Russian Bank Trip

Today was my first time in a bank.... Since my landlord is too busy to come pick up the piles of cash, I agreed that I would go pay the money to an account at the bank... Of course, my Russian realtor, Polina came with me.

I guess this is the only place outside of work and the grocery store where I am surrounded by people living daily life. It was quite eye-opening. I had been told that some of our clients at work still did business manually, like the railroad has all of these babushkas keeping the books on paper.... now, I understand and believe it.

Inside the bank was quite a jumble of lines... They don't really know how to make lines here... Older people, from the Soviet times, who seemed quite upset - all I could make out was this old guy did not have his passport, and he was upset because he did not know he needed it.....

Ok, so my turn comes. Polina gives a paper to the clerk with the number of the account - or Visa card? we are going to put this money on. I had 100,000 Rubles in an interoffice envelope in a small paper bag........ I never thought I'd be doing this... But, a girl was telling me how when her parents bought their apartment, they transported the cash in suitcases. Apparently, you can hire protection for these sorts of things to accompany you on the metro. I often wonder what people are carrying in those large bags.

Back to the bank... I give my passport, and she looks for my visa, because it has my name in cyrillic. She asks Polina how much - "sto teseech" which is one hundred thousand transliterated into the roman alphabet. Ok, so I have to sign two receipts, and she gives me this poker chip...
Seriously, it was a poker chip with 21 on it.

Another line.... to go into this room where I actually give the money. The lady puts it in a counting machine.. Yep, 100,000. So, I get a receipt - which Polina tells me to keep, and we are done.

This is normal life. This is what people have to do. I told Polina I was fascinated, because I would not have believed it.

I finally found a book that I think will help me understand how things work here.
http://russiaforbeginners.ru/chapters/
I started it today, and have almost finished it. It is like everything has started to click in the last few weeks... I have realized all of my shock and confusion was because I expected things to work like they did in the US (at least at work) - but what I know now is that CULTURE overrides everything.... and I was not understanding that culture.

I am sure I will enlighten you with many interesting facts....

Well, I have another post to make about something really good!

Castaway

This movie with Tom Hanks is one of my favorites.... it reminds me that you can find ways to survive...

I was starting to watch it tonight - and I had forgotten that some of the opening scenes are in Moscow. When I heard Russian being spoken, I thought, oh no, this wasn't one of the English language CDs.... but then I rememebered... Red Square, the State Historical Museum, the workers in the FedEx warehouse, the translation of Tom Hank's speech, the numbers on the buildings, yes, this is Moscow...

What was funny, when the FedEx driver delivered a package to an American guy (from his wife) to an apartment where he was with his Russian girlfriend, the American's Russian was so bad! I think he was supposed to be from Texas - had a cowboy hat on....

So, I am learning to improvise so many of the conveniences we are used to in America. Here are things I have done in the last week that I never would have done at home:

• Every summer, the hot water goes out in Moscow. It rotates, depending on your neighborhood. Water is heated centrally here, so they say they have to clean the pipes.... So, I have no hot water. I do have this sketchy little contraption I (or my landlord who still has not collected last month's rent) could attach to the shower... Now, I am sure safety standards are not required here, and the thought of electrocution quite frightens me... So, I have learned to boil water for showers and washing dishes.... So, you GrayBearians..... I am getting payback for all of those cold plunges I was afraid of!
• I have started cooking more here, because I cannot find the food I want here..... I have made macaroni and cheese, and refried beans from scratch this week - wait till I bust out the chicken and dumplings!
• I was trying to find some really cheap trips to Egypt, but the site was all in Russian....so, I had to use my Russian (some sites - especially ones that require input - like dates, do not translate with services like Babelfish)....

I was chatting with someone at work today in the US, and they said, "it must be frustrating." I said, "Yeah, it is, but you get over it." And someone else here in Moscow commented on my "resilience."

I think - it is just different, and once you learn how it works, it is much easier. I can easily walk just oustide my apartment and become so grateful that I have enough food, I am not homeless, and I come from a country where anything really is possible.

Travelling, and especially living in another country really shifts your perspective on many things. Things no one could tell you, because you would never believe it possible from your own set of experiences.

Ok, now back to the movie!

Motorcycle Drum

I swear, this is what we saw the other day..........

http://englishrussia.com/?p=4585#more-4585

I recognize some of the buildings in the background from the Flugtag...........

This is a great site also!

RED BULL FLUGTAG МОСКВА. 9 АВГУСТА 2009. РАЙОН СТРОГИНО. СТРОГИНСКИЙ ПЛЯЖ

Today was the Red Bull Flugtag at Strogino Beach - that's what is says above....

http://www.redbullflugtag.ru/#

It is a contest where people make their own flying machines and fly them off of a barge into the river. I had actually seen one of these in Nashville, and it was alot of fun...

The reason it is fun is because they really have no idea if they will fly until they try them out in the contest.... No motor power is allowed... Some of them obviously will not fly at all, and fall straight to the water.. That was the case today with "The Kook" team....

Here are a bunch of pictures - keep in mind, there were tens of thousands of people - so we chose a spot where we could see the end of the barge, and watch it closer on the screen...

Each team would do a little dance before their flight...

Get Ready!
This was a mosquito - a "gangster mosquito" I was told....

Yep, this guy was just laying on top...

The "Air Bath" plane...

Random Crowd Shots

I think this team was from St. Petersburg. Zagranizza means "border" - like between countries....ok, obviously I don't get exactly what this was supposed to mean.

The Kook team - basically, it was a head......they made no attempt to actually make this fly....

Guy on a surfboard? on a lawnchair with a paddle........very funny.

This was really nice... all I could understand was that it was a present from France. 4 synchronized kites....

Here is a shot of the guys flying the kites from the back of a boat... I was really amazing.

Kids in the water

Russian Fashion... walking home from the metro - I saw a girl with hot pink knee highs.....

Ok, here is the Kook........we wondered if the white things were supposed to be teeth - they all went and just jumped off the barge... then, a white hand pushed the head into the water...

Thud...I cannot remember how many meters they said it went.....

This one actually went kind of far........

Large sunglasses are popular here...

That's it! Not sure who won... but it was a fun day. When we were walking back to the metro, we saw a motorcycle that had a drum set as a side car..... a continuation of the flugtag we suspected.

Helsinki, Finland!

So, every month, I have to get out of this place...... The last place I went was Kiev.. but now, we are going to Finland! It is about 1hr 45 min to Helsinki, and seemed to be a pretty cheap place to go from Moscow.

Yay!!! I look forward to: Idyllic island restaurants are a vital part of Helsinki’s unique restaurant culture. The archipelago of Helsinki provides a beautiful setting for summer dining.
http://www.visithelsinki.fi/In_English/Visitor/Eat__enjoy/Island_restaurants.iw3

Actually, I most look forward to really fresh air and the waters of the Baltic Sea... the breezes across the Moscow River are not all that relaxing..

I want to see and do all I can while I am here... I really try not to think about the cost of all my travels and goings out, but rather the experiences I am getting...

Shoe shopping in Moscow...

I was at the Europesky mall today attempting to shop for shoes.... I really cannot describe what I see in the stores here, but please look at this link I got when I typed in "ladies shoes moscow"

http://svik.hit.bg

This is an important site for many reasons:

1. First, you will notice how this girl poses in all of the pictures.... this is what you see everywhere here - the girls make these really sexy poses for EVERY picture.....no matter where they are. It must be something that is taught at a very young age.
2. You can see some of the shoe choices I am talking about if you click on the link next to the sound button - it says "gallery" in Russian, what starts with a backwards looking 7, is actually a G in Russian. Also have a look at the link -3a Hac...

Ok, so I really don't think I will be able to get with these strange fashion statements... Lots of patent leather, bows and ribbons, other wild colors... I mean, I just want like - sensible, professional shoes that I can actually walk in......

And, I should not really wonder why that concept doesn't really exist here... Sensible and professional haven't quite evolved here.... I have seen quite a few see-through shirts/skirts in the office... I am sure no one can imagine why I might want sensible shoes :)

Last Saturday Pics

So, this was not last Saturday... this is my rent money... I pay my rent in cash... 1000 Rubles is about $30.

The envelope I hand it over in....
The 3 patty cheeseburger at Starlite Diner.... He ate it all....

Young kids making out in the grass outside the Kremlin wall... Most people live with their parents, so they don't have too many private places to go.

Alexandrovsky sad - Alexander's Garden by the Kremlin

Ornamental cabbage

Platform, metal spike heels, good for a stroll in the Kremlin...

Gardens inside the Kremlin.... There is not a ton to see inside the walls of the Kremlin... Some really nice churches, but you cannot take pictures inside.

Sunset at 11:30 pm... from my kitchen window.

Life is seeming to have some normalcy now.... I know where to find what I need, and work is getting a bit better... One sad thing is alot of people are leaving...

I may try to find a weekend trip for this month. I will go to Germany in September, and back to the US in October.... August is the big vacation month here, so things will be pretty quiet.