Well it has been quite a while since I have posted about our adventures here in Russia. Maybe that is an indication that we are starting to get into the swing of things and my days are filled with shuttling the kids - on foot - back and forth to preschool and other activities :) It is really also an indication that little man thinks he is too old for naps just like big sister. I seriously thought I had a few more years of peaceful, serene afternoons where I could work on whatever I felt like doing for a couple hours (i.e get caught up on laundry, iron, clean the house, iron, clean the kitchen, iron....Did I mention iron????
Anyways, on to talking about Sardines.....
I haven't talked much about the metro here in Moscow. It is quite amazing! I recently learned that there are metro tours (self-guided) you can take so you can visit each one of the 188 stations and counting. Each station has its own unique architecture and story....some kind of boring, but others are truly incredible works of art! There is this one not too far from where we are that has all these really neat mosacis...I will eventually get some pictures of them :)
The lines and stations are also spread out really well, so in most cases people live at most about a 15 minute walk from a station. In the winter I am sure it will feel longer....
We (mostly me and the kids) take the metro quite a bit since it is our main mode of transportation (well that and our feet). At first it scared S since it is quite loud and you are deep down underground. But now that she is used to it, both kids are usually really excited to hear we are going to get on the train! I usually stay away from peak rush hour on the metro since I have the kids with me and a stroller. Getting the stroller (especially the larger one) on the metro is quite a feat on its own. So trying to do it with less people around is a much more pleasant experience.
A couple nights ago I went out at rush hour by myself to go participate in an activity for the first time and I was able to experience a brand new rendering of the Moscow Metro. This new experience totally blew open my nice little American bubble of personal space.
I have no idea how many people are technically supposed to fit in one of the cars, but I am pretty sure they at least tripled its rated capacity. I was one of the first people to step on the train at my station and as more people got on behind me we all kept moving closer and closer together. At some point I didn't think we could get closer, but more people kept pushing on until I was squished in like a sardine. I couldn't really move my arms and was having a hard time moving my feet out to keep a wide stance so I wouldn't fall over as the train moved. My little engineering mind was racing with all sorts of concerns about exceeding the rated capacity and about how impossible it would be to follow any safety measures if something happened with the train car. My mind was also racing trying to think distracting thoughts because when you are surrounded by that many people you know you are also surrounded with that many smells! Yikes! The smoke, b.o, alcohol and last meal were just all over the place! I was trying fight a balance of deep breaths to keep me from passing out and shallow breaths to keep from smelling everything around me! One lady close by started giggling and I was so relieved to see that Russians have a great sense of humor in these close knit situations!
As the train started to move we all did what I call the "hula" dance in unison. The train rocks back and forth and side to side, so we "hula-ed" together since of course very few could reach a bar to grab on. We finally reached the train station after what seemed like an hour (it was probably only about two minutes)! Luckily we live one station from the ring metro line and a lot of people get off and transfer on this line. As expected the train emptied some....maybe down to double its capacity...but just enough where I could breathe some slightly fresher metro system fan air and I could once again re-establish my nice little American bubble around me :)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
No, my daughter is not from Siberia!
Yes, I was asked if S was from Siberia today! I had to chuckle a little before answering that she was definitely not from Siberia. You see, my blood is about as tropical as it gets, growing up in Central America. And Alex....well he never wanted to live north of I-10 (although our house in Houston was about 10 miles north). Now we are thousands of miles north of I-10 and he is surviving :)
This morning while we were playing at the park it was about 50 degrees, with a breeze. This picture will explain why he asked -
This morning while we were playing at the park it was about 50 degrees, with a breeze. This picture will explain why he asked -
I bought her this sarafan a couple days ago at the Izmailovo market. It is a traditional Russian jumper, which is supposed to be worn with a long sleeve shirt underneath. Well, to S it is just a princess dress that looks silly with anything underneath....even when its freezing cold outside. She was wearing a big coat earlier in the day, until we got on the metro and it was like 90 degrees and she quickly shed the coat.
As you can imagine we got all kinds of looks the rest of today as we walked around the streets of Moscow. Some people are really nice and just come up to me or her and ask Вам не холодно? (are you cold?). I am quickly learning the word for cold -холодный - (and that x is tough to pronounce!) because not only does every single person stop to ask S if she is cold, but you also have to practically beg for cold drinks here at restaurants....and ice....its a foreign concept! Russians have this fixation on not being cold, which I guess, if you spend over half the year in freezing weather you want all things opposite cold, even your Coke!
Well anyways, there are also some people walking around that make it their mission to make you feel like the worst mother alive for not dressing your kids in heavy winter coats, a scarf and a beanie because the temperature dropped below 70 degrees. These lovely ladies are called babushkas around here. A new friend of mine describes them as "they are not just someone's grandma, they are everyone's grandma" (thanks for the description!). This is so true! I know they mean well....but goodness they have a way of making you feel like an awful person. One of them even started slapping her own arm out of disgrace that S didn't have sleeves on! Well, its just going to get worse for this momma because I have the world's most stubborn child and she will continue refusing to wear a coat!
We also attracted a lot of attention today because, in true S fashion, she was scooting down the sidewalks singing at the top of lungs! And we were walking down Tverskaya...an extremely busy street! She really loves to act out her inner Princess and sings a song about everything....think Brave meets Tangled and you have you little miss S! Today she made up the coffee song :) She also stops anywhere that reflects her image and spins around several times.
I will leave you with a couple images of this....so wish I would have recorded this so you could hear her singing!
And here is a cute one of her posing at home for those who don't have Facebook ;)
As you can imagine we got all kinds of looks the rest of today as we walked around the streets of Moscow. Some people are really nice and just come up to me or her and ask Вам не холодно? (are you cold?). I am quickly learning the word for cold -холодный - (and that x is tough to pronounce!) because not only does every single person stop to ask S if she is cold, but you also have to practically beg for cold drinks here at restaurants....and ice....its a foreign concept! Russians have this fixation on not being cold, which I guess, if you spend over half the year in freezing weather you want all things opposite cold, even your Coke!
Well anyways, there are also some people walking around that make it their mission to make you feel like the worst mother alive for not dressing your kids in heavy winter coats, a scarf and a beanie because the temperature dropped below 70 degrees. These lovely ladies are called babushkas around here. A new friend of mine describes them as "they are not just someone's grandma, they are everyone's grandma" (thanks for the description!). This is so true! I know they mean well....but goodness they have a way of making you feel like an awful person. One of them even started slapping her own arm out of disgrace that S didn't have sleeves on! Well, its just going to get worse for this momma because I have the world's most stubborn child and she will continue refusing to wear a coat!
We also attracted a lot of attention today because, in true S fashion, she was scooting down the sidewalks singing at the top of lungs! And we were walking down Tverskaya...an extremely busy street! She really loves to act out her inner Princess and sings a song about everything....think Brave meets Tangled and you have you little miss S! Today she made up the coffee song :) She also stops anywhere that reflects her image and spins around several times.
I will leave you with a couple images of this....so wish I would have recorded this so you could hear her singing!
And here is a cute one of her posing at home for those who don't have Facebook ;)
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Oh how I miss thee....
I spent most of this morning baking some yummy goodies :) I haven't really had a chance to do that since we arrived in Moscow for several reasons -
- Our temporary place had about 1 square foot of counter space and I couldn't fit more than one pan on the stovetop at once. The oven was also quite small and I wouldn't have been able to fit any of my pans inside it.
- It has taken me about a month or more to find the typical baking items - baking soda, baking powder, proper flour, BROWN sugar, etc. I first needed to figure out the translation since some of these items aren't sold in packaging remotely similar to our american packaging (for example, baking powder comes in tiny packets in about 2 tsp amounts).
- I didn't have my proper bakeware until last week - air bake pans, 9x9 brownie pan, jelly roll pan, pastry cutter, etc. I also didn't have my nifty roll out mat that makes baking a breeze :) The only "baking" pan I used at the temporary apartment was the drip pan typically used in ovens....but it worked!
So this morning I made chocolate chip cookies for a church dinner tonight and I tried out a new recipe - Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast cake - with fresh blueberries! I was so excited to find fresh blueberries at my beloved Stockmann store, so I had to find a dish to try out with them.
After doing all this baking I realized there are just so many products I miss! These are items I just took for granted back home since they were always available in the grocery stores, no matter which store I went to. There aren't just baking items, they are items I used for cleaning, baking and eating.
So here goes, in no particular order -
- Bleach - Real.Bleach. The kind that you keep away from anything with color, because one drop will ruin it, but is perfect for getting out stains in white clothing. Well apparently they don't believe in this kind of bleach here. There are a lot of German cleaning products and products that are supposed to be bleach, but they don't do anything to white clothing or colored clothing! This is quite annoying when you have two little kids who get chocolate and dirt all over their nice white clothing. I have a pile going now that is waiting to get "fixed" when I am back home in December!
- Chocolate chips and other baking chips/chocolate - I just really miss walking down the baking aisle and being able to choose between lots of different chocolate chips and other baking items! Come Christmas time, I will REALLY miss this because baking cookies, making fudge, baking pies and other Holiday treats will be much harder to make and I will need to get more creative.
- Peanut butter - Laura Scudder's smooth organic Peanut butter...YUM! I have loved Peanut Butter as long as I can remember. In fact, I used to eat two PB&J sandwiches for lunch all throughout high school! Not sure how I was ever hungry enough for two back then, but it must have had to do with all the sports I was involved in. I also have always loved PB on celery. Wonderful crunchiness of celery with the smooth peanut butter...perfect! Now they do sell PB at one store here, but its a tiny jar and costs $12...its also not the natural-you-must-stir-it kind and I really prefer that. I am currently thoroughly enjoying a jar of PB thanks to my mother reaching out to a friend of hers that traveled to Moscow recently. I may end up licking out the jar at the end....can't let any of it go to waste :)
- Clorox or Lysol wipes -Never thought I would miss something like this! I think I went through tubs and tubs of these wipes all the time back home. They are just so convenient! No need for spraying or pouring something out, just pop one out and like magic everything is clean!
- Clorox toilet cleaner - You know that kind that has the wand and you pop on the little scrubber thing at the end and clean the toilet out without touching nasty brushes. Then you just pop it off into the trash can with a click of a button. The typical toilet brushes have always grossed me out! Well now I am back to using them. And unfortunately K thinks they are a neat little toy. AAAAAAHHHH!
- All Swiffer products - These things are just so convenient! I hadn't bought a real mop, probably ever, until last week! Again, those mops with all the shag at the end just gross me out! There was one at our temporary apartment and I just wanted to throw it out the window into the nearest dumpster. Luckily I was able to find a "swiffer" style mop here with a reusable cloth. It actually works quite nice, although I do have to use a bucket and clean it out and re-wet it while mopping. This is much better than the alternative shag!
- Sponge - This goes along with toilet bowl brushes and shaggy mops....most sponges are kind of icky! Well I had a great sponge that didn't hold a bunch of water and germs along with it. It was more of brush instead of a sponge and did wonders on cleaning off built-up stuff on dishes. Well, I can't find anything like this here. My next return suitcase will be stocked up with these :)
- Ella's kitchen and Plum Organics fruit and veggie bags- My kids love these even though they are not babies :) They were also a great way to get the much loathed broccoli and peas into my kids diet. I have found some similar products here and the kids seem to like them, but there are only about 4 different kinds...not the variety i was used to!
- Glad garbage bags - drawstring, yummy smell and that special "flex" design...LOL. The garbage bags here just don't even compare :) I also miss my large stainless steel kitchen trash can that I could open with my foot.
- Diaper genie - Well we didn't bring the diaper genie...big mistake! We were technically only allowed to bring 700 lbs of stuff (which we went over), so we didn't have a lot of space. We thought, well we can survive without one for 6 months to a year, since K should be getting potty trained in that period of time. Well, needless to say, I take the trash out a lot! Little mister I-eat-everything has some nasty surprises for us at least twice a day...eeeek!
- Avocados - I love avocados and guacamole! I have seen avocados here, the problem is they are usually almost $10 for a pack of 2 or they are mushy and over-ripe. This is another thing I will eat a lot of when I back home! Mexican food here I come!
- Cream Cheese.....oh how I miss thee! When I get back home in December I will likely be baking every single cream cheese related recipe I know, especially anything with cream cheese frosting! I LOVE cream cheese and haven't been able to find it here yet :( They have a lot of cheese options in the stores here, mascarpone being one of them, so I may need to try it as a substitute.
- Grande Non-fat Well-Stirred White Mocha (preferably enjoyed strolling down the aisles of Target, with no kids:) )- So this really isn't a grocery store product, however in the states you can shop at several grocery stores and enjoy Starbucks, so I am adding it to the list :) Plus, I really miss white mochas. Did you know that Russian Starbucks do not carry white chocolate syrup for white mochas! What a crime! I was at a loss for words when I walked in to Starbucks the first time here and tried ordering one and the barista looked at me with a puzzled face - what is white mocha? Do Russians not like super sweet coffee (this is what A calls it)? Who knows? I have learned to survive on caramel machiattos instead. They also have them at this really expensive Russian coffee placed called Coffemania and they are really sweet there, so I just really don't get the absence of white chocolate syrup here!
- Crystal Light Powdered Drinks - Specifically raspberry lemonade and strawberry-orange-banana. S misses raspberry lemonade too, apparently. I have made homemade lemonade a couple times and she always asks for the pink one. She reminded me again today when I made lemonade that I forgot to buy raspberries for her. I am sure that our homemade lemonade is much better for our bodies than Crystal light and fake sugar :)
- Nutri-grain bars - These were our go-to quick snack or breakfast. The kids also love them! I have found some really good granola bars here, but they have a large coat of chocolate and just don't quite seem right for breakfast. They still make a good snack though :)
- Marinara sauce in a jar - There was a very specific cheesy marinara sauce that we all enjoyed. I have seen a couple places with some sauce in a jar, but I can't really read what is in it, so I haven't been adventurous enough to try it. So, I just stick with making sauce from scratch, which has turned easy spaghetti night into quite the production!
Well I am sure my list will continue to get longer :) It's weird to seem some of the items I miss, but I guess you just don't know what you will miss until you don't have it available.
My goal for a future post will be to come up with an equally long list of items I have found here that we really like :)...Just to keep things more positive! On a positive note, all my cooking from scratch instead of pre-made products is probably way healthier for us :)
- Our temporary place had about 1 square foot of counter space and I couldn't fit more than one pan on the stovetop at once. The oven was also quite small and I wouldn't have been able to fit any of my pans inside it.
- It has taken me about a month or more to find the typical baking items - baking soda, baking powder, proper flour, BROWN sugar, etc. I first needed to figure out the translation since some of these items aren't sold in packaging remotely similar to our american packaging (for example, baking powder comes in tiny packets in about 2 tsp amounts).
- I didn't have my proper bakeware until last week - air bake pans, 9x9 brownie pan, jelly roll pan, pastry cutter, etc. I also didn't have my nifty roll out mat that makes baking a breeze :) The only "baking" pan I used at the temporary apartment was the drip pan typically used in ovens....but it worked!
So this morning I made chocolate chip cookies for a church dinner tonight and I tried out a new recipe - Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast cake - with fresh blueberries! I was so excited to find fresh blueberries at my beloved Stockmann store, so I had to find a dish to try out with them.
After doing all this baking I realized there are just so many products I miss! These are items I just took for granted back home since they were always available in the grocery stores, no matter which store I went to. There aren't just baking items, they are items I used for cleaning, baking and eating.
So here goes, in no particular order -
- Bleach - Real.Bleach. The kind that you keep away from anything with color, because one drop will ruin it, but is perfect for getting out stains in white clothing. Well apparently they don't believe in this kind of bleach here. There are a lot of German cleaning products and products that are supposed to be bleach, but they don't do anything to white clothing or colored clothing! This is quite annoying when you have two little kids who get chocolate and dirt all over their nice white clothing. I have a pile going now that is waiting to get "fixed" when I am back home in December!
- Chocolate chips and other baking chips/chocolate - I just really miss walking down the baking aisle and being able to choose between lots of different chocolate chips and other baking items! Come Christmas time, I will REALLY miss this because baking cookies, making fudge, baking pies and other Holiday treats will be much harder to make and I will need to get more creative.
- Peanut butter - Laura Scudder's smooth organic Peanut butter...YUM! I have loved Peanut Butter as long as I can remember. In fact, I used to eat two PB&J sandwiches for lunch all throughout high school! Not sure how I was ever hungry enough for two back then, but it must have had to do with all the sports I was involved in. I also have always loved PB on celery. Wonderful crunchiness of celery with the smooth peanut butter...perfect! Now they do sell PB at one store here, but its a tiny jar and costs $12...its also not the natural-you-must-stir-it kind and I really prefer that. I am currently thoroughly enjoying a jar of PB thanks to my mother reaching out to a friend of hers that traveled to Moscow recently. I may end up licking out the jar at the end....can't let any of it go to waste :)
- Clorox or Lysol wipes -Never thought I would miss something like this! I think I went through tubs and tubs of these wipes all the time back home. They are just so convenient! No need for spraying or pouring something out, just pop one out and like magic everything is clean!
- Clorox toilet cleaner - You know that kind that has the wand and you pop on the little scrubber thing at the end and clean the toilet out without touching nasty brushes. Then you just pop it off into the trash can with a click of a button. The typical toilet brushes have always grossed me out! Well now I am back to using them. And unfortunately K thinks they are a neat little toy. AAAAAAHHHH!
- All Swiffer products - These things are just so convenient! I hadn't bought a real mop, probably ever, until last week! Again, those mops with all the shag at the end just gross me out! There was one at our temporary apartment and I just wanted to throw it out the window into the nearest dumpster. Luckily I was able to find a "swiffer" style mop here with a reusable cloth. It actually works quite nice, although I do have to use a bucket and clean it out and re-wet it while mopping. This is much better than the alternative shag!
- Sponge - This goes along with toilet bowl brushes and shaggy mops....most sponges are kind of icky! Well I had a great sponge that didn't hold a bunch of water and germs along with it. It was more of brush instead of a sponge and did wonders on cleaning off built-up stuff on dishes. Well, I can't find anything like this here. My next return suitcase will be stocked up with these :)
- Ella's kitchen and Plum Organics fruit and veggie bags- My kids love these even though they are not babies :) They were also a great way to get the much loathed broccoli and peas into my kids diet. I have found some similar products here and the kids seem to like them, but there are only about 4 different kinds...not the variety i was used to!
- Glad garbage bags - drawstring, yummy smell and that special "flex" design...LOL. The garbage bags here just don't even compare :) I also miss my large stainless steel kitchen trash can that I could open with my foot.
- Diaper genie - Well we didn't bring the diaper genie...big mistake! We were technically only allowed to bring 700 lbs of stuff (which we went over), so we didn't have a lot of space. We thought, well we can survive without one for 6 months to a year, since K should be getting potty trained in that period of time. Well, needless to say, I take the trash out a lot! Little mister I-eat-everything has some nasty surprises for us at least twice a day...eeeek!
- Avocados - I love avocados and guacamole! I have seen avocados here, the problem is they are usually almost $10 for a pack of 2 or they are mushy and over-ripe. This is another thing I will eat a lot of when I back home! Mexican food here I come!
- Cream Cheese.....oh how I miss thee! When I get back home in December I will likely be baking every single cream cheese related recipe I know, especially anything with cream cheese frosting! I LOVE cream cheese and haven't been able to find it here yet :( They have a lot of cheese options in the stores here, mascarpone being one of them, so I may need to try it as a substitute.
- Grande Non-fat Well-Stirred White Mocha (preferably enjoyed strolling down the aisles of Target, with no kids:) )- So this really isn't a grocery store product, however in the states you can shop at several grocery stores and enjoy Starbucks, so I am adding it to the list :) Plus, I really miss white mochas. Did you know that Russian Starbucks do not carry white chocolate syrup for white mochas! What a crime! I was at a loss for words when I walked in to Starbucks the first time here and tried ordering one and the barista looked at me with a puzzled face - what is white mocha? Do Russians not like super sweet coffee (this is what A calls it)? Who knows? I have learned to survive on caramel machiattos instead. They also have them at this really expensive Russian coffee placed called Coffemania and they are really sweet there, so I just really don't get the absence of white chocolate syrup here!
- Crystal Light Powdered Drinks - Specifically raspberry lemonade and strawberry-orange-banana. S misses raspberry lemonade too, apparently. I have made homemade lemonade a couple times and she always asks for the pink one. She reminded me again today when I made lemonade that I forgot to buy raspberries for her. I am sure that our homemade lemonade is much better for our bodies than Crystal light and fake sugar :)
- Nutri-grain bars - These were our go-to quick snack or breakfast. The kids also love them! I have found some really good granola bars here, but they have a large coat of chocolate and just don't quite seem right for breakfast. They still make a good snack though :)
- Marinara sauce in a jar - There was a very specific cheesy marinara sauce that we all enjoyed. I have seen a couple places with some sauce in a jar, but I can't really read what is in it, so I haven't been adventurous enough to try it. So, I just stick with making sauce from scratch, which has turned easy spaghetti night into quite the production!
Well I am sure my list will continue to get longer :) It's weird to seem some of the items I miss, but I guess you just don't know what you will miss until you don't have it available.
My goal for a future post will be to come up with an equally long list of items I have found here that we really like :)...Just to keep things more positive! On a positive note, all my cooking from scratch instead of pre-made products is probably way healthier for us :)
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
And the verdict is.....
I know you are all anxiously awaiting which apartment we chose....
Well wait no more ;)
The apartment the Joneses will call home for the next three or so years is.....
Apartment 2 - The One with all the Playgrounds!!!
So what do you think of our choice?!?!?
Well it ended up not being completely a "choice" but what we ended up with. It was my #2 and A's #1. We actually started rent negotiations with the One by the Zoo.... However the land lady was getting flaky and started making up hidden costs. Not only was she moving the price slowly out of our budget, but she was becoming difficult. We quickly realized we didn't want to deal with her for the next 3 years!
On the other hand, the land lady for this apartment we chose is very nice and her daughter speaks English! Yay! We can communicate! She also honored (almost) all our requests -- microwave, toddler bed, new washer/dryer and walk in closet! We are still waiting on the washer/dryer since the new one they bought was apparently dropped when delivered. It doesn't work, so they have theoretically called on a "specialist" to fix it. The specialist has been no where in sight and we are going on one week now...
The kids seem happy with the choice because they get to play in the sand box a lot. They also enjoy all the sliding closet doors and mirrors. S is frequently performing in front of them!
House Hunter's International Part 3
Ok, so now for part 3. As promised I will talk about two apartments in this post because both were an important part of our decision making process.
Apartment 3 - In another Life
Apartment 3 would have been the perfect choice if there were no kids involved in the decision-making process. This is the dream apartment for anyone moving to Moscow that wanted to be right in the middle of it all. I can just imagine going to the theater, fancy restaurants, shopping, etc...So, in another life, the one where we move to Moscow with no kids, and enjoy everything Moscow has to offer at our leisure and on our own schedule, we would have chosen this apartment. I know I am giving it away that we didn't choose this one, so that is why I am throwing in the 4th apartment :) So in true House Hunters style you can all sit there and wonder which one out of the 3 we chose.
Apartment 3 is located on Tverskaya, which is one of the main roads that leads directly to the center of the city (aka Red Square). This is one of the most expensive roads to rent out a place for business since it is expensive real estate. This is a picture of the outside of the building as I walked down Tverskaya towards the building. The apartment we looked at faces Tverskaya and has 3 Romeo and Juliet balconies, each located outside one of the 3 bedrooms. The other side of the building faces a large park area with two newly-built playgrounds. We played here quite a bit over the last month since our temporary place was nearby. The kids call this playground the space ship playground. One of them is built like a large ship and the other is built like a large castle....not sure why space was added to the ship, but I am sure its part of S's imagination...
The inside of the apartment wasn't really anything special. It was smaller than the others we looked at, which was to be expected given its location, but it did have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. they were just all crammed-in stacked next to each other. There were several child-unfriendly concerns which included a lot of white furniture, the squeaky floors I can't stand (we had them in our temporary place), balconies that both could probably easily fit through, and lots of glass. I am sure the squeaky floors are a neat piece of history...or they at least look like it...but they are really annoying when you are trying to not wake up kids in the middle of the night while walking around. They are hard wood floors and the planks are placed in the shape of V's or would I would call these days, chevron pattern :) But they are really old, so the planks squeak up and down next to each other as you put weight down on them. We had many screaming nights with K at the temporary place and I really didn't want a place with squeaky floors for 3+ years.
The apartment location, as I mentioned before, was just amazing. Khachapuri, Pizza Express and Cafe Pushkin are all right around the corner (some of our faves). Of course all the other main chains are nearby....and yes there is a Starbucks up the street from this place too.
So every time I walk by here I will just sigh and think of what could have been.....
Apartment 4 - By the Pond
Apartment 4 is located in a building that faces Patriarch Ponds. This is a neat little park, with a large pond in the center. The park has a nice playground area that the kids love. This is where their favorite merry-go-round is :) This is also the playground where K will go down the slide all by himself....for some reason he needs to hold my hand everywhere else. It also seems as though they have several activities every weekend at the park. So far we have seen bands playing, swing dancing and music and a mini-fair with pony rides, jumping areas and games. I also think there are a lot of expats that live in this area since I heard a lot of English spoken at the park.
This apartment isn't too far from Apartment 3 location, so there is access to a lot of restaurants, shops and stores. There are actually several little restaurants located down the street that we haven't had a chance to try yet, but they all look yummy and are always busy!
The inside of Apartment 4 didn't really peak our interest incredibly when we first walked in, but it has everything on our must-have list. This apartment has 2 real bedrooms and an office room with sliding doors. The living room is kind of small, but open to the kitchen. The kitchen has all full size appliances, including a washer/dryer. The apartment also has 1.5 bathrooms and no squeaky floors :) It also has some of the fancier amenities like warming floors and air conditioning. Really the only big negative is that is up on the third floor and the main option to get up there is stairs....tough with kids and strollers and grocery bags (this thought takes me back to college when I lived on the third floor and was always hauling stuff up and down....). And the stairs are old....so some are crooked. They are installing an elevator, but its a little scary. It is one of those elevators they install after-the fact on a building. So they cut a big hole in the wall and the elevator then sits just outside the wall of the building. They are really tiny, but its the only way to really get an elevator in a really old building without renovating the entire thing.
Here are a couple pictures of the kids playing at Patriarch Ponds
So I found some pictures of the zoo apartment.... (sorry I don't have any right now of the others)
Now stay tuned for our big decision! LOL....
Apartment 3 - In another Life
Apartment 3 would have been the perfect choice if there were no kids involved in the decision-making process. This is the dream apartment for anyone moving to Moscow that wanted to be right in the middle of it all. I can just imagine going to the theater, fancy restaurants, shopping, etc...So, in another life, the one where we move to Moscow with no kids, and enjoy everything Moscow has to offer at our leisure and on our own schedule, we would have chosen this apartment. I know I am giving it away that we didn't choose this one, so that is why I am throwing in the 4th apartment :) So in true House Hunters style you can all sit there and wonder which one out of the 3 we chose.
Apartment 3 is located on Tverskaya, which is one of the main roads that leads directly to the center of the city (aka Red Square). This is one of the most expensive roads to rent out a place for business since it is expensive real estate. This is a picture of the outside of the building as I walked down Tverskaya towards the building. The apartment we looked at faces Tverskaya and has 3 Romeo and Juliet balconies, each located outside one of the 3 bedrooms. The other side of the building faces a large park area with two newly-built playgrounds. We played here quite a bit over the last month since our temporary place was nearby. The kids call this playground the space ship playground. One of them is built like a large ship and the other is built like a large castle....not sure why space was added to the ship, but I am sure its part of S's imagination...
The inside of the apartment wasn't really anything special. It was smaller than the others we looked at, which was to be expected given its location, but it did have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. they were just all crammed-in stacked next to each other. There were several child-unfriendly concerns which included a lot of white furniture, the squeaky floors I can't stand (we had them in our temporary place), balconies that both could probably easily fit through, and lots of glass. I am sure the squeaky floors are a neat piece of history...or they at least look like it...but they are really annoying when you are trying to not wake up kids in the middle of the night while walking around. They are hard wood floors and the planks are placed in the shape of V's or would I would call these days, chevron pattern :) But they are really old, so the planks squeak up and down next to each other as you put weight down on them. We had many screaming nights with K at the temporary place and I really didn't want a place with squeaky floors for 3+ years.
The apartment location, as I mentioned before, was just amazing. Khachapuri, Pizza Express and Cafe Pushkin are all right around the corner (some of our faves). Of course all the other main chains are nearby....and yes there is a Starbucks up the street from this place too.
So every time I walk by here I will just sigh and think of what could have been.....
Apartment 4 - By the Pond
Apartment 4 is located in a building that faces Patriarch Ponds. This is a neat little park, with a large pond in the center. The park has a nice playground area that the kids love. This is where their favorite merry-go-round is :) This is also the playground where K will go down the slide all by himself....for some reason he needs to hold my hand everywhere else. It also seems as though they have several activities every weekend at the park. So far we have seen bands playing, swing dancing and music and a mini-fair with pony rides, jumping areas and games. I also think there are a lot of expats that live in this area since I heard a lot of English spoken at the park.
This apartment isn't too far from Apartment 3 location, so there is access to a lot of restaurants, shops and stores. There are actually several little restaurants located down the street that we haven't had a chance to try yet, but they all look yummy and are always busy!
The inside of Apartment 4 didn't really peak our interest incredibly when we first walked in, but it has everything on our must-have list. This apartment has 2 real bedrooms and an office room with sliding doors. The living room is kind of small, but open to the kitchen. The kitchen has all full size appliances, including a washer/dryer. The apartment also has 1.5 bathrooms and no squeaky floors :) It also has some of the fancier amenities like warming floors and air conditioning. Really the only big negative is that is up on the third floor and the main option to get up there is stairs....tough with kids and strollers and grocery bags (this thought takes me back to college when I lived on the third floor and was always hauling stuff up and down....). And the stairs are old....so some are crooked. They are installing an elevator, but its a little scary. It is one of those elevators they install after-the fact on a building. So they cut a big hole in the wall and the elevator then sits just outside the wall of the building. They are really tiny, but its the only way to really get an elevator in a really old building without renovating the entire thing.
Here are a couple pictures of the kids playing at Patriarch Ponds
So I found some pictures of the zoo apartment.... (sorry I don't have any right now of the others)
Now stay tuned for our big decision! LOL....
Friday, August 23, 2013
House Hunter's International Part 2
The kids are in bed and Slingbox isn't working so I have some more free time to continue on with our house hunting adventure here in Moscow.
Apartment 2 - The One with all the Playgrounds
The apartment names have more to do with my perspective (and the kids) than A's perspective. This apartment could also be called Close to work if you were to ask him.
One of the nice features of Apartment 2 is how close it is to A's work. Instead of taking the metro to work, he could actually take about a 30-minute stroll through a really nice park. Now, one might think that walking a little extra to work would be a negative thing here in Moscow with the long, tough winters, however in A's point of view, its actually much better. You see, people here love, love, love their heaters, or so it seems. I am not sure why its like this, but indoors is very hot in the winter. It seems like they just turn on the heaters full blast all winter long. I have read that it is a government-controlled central heating system....so I plan to ask someone here this winter if this is true. We will probably be the only people in all of Moscow running our air conditioning in the winter to help with how hot the heaters will make our apartment. After living in Texas for so long, I am now used to the artificial environment air conditioning provides - a perfect 72 F in my opinion :)
So, now imagine walking briskly in the outdoors for about 15 minutes. You are bundled up heavily and are pretty warm from the walk. Then you go into the metro station, crowded with hundreds and hundreds of people and the heater is on full blast. It is at least 85 F but you have no space to take off your jacket, plus it would be quite the ordeal to remove your hat, scarf, gloves, jacket, etc... Thank goodness they keep it warm, but geeze, its quite uncomfortable. And that is why A likes the potential to walk to work....
Now on to my apartment title.....Apartment 2 appears to be in a large residential area. I am not sure how zoning works in Moscow, but this area of town seems more residential as opposed to our temporary apartment, which is much closer to the city center (aka Red Square, etc). The actual gated area (one door buzz in) has two playgrounds in it, and they are perfect for my kids ages. Most playgrounds here have your usuals you see in the US - swings, slides, climbing objects...but they also have sand boxes and merry-go-rounds! For those of you who are at least my age, you probably remember the little merry-go-rounds at school and park playgrounds. We would spin each other around around around to see how dizzy we could get. For some reason they seem to be a thing of the past, probably because too many kids got hurt and there were lawsuits, etc. But here in Moscow they are alive and well! My kids LOVE them! K mostly likes to push them around, but S loves to go faster, faster, faster, or as the kids here shout "speena, speena, speena", which actually just translates to spin.
On a side note, I was spinning my kids around and a couple others walked up and got on. There was a little girl laughing and yelling "speena, speena". I assumed she meant faster, faster so I went faster and faster. There were some parents that walked up to me and gave me a face like "whoa there be careful" even though the kids were smiling. So I slowed them down and let someone else spin the kids while I got out my handy dandy translator to see what they were actually yelling. Luckily it wasn't "slower, slower". It was simply "spin, spin". I should have guessed...the word speena is not too far off from spin ;)
Ok, back to the apartment....I am not too thrilled about the sand boxes due to the mess, but oh well, the merry-go-rounds sure are fun (A and I have been getting our spinning time in too!).
When we saw the pictures of the apartment before seeing it in person, we weren't very thrilled. It looked pretty plain and it was hard to see the "whole picture". When we walked in, we both had smiles on our face. It was an open floor plan, bright and light, similar to the zoo apartment. It had the entry way with the closet and warming tiles too :) It had quite a large living room area, open to the kitchen and open to an enclosed balcony. The kitchen was recently re-done with all its faux wood clad appliances and there was lots of counter space. It also had a full-size dishwasher - yay! There was a table in the corner with a missing leg and only one chair...interesting. This apartment was also a 4 room apartment. All 3 bedrooms were in an area separated by a door from the living room. One bedroom was the master bedroom, with another enclosed balcony, the second bedroom was pink with "girly" paintings still hanging on the walls and the third bedroom was all blue - walls, couch, chair, curtains....all blue. Wow! Perfect for our family! There was also a second bathroom in this area with a tub, just not a spectacular jacuzzi tub, like we had seen at many other apartments. There was also a storage closet that the land lady told us she would turn into a walk-in closet...perfect!
Again, there were a couple negatives - no bed for K, a small washer with no dryer, no microwave and the dining room table with 3 legs....again, negotiable items.
After seeing the apartment, we walked around outside to make sure there was a grocery store near by. During our grocery store hunt we saw two more playgrounds. This part of town seems to have playgrounds on every corner! One thing was for sure, if we chose this apartment we would never get bored with the same playground! We also found the grocery store close by - only downside is that its one of the stores that won't take our credit cards....still trying to figure out what the problem is there.
Another huge plus with this apartment is that there are no stairs to get into the apartment and I can get to the nearest metro station without stairs. Its on the fourth floor, but there is an elevator on the bottom level and the elevator is big enough for a stroller! This is huge for a mom, two kids and a stroller! As I mentioned before, Moscow isn't friendly to strollers, so being able to get in the metro station without stairs is a big deal! Big deal! Now stairs at the metro stations that I head to is another story :)
Stay tuned for the last installment of House Hunter's International Moscow. It will feature a bonus apartment because there are two more that are worth talking about and I actually have pictures of one of them :)
Apartment 2 - The One with all the Playgrounds
The apartment names have more to do with my perspective (and the kids) than A's perspective. This apartment could also be called Close to work if you were to ask him.
One of the nice features of Apartment 2 is how close it is to A's work. Instead of taking the metro to work, he could actually take about a 30-minute stroll through a really nice park. Now, one might think that walking a little extra to work would be a negative thing here in Moscow with the long, tough winters, however in A's point of view, its actually much better. You see, people here love, love, love their heaters, or so it seems. I am not sure why its like this, but indoors is very hot in the winter. It seems like they just turn on the heaters full blast all winter long. I have read that it is a government-controlled central heating system....so I plan to ask someone here this winter if this is true. We will probably be the only people in all of Moscow running our air conditioning in the winter to help with how hot the heaters will make our apartment. After living in Texas for so long, I am now used to the artificial environment air conditioning provides - a perfect 72 F in my opinion :)
So, now imagine walking briskly in the outdoors for about 15 minutes. You are bundled up heavily and are pretty warm from the walk. Then you go into the metro station, crowded with hundreds and hundreds of people and the heater is on full blast. It is at least 85 F but you have no space to take off your jacket, plus it would be quite the ordeal to remove your hat, scarf, gloves, jacket, etc... Thank goodness they keep it warm, but geeze, its quite uncomfortable. And that is why A likes the potential to walk to work....
Now on to my apartment title.....Apartment 2 appears to be in a large residential area. I am not sure how zoning works in Moscow, but this area of town seems more residential as opposed to our temporary apartment, which is much closer to the city center (aka Red Square, etc). The actual gated area (one door buzz in) has two playgrounds in it, and they are perfect for my kids ages. Most playgrounds here have your usuals you see in the US - swings, slides, climbing objects...but they also have sand boxes and merry-go-rounds! For those of you who are at least my age, you probably remember the little merry-go-rounds at school and park playgrounds. We would spin each other around around around to see how dizzy we could get. For some reason they seem to be a thing of the past, probably because too many kids got hurt and there were lawsuits, etc. But here in Moscow they are alive and well! My kids LOVE them! K mostly likes to push them around, but S loves to go faster, faster, faster, or as the kids here shout "speena, speena, speena", which actually just translates to spin.
On a side note, I was spinning my kids around and a couple others walked up and got on. There was a little girl laughing and yelling "speena, speena". I assumed she meant faster, faster so I went faster and faster. There were some parents that walked up to me and gave me a face like "whoa there be careful" even though the kids were smiling. So I slowed them down and let someone else spin the kids while I got out my handy dandy translator to see what they were actually yelling. Luckily it wasn't "slower, slower". It was simply "spin, spin". I should have guessed...the word speena is not too far off from spin ;)
Ok, back to the apartment....I am not too thrilled about the sand boxes due to the mess, but oh well, the merry-go-rounds sure are fun (A and I have been getting our spinning time in too!).
When we saw the pictures of the apartment before seeing it in person, we weren't very thrilled. It looked pretty plain and it was hard to see the "whole picture". When we walked in, we both had smiles on our face. It was an open floor plan, bright and light, similar to the zoo apartment. It had the entry way with the closet and warming tiles too :) It had quite a large living room area, open to the kitchen and open to an enclosed balcony. The kitchen was recently re-done with all its faux wood clad appliances and there was lots of counter space. It also had a full-size dishwasher - yay! There was a table in the corner with a missing leg and only one chair...interesting. This apartment was also a 4 room apartment. All 3 bedrooms were in an area separated by a door from the living room. One bedroom was the master bedroom, with another enclosed balcony, the second bedroom was pink with "girly" paintings still hanging on the walls and the third bedroom was all blue - walls, couch, chair, curtains....all blue. Wow! Perfect for our family! There was also a second bathroom in this area with a tub, just not a spectacular jacuzzi tub, like we had seen at many other apartments. There was also a storage closet that the land lady told us she would turn into a walk-in closet...perfect!
Again, there were a couple negatives - no bed for K, a small washer with no dryer, no microwave and the dining room table with 3 legs....again, negotiable items.
After seeing the apartment, we walked around outside to make sure there was a grocery store near by. During our grocery store hunt we saw two more playgrounds. This part of town seems to have playgrounds on every corner! One thing was for sure, if we chose this apartment we would never get bored with the same playground! We also found the grocery store close by - only downside is that its one of the stores that won't take our credit cards....still trying to figure out what the problem is there.
Another huge plus with this apartment is that there are no stairs to get into the apartment and I can get to the nearest metro station without stairs. Its on the fourth floor, but there is an elevator on the bottom level and the elevator is big enough for a stroller! This is huge for a mom, two kids and a stroller! As I mentioned before, Moscow isn't friendly to strollers, so being able to get in the metro station without stairs is a big deal! Big deal! Now stairs at the metro stations that I head to is another story :)
Stay tuned for the last installment of House Hunter's International Moscow. It will feature a bonus apartment because there are two more that are worth talking about and I actually have pictures of one of them :)
House Hunters International - Moscow with the Joneses
I am a pretty big HGTV fan. I enjoy being nosy about the kind of homes people buy and I love getting home decor ideas from various shows. In all my HGTV watching and internet searching I have not found a House Hunters International in Moscow. I searched high and low before moving here because I felt like an episode would give me a glimpse into life here....
What kind of apartments are available - are they still reminiscent of the Soviet Era??
How big will they be? (yes we are spoiled - Everything is bigger in Texas)
Will we get one with more the one bathroom?
Will all the stuff we brought fit?
Will the kitchen be very well equipped.....???
Well, now that the apartment search is over and we just moved in to our long-term place I will re-create an episode of House Hunters for those avid viewers out there who have always been dying to see an episode from Moscow :)
Disclaimer: I know we were only taken to apartments that are rented out to foreigners, so this doesn't necessarily represent the average apartment in Moscow, just the average apartment rented to a foreigner.
We actually viewed A LOT of apartments....poor kids were dragged from one to the another, all day long with very few snacks. We actually ended up using my US-bought snacks much quicker than anticipated due to these long apartment-hunting days. But, it kept the kiddos quiet and happy so the adults could enjoy the day with no whining....well at least a little less whining.
Apartment 1 - "Zoo Apartment"
This first apartment was a hit almost immediately as we walked in......very bright and open-floorplan. We were advised to look for "light" and "bright" places since Winters are long and dark. Well, it only got better as we walked through it. We had already seen several apartments before this one and noticed several common themes in Moscow apartments (these items stood out as very different from Texas apartments).
1. There is always a fairly large coat closet upon entry - this is basically the "mudroom". Obviously there is a whole area of the house dedicated to coats and winter boots due to its frequent use - winter is extra long here :) The nicer apartments had warming tiles in this area too! And since walk-in closets do not appear to be very common here, it was always nice to see a large closet for more storage space.
2. Russians LOVE big huge jacuzzi tubs! Now "big" jacuzzi tubs are usually selling points in homes in the US. Realtors use the term separate shower and tub or large garden tub in their master bathroom descriptions all the time. But, those tubs just don't compare to these tubs. Russians spare no expense when it comes to their jacuzzi tub. They are huge.....much larger than your typical master bathroom tub that "seats 2", but really only fits 1. We saw red tubs, black tubs, white tubs, maybe even some more colors....all that would rival an outdoor hot tub. I guess when you don't have a yard to put a hot tub in, you put it in your bathroom. Well I think its great....what a great way to spend an evening after walking miles and miles all over the city in the freezing cold.
3. Apartment "rooms" count bedrooms and main rooms. It took a little while to get used to this. I would get excited when we would go see a 3 room apartment, only to then remind myself that it is only 2 bedrooms and a living room/kitchen area. The Zoo apartment was a 4 room apartment though :)
4. Security is a really big deal and selling point for rental apartments. When living in apartments in Texas, no one ever made a big deal about how many locks were on the front door or how many doors you had to "buzz" through to get into your apartment. I had also never seen an apartment with the "secret escape" exit until moving here. You know how doctor's offices have main entrances and then the "Doctors only door", so they don't have to walk through their waiting room because they always arrive late. Well they have "secret entry/exit" doors in some apartments here too. Hopefully this extra security thing is a precaution and not because its extremely dangerous around here. So far, I have always felt safe here.
5. Russian refrigerators are always clad in faux wood to match the cabinets, same goes for dishwashers (which I am super duper excited that they have them here!). I come from a world of "stainless steel" and have now entered the world of camouflage appliances. It actually looks really nice and makes the kitchens look sleek and modern. I know this exists in the US ;)....its just that here it almost seems like a bare minimum for the kitchen. It also makes the refrigerators small and easier to open....which is a problem if you have a toddler.... Counters are lower and knobs/oven/stovetop are all easy access....also a problem with a toddler...
6. And to answer one of my big questions pre-Moscow trip.....no they aren't all reminiscent of the Soviet era. All these landlords have completely renovated their apartments. Many of the outside buildings still look super old and dingy, but the insides are beautiful. As I understand it, many buildings are not privately owned, so there is little-to-no maintenance. This includes the elevators! Some elevators were really scary! But, the home owners take a lot of care of their individual apartments. There are some privately owned buildings and you can really tell the difference between those and the others.
Ok, back to the "zoo apartment"....As I mentioned, it kept getting better as we walked through it. 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms (I am pretty sure it was the only one with 3 bathrooms we saw) and one of the rooms was specifically designed for a little girl. It included a large flower shaped "mood light" cut into the ceiling, walls with pink flower wall paper (oh I forgot about this one above, Wall paper business is alive and booming in Russia!) and a child bathroom! The bathroom had a little kid toilet, sink and shower/tub kids can easily get into. As we walked through this room, I could already picture little miss S living here in her own little Princess domain! Then.....drum roll....we walked into the enclosed balcony and looked out the window to see the camels roaming around in their little camel world at the zoo (now you see how we named the apartment...clever huh?)! Little miss S squealed with excitement and little man asked "What those, mom?" After we told him they were camels he couldn't stop saying "Camel, mom, I see camel, MOM!" We don't have camels at the Houston zoo.
The apartment had a very nice kitchen with a lot of counter space, including faux wood clad refrigerator and full size-dishwasher. The land lady was also leaving the espresso machine (key because there isn't a Starbucks around the corner). She was also still living in the apartment, so there were lots and lots and lots of perfume bottles everywhere...she must collect them.
The two negatives for the apartment were that the third bedroom didn't have a bed, just a pull out couch, and the washing machine was small and was only a washer - no dryer. The good news, everything is usually negotiable and these things can be changed before move-in.
So needless to say, the apartment is around the corner from the zoo. There are also two metro stations close by (key when living in Moscow with no car), some parks and a preschool. The kids couldn't stop talking about this apartment as we went to view others that day and I don't think I remember much else from that day besides this apartment. So, it made it on our list of 3 top choices. This was also two days after we arrived, so some of the blur is related to jet lag :)
Ok, so that is the first apartment...stay tuned for the next apartment..... (the kids will be up from naps really soon!)
What kind of apartments are available - are they still reminiscent of the Soviet Era??
How big will they be? (yes we are spoiled - Everything is bigger in Texas)
Will we get one with more the one bathroom?
Will all the stuff we brought fit?
Will the kitchen be very well equipped.....???
Well, now that the apartment search is over and we just moved in to our long-term place I will re-create an episode of House Hunters for those avid viewers out there who have always been dying to see an episode from Moscow :)
Disclaimer: I know we were only taken to apartments that are rented out to foreigners, so this doesn't necessarily represent the average apartment in Moscow, just the average apartment rented to a foreigner.
We actually viewed A LOT of apartments....poor kids were dragged from one to the another, all day long with very few snacks. We actually ended up using my US-bought snacks much quicker than anticipated due to these long apartment-hunting days. But, it kept the kiddos quiet and happy so the adults could enjoy the day with no whining....well at least a little less whining.
Apartment 1 - "Zoo Apartment"
This first apartment was a hit almost immediately as we walked in......very bright and open-floorplan. We were advised to look for "light" and "bright" places since Winters are long and dark. Well, it only got better as we walked through it. We had already seen several apartments before this one and noticed several common themes in Moscow apartments (these items stood out as very different from Texas apartments).
1. There is always a fairly large coat closet upon entry - this is basically the "mudroom". Obviously there is a whole area of the house dedicated to coats and winter boots due to its frequent use - winter is extra long here :) The nicer apartments had warming tiles in this area too! And since walk-in closets do not appear to be very common here, it was always nice to see a large closet for more storage space.
2. Russians LOVE big huge jacuzzi tubs! Now "big" jacuzzi tubs are usually selling points in homes in the US. Realtors use the term separate shower and tub or large garden tub in their master bathroom descriptions all the time. But, those tubs just don't compare to these tubs. Russians spare no expense when it comes to their jacuzzi tub. They are huge.....much larger than your typical master bathroom tub that "seats 2", but really only fits 1. We saw red tubs, black tubs, white tubs, maybe even some more colors....all that would rival an outdoor hot tub. I guess when you don't have a yard to put a hot tub in, you put it in your bathroom. Well I think its great....what a great way to spend an evening after walking miles and miles all over the city in the freezing cold.
3. Apartment "rooms" count bedrooms and main rooms. It took a little while to get used to this. I would get excited when we would go see a 3 room apartment, only to then remind myself that it is only 2 bedrooms and a living room/kitchen area. The Zoo apartment was a 4 room apartment though :)
4. Security is a really big deal and selling point for rental apartments. When living in apartments in Texas, no one ever made a big deal about how many locks were on the front door or how many doors you had to "buzz" through to get into your apartment. I had also never seen an apartment with the "secret escape" exit until moving here. You know how doctor's offices have main entrances and then the "Doctors only door", so they don't have to walk through their waiting room because they always arrive late. Well they have "secret entry/exit" doors in some apartments here too. Hopefully this extra security thing is a precaution and not because its extremely dangerous around here. So far, I have always felt safe here.
5. Russian refrigerators are always clad in faux wood to match the cabinets, same goes for dishwashers (which I am super duper excited that they have them here!). I come from a world of "stainless steel" and have now entered the world of camouflage appliances. It actually looks really nice and makes the kitchens look sleek and modern. I know this exists in the US ;)....its just that here it almost seems like a bare minimum for the kitchen. It also makes the refrigerators small and easier to open....which is a problem if you have a toddler.... Counters are lower and knobs/oven/stovetop are all easy access....also a problem with a toddler...
6. And to answer one of my big questions pre-Moscow trip.....no they aren't all reminiscent of the Soviet era. All these landlords have completely renovated their apartments. Many of the outside buildings still look super old and dingy, but the insides are beautiful. As I understand it, many buildings are not privately owned, so there is little-to-no maintenance. This includes the elevators! Some elevators were really scary! But, the home owners take a lot of care of their individual apartments. There are some privately owned buildings and you can really tell the difference between those and the others.
Ok, back to the "zoo apartment"....As I mentioned, it kept getting better as we walked through it. 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms (I am pretty sure it was the only one with 3 bathrooms we saw) and one of the rooms was specifically designed for a little girl. It included a large flower shaped "mood light" cut into the ceiling, walls with pink flower wall paper (oh I forgot about this one above, Wall paper business is alive and booming in Russia!) and a child bathroom! The bathroom had a little kid toilet, sink and shower/tub kids can easily get into. As we walked through this room, I could already picture little miss S living here in her own little Princess domain! Then.....drum roll....we walked into the enclosed balcony and looked out the window to see the camels roaming around in their little camel world at the zoo (now you see how we named the apartment...clever huh?)! Little miss S squealed with excitement and little man asked "What those, mom?" After we told him they were camels he couldn't stop saying "Camel, mom, I see camel, MOM!" We don't have camels at the Houston zoo.
The apartment had a very nice kitchen with a lot of counter space, including faux wood clad refrigerator and full size-dishwasher. The land lady was also leaving the espresso machine (key because there isn't a Starbucks around the corner). She was also still living in the apartment, so there were lots and lots and lots of perfume bottles everywhere...she must collect them.
The two negatives for the apartment were that the third bedroom didn't have a bed, just a pull out couch, and the washing machine was small and was only a washer - no dryer. The good news, everything is usually negotiable and these things can be changed before move-in.
So needless to say, the apartment is around the corner from the zoo. There are also two metro stations close by (key when living in Moscow with no car), some parks and a preschool. The kids couldn't stop talking about this apartment as we went to view others that day and I don't think I remember much else from that day besides this apartment. So, it made it on our list of 3 top choices. This was also two days after we arrived, so some of the blur is related to jet lag :)
Ok, so that is the first apartment...stay tuned for the next apartment..... (the kids will be up from naps really soon!)
Monday, August 12, 2013
I feel like I just ran a marathon....
I feel like I just ran a marathon....
I have never run a marathon, but I am convinced it would feel like this!
All I did this morning was cover a total distance of 12 miles...Ha! I even used the metro which took care of probably 10 miles of it. But.......I had little miss cranky pants with me and the sweet little man in the stroller AND we left during rush hour. We left at 8:45 am and didn't return until about 1........just in time for lunch and naps. This is all a recipe for one tired momma!
For those of you who have never been to Moscow let me show through the eyes of a mother of two small children......
Rush hour in the morning, as I understand it, is around 7 - 9 am. I am not sure when it peaks, but leaving at 8:45 did not spare us of the mass of people moving in unison up and down the street and through the metro station.
Everyone is in a hurry and the sidewalks are too narrow for the amount of people trying to get by. Add to this, random holes, construction work, water puddles (soon to be ice and snow) and the gazillion cars that park on every inch of the sidewalk (and ramps) and you have quite the maze to walk through. Now imagine trying to get a stroller and a cranky 3 year old, who insists on riding a scooter, through the crowd. Luckily, before we moved here we were warned that Moscow was quite the stroller-unfriendly place. So, I left behind my beloved double stroller and we only brought an umbrella stroller, which was not designed for the off-roading it goes through around here. Thank goodness, because the umbrella stroller is too wide at times! I am thinking about starting a petition to the government for more ramps and not allowing parking 15 feet from each street corner.
Now on to getting on and off the metro AND going through TWO transfer stations with little miss cranky pants and another in a stroller.....
The metro here is actually amazing. Once you get past the intimidating, very steep escalator "tunnel"that takes you deep down under the city, it is a wonderful form of transportation. To boost, a lot of the stations are incredible works of art.
However, when you have kids and something on wheels with you, it is a whole other story.To get down to all metro trains we have ridden thus far, there are stairs involved. Lots and lots and lots of them. Of course, there are no ramps. And "transfer station" = more and more stairs. Some of the stairways have these ramps that were placed after-the-fact, that look like they are an attempt at making Moscow more wheelchair accessible. Most of these ramps have three different "tracks". I hope they are measured to the correct width of wheelchairs so that someone can benefit from them, because the only way to get a stroller down one is with herculean strength as you balance the stroller on one set of wheels, as the wheels try to go every way but down. It is usually easier to carry the stroller (if you are A) or ask the child to get out and walk down the stairs so you can carry the stroller (that would be me).
I have encountered numerous sweet, helpful people as I trek through these metro stations with my crew. One of my first Russian words was спасибо (thank you), which has been vital to my survival here! It is the only way I can repay the kindness of all these strangers. I am pretty sure my face screams "Please Help, I am a mother in distress!" when I am out and about with miss cranky pants. Russians may not smile to strangers as they walk past them on the street, but they smile at kids and are always willing to help you out when it comes to kids.
So, between sweet people carrying one of the kids or the stroller, we made it through the transfer stations. All 3 of us made it through. ALIVE. I was pretty sure we were going to lose miss cranky pants a couple times. She refused to hold my hand as we walked or on the escalator, she screamed at the nice people who were trying to help out (as in big major freak out) and she likes to go off on her own in the middle of the crowd and dance around. Sometimes I don't think the Russian people understand miss cranky pants - how can she have such an attitude, why doesn't she behave on the escalator, why does she wander away from her mom? I have yet to see a Russian kid act like little miss S.
Once we conquered the metro station, little miss cranky pants brought up a much dreaded word for a mom walking around in Moscow....the potty! A clean, public restroom seems to be a foreign concept. There are a couple places like McDonalds and Starbucks that have them, but other than that, you are left with rarely-serviced icky port-a-potties. AND....you have to pay to use them...YIKES! Little Miss S, was "dying" to use the potty. After roaming around some in an area of Moscow we had never been, I saw the line of pay-to-use port-a-potties. The first time I saw these things I couldn't even wrap my head around the concept. I also vowed to never use them. One stall is occupied at all times by the "cashier" who collects the money. It is quite interesting...they seem to almost make a home out of the place. They probably eat in there too....eeeek! Well one short sight of the inside of one of these places and little miss S lost all impulse to go! I didn't try to talk her in to it much because I put her in a pull up for our adventure out since I had a sneaking suspicion we might run into this problem!
It was quite a morning! Needless to say the rest of the day was at home, movies and naps. We may be taking it easy for a few more days to recover :)
I have never run a marathon, but I am convinced it would feel like this!
All I did this morning was cover a total distance of 12 miles...Ha! I even used the metro which took care of probably 10 miles of it. But.......I had little miss cranky pants with me and the sweet little man in the stroller AND we left during rush hour. We left at 8:45 am and didn't return until about 1........just in time for lunch and naps. This is all a recipe for one tired momma!
For those of you who have never been to Moscow let me show through the eyes of a mother of two small children......
Rush hour in the morning, as I understand it, is around 7 - 9 am. I am not sure when it peaks, but leaving at 8:45 did not spare us of the mass of people moving in unison up and down the street and through the metro station.
Everyone is in a hurry and the sidewalks are too narrow for the amount of people trying to get by. Add to this, random holes, construction work, water puddles (soon to be ice and snow) and the gazillion cars that park on every inch of the sidewalk (and ramps) and you have quite the maze to walk through. Now imagine trying to get a stroller and a cranky 3 year old, who insists on riding a scooter, through the crowd. Luckily, before we moved here we were warned that Moscow was quite the stroller-unfriendly place. So, I left behind my beloved double stroller and we only brought an umbrella stroller, which was not designed for the off-roading it goes through around here. Thank goodness, because the umbrella stroller is too wide at times! I am thinking about starting a petition to the government for more ramps and not allowing parking 15 feet from each street corner.
Now on to getting on and off the metro AND going through TWO transfer stations with little miss cranky pants and another in a stroller.....
The metro here is actually amazing. Once you get past the intimidating, very steep escalator "tunnel"that takes you deep down under the city, it is a wonderful form of transportation. To boost, a lot of the stations are incredible works of art.
However, when you have kids and something on wheels with you, it is a whole other story.To get down to all metro trains we have ridden thus far, there are stairs involved. Lots and lots and lots of them. Of course, there are no ramps. And "transfer station" = more and more stairs. Some of the stairways have these ramps that were placed after-the-fact, that look like they are an attempt at making Moscow more wheelchair accessible. Most of these ramps have three different "tracks". I hope they are measured to the correct width of wheelchairs so that someone can benefit from them, because the only way to get a stroller down one is with herculean strength as you balance the stroller on one set of wheels, as the wheels try to go every way but down. It is usually easier to carry the stroller (if you are A) or ask the child to get out and walk down the stairs so you can carry the stroller (that would be me).
I have encountered numerous sweet, helpful people as I trek through these metro stations with my crew. One of my first Russian words was спасибо (thank you), which has been vital to my survival here! It is the only way I can repay the kindness of all these strangers. I am pretty sure my face screams "Please Help, I am a mother in distress!" when I am out and about with miss cranky pants. Russians may not smile to strangers as they walk past them on the street, but they smile at kids and are always willing to help you out when it comes to kids.
So, between sweet people carrying one of the kids or the stroller, we made it through the transfer stations. All 3 of us made it through. ALIVE. I was pretty sure we were going to lose miss cranky pants a couple times. She refused to hold my hand as we walked or on the escalator, she screamed at the nice people who were trying to help out (as in big major freak out) and she likes to go off on her own in the middle of the crowd and dance around. Sometimes I don't think the Russian people understand miss cranky pants - how can she have such an attitude, why doesn't she behave on the escalator, why does she wander away from her mom? I have yet to see a Russian kid act like little miss S.
Once we conquered the metro station, little miss cranky pants brought up a much dreaded word for a mom walking around in Moscow....the potty! A clean, public restroom seems to be a foreign concept. There are a couple places like McDonalds and Starbucks that have them, but other than that, you are left with rarely-serviced icky port-a-potties. AND....you have to pay to use them...YIKES! Little Miss S, was "dying" to use the potty. After roaming around some in an area of Moscow we had never been, I saw the line of pay-to-use port-a-potties. The first time I saw these things I couldn't even wrap my head around the concept. I also vowed to never use them. One stall is occupied at all times by the "cashier" who collects the money. It is quite interesting...they seem to almost make a home out of the place. They probably eat in there too....eeeek! Well one short sight of the inside of one of these places and little miss S lost all impulse to go! I didn't try to talk her in to it much because I put her in a pull up for our adventure out since I had a sneaking suspicion we might run into this problem!
It was quite a morning! Needless to say the rest of the day was at home, movies and naps. We may be taking it easy for a few more days to recover :)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Ugh...Grocery Stores!
I have never enjoyed grocery store shopping, especially if I have any number of kids with me. American grocery stores seem to be set up with all these special stands with items they know your kids are going to beg you for. Every corner we turn there is some type of candy, chocolate or barbie that my stubborn child won't quit asking for no matter what.
I was excited about moving somewhere else, where hopefully grocery stores wouldn't market their items to children or strategically place things everywhere frustrating parents. Well, on the plus side the grocery store we have been going to here doesn't have items strategically placed as they are in the US. They have luckily hidden their Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Lalaloopsy, Barbie and other cheap plastic toys upstairs with the pet food. There is no more begging for yet another barbie or random plastic toy she will lose interest in by the time we get home.
Unfortunately there are several other problems with grocery stores here that make it a chore I enjoy even less than before.
1. The stores are tiny...tiny...tiny... You can barely fit the grocery cart around randomly places piles. The people shopping also strategically place their carts in the way so you can't get by...and then give you the evil eye if you even hint at wanting to get by. So, when you have a grocery cart and a stroller and two toddlers you can't move anywhere quickly (oh and today the two scooters I was lugging around with the stroller because it was the only way I could get the kids to go outside today). So long are the days of wide aisles and special car grocery carts to entertain the kids.
2. There are bouncers guarding every single nook and cranny of the store. They might be guards, but I don't know if they are armed and they are all just really tall, big, intimidating and have their hands on their radios and randomly mumble things all the time. I am not sure if there is a big shoplifting problem in Moscow, but seriously, its ridiculous! Maybe they are bored and they just give each other a play by play of shoppers walking through the store - "ladies and gentlemen, she has entered the dairy section, she is pushing her cart down the aisle and oh oh she has stopped and picked up the milk! Watch out...make sure she doesn't run towards the front door with that milk!" The stores money would be much better spent on people who bag groceries for you.
3. I can't find anything quickly, which is really my own problem. But I have to spend a really long time scanning all these products and trying to compare words on them with my little Russian cheat sheet I add to my grocery list. The kids get really irritated with this, because it takes me about 10 minutes just to find the sour cream.
4. Produce has to be weighed before you take it to the checkout. This wouldn't be a problem if I could do it myself or if there was someone manning the weigh station at all times. But they aren't. They must have several jobs at the store, because they are always gone.....and I have no idea how to yell out "excuse me, will someone please weigh my produce". So I stand there and smile, and eventually there is an older grumpy lady who yells out for someone to come weigh our stuff.
5. Checkout is slow and annoying. I have to push the stroller through first (it barely fits through the lane and its an umbrella stroller), but the kids are usually bored and irritated at this point, so they are running around. Then I unload all the groceries, push through the shopping cart and start bagging my groceries. If there is someone in line behind me then they start getting aggravated and yelling that i am not moving quick enough. In the meantime, I am trying to open up these sticky bags to put groceries in, and most of them rip in the process.
If I survive the trip at this point I still have to walk all the way back to the apartment without two toddlers and bags that are ripping at every bump :) And since cars park up on the sidewalks and ramps, there are lots of bumps as we try to maneuver through the maze.
Well today I had the most annoying trip ever, hence my post :) It took extra long because i had to look for a few new items like sour cream and heavy cream that I hadn't bought before. I was also shopping for three days worth of groceries...big mistake, it took too long. I had already lost K by the end of the trip, so I was hoping a treat would keep him from destroying the store. I put those treats on the conveyor belt at the front and the lady scanned them and she personally handed them to K. Well he threw them in the basket without a bag....heaven forbid!! I pushed the cart over out of the way because they are an angry lady behind me and one of bouncers saw the two treats in the basket without a bag (they totaled about $1.50!!...seriously people!). He was on his radio mumbling and then started talking to the checkout lady. All I understood from her was "nyet, nyet" (no, no) and she grabbed the treats away and put them away from my stuff so I couldn't have them (she had just handed these to K after ringing them up!!). So at this point I didn't care and I wanted to finish. I shell out about $100 for over priced groceries and this bouncer is worried about the mini chocolate egg in my basket! I handed her my receipt and she realized she was supposed to review it so i could have the treats back. She shook her head a couple times and handed them back to me. The bouncer just stood there this whole time, mumbling in his radio.....so I am now convinced I am on some kind of watch list at the store....maybe they won't let me back in next time :)
Now if they would spend their money on someone bagging groceries, my kids wouldn't get so bored and annoyed and wouldn't be throwing un-bagged, paid for items in the basket!
SO new family rule....we all go to the store together when A is home :)
I was excited about moving somewhere else, where hopefully grocery stores wouldn't market their items to children or strategically place things everywhere frustrating parents. Well, on the plus side the grocery store we have been going to here doesn't have items strategically placed as they are in the US. They have luckily hidden their Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Lalaloopsy, Barbie and other cheap plastic toys upstairs with the pet food. There is no more begging for yet another barbie or random plastic toy she will lose interest in by the time we get home.
Unfortunately there are several other problems with grocery stores here that make it a chore I enjoy even less than before.
1. The stores are tiny...tiny...tiny... You can barely fit the grocery cart around randomly places piles. The people shopping also strategically place their carts in the way so you can't get by...and then give you the evil eye if you even hint at wanting to get by. So, when you have a grocery cart and a stroller and two toddlers you can't move anywhere quickly (oh and today the two scooters I was lugging around with the stroller because it was the only way I could get the kids to go outside today). So long are the days of wide aisles and special car grocery carts to entertain the kids.
2. There are bouncers guarding every single nook and cranny of the store. They might be guards, but I don't know if they are armed and they are all just really tall, big, intimidating and have their hands on their radios and randomly mumble things all the time. I am not sure if there is a big shoplifting problem in Moscow, but seriously, its ridiculous! Maybe they are bored and they just give each other a play by play of shoppers walking through the store - "ladies and gentlemen, she has entered the dairy section, she is pushing her cart down the aisle and oh oh she has stopped and picked up the milk! Watch out...make sure she doesn't run towards the front door with that milk!" The stores money would be much better spent on people who bag groceries for you.
3. I can't find anything quickly, which is really my own problem. But I have to spend a really long time scanning all these products and trying to compare words on them with my little Russian cheat sheet I add to my grocery list. The kids get really irritated with this, because it takes me about 10 minutes just to find the sour cream.
4. Produce has to be weighed before you take it to the checkout. This wouldn't be a problem if I could do it myself or if there was someone manning the weigh station at all times. But they aren't. They must have several jobs at the store, because they are always gone.....and I have no idea how to yell out "excuse me, will someone please weigh my produce". So I stand there and smile, and eventually there is an older grumpy lady who yells out for someone to come weigh our stuff.
5. Checkout is slow and annoying. I have to push the stroller through first (it barely fits through the lane and its an umbrella stroller), but the kids are usually bored and irritated at this point, so they are running around. Then I unload all the groceries, push through the shopping cart and start bagging my groceries. If there is someone in line behind me then they start getting aggravated and yelling that i am not moving quick enough. In the meantime, I am trying to open up these sticky bags to put groceries in, and most of them rip in the process.
If I survive the trip at this point I still have to walk all the way back to the apartment without two toddlers and bags that are ripping at every bump :) And since cars park up on the sidewalks and ramps, there are lots of bumps as we try to maneuver through the maze.
Well today I had the most annoying trip ever, hence my post :) It took extra long because i had to look for a few new items like sour cream and heavy cream that I hadn't bought before. I was also shopping for three days worth of groceries...big mistake, it took too long. I had already lost K by the end of the trip, so I was hoping a treat would keep him from destroying the store. I put those treats on the conveyor belt at the front and the lady scanned them and she personally handed them to K. Well he threw them in the basket without a bag....heaven forbid!! I pushed the cart over out of the way because they are an angry lady behind me and one of bouncers saw the two treats in the basket without a bag (they totaled about $1.50!!...seriously people!). He was on his radio mumbling and then started talking to the checkout lady. All I understood from her was "nyet, nyet" (no, no) and she grabbed the treats away and put them away from my stuff so I couldn't have them (she had just handed these to K after ringing them up!!). So at this point I didn't care and I wanted to finish. I shell out about $100 for over priced groceries and this bouncer is worried about the mini chocolate egg in my basket! I handed her my receipt and she realized she was supposed to review it so i could have the treats back. She shook her head a couple times and handed them back to me. The bouncer just stood there this whole time, mumbling in his radio.....so I am now convinced I am on some kind of watch list at the store....maybe they won't let me back in next time :)
Now if they would spend their money on someone bagging groceries, my kids wouldn't get so bored and annoyed and wouldn't be throwing un-bagged, paid for items in the basket!
SO new family rule....we all go to the store together when A is home :)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Reverse Couponing
I am not sure if this is an accurate portrayal of it because I did go to probably one of the more expensive grocery stores in Moscow, but so far, they all seem pretty expensive to me :) I quickly learned about the famed "Stockmann" store when moving here. This place is like mecca to an American, especially one who misses food from back home. I think they make some serious bucks on Americans who just can't go without their cheddar cheese, peanut butter, cake mixes, frosting tubs, cream of mushroom soup for casseroles, etc, etc.
About a week ago we made our first trip to Stockmann. I sure didn't expect it to be a grocery store tucked in the back of a department store the likes of Nordstrom. It seemed kinda weird to me, but oh well, I really wanted some cheddar cheese!
I went back for my second trip this weekend with S and got a few more "special" items:
4 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese
4 granola bars (not a box, just four individual bars)
1 box of some kind of baggies (I later found out they stick closed similar to a ziploc bag)
1 small block of cheddar cheese
2 yummy gooey pecan pastries (these things are amazing!)
1 bag (I have to mention the bag because I had to pay for the bag)
So that's it...that is all I bought and I spent a whopping $29!!!! Not that $29 will break the bank, but for such few items...yikes! But, the cheddar cheese is worth it :) And the boxes of mac n cheese are very special treats for S when she is really really good. We haven't eaten the granola bars yet...so I hope they are really worth it! I almost splurged on a small jar of peanut butter, but it was $12 and extra extra crunchy.
So far it doesn't look like they have coupons here in Russia, however, the grocery store down the street gives out a sticker per 1000 rubles spent (i think...). I have no idea what to do with them yet...and they don't necessarily give them out every time. I assume once you get so many stickers something special happens...just not sure what that is yet :)
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Khachapuri - - - YUM!
Weekends in Moscow mean exploring Moscow as a family. During the week, while I am by myself with the kids, we don't venture out too far. We stick to basic needs like the grocery store and the parks {to avoid or relieve cabin fever}. We have only been here 3 weekends now and the first two were more about getting to know our surroundings and the surroundings of our potential permanent apartments.
Well, today was a little different. We did do the park thing in the morning with the kids {and the much needed Starbucks run}, but this evening we planned on beginning the exploration of the abundant culinary options available to us in this big city. As usual, A began researching earlier in the week using our trusted friend Tripadvisor {it has never failed us!}. We have already eaten at #1 in Moscow, so he went down the list some and found Хачапури {Khachapuri}. He even printed the english menu and brought it home so we could look it over and start thinking about what to order :)
Ever since reading the menu, my mouth has been watering thinking about eating here! We have had a few good meals since moving here, but overall I am usually hungry and longing for food from back home. The same goes for the kids, especially S, who can't get over the fact that they don't really have mac n cheese here {except the overpriced boxes at Stockmann}.
So back to Khachapuri.....it is Georgian food. I don't know much about Georgian food, but I do know there is a lot of cilantro and cheese bread involved - YUM! I look forward to going back! Maybe I can convince A to make it a weekly tradition :). If you ever come visit us we will definitely take you here!
So here are a few pictures of some of what we ate (sorry about the quality, they are phone pictures).
Grilled Veggies (notice the cilantro)
Chicken Kabobs
Pakhlava (same as Baklava)
Cheese Bread! (Imeretian Khachapuri) We ate most of it before I got a picture...it was AMAZING!
Friday, August 2, 2013
We finally made it!
We made it! We finally made it to Mother Russia :)
I feel like it took a ridiculously long time to get here (and I am not just talking about the flight), but the longer I am here the more I realize that I will need to become fond of that feeling. We have now been here for a little over two weeks and are finally getting over jet lag and are slowly becoming comfortable with Moscow life.
I thought my life in El Salvador would have somewhat prepared me for life in Moscow, but boy was I wrong! It is a completely different thing to be a child growing up in a foreign country. When you are a child your parents take care of everything for you and you don't worry about things like -
* The only English speakers you can find so far in a city of 12 million+ work in Starbucks. (But thank goodness there is a Starbucks, even if it doesn't have white mochas...)
* You can't read anything - signs, directions, metro, food labels and packaging - unless you sit down and jam pack learning the entire Cyrillic alphabet in a couple hours because your life depends on it. (I am actually exaggerating a bit - the metro has a few signs with the Latin Alphabet)
* You can't wash a load of laundry until you spend a couple hours downloading manuals of the UK version that is a similar model because the model in your apartment is only sold in Russia and only has Russian manuals. Same goes for the dishwasher, microwave and oven (although I got lucky with the oven by clicking buttons and turning dials all over the place). And for those of you laughing that us "engineers" can't get these appliances to work....they are not "self explanatory", nor do they look anything like the amazingly wonderful, oversized American appliances I miss dearly (I will eventually post some pictures because everything here seems to be kid size compared to the stuff we have in suburban America). Each appliance deserves its own blog post and so does the shower.
*You can't eat without paying 2-3 times the price you are used to paying for a meal at a restaurant and that is if you are lucky enough to get an english menu or go to McDonalds where Chicken McNuggets are "cheeecken" in all languages. French fries, unfortunately do not translate, but we managed to order some with lots of pointing. (and for the record, I hadn't eaten at a McD's in years until i got here but somehow it makes me feel like I am back home)
*OR you can't eat without walking to the grocery store where it is just as overwhelming because everything is written in Cyrillic. Thankfully fruit, vegetables and bread look the same all over the world :) Although the bread....hahahaha...to get the stuff we are used to we buy the "American Sandwich Bread". Otherwise the bread is also kid sized.
The list could go on, but these are the items that stick out because I have quickly realized my new life will include A LOT of grocery store trips - like every other day, lots of laundry - because you can only wash about 3 shirts and 1 pair of pants at at time in a cycle that takes about 7.5 hrs and automatically wrinkles your clothes really well, and lots of cooking from scratch :)
The only way I have come this far in comfort in just two weeks, is that A's company arranged someone to help us with the transition. We have the sweetest person taking us around to visit apartments, stores, shops, restaurants, etc. She has given us so many pointers in all these areas and I am forever grateful for her!
Now quickly back to my life in El Salvador vs. Russia - I think it did prepare me with an adventurous spirit and a positive attitude. Even though the transition into living here has been a little overwhelming we are looking forward to it and are happy we made the decision to move here.
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