Skype??

Hey friends and family!!  Just a quick fyi, I have skype.  If you'd like to say hi, let me know and we'll set up a time (or just look to see if I'm online).  I'd love to see your face!

That is all. :)

борщ Anyone?

борщ (borsch) is a classic Russian soup: beats, potato, tomato, etc.  It has a bright red color.  It's quite delicious with a spoonful of sour cream, a cup of green tea, and a rasberry pastry for dessert.  In conclusion, Russian food is fantastic!

As for the language, I'm still working on it.  I try to read every sign we pass, listen to every conversation, hoping that I'll recognize a word.  I've found that I can greet people in several different ways, say goodbye in two ways, ask "How much?," and say a few extra words like "apple" and "funny."  So I'm improving, right?

I guess I owe you some stories since last Sunday...

The first story is a comic.  Enjoy!

So, that summarizes that.
Yeah, it gets around 2 degrees Fahrenheit... average.  Good times, good times.

Monday, some friends took us to Red Square to see St. Basil's Cathedral and eat lunch at the fancy little Russian cafe.  There was also this really cool historic toilet that cost probably $50 to use... so, no, we didn't use it, but the red carpet staircase leading to it looked very inviting.

There were some other days when our friends, who teach ESL, had us meet some of their students.  We helped them practice their english.  We also helped our friends hand out flyers for their classes... outside... at 8:30am.  Our toes and fingers kinda froze off, but I suppose it was worth it if our friends get some more customers.  haha.

Hmmm, what else can I tell you?... Hey, wanna hear a funny story??  Welp, too bad, I'm telling you anyways.  So Hannah and I were waiting at the front of a grocery store while Jess and JoBell went to get some cereal and milk. A tall young Russian guy walked up to us like he was trying to ask us a question... but of course it was just a big Russian word jumble to us.  So he finished his spiel, we responded with, "uh. No Russian. Engleski?"  He kinda smiled and said, "Oh, sorry."  He walked away for a second then came back... "Where you from?"  We said, "the U.S."  He smiled and nodded then walked away.  2 seconds later, he came back and with a really big smile, said, "I have friend in Canada."  We smiled and nodded.  Hannah said, "yeah, me too."  He smiled and walked away to do his shopping.  5 minutes later he comes back with a friend and a large bottle of something.  He smiled and said, "You come with us and drink beer?" Hannah hardly let him finish his sentence and said, "No."  I was like, "uh, nope. No thank you."  He nodded and said goodbye.  Once he was gone, Hannah turned to me and said, "No, Mckenzie.  No beer for you."  We laughed it off.

So far, I love the time we've had in Russia.  We stay together, enjoy the Russian atmosphere, and survive the cold.  The families and friends we've met have encouraged us and taught us a lot.  I'm looking forward to what's ahead... whoever we meet, whatever see and do.  :)

I wish I could tell you more, but there's only so much I can say on a simple blog.

Thank you for thinking of me!
I love you all!

THIS IS RUSSIA.

I have three words for you... Snow. Snow. and Snow.

As we flew into Moscow and we descended below the clouds, all we could see was white.  It's pretty darn cold here.  Our cold gear works well though.  I like to wear leggings under my pants for extra warmth.  Turns out everything we are wearing is basically what most Russians wear... boots, hats, scarves, etc.  So, it's nice that we don't stand out among the Russians, unless we start speaking English... we're working on that one.

Most of the time, it's snowing... in this picture, it's not.  So, don't be deceived.

We live in an apartment with a new friend who is also from the U.S.  She's a teacher at an english school.  We have some other friends too who we've been able to have dinner with and play games with.  It's been a fun weekend with them.

So far, jet lag has been the worst part.  It's 9:30pm here while it's afternoon in the U.S.  Other than that, Russia is awesome!  I'm slowly, but surely getting used to things.  Things like:  

- You ALWAYS take your shoes off when you enter a house... 

- You don't need to throw away your trash at a food court.  They have people who do that for you.

- Using the trams/buses, there's a good chance you'll be standing out in the cold to wait for one.

- Tea is awesome! (but I already knew that)

There's other things, but I'm too tired to think of them right now.  I'll have some good stories by next Sunday.  

до свидания!

(pronouce: "dasvedAnya")

Packing Our Bags...

We leave for Russia in just a couple days!  We're really excited.  There were some complications with our visas (we almost thought we wouldn't be going to Russia), but everything finally worked out.

Time to pack up!  We've been told of the extreme cold in Russia so we've packed our boots, thick scarves, mittens, wool socks, sweaters, and under armour.  I'm hoping to get a real russian hat when we get there... but don't you worry, I have a temporary hat I can use until then.  We found an article titled "Twelve Russian Fashion Rules."  They say that if you don't wear a hat you will get meningitis.  Also, fur hats protect your head from falling icicles.  So, yeah, I'm getting a fur hat.  No meningitis or icicle injuries for me, thank you very much.

Hey I found this cool gadget (it's on the left sidebar) that allows you to enter your email so you can be updated whenever I write a new post.  Feel free to check that out. :)

That's all the news I have for now.  I'm planning on writing a postcard every Sunday, but that could change depending on where and when we have internet.  Gotta be flexible.

Remember:
- us as we fly out sometime in the next week!
- the purpose of our trip...
- the Strength that will carry us through it all.

Thanks for supporting and remembering us!!