stephanieNY

A few initial observations about Russia/Russians:

1. This may be really obvious...but they all look reeeeallly Russian. I've been saying the following in my head a lot as I'm walking down the street looking at people..."Why don't you try looking more Russian, oh wait, you can't."
2. Nearly nobody is overweight.
3. The streets are really quiet because everyone talks with inside voices even though they are outside (I realized mid-laughing fit in Red Square yesterday that I was probably making a scene).
4. Nobody is very thrilled to speak English (some even not willing when I suspect that they can).
5. Next to the price of items on the menus is the weight of the food in grams. I suspect this (along with #2 and #3 have something to do with the city's communist past...rationing, fair shares, and not standing out.)

Yesterday, we caught the last day of the architecture exhibit at the Manezh Exhibition Center.

They have translated the term for this sandwich to "toast" and not "panini". Have you seen flatter white bread?

Ashley and me as centered as we could get around St. Basils in Red Square.

I'm into the cylindrical downspouts. A series of photographs I suspect are to come.

After a vodka spree on our first night, Ashley and I laid low last night, got some eats at the grocery store, and watched a movie on my computer in our room.

Russian words learned so far:
thank you = spaceeba
hi = priviet
check = schyot
please = pazhalsta
(Those are the frenetic spellings of course...in the sarilik alphabet it would be in all-caps and there'd be backwards 3's and N's involved)