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:]