Sorry for the delay in updating my blog. I have been super busy! However due to popular demand and some pushy emails I have found some time to fill you in.
I will leave out my whirl wind experience of coming home and my visa problems and just get straight back to Moscow.
I flew with Thai airways this time and their chairs are a bit more comfortable than emirates, which was nice but I still didn't sleep. I was a delirious mess when I got back. I finally made it through passport control, found my bags and was greeted by Urha, one of our security guards. It took an hour in the car to get home. Moscow seems to be in a constant state of peak hour traffic with all sorts of crazy drivers.
It was a miserable cloudy day, like the very first day I flew into Moscow. The only difference was that everything is so super green. It is amazing how green it is! Russians really know how to make the most of summer too. There are flowers absolutely everywhere it is just beautiful. All the cafes have set up tables outside, on every corner there are people selling flowers and fruit, I even saw someone selling little turtles. I was so very tempted to buy one!
The kids where so excited to see me, which was great. It would have been dreadful if I'd flown all that way to be greeted with shyness or worse, tears! Billy ran and jumped into a big bear like hug and Grace was quick to follow. They filled me in on all their news, we read some books and by then I was just about exhausted. I fell into bed, just to have to get up again to put a blanket over the curtains because it wasn't dark yet, at 10:30pm.
It was great to see Luidmiela again, oh how I missed her Kasha while I was away! The security guards seemed happy to see me too. Although it's a little difficult to pick up on their emotions. Except for Ivan, he smiles and is far to happy for someone who has a gun.
For those of you who are lucky enough to not have had to endure jet lag yet, it is substantially easier travelling back in time, as opposed to gaining time. I recovered almost the day after I was back in Moscow!
The second (or maybe it was the third) night I was back, I headed out to watch the socceroos in the world cup and made some new friends. I'm finding it so much easier to make friends now, I know where to find people who speak English, and I'm really learning my way around now. I haven't been geographically confused once since I have been back!
I headed into the city to see the fountains now that they have been turned on, it's very pretty, I really do enjoy walking around red square and the Kremlin. Absolutely fantastic people watching! I will post some photo's soon.
My social life has pretty much picked up where it left off, which is lovely. Although I am missing one good friend, who had to go back to Belgium. Last Saturday I went out with Anna and one of her friends, she couldn't speak English so poor Anna had to translate for us. We had dinner then went out salsa dancing! I really like salsa, but when I go to Spain, I'm just going to be reminded of Russia, which is a bit backwards, but anyway. We went to a new place called Pancho Villa, it was fabulous, cheap yummy margaritas, great live music and English menus. At one stage there was even a salsa conga line!
I am also pleased that the bus drivers remember me, and the taxi drivers! It is very strange that I am comforted by the fact these middle aged overweight men remember me and like talking to me. I think it's just nice to have people in the area I live in to say hello to, and it's nice to know the taxi drivers are always around the metro if I ever need help. None of them speak any English, yet I know all there names, and I know about there wives and children and they don't over charge me anymore!
Yesterday I went to the movies and watched the documentary "Babies". Please don't make fun of me for that, I am more then aware of how overly maternal I am. The movie lived up to all my expectations, it was really good. I recommend it to everyone. It follows the first year of four babies lives. One baby from America, one in Peru, one in Japan and the other is from Africa. It is fascinating.
After that I did a much more age appropriate activity and went out for dinner and had drinks at an Irish pub.
Next Saturday, I will be boarding a plane to Malta (a tiny island in the Mediterranean). The kids have never been to the beach before, so we are spending two weeks there. I am so unbelievably excited!!
So my next blog update will be after our trip, unless I can pull myself away from the deck chairs to fill you in on my hectic working day.
I hope everyone is fine at home, there are so many people I didn't get to see. I think I will be home again in September, which is really just around the corner. So I'm sure I will get time to catch up with everyone then!
Until next time,
Dasvidanya!
