I'm in Russia!!

Here I am, safe and sound in Moscow! So far, it’s been challenging but better than I could have imagined.

First, the journey: Got out of Columbus fine and on time. Surprisingly, I wasn’t very sad when I left my parents, even though I only cried a bit. The real test came at JFK. I had 2 bags, weighing 50 pounds each, a tote bag with my laptop, and a duffle that weighed 20-25 pounds. So I was (and am) very sore from lifting and pushing those things around. As soon as I got in line at the Aeroflot ticket counter, I left the US. Almost everyone who talked to me spoke in Russian. I was totally unprepared for it- it was almost like an early culture shock. Then on the flight I was seated in a cramped coach seat next to a huge bear of a Russian. Luckily, he was friendly even though we both spoke little of each others’ languages. On the plane, reality hit me in the face- about being gone for so long, how difficult it would be, the people and things I’d miss. That plus my physical exhaustion made me feel so defeated, and I started questioning my ability to do this. Then, close to landing, I picked up my Moscow guidebook, and it gave me the lift I needed. I remembered that this was my dream and I had worked so hard over the last year to get here. So I felt much better. Then after I got off the plane, I saw my classmates in passport control. We made it through customs without any problems, then met our on-site coordinator and other classmates.

We arrived at Moscow State University after sitting in traffic for an hour. That huge building with the spire in all the pictures? That’s where I live! It’s overwhelming and just as awesome in public. Wow. Our rooms are nice. I am sharing a suite with my classmate Megan. We each have our own tiny bedroom with bed, desk, table and chairs, and wardrobe. Then we share a bathroom and toilet room. The décor and feel of the place are a little antique, but it feels very homey and cozy. We had to wait about 2 hours to get into our rooms because our OC (Irina) had to go some bureaucracy things.

After we unpacked and showered, we were all supposed to meet up with Irina to take a walk and get our cell phones. Well, Megan and I ended up being the only ones who came. The three of us sat in the lobby and chatted and played with the cell phones, and then decided to walk through the building. This place has everything a person needs. We visited a quickie mart that’s open until 1. Then we went to a small café in the basement of the building, where we ran into another girl from the program, an Ukrainian- American, A German, and an Austrian. We joined in and it was so fun- at times we spoke English, other times German, and Russian. I ate my first bliny (crepe/pancake-type things, with different savory or sweet fillings). Yum.

On the way back, we ran into Stefan’s (the Austrian) neighbor, from Azerbaijan. He invited us over for some chai (tea) and I had my first experience being hosted. He made us tea, pulled out lots of candy and fruit, and we sat in the common area until the floor mother yelled at us. Since he only spoke Russian, most everything was in Russian. It’s amazing how much Russian I can understand and read. Ever so slowly, I gained more confidence in speaking. I really am surprised at how well I’ve done with the language. I haven’t had too many surprises yet- everything is basically how I’d imagined it.

Hopefully tomorrow we’ll get to move beyond MSU and see more of Moscow. Irina mentioned riding the metro tomorrow, so maybe we’ll see Red Square!