So I'm off to Moscow early tomorrow morning. The whole group of teachers is going on the 7:30 express train, and we will have a day to explore the big city. About half of the group has never been to Moscow, so another teacher who studied in Moscow and I will be the Muscovites of the group and show people around. We'll hit all the high points--Red Square, the Kremlin, the Arbat, the overlook from the hills near Moscow State University, Tverskaya Street, the monumental Moscow Metro. In the process, we'll wander through some of the beautiful old neighborhoods in the city center, which is one of my favorite things to do in Moscow. We might even stop by Patriarch's Ponds, which is a familiar place to anyone who has read Master and Margarita. I'm excited to return to one of my favorite cities and see my friends there!

That said, I'm definitely getting used to the slower and friendlier pace of life here in Vladimir. It's nice that it doesn't take an hour and half each way to get to work every day, and the prices here are noticeably lower. In Moscow, money seemed to just disappear, and I had to stop by the ATM and get money several times a week. Here, I can easily make 1000 rubles (about $30) last a week or more, which was impossible in Moscow. Before I left, one of my Russian professors at OSU told me that after a little while in a small city, I wouldn't be able to understand how I was able to live in Moscow. I've reached that point already. Old Vlady might not have all the clubs or the metro system, but that's fine with me. It feels like people actually live here, whereas in Moscow, it seems like people just try to survive.