Sochi, spring, and the summer semester!

So it has been a while since anything noteworthy happened. But THEN I went to Sochi for spring break and things got awesome. Think Russia, then take Russia and put it on a beach resort next to the Black Sea with mountains and tropical plants and nice people and the 2014 winter Olympics. That's right, it was killer. Unbelievably pretty, great weather, cute little house to stay in. In general, there are no gray concrete buildings in Sochi. No apartment buildings at all, really. And no centuries-old churches. Those of you who have been to Russia are now asking yourself, was she really in Russia? Yeah! I was! We found the Russian city where houses are shabby but adorable, painted bright colors with weird additions and balconies and bright blue roofs spread out all over the mountains.

The traffic is awful, I'll give you that, but somehow it isn't as bad being stuck in a traffic jam while gazing out over cliffs and palm trees and sparkling blue water. The city is the longest city in Europe, and nature is incorporated everywhere; there are flowers and trees and bushes everywhere, and big parks and nature reserves everywhere. People sell shish-kababs and Georgian food on all the streets. There is also cool shopping, an amusement park in the middle of town, an indoor water park up on a mountain, the list goes on... I tell you, even the gloomy Russian national character couldn't hold up against the luxury of living on the water. People are nice! Average salaries are also much higher than they are in Vladimir and rooms are not much more expensive. The current plan is to back and live/work there the year of the winter Olympics. Right now a lot of construction is being done, so hopefully the traffic situation will even be better by then.

Some notes about traveling in Russia: you need your ticket to LEAVE the bus or train station after you get off the train. Yeah. Right? How weird is that? My question is, what if you had already thrown the ticket away?

Also, people burst into applause after the pilot lands a plane. Let me tell you, that didn't make me feel good the first time I heard it. I don't want a safe landing to be hailed as an unexpected achievement...

So now it is just 6 weeks until I am done working here and (after 2 weeks of traveling) heading home! And I can't wait!