Red Square

Hello all!

Last Saturday I was taken to Red Square for the first time, and all I can say is, Amazing!!
It was a gorgeous spring day, blue skies, 3degrees and I was just so excited.
We found a parking spot (you don't have to pay for parking in Moscow), and the first thing I saw was stray dogs. They are literally everywhere, and they can be quite dangerous. In the distance I could see the Kremlin wall and the top of Saint Basil's cathedral.
I was given my guided tour and charades styled history lesson. Luckily I had read up on most the buildings and could guess what was being pointed out to me. Although watching Svetlana acting out Mavzoley Lenina dying and being mummified in the museum is a sight I will never forget! So funny!

I uploaded photo's onto my facebook so feel free to have a sticky beak if you haven't already:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=590468080&aid=160799&s=0&hash=b4c54d480f9a6edd55ec2cfd532fdc2a
I had a fantastic time, and saw so much! I was lucky enough to watch the changing of the guards at the world war two memorial (which for the life of me I can not remember it's Russian name!), the buildings are all magnificent, and I got to speak English to some tourists. We had pizza for lunch, and had a look inside GUM (Gosudarstvenny Universalny Magazin, which translates to State department store). It was built in the 19th century and wasn't always the amazing place it is now. In soviet times it would have been full of long queues and empty shelves. However now its been transformed and is full of cafes and boutiques like Louis Vuitton.

It is very easy to get lost in Moscow, think about a shopping centre as big as most the westfield shopping centres in Brisbane then times that size by about three and that's what its like above ground. But then to cross the road you go underground through another shopping centre that is about twice as big as Chermside, maybe bigger! There's loads of people, and since I keep saying "Izvenitchi" (excuse me/sorry) to everyone I bump into I tend to get moved along with the crowd... in the wrong direction. Next time I will try to be more Russian and just push people out of the way and not say anything. Ok, that's probably not going to happen.
I could go on and on about how amazing and different the city is, but I won't you will just have to come see for yourself! It is well worth it!
Although I should mention that while I am having a fantastic time, and loving every minute of Russia. I am certainly very aware that I am living the wealthy life here. It is impossible to escape the poverty in this city. The apartment buildings that most people live in are atrocious, they are dirty, and look cold and very unwelcoming. There is a huge line between rich and poor, very few in between. People simply ignore beggar's and homeless people like they aren't even there. We walked past three homeless women in red square, and I was shocked at peoples reactions to them, or should I say lack there off! It was shockingly sad. These women where in there 60's kneeling on the freezing cold ground quietly crying and praying. One lady had a piece of rubbish in front of her for money donations. Other people try to sell flowers (amongst other things) to cars waiting at traffic lights, and again everyone in their cars just looked straight ahead like there was no one there. At least in Australia people would shake there heads and say "no, thanks" I think that would be better then acting like the person didn't exist.
On Sunday we did our normal grocery shopping, which I love doing! I get to practice my Russian, because absolutely no one speaks English there, not that I have found anyway. My Russian is still very bad, but I'm getting a bigger vocabulary, so that's something.
Then on Monday, Nelli came with me to the hair dresses, getting your standard cut and colour can be difficult when you don't know how to say it. Admittedly I was a little nervous when I saw my hair dresser, she was gorgeous but had her hair up in a scrunchy, which was a concern! However she did a fantastic job and I now have a favourite Russian hair dresser! Her name is Navatolie.... or something like that. She could speak a little English, and helped me with my flash cards and phrase book.
Nelli and I had a bit of time before Billy finished school so we went shopping! It was fabulous.
Oh I forgot to mention that Monday was -18degrees! Compared to our lovely spring day on Saturday, I absolutely froze! It is really strange weather, one minute it is blue skies, the next it is snowing heavier then I have ever seen, then its just cloudy and freezing with a bit of blue sky before sunset. It's crazy!

Overal I would have to say I have had a fantastic week. The kids are great, we are all getting along really well now. I can make Grace smile all the time (which I love!) she is so cheeky as well, and always doing mischievous things, oddly enough her first english word was "no". Billy is always full of beans, and if I ever say something he is unsure of, he just answers yes, for example:

S: How was school today, what did you do?

B: We went on TWO walks!! (he tells me this everyday, just as excited as the first time he told me)

S: TWO walks! thats great, what else did you do?

B: Yes!

S: Billy, did you read some books, or paint a picture, what did you do with Miss Dasha?

B: Yes! And I have two biscuits! (we have this conversation while eating afternoon tea.)

This is our standard conversation in the afternoon.... I'm working on him understanding more, but its hard to ask him if he understands because he answers yes to everything anyway. However at the moment talking with billy is very entertaining. He is just so sweet. Nelli said that he told her, in Russian, that he is glad I wait for him to come home from school, and he asks about me in the car everyday. It really nice, it's certainly making me feel a part of the family.

Tomorrow is my day off again but I'm not sure what I will be doing, another Moscow adventure I'm sure!
Sorry if this blog entry doesn't flow very well, I have been writing it over two days adding more whenever I had a spare few minutes.
So until next week,
baka!