Defeating the Babushki - Attempt at your own Risk!

Reflections on Russia - Defeating the Babushki - Attempt at your own Risk!
Note, this is a feat that should not be attempted at home. It can be considered highly dangerous:
Tonight, for the first time, I feel like I have really accomplished something here in Russia. I have defeated the babushka. Бабушка is the Russia word for grandmother, otherwise known as my hostmom. Babushki are notorious for the incredible amounts of food they lay in front of you at any given meal. It is Russian custom that there always be more food available than you can possibly eat. Russians are often not satisfied until you have eaten so much that you are obliged to leave some amount of food on your plate. Tonight's dinner included many courses: a large sliced tomato and green onion salad, a hefty serving of beef, a plateful of variety of steamed vegetables, a plate of sliced bread and to finish it off, a plate of blini, also known as Russian pancakes. I even put peanut butter on the sliced bread to get some extra protein and enjoy a familiar flavor from home. Thank you to Jessica or whomever previously resided here and left such a large jar of peanut better in the apartment. I have to thank my rigorous workout today for the ability to intake such an incredible amount of calories. Now I must turn to my studies as I await the evening ritual of tea and cream filled croissants or another tasty pastry.

Moscow - Prospective Itinerary (Updated)

PROSPECTIVE ITINERARY

State Tretyakov Gallery
Tsaritsino
The Kremlin (July 4th)
Moscow Museum of Modern Art
Mayakovsky Museum
Red Square (June 26th)
St. Basil's Cathedral (June 26th)
New/Novi Arbat Street
Old/Stari Arbat Street
Pushkin Museum
Museum of the Battle of Borodino
Bolshoi Theater
VDNKh
Vinzavod Gallery
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
Walk down the Moscow River (don't do this)
Gorky Park
Pushkin Square
Leo Tolstoy House Museum
Teremok kiosk-cafe (haha I'm almost positive there are no actual restaurants of this)
Park Pobedy
Circle Line Metros (July 2nd)
Statue Park Garden (where Soviet statues go do die; next to New Tretyakov)
Detskii Mir (you're lucky you already went here, it just closed down today for reconstruction for the next three years) (June 26th)
The Clean Ponds
Moscow Zoo (don't go here)
Kolomenskoe (July 2nd)
Bulgakov Museum (& Patriarch's Pond)
Central House of Artists

Note: Rebecca Johnston was kind enough to fix the many spelling errors contained in the name of sights suggested to me that I had directly copied and pasted from E-mails, Facebook messages and wall posts.

Я в москве!

Привет!

I've arrived safely to Moscow! I thoroughly enjoyed my time in D.C. Taking advantage of the two hours I had before my orientation, I walked the town, 7 miles in total! I headed straight for the monuments. Arriving at the Washington monument, it was to my dismay to find that you could only ascend if you had gotten a ticket at 6am that morning. Given that I was sitting in an airport in North Carolina at this time, that was not an option. Walking around, I asked a nice Texan couple to snap a few photos of me. Circling the monument, the park ranger whom I previously asked about ascending the monument, inquired as to how many were in my party. I replied just me and guess what, she let me go right in! I took some awesome shots from the top of the monument. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I can get internet access on my laptop. Right now I am using a public computer at an internet cafe. While in D.C., I had the pleasure of meeting up with Laura, a study abroad friend of mine with whom I studied in Spain. We went out to enjoy the sights, catch up and walk the monuments at night. The monuments may be even more amazing to look at, illuminated in the night. The following day, we woke up early and departed for the aiport. First, flying from D.C. to Moscow, we didn't make it out of the U.S. until nearly 4:30pm EST! The flight from New York to Moscow was quicker than expected, only about 10 hours. Arriving in Moscow, I was only more than excited. Getting in the van to go to my temporary dorms, the driver turns on the radio and what do I hear? Techno dance music, my favorite! After a lesson in what Moscow traffic can be like, we made it safely to our dorms and headed out on the town to exchange money and to make it to the very internet cafe I am typing this blog post from right now. I'll be sure to post more as soon as I can!

Пока!

MOSCOW - Prospective Itinerary

The list below is a prospective itinerary of places to visit during my semester abroad in Moscow. Do you have any suggestions to add to the list?

MOSCOW
Prospective Itinerary

1. Trtyakovskaya Gellereya / Tretyakov (3 Votes)
2. Tsaritsino (царицыно) Museum-reserve (2 Votes)
3. The Kremlin (2 Votes)
4. Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2 Votes)
5. Mayakovsky Museum
6. Red Square
7. St. Basil Cathedral
8. Arbat Street
9. Pushkin Museum (with Elena Vishnevskaya)
10. Borodinskaya Bitva Museum
11. Bol`woy Teatr
12. VDNH
13. Vinzavod Gallery
14. Hram Hrista Spasitelya
15. Walk down the river Moskva,
16. Gorkogo Park
17. Pushkin
18. Lev Tolsoy Flat
19. Teremok Restaurant
20. Park Pobedi
21. All the circle line metro stations
22. Statue Park
23. детский мир
24. Chistye Prudy
25. Moscow Zoo
26. Kolomenskoe Museum-reserve
27. Bulgakov museum
28. Central House of Artists (across the road from the gorky park)