Remembering Grandpa Larry...

This is a picture of my grandpa Larry after his second hip replacement... what a guy. You'll be sorely missed... and loved forever. xox

Gustav Lawrence Osberg
July 9, 1917- January 28 2008

Overcoming the gloooms

I am slowly getting over the jet lag - sleeping around seven hours straight now - but I'm still up at six, blech. The last few days have been dark and gloomy and I can see why Russian people seem to be so down (or why they drink so much?) I've started to feel a little socially isolated as I haven't had any luck with meeting any English speakers... until two days ago! The lady who owns the apartment came over to deal with our busted washing machine, and her grandson came along. So my first Russian friend is 11 years old and his name is Max. We had to use the dictionary a LOT but his English was far better than my Russian and we were able to communicate... choppy communication. He kept calling her baboushka which I thought was so cute. He was wearing an NHL toque and when I showed him Steve's Leafs jersey he though it was the coolest thing ever. THere's a hockey team here in town and apparently they're pretty good. They've won the RUssian championship 3 times since 2000, and most games are sold out. So Max invited me to go and watch the game with him but I had to decline - I had dinner in the oven... BUT! he came over unannounced yesterday with a ticket for the game tonight - so cute! So I'm going to the hockey game with Max tonight. Steve and Freddy (other Canadian guy who plays on the volleyball team) bought tickets for the three of us yesterday afternoon so I am double booked... what a social life! Steve is training really hard, with two practises a day every day, so it seems like he's spending more time at the gym than he is at home, boo. I am missing the fresh produce that we have in Canada and that we've enjoyed in all of the other (warm) places we've lived. The fresh vegetables in the grocery store downstairs are carrots, onions and potatoes (do all of those qualify as vegetables?) There are also majorly mushy tomatoes... no good. Nyet karoushi. Something like that. So frozen it is. The fruit isn't bad - long distance bananas from Ecuador and yummy clementines from who knows where. I'm still waiting to hit up the big grocery store which will undoubtedly have more options... and hopefully salad. I haven't had a salad since we left two weeks ago... frozen vegetables just aren't doing it for me. I am also running in the snow... yesterday I felt a bit crazy as it was super cold and not really enjoyable; it was -8 without the windchill and it was pretty windy. I did find a yoga studio in town though, yay! so I'll have to find out where it is and how to get there on the bus. Hopefully it's not too far... Steve and the team have a very important, must-win game this weekend but out of town again. Apparently the team is chartering a plane but it is miniscule and has to stop for gas on the way there! Scary. Here are some pics of the park that's close by, where I go running.

People cross country ski in and around the park, and there's a track around this frozen lake that is usually busy...


The main path through the park...


There is also this AWESOME play castle in there... a kids dream.

Our Neighborhood...

First impressions and observations:
- the mood is a little gloomdoom - the sun doesn't come out too much and people are cold and not friendly; they just seem to be sticking to their own business, no eye contact, smiles or hellos
- people drink beer in public at all times of day - there's a nice park close to our apartment and there are always people walking around (lots of baby carriages) and lots of people walking around drinking beer (baby carriage pushers included)
- people are active - walking, cross country skiing, hockey, soccer (even in the snow)
- women wear faaancy clothes... high heeled boots, fancy jackets and matching hats - no sorels and jeans and oversized down jackets - i stick out
- they love techno... it blares from a speaker in the park

Here are some pics from around the neighborhood



Our apartment building



The front door



The magical garbage chute - takes it all...



women at the market... selling pickles and other things in briney liquids



a very christmasy looking vegetable stand near the market... or at a concentration of these enclosed market stalls

ps I went running today in the snow, AND it was snowing... what is russia doing to me!!?

Slippers in the Weight Room?!?

It was so dark and gloomy today I had to have the lights on almost all day... so no pics of the apartment - I don't want people thinking that we live in a cave. It was windy and cold too, so my only outing was to the gym to lift weights. I was the only woman in there with a dozen burly Russian-looking Russians, none of whom were wearing athletic footwear. Some of them were wearing sandals (with socks ew), and some were wearing bedroom slippers! For real. I wonder if the women wear slippers too - what would the reaction be if I went to work out in fuzzy pink la senza slippers? I'm sure they'd offer great support... and they're just so pretty!! blech. There is only one bicycle in the entire complex and the height can't be adjusted so ... no cardio for me until I get clearance to go in the pool (I hope it's at least 25m... and no I don't have to pass a swimming test - a doctor has to certify that I don't have any weird infectious skin diseases - strange but makes sense maybe??) Apparently they don't do cardio here, though there is a ping pong table in the weight room - maybe that's how they get their heart rates up? Not sure. Hopefully it's nicer tomorrow so I can head downtown, I'm not in to braving the cold for the sake of sightseeing... I'd rather keep my slippers on and stay home ")

Jet Lagged and Reading...

Between the two of us we've brough 12 books here.. .which over the course of our three month stay averages out to a book a week, and I'm already ahead of pace. (This doesn't count the 1000 pages of Urban Geography reading, definitely won't get that done in 3 months...) The jet lag is mean and limiting both of us to three hours of sleep at night and 4 in the morning/early afternoon. Last night I slept from 12 until 4 and didn't fall asleep again until 9... doh! But anyways, I've gotten lots of reading done aleady. Book number one was The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson, a historical fiction about Scandinavian peoples, Vikings etc. and their life and travels. My dad gave it to me because he suspected that Yaroslavl, being situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl rivers, was on an old Viking trade route... and so it is. It was mentioned in the book while the group was heading from the North Sea to Kiev in search of golden treasure... exciting. The second book down was Journey to the Amazon by Don Starkell.... entertaining but what a nutbar... he could have used some lessons in planning and preparation from Captain Osberg.

In Russia...

We are here! Our internet connection is a little shaky but it feels great to be connected and in touch with people. The trip here was great - I love business class! - and didn't seem too long. The drive from Moscow to Yaroslavl was crazy though - the roads were really dark, it was riddled with trucks, black ice and drivers (such as ours) that were doing 160 km/h... scary. We were happy to arrive safely and tuck into fluorescent pink sheets and sleep for 11 hours! Our apartment is nice and big and located on the outskirts of town. The gym is across the road and there's a small grocery store on the corner, but other than that the buildings are mostly residential - huge concrete, Soviet style apartment blocks. My first impression of the overall mood of this place is that it's pretty gloomy... the sun hasn't come out too much, the people seem very cold, and people drink a lot of beer in public. (I went for a run yesterday in the snow!!! and people were out strolling with babies and drinking beer... at 10am.) First impressions though. I don't understand a thing people are saying... nor can I read anything (yet), and not many people speak english... so I anticipate lots of sign language and gesturing to order food and ask questions. Okay... will write more later.. hopefully the internet continues to work!!

On our way...

The last few days have been crazy! The papers that we needed for our visa were sent to Winnipeg and arrived late - after we'd already flown to Toronto. SO after some issues and stress, we got the papers, got the visa (in 3 hours) and are now waiting at the airport for our flight that leaves bientot. Here's a map that I found of European Russia - we are heading to Yaroslavl, a city of about 600,000 located about 250 kms northeast of Moscow. It's not going to be as cold as Winnipeg, but nowhere near as warm as any of the places we have lived so far. Here's the Wikipedia site - I'll be hijacking information and learning about the surrounding area from there for sure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslavl ... will post some pics from Puerto Rico when we get there... and give an update on my first impressions. ")

New Year, New Blogging Habits....

I will post things on here! It's true. I'll post blogs and pics from Christmas, Puerto Rico and RUSSIA... will post soon... Happy 2008!