#6 - Five Months In...

Famous department store, GUM, situated on Red Square

5 Months in Moscow

OK, so I know it's been a long time since my last update. Sorry for the lag but somehow life took over and suddenly several months of have gone by! But you all are probably wondering if we worked out all of our apartment issues. To answer that question, all I need to say is that the handyman knows us so well that he doesn't even knock before he enters anymore. Yes, he is a regular fixture in our home but luckily I quite like him as a person - even though he really doesn't ever truly fix anything. My list of things to "finish" hasn't changed much since even the first month and instead it grows. He stops by, takes my list, maybe does one thing, and then suddenly he is gone. But since our Monaco-based landlady owns at least 3 large apartments in our building, he's around often, often analyzing the shared pipes we have with the currently unoccupied neighboring apartment. Andrew and I always wonder what will happen when that gets rented and two apartments are pulling off of the same water heater!

In any case, overall I have just come to terms with the fact that each week I will scream in frustration about something not working - hot water coming out of Izzy's toilet, needing to drain some random pipe from our clothes dryer or not being able to control the floor heat and using the air conditioner each night - in the winter! The benefit of knowing the handyman so well, however, is that we have his lovely daughter, Paulina, as a sitter/cleaning lady and that we get keys to the neighboring apartment to have two ovens at our disposal during large dinner parties. Oh, and when he does come over, because he knows I think the garbage walk of shame is so ridiculous, he makes that trip for us (but not at night, 'cause that's "bad luck").

6 hours of the movers unwrapping, 1 week to put it all in place

So, yes, we have started to make a home of our new digs. Not only was that aided by the arrival of our container 2 months after our move, but also we have started adopting local ways of life. And beyond learning how to pay bills (I have to check at a local kiosk if we have money left on our cell phones or Internet and add cash accordingly - yes, as you can imagine, a couple of times our Internet has suddenly stopped working), where to get our hair cuts and the best supermarkets (the same chain does not always carry the same items), I dove right in and (ripping off band aide... wait for it...) hired a personal driver! I know, I know, especially not working yet I will admit that this feels beyond indulgent, but after a few weeks of taking multiple forms of transport just for a short meeting at the girls school or waiting in traffic or picturing myself trying to figure out how to drive in a city where there aren't always clear parking and driving rules (see photo of one method of parking when your car won't fit), I went for it, and I just LOVE IT!

this car pulled in 45 degrees to park,
and is blocking a lane of traffic

Let me give you just a taste of what my driver (Igor) does and maybe you won't judge so harshly. Laying all cards on the table I will admit that the girls take a bus (which we pre-paid for the entire year) to and from school as long as they have no after school activities. But, even still, at least twice a week he picks them up from school (without me), sometimes a friend or two if there is a play date. He takes me to meetings around the city, including at the school which, with traffic, can mean either a 20-minute drive or an hour, he checks on the balances of our bills, gets dry cleaning and dog food, takes Bennett when we are away, fills up the car with gas and cleans it (it's so dirty on the streets it needs to be cleaned a couple of times a week), puts together Ikea furniture and is our second handyman at times, drives around to find certain products when they aren't readily available at stores (for Thanksgiving he drove around for about 2 hours to find me enough sweet potatoes), and finally (but certainly not last) I never carry a bag from the car into the apartment. It's funny because back in San Francisco, as I lugged bag after bag in from our garage I wondered how I was going to manage this in Moscow. We secured parking off the street, but it's still behind our building and a significant walk with heavy bags. But Igor drops us off in front of our building, parks and lugs each and every bag or box in. Sounds pretty good, huh?? Don't you now want a driver? He is also such a kind, kind man I just love having him around.

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The girls have settled into school well. They each have a solid group of friends from around the world: England, Australia, Sweden, Greece, etc. Their lives overall don't appear that different. English-language school, playing soccer, basketball, drama, music... But the school is much larger than Burke's, 1200 kids K - high school. And with boys as an addition plus a much different teaching style, there has been some adjustment period.

The school itself acts as a community center for families offering a family swim day in the large pool two times a month, use of the gym or spinning classes off hours and a lounge area where many parents spend a good chunk of their days waiting for their kids, grabbing a bite to eat, etc. Additionally, many families live in one of the gated communities near or attached to school and they can use the school to pay bills, sign up for membership cards, etc. 

We do not live near school, much to Isabella's dismay (she thinks that we are cruel parents that we didn't look into it as "all" of her friends live there). We live in the enter of the city in an area called Patriarch's Pond. It is a very happening part of the city, where new restaurants are popping up all the time, small European like streets and a pond that, when frozen, hosts free ice skating.

ice skating rink on the pond outside our building

Andrew can walk to work, which is helpful since he works so, so many hours each day. I have joined the many organizations available to expats where I could fill each day, if I chose, with various interest groups. I have started a small design project at the school along with helping on the decor of the spring auction. However, I am starting to look for work now as I need more of a reason to get out of bed in the morning; I mean wouldn't you sometimes get back under the covers if it didn't get light until 9:45am?? Please assuage me of my guilt and say yes!

Andrew and I have made some good friends as well from all over and hosted a 22 person Thanksgiving with not only Americans but also families from France and Denmark. As a friend coined it, making friends abroad is a bit like speed dating. You quickly try to establish your compatibility and create those connections as your time in this location is limited and they may already be halfway through an assignment... But overall I'd say a rhythm has been established and it's feeling more like a home.

Red Square at night during snow fall

We tentatively plan on being in the states in July, the girls out of school mid June to mid August. In the mean time, I realized I never let you now how to reach us besides email. Our SF phone number has been transferred to Moscow: 415.285.8231 (we are 12 hours ahead). And then the girls have updated email addresses: izzytorre@gmail.com and tashtorre@gmail.com. Our home address is less than reliable (I already told you about our doormen, but you should see the pile of bills and mail that no one sorts) but Andrew's work is more reliable for mail: Visa LLC, Andrew Torre, Gasheka Street 7, Office 920, Moscow 123056, Russia. Lastly our skype is alexandratorre415, Facetime is always good via email and we are on Viber through my Moscow cell of +79647906691 should anyone chose to download that app for cell calls and texting.

I will update again soon on our recent travels to Dubai and India, and then the Olympics, but for now I leave you with lighlights from the past 5 months:

* Watching the girls Skype with family and friends while witnessing the quick friendships developing in Moscow

* Listening to them use their limited Russian with our driver, sitter or people around the street

* Moscow lit up at night in the winter

* Ice skating through the extensive pathways of Gorky Park

* Attending The Miss Universe Contest 

* Hosting a multinational American Thanksgiving

* Sharing in Christmas festivities with our Australian friends and playing cricket in the middle of lunch

* And of course our travels to St Pete, Dubai and now India

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OH WAIT, stop the presses... right after writing this and returning from India, those in awe of our apartment issues should know that, in the middle of our 24 hour wash cycle of 10 loads of laundry, a pipe broke and started leaking all over the floor. And then, just today, Natasha hopped into the fated bathtub, turned on her jets, and once again, water oozing out of the bottom of the tub and dripping onto the floor below. Oh the joys!