#russianproblems

“она очень просила меня об этом.”

I haven't properly blogged in forever, and I decided it was time to change that. Since moving to Moscow, my blog has been attracting a lot of followers who are also interested in either Russia, traveling, or salsa dancing (or all of the above), and as much as I'm happy and grateful for the audience, I think the character of my blog has changed as a result of this. I have become more and more resistant to pouring out my candid thoughts. My blog has slowly morphed into something closer to Instagram: pictures with a few words. But this is not at all what I want. I have a voice, and I intend to use it. 

So update:

I have started taking a Russian class at my company (we teach both Russian and English). I had been resistant to this for a long time, because it involves me commuting all the way to central Moscow for my class in the morning and then going all the way back to the periphery of Moscow to teach. It's a long day. But I felt like I was getting stuck with the self study and I needed a change. I took a placement test since I've been studying Russian on my own for a few months now. I was nervous about the test because my Russian is not at all what you would call good. Yet anyway. But somehow I managed to answer a lot of questions about my family, and my roommate and my apartment, and show that I know the past tense and can somewhat, kind of decline in 3 cases. So I was placed into the second level of Russian! Going into class that first day reminded me of a memory from a few years ago, when I was recruited to be a violist in a performance of Mendelssohn's octet. I am not a violist; I am a violinist. I had never touched a viola and I couldn't even read alto clef. But due to a violist shortage my deficiencies were overlooked. On the first day of rehearsal the other violist (who is a real violist, and is now a professional) sat down next to me and seemed surprised to see me in the viola section. "Since when do you play viola?!?!" 

"Um..since last Friday." I answered. He did not seem at all happy to have such an incompetent 2nd violist. And indeed I did spend the entire week pretending I was comfortable when I wasn't. (I had to write all the fingerings in my part, because I couldn't even read the music..)

this awkward moment then russians write me in english …;)

anyway I’ll answer ‘cause i receive a lot of questions about it. and the answer is…. I have no fucking idea what’s wrong with our governments

I mean it’s very ironic that in a country where all types of offencive jokes based on stereotypes are totally ok and no one takes them seriously they try to prevent …well… I don’t know.. being gay?