Day 1

Thursday Jan 7, 2013.  

my first full day in russia.  i moved here yesterday.  me, 6 bags, 2 down coats, 2 HUGE pairs of snow boots, 3 bags of gummy vitamins, a whole bunch of electronic gadgets and adaptors, and one amazing photo book of all my friends in Park City moved into the Renaissance Monarch Moscow hotel.  the driver who picked me up from the airport about fell over at the amount of baggage i had.  "it looks like you are moving to russia!" he said.  yup.

so i thought i'd put finger to keypad and write some thoughts about my adventures from time to time. today's big adventure was the grocery store!  was actually pretty tame, except that i learned you have to pay for plastic bags..."pakets" as they are known.  which is pretty cool, i think, as it forces you to bring your own!  (katie wright will love this...).  yesterday, i spent $40 on a very mayonnaise-y club sandwich and some cherry tea.  hence, the grocery store today.  :)

today started some language lessons, after downloading nearly every russian language app itunes has.  (sometimes i get a little overzealous...).  this morning i learned how to say "i don't understand russian" this morning. and then promptly forgot it. but i think people have figured it out anyway by my mute pointing and gesturing my way around the grocery store. PS the sun doesn't rise here until 9am...which makes it ultra-depressing to be awake very early in the morning. still, i'm loving it and i know this is one of the best decisions i have ever made in my life. (please remind me of this in a few months when i'm going out of my mind...).

today also happens to be exactly one year out from the night of the opening ceremonies for sochi 2014...the whole reason i am here.  so this is a very important and commemorative day in many ways.  how did i get this lucky...

more later.
xo