And so it goes

A couple of poignant things happened today- just keep in mind I am a very boing person, and it really isn't that exciting...
-I saw white pleather go-go boots- actually on a person, not just in a store or on Jane Wiedlin or something.
-I went to my first Russian language course. (GULP)
-I got a lighter so now I can make food. (gas communal stove)
-I wore flip-flops and a skirt. (a rare occasion in Moscow when it is not between the months of May and August)
-I found Ramen. In Russia. Its not bad and its about $.35 a packet. No wonder it is the choice of college kids everywhere [literally].

On that note, the grocery store is pretty awesome. It is a French chain called Aushon or ашан (Emma, you might have heard of such a place). Shopping in the supermarket is very hard when you have no fridge and its not quite cold enough outside for your windowsill to act like one. Or you don't know exactly what you are buying. For instance, I couldn't find соуc/sauce so I bought some 'chair de tomate' which looks like tomato sauce but translates to 'tomato flesh' [or pulp, but flesh sounds more dramatic]. Okay. Good. I still don't know what the hell that is. I can't buy anything that will go bad, and if it is fresh, I have to eat it within the day. And there is no microwave, so to reheat things, you need to go back to the communal kitchen and heat it up in your pot. This isn't a huge catastrophe- just a pain in the ass on occasion. Also, if its supermarket brand, I have to be careful what I buy. Its not like Central Market at Price Chopper... The no name brand water is fine though- its a big bottle and its cheap [1.5L for 8 rubles]. Water is water. Except you can't drink out of the tap without boiling it first, or filtering it- which is why I am getting bottled. But since it is getting towards winter time, I am probably just going to be drinking a helluva lot of tea anyway- so boiling comes with the territory. And I love my electric tea kettle. I want to take it home with me, but 1) it probably won't fit and 2) the plug is not for America. какой ужасно!!

Then there is my Russian class. It has 5 students, including me. Yay for more focused (only one 's' looks weird) attention on my ineptitude to speak in front of people. If it is the one thing I hate in foreign language classes, it is being called on. When you say the wrong answer, everybody is whispering their own- most likely correct, or less wrong answer- around you. And then, 2 seconds later when someone else says the correct answer, you go "ugggghhhhhh duuuhhhhhhhhh I knew thaaaaaaaaat" or maybe that's just me... Either way, I have never been great at oral presentations, tests, and even "no pressure, its okay if you are a dumbass- this is a learning environment" situations anyway. But, I can feel my Russian getting better. Hopefully we work on grammar though. That is what I really need. I haven't had my other classes yet. But they should be be tolerable at the least. The soundtrack for Anastasia keeps going through my head. How a propos and cliche. Its a good thing I like the movie.

I honestly don't know what else to write. Other than being in Russia, I am really the same boring person as always. Just with better stories (that hopefully don't turn into 'Elise stories' via internet, too).

I'm out for now!
Пока!!!