Goodbye Moscow

Being able to explore another culture has been such an incredible experience. I cannot express how thankful I am to the Fabers and my parents for giving me such an amazing opportunity. Throughout the course of my trip I have experienced the beauty of Russia, and the pride its country has. I have enjoyed exploring the city and learning more about the history of its nation. There is a lot of culture within Russia, and I am so thankful I was able to experience it personally. I have enjoyed trying to overcome the challenges that arise while being in a foreign country. I have learned so much in the past couple weeks, and I would not trade my experiences for anything in the world. I am very sad that I have to say goodbye to Moscow tomorrow, but I hold on to the hope that someday I will be able to visit again. I am so grateful that God has blessed me with such amazing people, who have allowed me to explore more of His creation. I will remember this trip as long as I live.

This is a List of Things I Experienced for the First Time While in Russia: 

*flying alone and flying internationally 

*riding the metro - the first time I swiped my metro card I could not figure out how to do it so the guards had to come help me so I would stop holding up the line

*riding in a train

*riding a public bus

*being in a foreign country overseas

*touring/seeing a palace

*seeing onion domes

*touring cathedral churches

*watched a rated R movie - The Matrix

*seeing a circus

*touring a music conservatory

*experiencing a brand new culture

These are Various Foods I Tried Over the Course of My Visit:

   *Indian

-butter chicken 

-chicken vindaloo 

-chicken biriani

-samosa - bread stuffed with mysterious vegetables and meat 

-naan - soft pita bread 

   *Georgian

-xinkali - dumpling filled with juice and meat

-khachapuri - cheese pizza bread

-chicken 

-cream soda

-tarragon cream soda

-eggplant roll

   *Russian

-syrniki - cottage cheese pancake

-borsch - beet soup

-hot chocolate - Americans drink hot cocoa, Russians drink hot chocolate

-dill salad - salad made only of pickles (not good)

-pelmeni - dumplings

-blini - Russian crepes

-shashlik - meat on a stick

-chak chak (national Russian sweet)

-Russian chocolate

   *Baked

-chocolate and vanilla ballet cupcakes

-homemade chocolate chip vanilla malts

-homemade mint oreo chocolate ice cream

-tiramisu

-edible cookie dough balls

-puppy chow

-no-bake cookies

-zucchini bread

Cultural Things I Noticed:

*Russians like synchronized clapping - Elena pointed this out to me  : )

*Russians like carrying bouquets of flowers - Maddie and I counted 107 throughout the two weeks I was here

*babushkas are old Russian women - sometimes very tough and grumpy

*Moscow is very into Ballet - the Bolshoi theater is famous for its 4 degree incline making it easier to see all the dancers

*a lot of Russians can speak English - it is becoming a universal language

*many Russians are quiet and quick on the metro

*a lot of Russian women have bangs cut straight across their face

*many Russian women wear high heels ALL THE TIME 

*the parks are very well kept and beautiful

*you are required to wear a headscarf in many traditional churches - babushkas also like to wear them

*Russians really like dill, they put it on everything

*they have a lot of culture as far as traditional clothing and objects

*some of the buildings look old and beat up on the outside, but are very nice on the inside

*lots of cigarette smoking

*not many places to buy clothing

*metro system is amazing and well cared for

*metro is very busy during rush hour - we were all waddling like penguins   

*lots of history and monuments in Russia

*very proud of their country - a lot of people wore Russia shirts, especially from the Olympics 

Park Pobedy (Victory Park)

The Bolshoi

St. Isaac's Cathedral

~ Hannah (Thank You Fabers!)