Time is Ticking Away

Everything seems to take more time here. Let me tell you about grocery shopping. First there are LOTS and LOTS of little shops everywhere. You can pick up the basics really easily. Bread, milk, butter, tea, cookies, etc. It’s a bit scary to comment that usually an ENTIRE wall is taken up with beer and alcohol. I’m really not kidding that it’s easily a third of most stores. Anyway. So, Amy and I went to this store nearby called Passazh. It’s a really convenient and wonderful grocery store (with carts and everything). It’s a bit more expensive I think though – but I’m just starting to do comparison shopping. The first issue is just deciding what we’re going to eat. I’m trying to make sure to try something new every day – and then to continue trying something new at least on a weekly basis… probably more frequently, but small goals first. And I’m allowing myself to eat one meal every week that’s just straight up American feeling. So – we were shopping and we found several items. Then you realize that you just bought a can of vegetables. And you can’t open them without the can opener. So you go in search of that. Then you want some salt and you realize that you don’t have a salt container (still don’t have one of those). The bread is incredible, baked fresh every day – but you cut it yourself at home, and I just don’t seem to have the skill perfected yet to cut it very thin. (like just under an inch – but it makes MARVELOUS grilled cheese). So you finally go to the checkout counter – freak out that you can spend just as much money buying food in Russia as you did in America and the clerk really doesn’t make change… she wants you to search through every single coin that you have to find a single kopeek coin that’s worth about 1/30th of one cent!

Then you have to carry all of it home… on foot.

Oh, and you haven’t started cooking yet! I’m really loving it to be honest. The pace of life is just really different and my multi-tasking self is really being stretched and I’m learning so much about patience. With myself as much as with the new culture.

Thanks for all of your prayers.