new post from Russia

Just back from the provincial city of Vladimir, It is where we hope to deposit our students. A great small town. They will thrive there. Virtually no foreigners. I stayed in the nicest hotel -- my room had a mini bar and a tv with many channels but no clock. Why no clock?

Social life in Moscow

Quick update on the social events of Moscow. Saturday evening we had tickets to the show of one of the designers at Russian Fashion Week. Basically, a scene filled with impossibly skinny and tall girls flitting about. We availed ourselves of a free bar that spontaneously appeared near where we sat and waited for our show to begin. Cocktails with vodka, chamord and a slice of lime in plastic glasses shaped like an ice cream cone. You couldn't set them down, had to chug. Afterwards, the after party at a very nice restaurant where all the men were gay and the women still tall and skinny. The food consisted of glasses of chopped celery and cucumber with interesting spices. OK, I lie, they also gave us spoons with risotto and some kebabs. I saw a very skinny girl sneaking someone's discarded risotto spoon -- the personal shame.
Yesterday, pedicures. More on that in another post. Then on to Sunday lunch at an Australian diplomats place. As we return from pedicures, Liz breaks the news that it is "fancy dress". The horror. We dig out two Hawaiian dresses she has recently been gifted from a Korean-American friend's parents factory(...). Those with flip flops, a lei from the children's toy box and a birdcage salvaged from outside the fashion show hotel last night (the models in some show must have worn them as hats), we felt ready for anything. Of course we arrived to discover that no one else had taken the invitation seriously and were glad we had brought something to change into...