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First Snow

As I sit by the window watching the snow continue to gently fall outside I am reminded that I haven't posted a blog in a long time, but I don't really know what to say. I guess we'll just see where it goes. Today was the day of the first snow of the winter in Moscow (November 20th), well it actually began to snow lightly yesterday, but today is when it really started to fall and accumulate. The snow is rather beautiful as it blankets the city, but even more beautiful when it is accompanied by the picturesque scenes of little Russian churches, so today I went on a little excursion after class. [side story: it is really funny how even though there is a couple inches of snow on the ground and the sidewalks are largely uncleared, the Russian women still wear giant 4in heels, and to watch them cling to each other for balance as they creep along the icy sidewalk being swiftly passed by the men and more practical girls wearing regular shoes or boots is of great entertainment to me.] For my expedition in the snow I went to Gorky Park to take some cool snow pictures (I got a couple, I'll try and post my favorite-a little church outside Gorky Park near Metro station Oktyabrskaya). The first thing I see as I step out of the Metro car at station Oktyabrskaya is a police officer standing over and guarding the body of (what looked to be) a homeless man who had died on the bench. The officer was impatiently and repeatedly checking his watch as he was presumably waiting for whomever was to come and collect the body, all the while the gray, hollow eyes of the man stared into the infinite that was the passing trains. I only glanced for a second to see why the милиционер was standing there, but the yellow/gray skin on the shocked looking face of the dead man will probably stick with me for years, with the sound of the girls in front of me giggling in my ears. And so my life moves on. Stepping outside the Metro station I found it to be snowing harder than it was when I entered, with the wind blowing sternly and freshly in my face, but the dead man hung on my heart and I somehow found the city quieter than I ever had before, yet the sidewalks were still bustling and traffic was chaotic like usual; he was but one in a city of millions, and it seemed that the biggest event in his being just passed on unnoticed and without the concern of the city who claimed him. Gorky Park itself was very quiet and lifeless, its large gate beckoning those who pass, its entrances opened wide, but with very few footprints leading in or out. Inside the snow seemed thicker and heavier than outside, and just the several feet that separated the inside from the outside seemed to make a whole world of difference-I felt like I was no longer in “the city,” but somewhere else; somewhere serene, sane, and welcoming. Looking about I saw a few figures moving against the snow in the distance, but I was alone-oh the glory and greatness of finding anywhere to be alone when you live in a cramped apartment with 6 roommates in the overcrowded city of Moscow! It no longer felt cold, but rather warm and homely with a safe feeling, even though I was probably the most vulnerable I have been in the city. It was still light out, maybe 4:00 but the clouds and snow gave everything a dusky feel, but as I wondered about taking photos of that which interested me I was approached by a security guard who informed me that the park was closed; from what I understood from him it closes at sunset (which wasn't technically for another hour at least), but I guess considering that the sun never really rose, it was that dude's discretion as to closing time-yet 2 douchebags walked on by without being told to leave...go figure...it is Russia. For example: If you go to the Kremlin they will try to rip you off. There is a price for Russians (75rubles), a price for foreigners (350rubles), and a price for any student (50rubles). Upon showing my Russian University ID card I was told that it wasn't good enough, she wanted my American student ID (keep in mind I don't carry it because nobody has ever accepted it), I lied and said that I only studied in Russia so that was my only ID, to which she told me I was иностранец (foreign) so I needed a foreign ID. Then when I disagreed she refused to sell me a ticket at all for 5 minutes. Finally, she offered to sell me one for the full foreign price, which I took, but that day was ruined on account of the resulting bad mood, so now I have to go back to the Kremlin (I forgot my camera that time anyways). I guess the first thing you have to learn in Russia is that you can't win, which is a difficult thing for old Joe Dees. It really is just odd, the lack of respect shown for people in Moscow is mind blowing, especially when you befriend a Russian and meet their hospitality. They offer you anything and will give you whatever you need, but on the streets with strangers it is a jungle in which the slow are trampled under foot, pedestrians are targets for drivers, and the fact that the train will leave at the same time whether you or I enter first is completely irrelevant so people are pushed aside at will. Being a good Kentucky boy used to the slow and easy suburban life where there is always space to be found makes it a bit hard at times, but I think I get by OK with the help of the Dalai Lama's teachings, my mp3s (to remind me of good music-Russian pop is absolutely horrid and ubiquitous), and the half liters of Lowenbrau that cost 30rubles downstairs. I've found new sources of patience in recent weeks, and take great pleasure in the very small things of life while dreaming of the simple things we take for granted at home: washing machines, personal space, non-smoking sections, the people in front of you in line at McDonald's not rehearsing for their porno film, etc. And even though Russia is always trying to drag me down, such as my phone liking to not let me get important calls; last weekend as I sat home bored and alone, designing skateboard graphics I'll never use, a friend tried to call me to hangout but my phone was “out of service” and I received the text message she then sent at 10:30 at like 4AM or something!!!, or how I searched for over an hour for a monument that must be hidden in plain sight-- when I checked Google Earth I discovered that I had to have walked by the 75ft behemoth 3 times (or else they have removed one of the most famous and award winning Soviet sculptures), not to mention finding that the Russian government censors tourist/interesting spots on Google Earth; I still walk around with my head held high and a smile on my face for no real reason-and I get funny looks for it too, men in Russia are supposed to scowl or something. And even though class is long, extremely boring, feels like high school all over again, and I've neared and possibly passed the “burnout” phase, I still get the opportunity (when I skip class, sshhh don't tell anyone) to go out and see Moscow for what it is at this point in its history. I get to see its world split between its regal, Imperial, and religious years, its “glorious” Soviet past, the horrors of the 1990s, and the current state of capitalist boom/rush to the future while trying to glorify what has been. I get to see the poor beggars who had put their entire lives into the now extinct Soviet system, banking on its social security system walk by brand new Bentleys. I see once heralded structures of architectural masterpiece crumble for lack of need in an overgrown park while the everyday Russian smiles in its cold shadow selling whatever wears she can tote in her bags. (Like I was speaking of before, if there is a face it is extremely friendly, but where no faces are seen all rules and respect are missing.) It truly is a great and mysterious place worthy of its enigmatic reputation, Mother Russia. If only I had a little more patience, or maybe some more personal space in which to relax, and if they didn't wear so much damn fur (it is sickening to me), I think I could like this place quite a bit, but then again I think that its odd and contradictory nature is what attracted me to her in the first place.

Злой Заяц

Hoody Hooo!!!! Halloween got way out of control! It turned out just like an American Halloween party-- the French did a pretty good job of getting into the spirit. The entire Halloween Party Checklist was checked off: drunkenness, pumpkins, bobbing for apples, bad costumes, good costumes, somebody hooked up with a random girl/guy, somebody puked, hooliganism, candy, a scuffle, horror movies, a visit (or 2) from the authorities...the whole nine yards, I guess I did a pretty good job bringing Halloween to Moscow. Let's go through the list.
Drunkenness: We had a fridge full of beer, several bottles of vodka, some wine, and a tub of punch/hooch (the kind with the fruit in it), and some people brought their own booze! Glasses were broken, the floor turned black from who knows what, pieces of costumes were found everywhere, people lost cell phones...it was great.
Pumpkins: After a rather lengthy search through the рынок my roommates and I found pumpkins and our costumes. Our costumes ranged from good to bad: mine was bad-I was a ninja; Karsten's was really good-he was an old Russian lady, a Babushka. The pumpkins were strange, we payed almost $20 for a decent sized one and a rather small one, and I learned that Russian pumpkins are different than American ones. First off they're not as orange, and secondly they're much harder to carve due to having a lot more “meat” to them. I figure that they've been bred differently from the ones at home since here people buy them to cook and make food from and at home we just have fun cutting them up and smashing them. But I got them carved and think I did a really good job of it, especially when considering that the pressure was on, everybody was watching and expecting great things. The first, the big one is just a classic pumpkin head, and the little one is what I call Злой Заяц or The Evil Hare.
Costumes: People did a really good job getting creative. You have to remember that there is no tradition of Halloween in their culture, and no Halloween Expresses in Moscow, yet some of these people had costumes that would be good and could maybe win prizes at an American party. My favorites were Gui2 dressing as Heath Ledger's Joker (very well too), Karsten as the Babushka, Yuri dressed as a mummy (wrapping himself in toilet paper), and Orlando's werewolf.
Love: Orlando was spotted on the balcony making out with some Russian girl we met while playing football last week, and they didn't complain when they were locked out there and the curtains drawn.
Ralphing: Yuri. Dude won the Ghoul of the Night Award. He was the drunkest, had tons of fun, the mummy costume was great (we are still finding pieces of it in random places 20+ hours later), and he finished the night like a true ghoul: puking in his bathroom sink.
Hooliganism: Some of the French enjoyed the old game of ringing doorbells and running like hell, and one of the French girls (probably the most refined of them too) enjoyed a round of throwing apple cores at cars on the street.
The fight: While Yuri was puking I went to check on him and found him in a hilarious position sitting on the edge of the bathtub leaning against the sink so I wanted a picture, but when I tried I got attacked by one of the French girls. Then 20 minutes later she came back to my apartment so I told her to leave in 3 languages (Karsten was delighted when I got really upset and went to German “Aus! Aus Mein Haus! Schnell!), and when she didn't I threw a glass of water in her face (she left). Then 5-10 minutes later her friend, another French girl came, took my glass and threw the water in my face, which was cool and what I deserved, but then she raised the glass like she was going to hit me with it, at which time I grabbed her by the throat, held her at arm's length and showed her the door. There was massive drama and chaos. Some people disappeared and others found it funny when I said that it was typical of Halloween. On the whole it was a bad situation whose fall-out has yet to be seen, I honestly think I really fucked up. This may require a good old-fashioned American Thanksgiving dinner to make peace... But on with the story.
Authorities: The командант made 2 appearances, the first rather early. She laughed at our costumes and gave us a warning about something or other. Then at almost 1AM she showed up again, this time angry and making everybody who didn't live in the building leave, which didn't faze Orlando who was locked on the balcony or stop the French from going crazy-- it was before the drama. So on this front I think I'm winning, nobody else's parties have brought 2 visits from the authorities...Ah Halloween, always a good time. As The Misfits said: “this day anything goes.” I hope you guys all had a good Halloween with plenty of ghouls, fun, and chaos.

Consumer Products Pt I

Well it seems that my recent trip to Стадион Локомотив (Lokomotiv Stadium) gave me more than just the joy of watching a soccer match. [the match itself wasn't that great, Lokomotiv lost 0-2 and looked terrible, but the stadium is awesome, very modern with jumbotrons, electronic ad boards, and an actual locomotive out in front. It was sweet. And the tickets were decent seats for only 100 rubles] The poor play, coupled with the cold and rain seem to have aided in my picking up a cold. Yesterday I was semi-functional, but today (Oct. 21) I have ordered myself to stay in bed. So since I am absolutely worthless, laying in bed at 1pm and didn't go to class, I figure I'll write a blog and later try and post it through our brand new internet connection at home. (which only works for an hour a day, but that hour is randomly distributed daily) With the cold came the experience of buying and trying Russian cold medication (I was too stupid to pack some DayQuil and NyQuil), so I'll let you know about my favorite consumer products.
I'll start with my recent purchase of the Russian NyQuil equivalent, called Колдрекс Найт. First off, medications in Russia are pretty cheap, this brand name stuff was only like $5. Additionally, medications aren't found in the grocery store, you have to go to the аптека, drug store place . OK, on to the experience. It looked like NyQuil, smelled like NyQuil, I guess it worked liked NyQuil (I slept like 12 hours), but it didn't really taste like NyQuil. The best descriptor I can find would be Roger Miller's description of moonshine in his song 'Chug-a-Lug': “brrbrbbrr I done a double back flip” “mmmm my ears still ring” “wmwme I run ten miles” “makes you wanna holler hidey ho, burns your tummy don't you know.” Or maybe Popeye: “well blow me down.” Stuff was potent. Strongest stuff I've had in my life-I imagine its factory actually being a couple of Kentucky rednecks taking advantage of open and burgeoning Russian markets with less regulation than in the USA by moving their stills to the woods outside Moscow bottling and labeling the stuff as cough medicine. --“Jarvis, you put the dye in it yet?” --”Cletus you done watch-ed me put the sock in it right after I pissed in it for that medikiney flavor.” --”Dang Jar, you knows I can't 'member dat much.” --”'ts Ok just get it bottles and in the truck...and don't forget to scrape the flies off the top this time!” It really put the vodka to shame, which is my next topic. When you go to the grocery store, there is an entire aisle dedicated to liquor, 80% of which is vodka. In a smaller grocery store here, you have more vodka options than you have beer options in Kroger. I won't even venture to guess how many options you have in the larger stores, I'll need to photograph it some time. There is cheap stuff which tastes like rubbing alcohol, but most are really good. I don't drink much of it so I don't really have a favorite, though my roommates always buy one called “Зелёная Марка” (Green Brand/Mark) or something. It is pretty good and runs about $5 per ¾ liter. Or you can buy Stoli for like $6 per ¾ liter, which tastes better IMO, but there are no shortages of options, and the shopping experience becomes overwhelming.
As for beer, there is a decent selection of both Russian beers and your major German brands, as well as Miller Genuine Draft, which still makes me giggle when I see people buy it for the same price and instead of Lowenbrau or Stella. I usually drink Russian beers which run just about $1-$1.50 per liter. There is Baltika #3 or #7 (though there are a few of those numbers in between too), Бочка Золото (Bochka Gold), Невское (Nevskoye), and Старый Мелник (Starii Melnik), as well as a few super cheapies. My favorites are the Невское and Старый Мелник, and my purchase decision is affected by which is available in the bottle at whatever store I'm shopping. Stuff is pretty good, but that doesn't stop my German friend Karsten from bitching about it all the time.
Books. The Russians read a lot. At least half of the people I see on the Metro or bus are reading a newspaper or a book. Bookstores are everywhere and always packed with people. The books themselves are super cheap: I bought a copy of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea in English for $3. I've seen Tolstoi novels in Russian for like $4, and new, nonfiction works for about $5. Unfortunately, I am yet to find a used book store in which to find old Soviet books of interest to me.
Candy. The Russians seem to love candy as much as me, you can buy it everywhere and for pretty cheap: a Snickers type candy bar is still about 50cents-my favorites are the Mars bar, the Kit Kat big cat, and one called “Nuts,” which is nugat with hazelnuts covered with chocolate. Russian milk chocolate is incredibly good, especially the stuff from the chocolate factory called Красный Октьябр (Red October). It runs about a dollar for a bar a little bigger than your typical Hershey bar, but you can find other good chocolate in the Рынок or from babushkas outside Metro stops for about 50cents.
But the hidden and unknown crown jewel of Russian shopping has to be these things called рулеты, a рулет (rulet) is essentially a giant Little Debbie snack cake which costs about 50 cents (for some reason the cheaper the better). They're available in strawberry, mixed berry, cherry, blueberry and sometimes chocolate. They are like the absolute ultimate of Deezian foods. Can you imaging a Little Debbie strawberry shortcake roll that you can cut up with a knife and give desert to 5-7 people? “Joe, bring your favorite desert to the party.” And I show up with mega Debbie. Glorious.
But don't think shopping is all well and good, yes there are ramen noodles and they're still only like 10 cents per pack, but there are always crowds in the grocery, if you walk too slow and daze off into space you will suffer the fate of the lost and misplaced drunk in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls. I think they like to hide things in the supermarket too. “There's mayonnaise, ketchup, etc, but where is the mustard? Between the diapers and tampons behind the condoms? Спасибо.” Some things are expensive: orange juice (one of my addictions) is like $5 or more per gallon. And some things just suck. You know the paper they use in the little Gideon Bibles? That's the toilet paper, I just don't know who buys it from whom. Do the Gideons fund their Bible operation by selling toilet paper in Russia, or do the Russian toilet paper manufacturers make extra cash printing Bibles? And the good stuff is like that paper you find in your pocket that you left there and ran through the washing machine, except ironed and put on a roll. Grapes still have seeds, which means the raisins do too. And don't think you'll find orange cheese, and don't ask unless you want to see the angry lady working the cheese counter's confused face. Actually you can find orange cheese, but it requires a trip across the River Styx into the belly of the Beast-the 5th Circle- the Mega-Ashan at the super-mega-mall. Crowds that resemble ants swarming a piece of candy on a summer's sidewalk. “OK, juice, eggs, and cheese; what's this line here by the loading dock? Oh, the checkout line.” You'd think you were waiting to ride the Vortex in 1989-complete with mullets and people engaging in activities describable as foreplay, but without the signs saying how long you'll be waiting from this point.
I should also mention for the smokers that a pack of Marlboros or Camels are about $1.50 and generic brands are as little as 50cents or less. I'll prolly write a Consumer Products Part II sometime, there is a lot of fun to be had-actually I should have planned this all out better and written a multi-part series divided into organized groups: my favorties, butts and booze, other shit, the shopping experience. Go away!

Just a quickie

I went to the embassy to vote yesterday (I never got my absentee ballot so I had to go do a Federal Provisional one) but it was closed (it closed at 4 I was there at 4:15. So I just went down the street and skated the Новый Арбат-where there is a seemingly endless line of low to mid knee height gray marble ledges. Absolutely awesome spot. I skated OK, layed down some cool tricks and a sweet line or two, but it was nothing like the religious experience of my last session. The highlight trick wise was an ollie up on the ledge to ollie up to b/s tailslide on the "extension." But the best part of the session was when I heard kids talking about me, and then after I cussed at an old lady in French I heard one yell "он француц" (he's french) to the other guys. I found it all hilarious. Last night was an awesome night of school night drinking, first at a bar watching the Russia football match, then at some girls' place and then after getting the boot, at some dudes' we barely know where we drank more and watched the Germany match. Now for what actually makes me cool. I went to the embassy and voted today, (which required a >15 minute bus ride in a hot, standing room only bus before a 45 minute ride in a stuffy, stifling packed to the gills Metro) but in the space for President I got to write in big, bold, capital letters: OBAMA, so it was all worth it. Unfortunately they didn't have any of the cool little "I voted" stickers. History is being made. Awesomeness! But probably more important in Kentucky, I got to vote against the bastard Mitch McConnell and write "Lunsford." Now it's just wait and see.

And I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I put in a request to extend my stay here another semester. The school here in Russia has approved, but we're waiting to hear NKU's verdict and word about scholarships, tuition, etc. The decision would put off graduation another semester and therefore delay grad school for a year, but I think it would definitely be worth it in regards to how much I would learn, classes offered, and the impacts of such on my grad school applications. I will keep you updated and maybe try to write a bigger, fuller report in the coming days.

It took me a little while

It took a few weekends more than I thought, do to first jet-lag and then an off weekend, but I finally made it to a football (soccer) match. On Sunday 14 Sept. Karsten, Orlando, and I went to the great Luzhniki Stadium, which as part of the Lenin Sports Complex was built for the 1980 Olympic Games (the ones in which the Americans boycotted in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous year). The stadium itself is rather large and of a sort of neo-classical style. It is round, fully enclosed (not a dome, though it does have a partial roof that covers the seating) with sorts of pillars around it. From the outside it is rather plain, on the inside it has artificial turf, 2 jumbotrons that did nothing more than say the score in plain font, and seats of red, orange, and yellow- apparently that color scheme trend of the 1970s did not pass over the Soviet Union. The stadium is easily accessible by the Metro, about a par 5 distance (Tiger could drive it) from the station Спортивная. It is surrounded by a park like setting with areas for giant tents to be set up for events, several smaller outbuildings, a giant statue of Lenin, and a dilapidated looking and nearly crumbling swimming stadium; in other words it is set up well for the Olympic games: plenty of room for people to meander around, a pretty and inviting setting, easily accessible to tourists, etc. The day we were there, there was a chill in the air, with gray clouds, and a cold breeze; the park areas were cordoned off by barricades, the tents closed, no alcohol allowed even in the Metro station, and police/soldiers (they're very difficult to tell apart in Russia) everywhere.
The match was between ЦСКА, one of the Moscow teams, and Луч-Энергия Владивосток, the team from Vladivostok. Honestly, the play wasn't very good, the final score was 3-1 ЦСКА, the goals were decent, but the overall play was no better than you see in the MLS (I've seen much better in MLS actually)-it definitely wasn't like watching a big EPL or World Cup match. The stadium was very empty, one half of it was actually gated off except for a little section for the Vladivostok fans (there were no more than 100 of them in the section!) The ЦСКА section was rather impressive, while not huge, they made a good amount of noise, stomping and chanting waving flags and lighting flares when their team scored, it was really cool. We sat in what we assume to be the soldier and children section. There was maybe 50 of us in the section, 25 being off duty soldiers in dress uniform, freezing due to lack of coats, and then there were a bunch of parents with kids. The kids were really cute all bundled up wearing little ЦСКА hats and scarves waving little flags; two of the older ones, maybe 10-11, were hilarious hooligans in the making, chanting along with the fanatic section and trash talking the entire match.
While the game lacked excitement, other than the gnarlitivity (how's that for a Deezian word?) of the fanatics' songs, chants, stomping, etc, the real experience came afterwards. When we left the stadium we noticed even more police and soldiers than we saw going in, each one eying the group and individuals intently, with their frequency and intensity of their angry looks increasing as we got closer to the Metro station. This then culminated into a grand police and soldier finale. The final 150 or so meters to the Metro's entrance was lined by police and soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder creating a pathway about a meter wide in which to walk. The first 50 meters were ordinary looking police officers, the second 50: police holding their clubs in hand wearing riot helmets, and the last 50: out and out soldiers wearing camouflage holding their batons; each group being separated from the other by officers on horseback. It was a truly intimidating receiving line meant to do exactly what it did: keep order and calm the people walking through. As we approached their receiving line everybody was talking, laughing, hooting, etc, but as we walked along the police path all was quite and it seemed like nobody around uttered a word or sound, every step a horse took in its place rang out loudly and echoed from every direction. The faces of the police and soldiers were far brighter than I would have imagined though, some wore smiles and seemed almost inviting, others had serious and intent looks, while others looked simply bored. In total, I would guess that there were more police/soldiers in and around the stadium than there were fans. But everything seemed to go smoothly, so I guess this Russian formula works in the way intended-then again it was a small match with a team from Vladivostok, who travels the 10 hours from Vladivostok to watch a football match that means almost nothing? I'd say it was the perfect inaugural match for me, calm, not too intimidating and in a what I am told relatively inviting atmosphere. The only trouble we had was upon entering the stadium; my studded belt and chain wallet set off the metal detectors prompting a pat down. The first officer seemed to have serious problems with my stuff, but his superior smiled, waved me on, and said “иностранец” (foreigner) as he shrugged to the first officer. Next time I will, as I did this time, be sure to wear neutral colors, but also avoid anything that could be an issue. Maybe the next match will be packed and really loud: I just hope I sit in the safe kiddie section again!

Update: Well interestingly enough I have now been to another match and still haven't posted about the first. This one was between Динамо (Москва) and Сатурн (from just outside Moscow) at Dynamo stadium in Moscow. I personally think the play was better than the other match though the first half was really boring. I think I liked this one better because it seemed to have less fanfare and I didn't feel as tense: for one Dynamo stadium is 80 years old and feels like a semi-dilapidated highschool or college stadium (very Communist too) so it gave the Russian authorities less concern, for 2 we sat closer to the field among fans that hurled curses at both teams for the entire match, and for 3 I feel much more comfortable in Russia and have developed the ability to communicate with people. The negative of it all was that I got to witness Russian racism: when a black player took a corner and when one was subbed out, parts of the crowd would make monkey noises and yell racial slurs, it was absolutely disgusting. Each and every black player in Russia is a Jackie Robinson showing incredible courage and confidence, I give them my full respect. Other than the racism it was awesome.

Random pictures and normal bs

I guess they consider my language abilities good enough to get by, because they have added classes to my schedule. No longer do I only have Russian language classes 5 hours a day, 6 days a week, but now I have class 5 hours a day, 6 days a week in which 3 hours a week I have a history of Russia class taught in Russian and 1 hour of sport-I chose football (soccer). The history class is really cool, I don't really know what the teacher is saying, (though today I understood pretty well) and I can't get my books for another few days, but I know the material so all is pretty good (I intend to keep my degree in Russian history a secret so that the teacher just thinks I'm some type of history idiot savant-which I may be anyways). In class now we're talking about the origins of the Russian people, not quite my forte or primary era of interest, but it is really cool. Learning Russian history in Russian is absolutely incredible and inspiring to me, I just wish I could understand more and take more history classes-this I think is just what I need though, more conversation in which I'm interested-it has me really motivated to learn more Russian (as if I wasn't already motivated). Since starting the history course a few days ago I have been studying twice as hard, speaking more, reading more, and not as afraid to ask someone a word. I don't think I can stress how much I want to take more classes, I may even look into staying here another semester (but that idea is still a secret). The sport class is really cool, it is just more than an hour every Friday morning on an indoor soccer field. The teacher is an ex-Russian professional, rather strict but fun loving and all smiles. Just like a little practice, we warm-up, due some drills, then divide into teams and scrimmage before warming down and going home. The people in the class are really cool, there are 2 Russian girls, a Russian guy from Vladivostok (which is just as far from Moscow as Cincinnati btw), 2 Iranians, 2 guys from Tanzania, another African from where I forget, and a Venezuelan. Because I'm tall, slow, with good reflexes, and American (a fact that still surprises and intrigues people around here-the coach guessed me to be German or Finish) I was picked to be a вратарь (goalkeeper) and did awesome. My team won 2-1, and the goal against me was just a dumb mistake. The game was a lot of fun even though the Venezuelan was really good and on the other team-he's a great midfielder quick, with good ball handling skills, but can't finish a goal to save his life-I could read him like a book. Anyways, everything is going really well, I'm working hard but having a lot of fun. I have learned a lot and can see/hear improvement everyday; I just have a problem learning verbs, but I think I'll be speaking well by the time I leave.
Last night we had a fire drill in our dormitory: at 4:30AM! We go down stairs and outside and they have people spraying hoses and yelling on megaphones for effect and everything. I guess if you're gonna do it do it right? I also have a new favorite place in Moscow: the рынок (market) just down the road. It is a rather large, sprawling outdoor flea market type place with all kinds of different booths selling everything from fur coats to vegetables, bootleg DVDs to hats, bootleg sports jerseys to lingerie, kitchen appliances to shoes. It is awesome, a great place for anthropological observation as well as good, cheap shopping. Yesterday I bought a bootleg DVD with the first 8 Friday the 13th movies horribly dubbed into Russian with the same guy translating every character with absolutely no emotion. It is one of the funniest things ever bought for $4. The рынок is awesome. The people you meet there, the haggling over prices, the competitors yelling over a lower price to you, and just the all around Russian atmosphere. It is also a great place to hear and speak useful Russian, so I count the money I spend on bootleg DVDs and jerseys to be tax deductible-educational expenses. Anyways, keep it real, enjoy your perfect KY fall weather and check back soon, eventually I'll post the blog about going to the football (soccer) match back in mid Sept. Speaking of football, how 'bout dem Bengals? Browns aren't much better so I won't talk. Наоборот, Go Crew! And I read that post-season baseball is kicking ass too.