First Week
I've been in Moscow now over a week. It's been a pretty weird adjustment. The hardest part has been dealing with all this free time. I know that sounds really weird. I'm not used to this free time concept. For me, I am literally busy from the moment I wake up until the moment I tuck myself in at night. Here, I have this abundance of alone time. Because it's usually such a rarity, last week I felt like I constantly needed to be doing SOMETHING. I did a lot of coffee shopping, bar hopping, and restaurant eating. My classes didn't start until mid-week....so, yeah. Doing stuff alone can be REALLY boring. Honestly, I feel really lonely. I'm not used to being somewhere without a single friend. My roommate is awesome, but she doesn't drink (she's allergic!) and never goes out. I don't have a problem with this, but I really thought having a roommate in college would automatically give me a built-in margarita partner every now and then again. I went home this past weekend because I was missing my family SO much. I haven't been sleeping well here. Maybe it's because I'm not used to sleeping alone or I just can't let my guard down, but I went home and was passed out on the couch within the first hour. Sleeping with my husband after not having his snuggles for a week was glorious. I won't go home again until the 20th - mostly because the trip is so exhausting and time consuming (travel-wise). The kids got bored with me within minutes of me being home, which is kind of a good thing...this means they aren't traumatized by me being gone, I suppose. This week, I'll be home more. For one, I need to spend less money. For two, drinking really hurt my stomach last week. I don't think I've ever drank so much in one week. Not to say I went on a binge, but I am not used to having one or two drinks a night. Also, we have this amazing student rec center for free that I want to start using daily to kill some of this time that I suddenly have. Classes, like spinning and pilates, are offered for only 3 bux. This means I can attend 3 classes a week for less than what a membership would cost. However, tonight I was set on attending a spinning class and got two steps out of my door and was greeted by icy 20 mph wind and immediately went back to my apartment. My feet are my only transportation right now, so....this definitely makes things harder. I can't just be somewhere within 2 minutes and if the weather is bad, I have to think about coming home too. I don't want to be walking home at night, sweaty and in the middle of a blizzard. I start a new job calling donors and attempting to squeeze dollars out of their pocketbook at the end of this month. I am really anxious to start contributing financially. Having to support two households isn't cheap! Thank god tax season is near.