My first week is being under jet leg, when days and nights are the same – foggy and blurry. The environment outside me does not help. I don’t feel like it’s a real world, being surrounded by gray smog, choking from smoke in my lungs and smelling fire in my nose.
It feels more realistic as if it’s an episode from “Survival”. So, I called my first week in Moscow – Survival.
Episode 1: Arrival
Moscow met us with heavy smog from peat fires burning outside the city. It’s above 100 degrees.
Picture Dante’s travel through Hell in the “Divine Comedy”.
Lucky us - staying in a nice air conditioned apartment. What about most of moscovites that do not have it? They’ve never had a need for them in 1,000 years. The head of RosHydroMet ( Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Services) confirmed that there were no such abnormality in temperature for the last 1,000 years, due to their archive.
You ask me what most moscovites do? – Flea the city. Take vacation, buy hospital “leave of absence” (saw on TV how you can buy one week “being sick” for just over $100). All popular resorts in the nearby proximity are sold out, even with a triple cost. Airlines are overloaded and delayed.
Good news now. Our apartment is located by “Fifth Avenue” – mini Spectrum from Irvine. What a positive sign, visible 24/7. I feel like I’m in both capitals of the world. We just use a magnet card to open the gate from our gated 2-building community to access a few-story complex with a grocery store, cleaner, Starbucks, nice and fast food restaurants, movie theater with few screens, including 3-D and many shops. We’re good!
Episode 3: Shopping
Bed sheets, towels, plates, spoons and forks, knives, sugar, salt…Basic necessities were on my shopping list after we moved into a gorgeous fully furnished apartment.
I started small: exchanged 600 dollars cash into roubles. With a lightning speed I spent all of them at Metro – “Russian Costco” and relied upon my credit card to charge further basic necessity at “Your House” – Твой Дом. I’m just not used to carry more than $500 in my purse yet!
Price shock! How can an ordinary towel cost $60 and comforter set $2,500? Hmmm… my Ralph Lauren comforter set for winter would have cost here $6K. Good thing I shipped it here.
Finished my first day of shopping at IKEA – felt more comfortable there, as if I’m in Costa Mesa at Harbor Blvd. There was the difference there though – if you have their card, you can save up to 30% on some of the items. They don’t do this home, in California.
Episode 3: What Kids Do
In tweet phrase – “they’re on their own”.
Our daughter left to the East Coast of Russia with her friend, the Far East. Needless to say, she's in far best conditions weather-wise and life-style conditions now. Her friend’s father is a Governor and mom is a famous actress and supporter of many foundations in Russia. Both parents are great friends of my husband since college. For the last two days she’s been on a mission trip in taiga – combination of jungles and forest - establishing a new church with educational facility. They will have to sleep in the tent!
Our son spends every day at the hockey rink! It's a heaven for him - so much hockey, the practices are intense. First, it was hard for him, but yesterday he was praised by the coach and offered a spot on the team! We have not even seen him on ice here. He's on his own - making his hockey choices and working hard to be accepted. All other / outside hockey time he spends with his friends at their summer houses - to be away from Moscow....Of course, our hockey friends, are a great help in it - taking Alex with them.
Episode 3: What About Me
I’m better today, after a breakdown yesterday. The lack of service and choices bother me.
We went to buy me a car in Moscow. Nothing I wanted was available until January of 2011. With great nostalgia, I remembered how on my way home from Crystal Cove beach, within a few minutes, I changed Lexus SUV on a 350 E at a Mercedes dealer in Newport Beach, still having sand on my feet. I will have to drive whatever is available now within my budget.
Episode 4: Food & Movies
• Starbucks: 2 Grande iced Mochiattas = $15. Free internet though.
• McDonald’s: There’s a Russian burger called “Royal Deluxe”, not available in America. Very tasty per Alex’s experience. “They also have their own French fries,” - shares Alex – “that is healthier and tastier. The downside is the cost of any sauce = $1. And too crowded!”
• Movie tickets are less expensive, just $9. “Popcorn has another flavor, they call it “sweet”, – shares Alex.
• KFC has its own name in Russia – “Rostiks”! Crowded and slow service. But food is popular.
• Food in grocery stores: a lot of choices in deli section – European cheese, meat. More than in any American deli section. Wines from Italy and France – great choice, great price. Ahhh – Siberian pelmenis and varenikis. The choice of salads and their freshness in American chains supersede anything available here.
Episode5: Top 3 Differences
Per Alex:
1. Weather is worse: none of California fires could have competed with this disaster
2. People are nicer: strangers are very friendly
3. Traffic is horrible: not enough lanes. Drivers break the rules
Alex’s extra one: people in Russia smoke too much, and everywhere!
Per Lana:
1. Too serious, not enough smiling faces
2. Consumers are not spoiled with service
3. Expensive
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