So, I am re-vamping my old blog (which, as you can see, I was not terribly successful at keeping up) and starting a new blog in which I shall attempt to document my move to and discovery of the great Mother Russia. That's right folks, we're moving to that mysterious land of frigid winters, the birthplace of Socialism, where East meets West, land of kvas and vodka, babushkas and nesting dolls, and grumpy people wrapped in dead animals. I'm trying to write all my stereotypes now so that hopefully I can look back in about a year from now and see how simplistic my view of Russia was and how much I've learned in the meantime. This is of course my hope. Maybe Russians will turn out to fit their stereotypes quite snugly, who knows? Actually, that brings up the point that I really know almost nothing about this huge and very old land and its people apart from the few 19th century Russian novels I've read and the book Natasha's Dance (which is a very nice cultural history of Russia if you care to learn something). I don't even know how to say almost anything in Russian and reading Cyrillic is like being a small child again, sounding out every word. Guess I'll have to learn quickly, because it'll be up to me to do the shopping and getting around by myself while Petr works his butt off with the ambassador. He too has a huge learning curve to overcome in the next couple of months. He'll have to communicate every day in Russian, while figuring out the working system of the embassy. And he'll have to learn fast to keep up with the ambassador's demands. Not enviable.
But, in reference to the title of this post, we will have to adapt quickly because we FINALLY got our visas after much waiting and anticipation. This means that we will leave soon, depending on when the moving truck can come and pick up our stuff. At the earliest, we are looking at Monday the 11th of October. At the latest, the 18th. Either way, it's coming up. I'm getting excited because it's starting to feel real for me, whereas before it was almost theoretical. But with the visas in our hands, it's tangible. I still don't think it will hit me that I've actually committed myself to four years in Moscow until I'm there, looking at all the strange signs which I can't read and hearing the unfamiliar language which sounds somehow close to Czech but at the same time is so far from understandable. And I've got this feeling lurking in the back of my mind that I should slow down and savor my last days in Prague, the city that I love so much. I should be mourning at least a little, because I know I'll miss it later, once it's gone. But my natural tendency towards impatience makes me want to leave NOW because I'm tired of waiting. I'm not even sure what I'm rushing into, but I can't help my desire to leap into the unknown. I've always been like this. Luckily, I don't regret easily, or rather, I don't let myself regret my decisions because I think it's a waste of time. What's done is done, now find what is good about the situation you've gotten yourself into. Poor Petr is the opposite. He doesn't take leaps. He makes carefully considered decisions and is very prone to regret, or at least to thinking about what might have been if.... I think he is already missing his family and his country and we haven't even left yet! Good thing he's got me- I'm an expert by now at moving around and my philosophy on the matter helps me get through the times when I miss things from the past: it doesn't help to yearn for that which you cannot have, or try to imitate a version of "home" when you are abroad- because in my experience it will never be the same. The best thing is to find what is special about the place you are in now and learn to love it. Chances are that when you leave that place, even if you are going back to your home country, you will miss those things you learned to love as much as the familiar things from home. In this way, you can feel comfortable anywhere in the world.
Anyways, we'll see how well we manage. I'm sure that this journey will not be without its bumps, and I'm sure you'll hear a lot of complaints from me, but I hope I can balance these with stories of positive experiences. I'm already determined to stay as positive as I can about Russia. It's not helpful when you tell people you are moving to Moscow and all they say is "OH! Um, that'll be interesting..." or tell you horror stories from their friends or even personal unpleasant experiences. Whatever. I'm a firm believer that the mentality with which you go into something is more important than the actual environmental circumstances. You have a choice to view things in a positive or negative light. I choose the former, and that's why I'm confident that everything is gonna be alright.
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