Russian Observations

I realized I was in such a rush to post my first blog that I never really described what Russia was like!

- First thing I noticed when I arrived is that it is green, green, GREEN!! From the plane ride to the 8hr drive from Moscow all I saw was rolling hills, trees, and tall green grasses. Who knew!!!?

- It was also HOT! I think it's been in the 80's the whole time I've been here. Which is nice but apparently air conditioning isn't so wide spread in Russia. So the home base can be a little toasty at night with 7 girls sleeping in the room and while it'd be nice to open the windows since there's no AC isn't in the house, the lack of window screens and abundance of mosquitos doesn't really work either.

- like the Czechs, the Russians seem to be "in the 80s". Their clothes and hairstyles (mainly the mullet) lean towards 1986, instead of 2010 but I know that this is due to Communism and the lack of exposure to the West and Western culture. They are also similar in their friendly attitude (or lack there of I should say). Although all of the Russian's that I've worked with and met so far are very nice - in general, your average Russian on the street looks disgruntled, angry and generally, unfriendly.

- I should note that while many Russians still dress 80s-like, the young women dress to IMPRESS! Especially at night! Here I am, your average American tourist walking down the street in my jeans and tennis shoes and I'm walking by these women who look like models, walking around in 3 inch stilettos and minidresses - just walking down the street! And - at MCDONALDS!! (which is obviously the first place me and my fellow volunteers headed on the first day… them for Big Macs and fries … me for the free Wifi :) You normally wouldn't see women dressed like they were going out in Vegas at a McDonalds in the U.S. (unless of course you were at a Vegas in McDonalds at 4am).

- Russian food. This is something I was concerned about before I left. As many of you may know, I mainly favor a diet of fruit, soy yogurt and cereal (aka "crunch" ;) and while it has served me well in the years past, I wasn't sure how the Russian cuisine would fit into that. Let me tell you, it does not. While all of the meals have been lovingly made by the cooks at CCS, Russian food is very heavy in butter, salt and all kinds of mystery meat. (Good thing I packed 3 boxes of Chewy granola bars in my suitcase!)

In general I have to say that Russia is somewhat similar to what I expected - I can read nothing, understand no one and life is tough! It really makes me realize how good I have it in the U.S. The everyday nuisances that drive us crazy and would generate an immediate call to the service provider- a bus being late, the Internet not working, a 3 hour traffic jam… "These things happen…" is what my program director told us on our first day. To them it is just part of their Russian life; they are used to struggle and while things may be a little better since the fall of Communism, life is still definitely a struggle