fancy chickens

preferablysomethingspecific asked: Dear Charlotte,

I'm sure you've already thought about this a lot, but I'd really like to know what you miss most about Moscow? Is it the kvas (I finally get the point, btw! Street kvas for the win!) and the tvorog? The babushki?

Also, if you have the desire, tell me please what you don't miss about Moscow, or living in Moscow.

wow, tumblr has a new interface so i JUST found this question- 

Goodness- for the first two months there were things that i missed every day: oh my gosh the language!  and the city itself, so much (it is FOR SURE not my favorite city, but i privyiknulad big time), the presence of russian people (hard to describe- sounds funny but it’s true), nelson and my other close friends there (wow, that’s a big one), russian apartments, the food, the insane number of sushi restaurants…

i don’t even know what else to say.  when i think about it, there is so much that i miss.  more than anything, i kind of ache for someone who understands moscow and russia and russian and the things that i miss.  i am trying desperately to visit nelson when he’s in germany- and i am dying to see any middlebury friend that i can talk to about russia, moscow in particular (in an intimate way- and that means you!!)

ever since visiting Peter in early may with my mom, i know that i HAVE to live there at some point.  i fell totally in love, and i can’t imagine not being there sometime soon.  at earliest next year, at latest two years from now.  wanna join?  :) :) 

other things i miss:

-street beers/kvas!  so much fun just to walk and sip on something and explore the city

-the amazing moscow metros

-having to speak in russian all the time.  kaigler called me the other day and i talked with him at top speed for like 30 minutes in russian.  GOD i miss it!!

-silly russian food that i used to think was gross but now love- soup at every lunch, salat olivye, alll sorts of pirogis

-meeting random people in russian “cabs” (total strangers who pick you up- you know) and having some fascinating, silly conversations in russian

-moscow- the city itself!!!  kitay gorod, kropotkinskaya, universitet, chekhovskaya, tverskaya- even sholkovskaya, smolenskaya, and arbatskaya!  gosh i miss moscow hard.  ayayay

-kinosreda- without a doubt.  one of the first times i met really awesome young moscow kids and other non-americans was at kinsreda.  i fell in love with that young moscow scene- totally awesome.

i hope you’re having such a wonderful time there.  i miss you lots, and am wildly happy we got to hang out for a hot sec in the M-cow.  

a new question for you coming OH so soon.

much, much love,

char