Russia is a Bit Different
I have now been in the beautiful city of Voronezh for a full week, and I am loving it. We've been at the school everyday this week. The school is a cute little building with more small chairs than big chairs, which can cause a problem when you wear a skirt everyday. The group of teachers that I am with are super great, and I'm convinced we have the best head teacher of all time.
Now I guess I'll answer the question "What's different in Russia?"
1. Well the first and most obvious difference is the language. I never know what anyone is saying. Russian is a hard language and I'm still trying to master the alphabet. My favorite moments are when the word in Russian sounds the same as it does in English. "Cafe" and "doctor" are words that I actually know, and that's pretty cool. Also, McDonald's is still pronounced the same and some of the food is the same too. I can order a chicken sandwich very well, but once they start asking other questions I'm lost. My host mother speaks very little English and I just know a few words in Russian, none of which are extremely helpful, so communication has been very fun.
2. Going along with that, McDonald's is better in Russia. Even if they play weird music, their food just trumps American McDonald's.
3. Also, Snickers in Russia are divine. They are so much better than in the States. I don't know how or why, I just know that they are.
4. People here really dig patterns and prints. You see them everywhere: wall paper, curtains, shoes, and especially clothing. Some moments are just like “I really love the way you ‘matched’ those polka dots and animal print with floral and stripes!”
5. Honestly, the city is just a lot more charming than anything I've seen before. It's old and almost run-down, but in the most adorable way.
6. The buildings are magnificent and grand. You don't just see cathedrals everyday in America, but you do here. Even the building I went to church in was amazing. It was kind of like a "Wait, I get to go to church here?" moment.
7. Their toilets are smaller, and they flush for a very long time. They also have toilet paper that reminds me of party streamers, but hey, I guess it works. All the washing machines I've seen are a lot smaller too, and they usually don't have dryers. Their garbage cans are so small compared to the ones in America. Even on the streets they are about the same size as a small trash can in the States.
8. I'm not sure if this is just a Voronezh thing, but there are a lot of monuments everywhere. Mostly about the war.
9. The serving sizes are generally smaller
10. Taking the bus everywhere is just different for me. Actually, I almost enjoy squishing onto the hot, smelly bus with other people as it speeds through lanes of traffic. I know that basically anywhere I want to go is only 15 rubles away.
11. The driving here is crazy. It's kind of like this:Imagine Utah driving: the confusing roads, the crazy drivers, and sometimes the traffic. Now take out most of the rules and add more honking. Welcome to Russia. When you walk across the crosswalk, you just act confident and walk. Some of the cars don’t even slow down, they just pull into the other lane and zip past, or see how close they can get to you before stopping. It's fun stuff.
The food in Russia is awesome. My host mother cooks breakfast and dinner for me everyday, and the receptionist at the school makes us lunch. They are both really good cooks and I love just about everything they make. (My host mother is pretty much the coolest.) I've gotten to the point where I don't even try to figure out what I'm eating anymore. I just eat it. And as long as my mother keeps trying to give me fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries I'll be happy. Also, did I mention we have the cutest kitchen ever? Because we do.
And I think I found my new love. It's called компот (Kompot) and it's the best drink ever.
So that's my little update about Russia and how cool Voronezh is. It almost feels like a second home already, but its only been a week.
Now I guess I'll answer the question "What's different in Russia?"
1. Well the first and most obvious difference is the language. I never know what anyone is saying. Russian is a hard language and I'm still trying to master the alphabet. My favorite moments are when the word in Russian sounds the same as it does in English. "Cafe" and "doctor" are words that I actually know, and that's pretty cool. Also, McDonald's is still pronounced the same and some of the food is the same too. I can order a chicken sandwich very well, but once they start asking other questions I'm lost. My host mother speaks very little English and I just know a few words in Russian, none of which are extremely helpful, so communication has been very fun.
2. Going along with that, McDonald's is better in Russia. Even if they play weird music, their food just trumps American McDonald's.
3. Also, Snickers in Russia are divine. They are so much better than in the States. I don't know how or why, I just know that they are.
4. People here really dig patterns and prints. You see them everywhere: wall paper, curtains, shoes, and especially clothing. Some moments are just like “I really love the way you ‘matched’ those polka dots and animal print with floral and stripes!”
5. Honestly, the city is just a lot more charming than anything I've seen before. It's old and almost run-down, but in the most adorable way.
6. The buildings are magnificent and grand. You don't just see cathedrals everyday in America, but you do here. Even the building I went to church in was amazing. It was kind of like a "Wait, I get to go to church here?" moment.
7. Their toilets are smaller, and they flush for a very long time. They also have toilet paper that reminds me of party streamers, but hey, I guess it works. All the washing machines I've seen are a lot smaller too, and they usually don't have dryers. Their garbage cans are so small compared to the ones in America. Even on the streets they are about the same size as a small trash can in the States.
8. I'm not sure if this is just a Voronezh thing, but there are a lot of monuments everywhere. Mostly about the war.
9. The serving sizes are generally smaller
10. Taking the bus everywhere is just different for me. Actually, I almost enjoy squishing onto the hot, smelly bus with other people as it speeds through lanes of traffic. I know that basically anywhere I want to go is only 15 rubles away.
11. The driving here is crazy. It's kind of like this:Imagine Utah driving: the confusing roads, the crazy drivers, and sometimes the traffic. Now take out most of the rules and add more honking. Welcome to Russia. When you walk across the crosswalk, you just act confident and walk. Some of the cars don’t even slow down, they just pull into the other lane and zip past, or see how close they can get to you before stopping. It's fun stuff.
The food in Russia is awesome. My host mother cooks breakfast and dinner for me everyday, and the receptionist at the school makes us lunch. They are both really good cooks and I love just about everything they make. (My host mother is pretty much the coolest.) I've gotten to the point where I don't even try to figure out what I'm eating anymore. I just eat it. And as long as my mother keeps trying to give me fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries I'll be happy. Also, did I mention we have the cutest kitchen ever? Because we do.
And I think I found my new love. It's called компот (Kompot) and it's the best drink ever.
(My little sister Zhenya)
Aw, I just saw this! I love it! You are the coolest, Kyanna!
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