A Moscow Weekend – 10/8/17

I had such a nice weekend full of exploring the city, meeting new people and getting to know my co-workers better. My first Russian theater experience was at the Mayakovsky Theatre to see Educating Rita. Lucky for me it was in English. Before the show I also had my first meal with friends on Arbat Street…..the street I was lost on only a week ago. This time was much more pleasant with a nice pizza lunch and an amazing chocolate dessert.  

I attempted another Russian class. I was worried I was about to suffer the same fate as the previous time when the address took me to a block of stores and cafes with nothing resembling a language school. I learned from my last experience and ventured down the side road and behind the buildings and was able to locate the address. My befuddlement for addresses continues still. The amount of places that are not actually located on the street in their address is quite astonishing. Nevertheless I made it to the “beginner” class, where everyone was speaking fluent Russian, or what sounded to me like fluent Russian! I had asked ahead of time to ensure it was a beginner class, but because it was a free event I guess they did not know the levels that would attend. So I was lost most of the time, but I received a bit of private instruction and started to learn the alphabet and some phrases.

Along with visiting a fall market, attending an expat event and having an authentic Indian meal at my co-teacher’s house it turned out to be quite the diverse and fun weekend! As the only American at my school I am constantly able to learn about new places, cultures, languages and ways of life. It is easy and often exciting to focus on all the differences, but it is also important to point out and think about the similarities as well.