Culbert Report

Spring is in the air! It's difficult to decide what the best part actually could be. The grass is greener, emerging in places long covered by snow and ice. White and pink blossoms are budding on trees all over the city. Temperatures are on the rise! Dan's been steadily recovering from his winter hibernation, even braving the strange looks from venturing outside with flip-flops. The best part? People are happier. It's so much easier to see smiles from local vendors, women talking and laughing while walking together, and young people dancing and joking in groups together in the park. Spring is a wonderful time in Russia. After so much winter, life is returning in new colors, scents, even faces all over Moscow.

Recently, Dan and I have been thinking though literal translations of conversations we have with people we know here in Moscow. We thought we'd provide you with just that – a literal conversation. Of course, the Russian comes across much better, but a word for word translation can be quite entertaining: Rachel: Hello! Dan: Hi! Rachel: How business of yours? Dan: Everything normally, saved God. And of yours? Rachel: Also normally. Today went you to study of Russian language? Dan: Went. Rachel: Interestingly? Dan: No very. Today we with Tamara Leonidovna busied ourselves with verbs of movement. On example: To go. To go. To go. To go. To go. To go. And to go. Rachel: Nothing to myself! Pitily to me that me no was! Dan: Also to me. Difficult to me to busy myself with Russian language one. But, on own business, to me need was to study, everything equal. Rachel: You I understand. Next one, come! Dan: Let's! Ok, I go store. To us needed some...

Dan and I had the recent privilege of traveling to Boulder for my brother's wedding.  As you can imagine, there are always small things we look forward to doing/seeing/eating while we're home and I thought you'd all like to know what made this trip's top 10!  It goes without saying that time with friends and family, for such a joyful celebration, trumps any kind of list like this one.  We were so grateful for the chance to be home and to share in a day celebrating two of the funniest, well-suited, and wonderful people I know!  Congratulations, Andy and Karyn!  But now... without further ado...   10.  Mexican food is always a must when home in the States.  Hacienda Colorado, as well as Americanized giant burritos available at Q-doba and Chipotle, really hit the spot!  Viva la Mexican food! 9.  Chicken and a Biscuit by Chick-Fil-A is a little known delicacy.  They only serve it during their breakfast hours, but with a little honey on top, it tastes like one of the seven w...

Russians have special traditions involving the buying and giving of flowers for friends and loved-ones. Students and friends here have explained to me multiple times that you one can only purchase and present odd numbers of flowers on special occasions like birthdays and holidays. Even flower shop owners will refuse to sell you an even number of flower stems in a bouquet - it's a very exact and delicate science here.  Even though I'd heard explanations and reasons before, they remained very nebulous and obtuse to me.  "You just don't do it."     On Tuesday, the 30th of March, one day after the tragic metro explosions that shook the city, I finally grasped the full sense of those traditions.  As we boarded our metro wagon, I was alarmed to see passenger after passenger holding two flowers.  Young people had pairs of red carnations; older people had sets of two roses.  I have never in my experience in Russia thus far seen even numbers of flowers in the hands of Ru...

Yeah, it's happened again!

This year, Dan and I took part in our team's tradition of running the Garden Ring around Moscow's center the morning of the 1st.  It's one of the only times a year this run is possible - due to lessened air pollution, little traffic, and few pedestrians out on the streets.  It was entertaining to see so many Moscovites just concluding their New Year's Eve celebrations as we were just beginning our morning run - we were certainly a shock for many!  For those of you who'd like a closer look, here's a link to our run on mapmyrun.com:  http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=294126251184364644 Now, for your viewing pleasure, some footage from the run.  This was just as we popped out of the metro to begin.  It was still fairly dark - the sun wouldn't really rise until closer to our ending time, but we were excited none the less! Our team consisted of two parts, the half-ringers and the full-ringers.  The half-ringers, already in full stride, Liz and Lola, show thei...