"The New Soviet Woman"

Sorry that I have not written in about a week, but the wireless that I had in my apartment has decided to stop existing. Therefore, I am now forced into working at McDonald's or internet cafes (and yes I understand that there is some irony behind spending all of my time in McDonald's while living in the former Soviet Union.)

Even though my apartment is without internet, the experience of living in a host family has been wonderful. I am very much getting the whole Russian experience and at the same time realizing how different my living experience would have been just a few years ago. I am living with my host mom, Victoria, her 15 year-old son, Pasha (Pavel,) her dog, Lala, and her cat, Tihan. So far living with a host family as taken away any feelings of homesickness I may have.

The apartment is very typically Russian. It is located in a large group of Soviet era apartment buildings, directly outside of the center of the city. Vika is the incredibly overbearring mother that I never had. For example, yesterday, she did not see me eat breakfast and then I left to watch a movie at a friend's apartment. She proceeded to call me three times to make sure that I ate because she counted the yougurts and thought that I had not eaten one. At the same time, she is very modern in many ways. She is divorced from Pasha's dad and he lives with his dad on the weekends. This arrangement is pretty bold in its own right, but so was the reason for the divorce. She told me that she just didn't want to be her husbands possiension anymore, which is something that many American women refuse to accept every day. She runs a hair salon out of our kitchen and has a boyfriend who comes by a few times a week. His name is Victor and he is a real Russian bear, but is also very nice. Although, all he ever ants to talk about is American hockey, a subject I am not all that knowledgeable about. One night at dinner I was only able to come up with, "Wanye Gretsky is Canadian and played when I was little."

I also live with the aforementioned 15 year-old Pasha. I would compare him to an American 15-year old, but I have never spent an extended with one so I don't really know ho to do that. He plays computer games a lot, but I think kids in America do that to. He is very nice to me and his mother which is apparently a really big deal here because I hear that most 15 year-olds here are chain smokers and already have a few kids. So I am lucky to be living with such a good egg.

I am happy to be living with a family that is so uniquely Russian and modern at the same time. Plus, the adorable kitty and puppy don't hurt either.