Where in the World is Cat?

...and readjusting to "real life".

Hi all. I realize it's been an incredibly long time since my last blog. Life has been quite the ultimate whirlwind since May.





...and am now in the process of re-Americanizing and readjusting to the next step in my life...I guess that would be "real" life. (I.e. - getting a job, a place of my own and paying my bills...).

I've got lots of pictures to update my photo album with, and now that I've settled in a bit, will be doing that soon. I'll also be looking for a job (if anybody has any connections in DC, give me a shout!) and learning what a healthy diet means again. More updates and stories from my last two months in Moscow will be on their way!

After months of anticipation, the moment finally arrived!



Anyhow, I suggest you do check them out: either listen to them or watch them here on LastFM or visit their website (for you Russian speakers). Otherwise, just check out my pics from the concert!

So, a little about Tubingen, Germany. Tubingen is basically a German college town, with 22,000 of the city's 84,000 residents being students. Most of the students attend the University of Tubingen, which has quite and illustrious history and boasts many Nobel laureates. The city itself was left practically untouched after World War II, and therefore offers some incredible historic sites and glimpse of what Germany of the past felt and looked like.

Here's what I came up with:

Putin: "George, I've waited for this moment since we first met. When you looked into my eyes, you not only saw my soul, you touched it."

Bush: "Aw, c'mon now Vladimir. You know I've always liked that rugged side of you. You almost threw me for a loop with that Kabaeva stunt. I nearly called of this little rendezvous."

Putin: "Ah, my silly golubchik(that's sweet little dove in Russian), that was to distract the media and get them to back off. I was afraid they would catch on to the real meaning of all of our vacations and summits. Our silly aides haven't been able to scrape anything together in 8 years, people might have started to talk."

Bush: "Gee Vlad, good move. You always were the smarter of us two. Just think, by the year's end, we'll both be able to step out of the limelight. Then, it'll be just us, in a banya somewhere..."

So, as you all know, I'm ready to return to the States. I've got a little over two months left in Moscow, and though at times I am sad that my time here is winding down, I will be oh-so-happy to be back in the good ol' US of A.


So, once again Moscow had taken me for all I'm worth. The one thing, material as it was, that had consistently brought me happiness and comfort for the last two months, has been taken from me. This is what living in Moscow is like. Don't treasure anything, because it will be taken from you.





Live and learn, that's what I keep telling myself. And as much as I want to run out and buy the same exact phone, tell myself I'm worth it and that I'll be better about protecting it, I won't. I'll go home and charge the annoying little Nokia that I'd been waiting to sell. Now I'll have to find something else to cherish and fantasize about until I leave in June.

All I can think about now is that I'm leaving the country for a long break in 8 days. I cannot wait. I need a break desperately.

Just when you thought Russia couldn't get any crazier...


Talk about giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.


Newspapers in Germany, Italy, India, Russia and the UK are publishing that Putin and Kabaeva are planning a June 15th wedding in his hometown of St.Petersburg, in the suburb of Strelna.

At the think tank where I work here in Moscow, we often have many meetings and events occurring simultaneously. This includes interviews with our resident experts. If space is really tight, sometime crews will come up to the library (where my "office" is located) to shoot one-on-one interviews.

Today a crew came up with the whole shebang - two cameras, lights, microphones, hanging mics. They were interviewing an expert on U.S.-Russia relations. They asked questions about Putin and Bush, the U.S. Presidential elections and the future for our two countries. After the 30 minute interview, the expert ran off to his next meeting and left the crew to pack up.

I, during all of this, listened intently - as I usually do - interested to hear what questions are asked (some are so silly that they answer themselves) and then hear what opinions are experts will answer with. Considering the topic of the interview, my interest was peaked.

Noticing that I was reading English, the woman reporter asked me if I was from America. I said yes. She looked at her co-worker, standing nearby. Both exchanged glances.

Two minutes later I was in the hot seat, microphone clipped to my shirt and a bright light shining in my face. Typical questions were asked: What do Americans think of Russia? What wrong impressions do Russians have of Americans? I unfortunately gave dreadfully general and simple answers, only because I couldn't figure out the grammar to express the more complex ideas whirling in my head. I think I was more disappointed than they were with the lackluster answers I provided, much less my grammar. (I've been here for two years! I can do better.) I wished they could have asked me about the elections or democracy - that I could have answered like a pro!

After the quick interview, I learned that the group was from Orinberg, a small city in the Urals. Whew. No one's gonna watch it anyways. Good to practice for the future though.....

I'm the kinda of person that plans ahead. You all know that. So, imagine my surprise when today, my lunch (half of a pepperoni pizza from Friday's visit to Il Patio) disappeared from our office refrigerator! I had been relishing the thought of enjoying that pizza all weekend! (It's hard to find good pizza in Moscow). I thought such acts of disrespect only happened in American offices!

Apparently, a bad case of the munchies overcome people's better judgement in Russia as well.

Needless to say, my lunches will be marked with a Post-it from now on...

Yesterday was another beautiful day in Moscow. I took the day off from my internship to work on my thesis, and to run a few errands at the institute.

I usually wake up early and have to wait for my bus to come to bring me to the metro, fight the masses of people in the metro, and then make it to work in the center of the city within a hour, an hour and a half on a bad day if there's traffic. So, yesterday, I enjoyed a relaxed morning and relished in the fact I wouldn't have to fight anyone in the metro.

I breezed through the usual bureaucracy at my university, and though it ended up taking me the whole day, I went home with everything I needed (exam dates, thesis deadlines, graduation date - my institute has a don't ask, don't tell policy. You don't ask, they'll never tell you what you have to do or when.) I even received comments that I looked refreshed, got compliments on my new haircut, and enjoyed some small talk with a few acquaintances that I hadn't seen in a while.

I stopped into the Office for International Students to ask one of the assistant directors a quick question. This particular woman met me on my first day at my university, when I was wide-eyed, nervous and completely lost. A surprisingly pleasant conversation ensued, during which she remarked to me, "Katya, you look so changed. You look wonderful. Kazhetsa, Rossia tebye idyot." It seems, that Russia suits you.

When this phrase is used, it is usually used to describe the way a piece of clothing or haircut compliments a person. "Eta maika tebye idyot." That shirt looks good on you.

Russia suits me?

That phrase has been swirling in my head since then. At first, I took it as a compliment. I left the institute walking on air, proud that I was able to get through a day of bureaucracy without fights or squabbles, that everyone in the institute understood me, respected me, was even kind to me. I was proud to have gotten to that point after two years of struggles and fights (both with others and myself), wins and losses. Proud that I had learned not only how to survive, but thrive in Russia.

Then, almost as quickly as I had obtained this nirvana-like state, it all crumbled. I came home to a message conveying more complications with my American diploma equivalency (without this, I can't get my Russian diploma) and issues with some membership cancellations that might pose a risk to my credit. In dealing with these headaches, all the bad memories started to flood back - hours and hours wasted studying and toiling for non-existent tests or waiting in line just to ask a professor a question, only having access to a laundromat once-a month, getting sick repeatedly, being treated poorly or taken advantage of by Russian acquaintances, a broken engagement....and I thought....Russia suits me?

I've said it many times, Russia is a complicated place. Everything about it is complex...its history, culture, politics, people, way of life.....it all seriously challenges a person, and will continually put you in the position of questioning just who you are. There are very few societal norms here, the country is lost in a transition between old and new, traditional and modern, and therefore, you must decide for yourself just how you will act. You are just as likely to get berrated for doing something you think is right as you are to be encouraged to do something you think is wrong, and vice versa. So, the question you must ask yourself when you are living in today's Russia is, if you allow yourself to be encouraged to so something not necessarily right, what will that be, and if you're going to get in trouble, what would you be willing to get in trouble for?

In short, who are you, and what do you stand for?

There may be new cars crowding the streets and Dolce and Gabbana on all the girls in Moscow, but Russia as a whole is a wild West of morality, waiting to be pioneered.

So, yea, in a way, Russia suits me. Living in Moscow has helped me gain a better sense of myself. I now value certain aspects of my life more than I did before moving here (such as my own health and my family), and take other aspects less seriously (such as meeting other's expectations, or, just what "doing the right thing" means). I also am a heck of a lot more comfortable in my own skin. But I also know now that I'm an American, and no amount of Russification or living abroad will change that, and it's time for me to return home for a bit.

Russia suits me. But only in the way that a special shirt or tie you wear once and a while when the mood strikes; In a way that allows you to make a statement of who you are.

It's mid-April, and things in Moscow are blooming. The sun has been out at least half the week (a miracle for Russia), temperatures are warming up and more and more people can be seen walking leisurely on the streets. I leave Moscow in two and a half months, and with the city showing her other half, I was starting to regret leaving so soon.

Then I was reminded what the people here can be like year-round.

After a day at my internship and a couple hours of sitting at my desk working on my thesis, I needed a break. So I decided to run to the university gym, which, according to their schedule, is open to 11pm. I usually go late, I'm a procrastinator, it's my style to give myself just enough time before the gym closes.

So imagine my surprise, when at 10:35pm, in the middle of my third kilometer, the lights in the gym are suddenly shut off. Yes, I am the only one in the gym, but it's only 10:35pm. The gym is still open another 25 minutes. I defiantly finish my third kilometer, grumble under my breath because I wanted to run at least five, and take ten minutes to stretch. While I'm stretching, I notice the trainer poke his head in the gym four or five times to see if I'm gone. I'm downstairs by 10:45pm, giving my locker key in, and ask the receptionist:

"Excuse me, do you have a new trainer upstairs in the sports room?"

The receptionist smiles, and answers, "I don't know, I'm new myself."

Not wanting to give this girl a bad day at the beginning of a new job, I ask politely, "Well, is it possible to speak to one of your managers then?"

The rest goes as follows:

Receptionist: "Why?"
Me: "Because I would like to discuss something with her." (I know the manager, she is very nice.)
Receptionist: "Is there something wrong?"
Me: "Yes. I was on a treadmill upstairs, and the trainer shut the gym and turned off the lights while I was still running. He didn't even warn me."
Receptionist: (Looking at the clock) "Well, it is 10:45."
Me: "Yes, but you close at 11pm."
Receptionist: (The typical Russian "so what?" stare.) Silence.
Me: "You think it is polite to shut off the lights in a room when someone is running on a treadmill? Wouldn't you at least warn the person?"
Receptionist: (Typical Russian shoulder shrug and blank stare.)
Me: "Well, it's not. If you would please, let your manager know of the incident. I'll be sure to remind her myself." (I don't know why I said this, it will make no difference anyway.)
Receptionist: "Fine." (Also knowing it won't make a difference.)

So much for the endorphine high after a good workout.

I don't care how beautiful or fun Moscow is. This is not a place for sane people to live!

In all senses of the word. I've been thinking/writing/reading about my thesis and its subject material for months now, and it only consumes more and more of my thoughts and time. I've got a approaching deadline (just over a month) and believe that just typing the random thoughts in my head is what must be done to hit my 90-page minimum. The mountain of books and photocopies next to my desk is almost as high as the chair I sit in, and my bookshelves are full. I'm beginning to feel like I live in one of the unorganized/unkempt offices of my professors. I always wondered why they couldn't keep things tidy - now I know! A person's living space is truly a reflection of their state of mind.

Weather's been crummy, everyone is sick, and as life usually tends to do - am getting slammed with work after a month and a half of nothing to do. I need a nap.

So, after CNN (who noticed this after me), the local English news channel, Russia Today, picked up the clip of the Liberal Democrats presidential candidate fighting with the campaign manager of the presidential candidates for the Democrats (just Democrats, not Liberal...big difference here). Anyhow, though I posted this clip yesterday - this one comes with the blessing of English subtitles. Watch, laugh, and then remind yourself that this country has nuclear weapons, is a G8 member and wants to enter the WTO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvw_pEzmA08

Okay, so, I'm hoping this happened because it's a slow news day. Anyhow, the other day a television debate was held between the two meaningless Russian presidential candidates. Well, one of the candidates, and the other candidate's campaign manager. Yea, a little unconventional...but just watch. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/02/28/vo.russia.studio.brawl.ap

Since returning to Moscow a few weeks ago, I've noticed some change since I first arrived in August of last year. Most of these changes are positive, and this gives me hope for the future of this country and her people.

So, this weekend was the first time in a year that I can remember having more than enough time to get things done. Of course - I didn't get the things that needed to get done finished, but I did get many odd jobs done that I'd been putting off. That seems the way with everything.

My Internship at Moscow Carnegie Center
Anyhow, life has slowed down a lot since I've gotten back and it is a welcome change. Thinking with a straight head is a new thing for me - those of you who know me well will be relieved to hear this (the rest of you will just find it funny). My internship at the Carnegie Moscow Center is going well, work is slow (I want to meet someone who aspires to be a librarian), but there are conferences and seminars during the week that are very interesting to sit in on. Additionally, the Center is located on Tverskaya Street, right across the street from Pushkin Square, and all kind of events take place there. Just this Thursday we hosted a delegation of representatives from the Carnegie Center for International Peace in Washington, DC, and this was enough to provoke a protest from a few ultra-nationalists. It was more funny than scary - most of these people have no understanding of the situations they protest against, and the delegation was in town to speak with human rights representatives from the Russian government and to hold a seminar on the US elections. (Let's me just mention here that if it were not for such delegations/meetings, these people wouldn't even be able to hold their demonstrations without being harmed or throw in jail.)

We're gearing up at Carnegie for more such protests as Kosovo is getting ready to declare independence and has the support of the US. (Russia supports Serbia, and does not want Kosovo to declare independence.) Being a US-funded organization is not a wonderful thing in this instance, though we are only a think-tank, many "mistake" us for the US Embassy and protest outside our doors instead. Anyhow, I get a good view of it all from my view in the library - though I do have to crawl up on my desk to look out on the window (and do, often - as I did to take the picture above.)

Russian Presidential Elections
The Russian Presidential Elections are coming up very soon - March 2nd. It's hilarious to me that Russian government officials even bother to call them democratic. Dmitri Medvedev named as the favored successor by Putin himself in the fall, and the other candidates are all but on the Kremlin payroll, running as opposing candidates as a formality.

However, I do like that public service advertisements are everywhere encouraging Russians to vote. This campaign poster, which is at a bus stop right outside of the MGIMO dorm, reads "We vote as a whole family". I do think encouraging responsible citizenship and high voter turnout is important, though in this case it is important to the Kremlin not for holding democratic elections, but for lending legitimacy to a illegitimate campaign. Even if they don't have to rig the elections literally to get a win for Medvedev, the whole process is a formality - politics here is highly personalized - when a president with an almost 70% approval rating says, "Vote for this guy", it's pretty sure that a democratically complacent society will do just that.

Living in the MGIMO dorm
Well, now that I'm back to cooking in the dorm, I'm getting more creative. I arrived back from New York to discover that one of our two poorly-working stove-tops had been removed from the kitchen on our floor. So, we have two working ranges for the 50 students living on my floor. Yea, I think it's time to go out and buy my own little hot plate. However, I've started to experiment with my little toaster oven. Over the course of the last year, I mastered baked and roasted potatoes, baked chicken, pizza, open faced sandwiches and a bruschetta. Now I'm working with desserts. I started this only recently because actually, dessert is incredibly cheap to buy in Russia. Beautiful cakes, tarts, cookies, chocolates and candies are all over Moscow, and are cheap when compared to the price of the ingredients and time needed to make something comparable.

One thing however, than I cannot find in Russia, is a cake of the consistency that we as Americans would normally associate with cake. Cakes in Moscow are a little drier and denser - not the fluffy, moist confections that we love to gobble up on special occasions. Brownies, too. So, while I was home, I invested in some small, disposable foil tins that I could fit into my toaster oven. My hope was to conduct my first experiment before Valentine's Day, but alas today was my first free moment. So, equipped with the Toaster Oven Chef's recipe for Death by Chocolate Brownies (www.toasterovenchef.com) and my Russian ingredients, I made a batch of brownies today. My working space was cramped, but the brownies came out considerably well and I hope that Hot Tamale will agree with me.
This Thursday I'm off to London to visit a friend for a few days over the Russian holiday weekend. I'm getting very excited....!

Ok, so this exact clip didn't make it on, but there were a couple that did, and in the local news...I'll add more here as I find more as I continually Google myself......probably shouldn't have written that for everyone to see!


RIA Novosti - Video: "Americans Vote in Moscow. RIA Novosti video"

Russia Today - Video: http://russiatoday.ru/news/news/20740/video

Anyhow, cool thing is over 120 Democrats living in Moscow came out to vote in the primary. We get to vote abroad, almost like a separate state. Pretty cool, eh? Even cooler since the Republican Party doesn't allow anything like with their members! (Sorry...had to rub it in). The best part for me was helping the Russian-Americans living in Moscow who were voting for the first time - they were so excited to not only be casting a vote for an American presidential candidate, but to be able to do so from abroad. God bless the USA.

Well, the last two months have been a rollercoaster to say the least, with rolling knolls, dips, turns, uphill climbs and then vertical plunges....so, what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry I haven't posted, life has been taking me for a ride.

Fast forward from December's last blog, it's a new year, I'm back in Moscow after a month and a half at home, and now at my internship with Carnegie Moscow Center. (Should you be interested, here's the organization's website: http://carnegie.ru/en/) It's been a slow start, I'm in the library and have been designated with re-cataloging everything (it's a mess...really). Such an assignment to someone with experience in Washington, DC, both in Congress and in non-profits, and who has two degrees is frustrating, but, I'm going to do the job well and move on to better things asap. In the meantime, I've got my thesis to work on, the upcoming presidential elections next month to talk about and five months left in Russia to enjoy.

Yes, I did say enjoy.

Now that I'm not shackled to my dorm room and the campus, or financing for two, I'm feeling quite liberated. Carnegie is located in the center of the city on one of the busiest streets in town. I plan on making the best of this, and started Friday night by visiting TGIFriday's with Hot Tamale*, my Spanish roommate, for happy hour drinks and dinner. (Yes, TGIFriday's...I was excited!)

This past weekend I volunteered at the Democrat's Abroad primary in Moscow, which I will write tons more on as soon as I get some pictures to post about it. Needless to say, I am feeling upbeat and back in the political swing of things.

Speaking of photos, good news! Daddy and Mommy Dearest* (let's admit it, that's how I will always think of them!) got me a new camera for Christmas, so I'll be snapping away and posting pictures again soon. Good things come to those who wait (or have no money to fix their old cameras)!

Well, that's it for today - I must get back to the important job of organizing Carnegie's unused library. In the meantime, be sure to drop me a line and let me know how you're doing!



*In order to more vibrantly write about my experiences, I've started to talk about the people in my life openly. Considering this is the Internet and there are lots of strange people out there (you know who you are), the names of these lovely people in my life have been changed to protect them.