daresay! BUT as my co-worker Genia (a guy) and the French teacher Eric says, Moscow isn’t really Russia… I will definitely venture out of the city as soon as the opportunity arises. It’s only been over 2 weeks, and it’s begun…the intimacy; the closeness; the affectedness forevermore. It’s shocking how fast it can grow…I had a moment, when I was downloading my pictures onto zoe, and looking at the ones of the Kremlin and felt the feeling that I get when I look at the picture files of Australia…mix of nostalgia, comfort and care. It came quickly and left as quickly since I snapped out of it when I looked out my window and told myself that I’m still here. Now. It’s good :)
I took a day today to sleep in until I felt like getting up (11:30am!! Shocking for me!), clean my floors, (yay clean now!) plan my lessons for the week and do some yoga finally! (didn’t want to lay my mat down till the floors were clean…)

Lovelovleovleove,
Pawh-tzii. (This is how Elena and Andrei pronounce my name; I LOVE it!)

From the land of police bribes; Sept 1st; Happy 860th birthday Moscow!

En bref; in the past week or so…. (Again in organized point form format; too many things are happening for it not to be so!)

- Got crapped on by an unseen bird! (details later!)

- Got into a small car accident with Andrei and Elena which ALMOST led to my first cop bribe! (but didn’t; details later…actually there isn’t much to say here…tiny bump from behind; the cop who stopped to check things out said a whole bunch of things and a couple of hours of paperwork later (welcome to Russia), Elena told me that thankfully they didn’t have to pay him because of “complications”…freakin’ police. Cool part; I got to talk to the Insurance dude; guy named Viktor…who spoke really good English I discovered….told me interesting stuff regarding being a car insurance dude in Moscow; basically he’s on foot; gets called to car accident sites and goes! Anyway, this is good for a conversation if you’re interested; too much for blog)

- Well into my first week in Moscow, and I’ve already been to sushi restos 4 times! (It would have been 5 had we not gotten into that accident!) …needless to say, sushi is quite big here…which I incidentally read about before getting here…ah comfort food (even tho I don’t eat rolls…bbq eel thingies are bbq eel thingies even in Moscow…yuuuuum!) I do have to say, that only ONE place that we went to really beats Kanda. (I tell Andrei about Kanda’s all you can eat for as little as 600 Roubles, and he looks at me with these eyes..hahaha…and I promise to take him when he visits me at homeJ I have such good friends here already; SUCH good friends!)

- FINALLY found a good flat! I want to yell that from the rooftops! (sorry, everyone says flat here, so when in Rome…well you know…) AND when I say good flat, it’s seriously the flat that I was begging the Gods for…something smack in between la vie de luxe and a dingy pothole. I’ve taken this weekend to move around the furniture, and I have to say that it now officially has enough Patey in for it to be homeyJ. It’s a mix between new and old…new beds, new cupboards, old table, old sofas. The old-ish windows…the wooden panels; such antique-ey charm! The best part of the place is the balcony, which I conveniently have access to since I made the living room MY room. J its a GORGEOUS view… of a really cool diplomatic building that looks like a castle, a hotel that has lights on every night (incidentally of the Russian Federation flag), and to the right, a perfect view of the Moscow river. There’s also a cool breeze that you can only get from being on the 9th floor of a building. It is the view from my dreams. It is the flat from my revised dreams; hehe, but a dream nonetheless. It is a few notches up from dinge, and that is ALL that I want and need. I can’t stress how happy I am about having found it. Now all I need is a good flatmate! Anyone interested in moving in with me?
I’m in a building on Smolenskaya street…which is not even 5 mins from the Smolenskaya metro (which I will be staying away from; haha metro details later…I’ll just say the word “cattle” for now…and if we did what happens to people in the Moscow metro to animals in North America, people would uproar).

OH yah, the bird crap story; We (being Andrei, Elena, their friend (and now mine, I guess) Eugene (which we pronounce Genia in Ruski) and myself) had gone to an exposition of photographs (much like the ones down McGill College every year) of an American dude named Steve Bloom; they were beautiful pictures of animals in nature and we had stalled cause I was telling my friends about how sharks were more scared of us than us of them when I heard a clunk, and we all paused for a good 5 seconds trying to register what happened, and lo and behold. It was bird poop on the side of my glasses (the clunk!) and my face.
Embarrassing story Note #1: at least it wasn’t in my hair. Note #2: (you’re gonna eww at this one) it was…kind of chunky! …wasn’t quite as liquid as it was chunky…so thankfully it was easier to wipe off…(eww, I know, but it didn’t smell at least!) Note #3: I changed purses, and prayed that I had some kind of tissue or napkin in that purse, and thankfully (as good teachers are) I was prepared. Worry not friends, as another perk about my apartment is that there is water pressure J

Dodged close calls for over 2 weeks now and the Moscow saga continues….

I lovelovelovleovleovleovleove,
Patey:]