Best Eastern Shalyapin Palace Kazan

... the unlimited kindness and generosity of the other people. Take this beautiful young woman in Saint Peterburg: She has been seriously struggling with the financial crisis and you could clearly see that she has hard times at her work. Despite her misery, she insisted me to have a metro token as a present from her so I wouldn't have to queue up for the token in the crowded metro station with my big backpack. If everyone was like her, there would ...

Another Liz note, but this is so true...  In fact it was at our place and most of the blame was on me... I can't cook, what can I say?? How to fail an American Breakfast in Russia 1. Go to the Produkti. Try to find bacon. Try to find sausages. Try to find something that could be a pancake and/or blini mix. Fail. Epic Fail. 2. Find a fifty cent bag of twenty potatoes. Decide to make twenty potatoes' worth ...

... they go.)             So anyway, in a couple of weeks, I will have to sign off of this blogging experience but not to worry, I have a few more ideas up my sleeve AND I am going to Moscow for a few days before I go to Moscow for my last hoorah.  It should be an interesting one, especially considering that I don't really want to go.  I'm sure it will be something really worth writing about.  Poka, my friends!  See you soon!!  Yippee!  

... Good to know.             Iilka then came into our room later on in the evening.  Apparently, she had been thinking about the snow situation.  "Winter has come," she says," from now on you will have to wear your big coats, hats, gloves, and your Russian boots."  And just as an aside note:  All the above-mentioned items have been thoroughly inspected by herself.  Iilka went through it all and the whole time felt the need ...

... Obama's lack of experience and nothing really to form an opinion for herself.  If she had all the facts for both candidates and then made up her mind for Obama then so be it and I would never debate with her, but she speaks with such authority and she is so sure, but she is sure about nothing.  It is frustrating but I think she walked away from this conversation with a new understanding that all is not what it seems to be and not all ...

... woke her up).  We then ate breakfast and Kristen got out her computer and began to watch a movie.  I couldn't believe it.  It has been cold and rainy here for the last three weeks and a beautiful day had come and she wants to watch movies.  I wouldn't have it.  I got ready and headed out.  I then realized that I should have stayed in.  Something was amiss and I couldn't quite put my foot on it.              First off I noticed a different caliber of people in ...

... at all to what she was referring, but found out that her son, Idgay was also sick in the stomach like I was.  Anything that affects Idgay is not good.  I mean, he is their only son and they had him really late in life so if he ain't feeling well then no one is feeling well. (btw, this is as rare as a albino kangaroo.  She does not get "feisty" I have no idea what her problem was that day.)             However, in a stunning turn of attitude that would constitute ...

... The guys are just as bad and maybe even worse.  They always have nice slacks, polished dressed shoes, and a really nice shirt. They too check themselves in the mirror all the time and honestly they have no qualms about anything. Walk down the street and you see these men carrying their wives/girlfriends purses (which are the size of a small suitcase and shiny as the sun) and even if they are by themselves, they carry bags from stores like riv goush (which is a cosmetic ...

... knowledge of Russian when it comes to train stations and asking for tickets, but what you don't realize is that after you tell the lady where you want to go then she answers you and it is usually rather quickly.  She asks you questions and spews out numbers at the speed of light and no matter how prepared you think you were, you weren't.  By the way, they never know a word of English and neither does anyone at the info desk so you do what all North Carolinians ...

... and everyone is looking at me like I am insane because, as usual, I am in a café having this conversation and there is no such thing as a no one overhearing what you are saying here. Mom knew that they had no premade crusts, it just slipped her mind but when a person is living in such extreme conditions, it is hard to think that no one understands them but yourself. I know that previously I wrote about supermarkets being in every building, however, ours went out of business ...