Back to Business Lunch 021006

Hi, Folks--
Well, I'm back in Moscow. It is not as bad as I always dread it to be. Yes, it is ridiculously cold. It is so cold that if I breathe through my mouth it makes my lungs hurt for 15 minutes.

I am staying at the Holiday Inn. As I said before, it is the nicest Holiday Inn that I have ever seen. Last night, my jet lag kicked in. I was away from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. When my alarm went off this morning, I really didn't want to get up. I went down and had breakfast. I must say breakfast at the Holiday Inn isn't even in the same league as the Hotel J. Also, breakfast at the Marriott Grand in Moscow is better. I really miss the pastries at the Grand. I guess it is better for me this way anyway--back to my Russian diet--Diet Coke and Dentyne. Well, I had my fruit. It is some of the most expensive fruit that I have ever had. Breakfast at the Holiday Inn sets you back 600 RUR. This computes to $21.23 with today's exchange rate.

After my breakfast, I went to the lobby to wait for my driver. There I met an Asian-German. He is originally from China but lives in Bavaria. Very nice guy. He is in Moscow for the first time to help his compatriots with some software issues. He doesn't speak Russian and is having quite a time of it. I offered to help him out over the weekend. I should really start charging for my services… every time I come to Russia, I am Amanda, Moscow tour guide.

So, when I arrived at the lobby, it was 8:00 a.m. I was expecting my driver at 8:30 a.m. "Vociem Tree-dset -- Normalnaya" according to Sergei. So 8:30 a.m. comes and goes. No Sergei. So, I wander outside at 8:35 a.m. He is outside in the car. I miss Yuri who comes in and gets me and looks happy to see me. I open the door and get in. I miss Yuri who locks the door so he has to open it for me. Driving with Sergei is interesting. When he passes he flashes his lights and beeps. I miss Yuri who never drives crazy, flashing his lights and beeping. We don't really talk much on the way to work. Sergei turns on the radio. The music sets an interesting tone in which to watch the comings and goings of daily life in Russia. I miss Yuri who always has some funny story or joke to tell me on the way to work. Even though I only get it 2 out of 3 times, I always laugh. I get to work. Sergei waves bye. I miss Yuri who puts on the child locks so he has to open the door for me and tells me to have a good day.
**The picture is of how I should go to work. Haha.

I wonder if the difference in the drivers is not due to their age. Sergei is in his late thirties/early forties. He is married, but his only child passed away about 2 years ago when she was 12 of some illness that I am unable to translate. He is shorter than I am and of normal build. He has dark hair and eyes, a mustache and wears a ski cap. Yuri is in his early 60s. He has a daughter that is only days older than I am and another daughter that is older. He has grandchildren. He is bald with white/grey hair on the sides and blue/grey eyes. He usually does not smile except when I talk to him. He is taller than I am and a little on the heavier side (well for a Russian) and wears a driving cap and leather gloves. I think he takes great pride in his work. Hopefully, he will be back from vacation soon!

It is actually quite comforting to see the pink building that almost feels like my normal work office. The hallway in the office smells reeks like wet cigarettes. It is disgusting. I enter the office and talk to the receptionist. I ask which room I'm in "shest-nadset" (16). I ask if I can't have "vociem-adyen" (21)--the one I had last time. It is the perfect size and already set up. No, it is not in the book that way. So, they kick the English class out of 16, while 21 is empty and unscheduled for the next week. The room is not set up for my purpose. There are none of the cords that I need. I wait another hour as they attempt to find the cords that I need. They probably went to 21 to get them for me. I know that the rest of next week, I will have people walking into my room looking for the English class. This is the part of Russia that drives me crazy and convinces me that they will never truly advance. Why couldn't they just change the danged book? The security guard that I guess is D's age stares at me during this whole exchange. He watches me like people watch the tigers at the zoo. He looks at me this way whenever, I leave my room.

So, I go to begin my work. It seems that everyone I need to talk to is out with the flu today. It is okay. I have tons of other work to catch up on. I just hope they all get back soon.

I went back to good old ЛаньЧ today. I had a great server. She even got me some regular roasted chicken. I also had a "Ragu" of vegetables. It was okay… Mainly cabbage, potatoes, peas and carrots in a sauce that I have no clue what it is made of. I had a rice piroshki and a salad. Overall, it was a good lunch. One of the funny things is that Business Lunch has a website: http://www.best-lunch.ru/ In the website, it looks much spiffier than it is. Now, I can look at the menu and translate before I go, instead of guessing or asking them which one is chicken.

So, in my list tradition, here we go...
Weird things about Russia:
-The mayonnaise is light yellow.
-The ketchup is as thick as tomato paste.
-There are olives and capers on the breakfast bar.
-They eat sour cream with everything.
-Their "cottage cheese" looks like whipped cream.
-They have prune flavored yogurt and prunes in syrup at breakfast.
-None of the teenagers look like D.

-The men wear pointy (and I mean pointy) dress shoes.
-Everything smells weird, except the bathrooms which smell quite nice. The maids here clean them after every person!
-None of the girls are as pretty as Frieda. Maybe it is because they all look like they want to scrap and are dressed like Atlantic City hookers.
-It is acceptable to wear leather pants and see through shirts to work.
-South Park and Life or Something Like It are shown on MTV.
-They have some serious Olympic fever. There is something about the Olympics on every channel. Last night, I watched a Russian Olympic party. They had singers and dancers and "famous people" and Russian Olympians. What a party! One thing I noticed though. Lip synching in Russia is definitely not the crime it is in America.
-Everyone carries plastic bags.
-Did you ever notice most of the fur hats don't cover your ears? Hmm… Seems like a waste.
-Oh, here is a weird thing that I noticed in Sweden… None of the women had big diamonds in their engagement rings. And, I checked out the jewelry store and none of the jewelry had big stones. AND in the front window they didn't have big engagement rings or big diamonds… only little earrings and stuff. Weird! Jerry, did you get off easy? Is that why you are marrying a Swedish girl?

Anyway, I am really chatty lately. I'm not sure what my plans are this weekend. I was thinking of staying in and reading. Maybe I will try to get to Bolshoi theatre, but it is a bit pricy!
I'd better get to work!
Amanda