Winter's Coming

You can tell winter is coming in Russia by the measure of what you are wearing.  I am now wearing a scarf, hat and gloves, which doesn't bother me but then I realise, its not the end of October yet! L says that you need lots of tights for the winter.  She had come back from Shopping yesterday with about twenty pairs of tights, I kid you not.  Also included was a  pair of Ugg boots that can only be described as Afghan style, mother and daughter both have the same.  I told L that it looked like a black version of Choco their Poodle.  Choco at the moment is looking very shaggy and in need of a poodle haircut.  I can't wait to see what she looks like.

Last Thursday I did a language exchange with a Russian lady I met.  We met at the metro and I have learnt that you always meet inside as the majority of the stations are too big and have lots of entrances and exits.  We went to an American style bar called Chesterfields and they already had a Halloween theme going on.  It was meant to be quiet there but there was actually a Latin band playing with lots of very good Russian Salsa/Merenge dancers.

Afterwards we went to another bar, I can't remember the name but that it was new.  We had to hand our coats in before being let up the stairs.  The place was trying to model itself on a British style club but think it got lost somewhere in the translation.  It was one of those places where you have to shout to speak to each other as the place is too small for the volume of the band.  This time it was a dance style band and played anything from Lady Ga Ga to Robyn.

My Muscovite friend is a promoter for events in bars and clubs so knows everyone and is great at networking.  We met some Italians and then we ran into this German guy and his friend, who was British and working for a telecommunication company, anyway, where was I, Oh yes this German guy.  I don't think I got his name correct as when he told me it sounded like he was saying 'Reggae'.  He was clearly after a Russian woman and at one point he had taken a stunning Russian girls' phone number but after she left to go to another part of the bar he couldn't remember what she looked like. The whole place had a School disco feel to it with the women dancing and the men standing on the edges, looking on.

With my lesson learnt about meeting in the metro I arranged to go out with two other governesses who I had met at the BWC coffee morning last Tuesday.  After talking about our respective families it turns out I am first division and they are high up in the Premier League.  Football terms seems the best way to describe the difference. Unfortunately I was running a bit late as the father 'A' was back and finally got a chance to talk to him, so this made me a bit late getting to the metro stop.  Friday night = drunk Russians and D got accosted  by a drunk Russian man thinking she was a lady of the night while waiting for me and P.  

Today I went with P for a bit of sightseeing. The weather was gorgeous,  very sunny and blue skies.  We had a look round the GUM department store and decided to go into this fur coat and hat shop.  Whatever you think about real fur, some of the coats were beautiful and we couldn't resist stroking them, but this irate Russian sales women starts shouting at us.  We surmised that she was saying 'Don't touch', but that made it worse,and they were so soft.  We left quickly as it was quite possible they were going to call the security guards to throw us out!

Here are some photos from today.

                                   Kazan Cathedral.  The sun on the icon is beautiful!

                                  St Basil's Cathedral.

                                               The Kremlin at Night.

Finally have managed to download the video I took.  

Last week has been a great week.  I went along on the Tuesday to the British Women's Club coffee morning and made some good contacts.  I also joined the ladies that choir one of the members runs.  The BWC is made  up of a lot of 'trailing spouses' whose husbands work in finance or oil or gas.  So on Wednesday I negotiated my way to the conductors apartment with having to change metro lines and it was the first time I have been shoved on to a metro train, so rude!  We are preparing for two Christmas concerts and the choir has been already practicing for a month but luckily we are doing the old perennials like 'Gaudete','Mary's Boy Child' etc.. and a few non Christmassy numbers including a lovely arrangement of some Glenn Miller songs.  

Saturday I went out for a drink at the pub I mentioned before. This is the place to network and I met a lady who organises events for the French community in Moscow so we are going to do a language exchange, so hopefully I should learn some useful Russian phrases and teach her some English.

Here are a few photos and a bit of video footage taken with my new camera as my Pentax gave up the ghost.  They were taken in the Alexander Gardens by the walls of the Kremlin where the WW2 monument/flame is and also outside at my apartment block.  Enjoy!!
                     
                Outside the Kremlin

My apartment Block.  All 20 floors of it!

In the Alexander Gardens.

   

This past week has been great.  I finally discovered where the metro stop was and it is only a five minute walk if you cut through the estates.  Although the estates look a bit dull and unkempt, they all have playgrounds in the middle of them and with not one bit of graffiti on them and outside courts.  

I have made some friends this week.  On Tuesday I decided to go and speak to the concierge in the apartment block but he doesn't speak any English so he rang for someone who could and it was a delightful lady called Irina who is a part time primary school teacher.  She should be retired but says she can't afford to.  She lives on the sixth floor with her husband who is a journalist and writes about the military.  I also met her daughter who was very helpful in setting up my Russian mobile phone in English.   

For the past weeks in the run up to Moscow I have been on an website called Expat.ru.  It has been a useful sight to get a rough idea of what life in Moscow is like for the ex pat.  One of the frequent posters asked if I could bring out some Smarties for him.  He happens to work in a pub called 'Booze Bub'.  So on Thursday I decided to go and find it.  This required a bit of skill using the metro as I had to change lines but I had drawn the directions to the place on a scrap of paper with the address on it and lo and behold I found it the first time!! I was then in the bar introduced to a few other expats, an American, Aussie and a fellow Brit  (walked into a bar) who said I was the first English girl he had spoken to in the 2 years of he had been living in Moscow. The Yank and Aussie are married to Russian ladies  and the Brit is engaged to one.  They work in the field of oil, support service and I didn't catch what my fellow Brit did.  

Teaching has been great this week but L is tired as she is back at school.  The amount of hours I have done this week is a grand total of 6hrs so far and with the possibility of up to eight hours tomorrow means that potentially I will have only worked a maximum of 14hrs this week!! Compared to the stupid number of hours I worked as a housemistress; this is like a dream.  

The weather is getting colder so hopefully I can bring my long coat out of retirement and get lots of use out of it.  

End of First Week in Moscow

 8 October

Well, a week has passed and I am still in Moscow.  My first teaching week with L has certainly been interesting.  L was on half term holiday last week so I came in a lot earlier to teach her.  The family has one of those small poodles; pretty cute if you like those kinds of dogs and it is called Choco.  Choco is Loco! I have never seen such a hyperactive dog but you can tell she loves L very much.    L is a great girl and not what I expected from a rich Russian family.  She tidies up the kitchen after her mother, helps puts away groceries and is generally a tidy child. 

Last Wednesday her mum had to go for a massage somewhere in Moscow but as she didn’t have a babysitter that day, Lisa and I were doing our best Mary Poppins imitation while looking after Georgy, diminutive: Gosha who is only 5/6 months old.  We were driven by Alexander, diminutive: Sasha.  Now I thought Sasha drove the way he did when he didn’t have the family in the car.  Boy was I wrong!  There was no difference. We were in a park for an hour which wasn’t too bad and luckily the weather wasn’t too bad.

This week it has been sunshine and showers.  On Saturday it got up to the heady heights of 21 Deg C but Sunday was a big change, rain, rain and more rain.  Moscow is covered in a cloud of rain/mist and there are great big puddles everywhere.

Unfortunately after a week I still do not know the address of where I am staying.  It is frustrating as the caretaker/receptionist of the apartment block speaks no English.  I am also struggling with the fact that I do not know how to get to my nearest Metro stop.  The family don’t know.  Whatever country/city I have been in I have always managed to get into the centre.  I do not like the feeling of being so isolated and don’t get me started on the internet situation or I seriously might explode!!!

My apartment is on the 12^th floor and my next door neighbour is having work done on her flat. I know that she has dogs and birds of some kind.  I hear them barking and tweeting.  I finally got to see the dogs and they are gorgeous husky style dogs and not fierce or mean at all.

Well, hopefully by the time of my next entry I will be on the internet and have a Russian phone and fingers crossed, knowing where the nearest metro line is and how to get to it.  

Catch Up Blog

1^st October 2011

Arrived at Heathrow and was pleasantly surprised that my bag only weighed 19kg, wish I had put a bit more in but to be honest I don’t think I could fit anything else in.  My hand luggage was so heavy that I needed some help to put it in the overhead locker! It is one of the joys of being vertically challenged.  The flight wasn’t busy so had the seat next to me free.  I was sat in the row behind the bulkhead between cattle and business class and the ladies in front had to put their handbags in the overhead locker.  The male cabin crew member put one bag up in the overhead locker but behind him was a young Russian lady with a fake Chanel bag and she got really huffy that he didn’t put hers up.   

Arrived at Domodevo and saw the Russian spectacle of men meeting wives/mothers/girlfriends giving bunches of flowers.  It was quite sweet.  The Vienna Boys Choir came through as well, dressed in their sailor suits. 

My flight landed early so I had a bit of a wait until the driver came.  His name is Alexander and he can't speak hardly any English!  We went to the car and lo and behold it was a S class Merc with blacked out windows. It was so cliché, but very comfortable.  Russian drivers OMG!!!!!!! Road rules, what road rules? I think Alexander likes to pretend he is with the mafia or something as anyone would think he was in Grand Theft Auto but with cheesy Russian pop music being played on the radio.   The traffic in Moscow is terrible!  It felt like we were driving around Moscow for ages.  It took Alexander 2 hours to get to the airport. 

Pulled up to where my flat is and again another Russian cliché.  It is in a circa 1960’s/1970’s or even earlier tower block and there is a code to get into the building and a door you have to unlock on your floor to get into where your flat is.  

I am on the 12^th Floor of 20 and the flat hasn’t been lived in for ages.  It is a nice size and if it had some money spent on it, it could look amazing.  I only spent a few minutes in it as I had to go shopping to get some food. 

Russian supermarkets, well what can I say; most things I could kind of understand as they were well known brands but naturally more expensive and being so tired I almost forgot to pick up my change at the checkout.  Food is expensive in Moscow so I am going to have to get to know Russian brands.  

Got back to my flat realised how dirty is it, so have started off by sweeping the laminate floors and this has made a difference already.  I am going to ask A’s wife if she has some cleaning equipment I can borrow as have to get the flash or equivalent on the floor and don’t get me started on the bathroom!!!   Will have to get someone to check out the washing machine as think it is leaking.

Think whoever got the furniture was a bit of a narcissist as there are loads of mirrors.  I can’t get away from them.  At Padworth they were on three sides of the bathroom but at least the flat is light and airy.  I have put my icon from Sienna up and also my three pictures from Catherine.  Will get a pin board asap to put other stuff up or even blu tack.  

Luckily I don’t start until 4.45pm tomorrow with L so get to have a bit of a lie in.