The Belly Button Window Details



About Belly Button Window

The Semi-Regular Newsletter


Travels in Russia

KLM Rocks Across Europe!
Santa Claus in Moscow
Television Is a Time Suck
The Reality of Irrelevance
Salute Mayor Luzhkov
Impeachment Happens
I Am Not The Only One...
I'm Back! Did Ya Miss Me?
Chechnya Burning
Weddings in Winter
The Jews Are Here!
Gailyn Goes to Town
Is There a Central Bank?
Santa Barbara is Real
Nick's Thanksgiving in Russia
Den' Rozhdeniya = Birthdays
Those Crazy Expats
It's Just a Few Drops of Vodka...
Elections Are Always Rigged
The Blind Leading the Blind
Good Russian Grooms
You Say 'Boris Berezovskiy' Fast
Too Cold to Care!
Russian Oil Towns
Sneaky Siberian Tigers
Which Way is St Peterburg?
Where am I again? Oh, yeah...
I Love Me Some Vodka
It's a Gosorg Halloween
Hunger Comes to Us All
Why Don't They Just Learn English?!
Post-Crisis, Life Goes On
Is Yeltsin 'The Man'?
Murmansk - Brrrr!
Taganka Hides Her Secrects
These are Communists
It's a Power Vaccum
The Commies are Back
Propaganda is Good for You
You Better Buy Russian!
Sex Ed Soviet Style
Party over, oops outta time!
Russian Healthcare in Moscow
What Russian Financial Crisis?
YE Prices in Russia
The Hungry Duck
Russian Caviar Mafia
Magical Mushrooms
Shhhh! We're Bear Hunting
Soviet Street Scams
Bez Dollarov
A Koshka Konspiracy
On The Dacha
The Banking Implosion
Surviving Army Life
Shashleek is Steak on Steroids
Dacha Thinking
Beach Weekend
Dos Vedanya
Hello from Vladivostok
Equality Means Only She Works
Jogging is an Extreme Sport
Russians Have Reunions Too
My Folks in Massive Moscow
Better than Fireworks
Miners Are Real Men
The Russian Mafia is the Roof
No One Smiles in the CIS
One Year Anniversary
Russian Brides Rock
Laura is My St Pete Connection
Change is in the Wind
Chuck Norris' Beverly Hills Casino
The Expat Woman's Predicament
Street Food is Yummy!
Spring Flowers Make June Leavers
The Provinces Are Provincial
Ever Take an Elektrichka?
The English Invasion
Nuttin Like New Money
Rules Are Made to Break
All Black is Russian Fashion
Easter Memories = Easter Dinner
Politics, Russian Style
I Go to Gay Clubs Worldwide
I Hide on Women's Day
New & Shiny: Nizhny Novgorod
Psst! Wanna job in Moscow?
Fili Park Has All the Bootlegs
Web Page Reactions
Take a Break at Dom Odaha
Expat Living in Moscow is Swank
Why Are You Remonting?
They Look Like Telephones...
In Need of a Decent Hairstylist
Smashing Bottles in Red Square

Readership

Russia, March 21, 1998

Theresa Tries to Russify

I love friends who visit!

Wayan has asked me to write something of my impression of Moscow for this website. My very first thoughts included words like cold, dreary, gray, and gloomy. This was all from the taxi ride into town from the airport. Everyone, with very few exceptions, was wearing gray or black. The streets were icy and muddy and the traffic was hectic and smoggy. From inside the taxi it all looked pretty depressing. That image was soon changed, however. The first weekend I spent in Russia was spent outside the city at the sanitarium. I enjoyed the snow and the good company without the stress of city life. As soon as we returned, I got my first real taste of the city when we took the metro back to Wayan's apartment.

Monday would be my first day in the city. Since Wayan had to work, he walked me to the metro station and gave me some last minute directions. From there, getting around the city was quite simple. The Moscow metro is amazingly efficient and easy to use. I enjoyed it the entire time I was there. Each day I went to another point of interest, and each day the city seemed to grow more and more colorful. The cold and the mud didn't seem so dreary anymore. I began to understand some of the signs around me and I began to enjoy the challenge of ordering something to eat or asking directions. Just getting around in a city full of people who speak another language is an adventure in itself, which I really found quite fun! Occasionally I would become frustrated in a situation, but the excitement of the challenge far outweighed the struggle. As in any place in the world, you have good days and bad ones.

Above all, Moscow seemed to be a city of stark contrasts. There was an upper class and a lower class, but no real middle class. There are a few exceptions to this, and it seems that the younger generation is establishing a place somewhere in the middle. I really admired the people in Moscow, and in Russia in general. They have come a long way to arrive at this place in history. I also admired them because I felt like life in America was easier than theirs. The things we take for granted are often of great importance to others, and it was a nice reminder to me.

Now, to be fair, most of the things you could get in America, could be found in Moscow, but the way in which they are acquired is another story altogether! The culture there has evolved a somewhat inefficient system of getting things done. Shopping, for example. You usually had to go several different places to get everything on your shopping list. But, that was part of the challenge and fun. The climate itself was also a challenge for me, as I am a native Floridian. That too, was exciting and new - I just loved playing in the snow!

Overall, I enjoyed the city. I was introduced to a whole new part of the world and a new pair of eyes to see it through-truly an adventure!

Enter your email for Belly Button Window updates: