Moscow, Russia Part of the process for obtaining a work permit in Russia is undergoing a local medical exam. You have to get tested for all sorts of odd things including SARs, TB, drug addiction and leprosy. Really? Leprosy? I went to the American Medical Center, and was expecting it to be, well, American. But … More My Russian Medical Exam
Think your job sucks? At least your office isn’t a port-a-potty. These are all over the city, and these poor old women have to sit inside all day, taking money, and cleaning up everyone else’s poo. Speaking of poo. The Russian word for cabbage is ka-poo-sta. My teacher told me to think of a … More Your Job could always be Worse
Russia still has a very strong central government which controls many aspects of life we may not be accustomed to. Heat being one of them. Most Moscow apartments, but also churches and apparently even hotels, are hooked up to a central heating system. The government usually turns on the heat in mid-October. But because it’s … More Heat Wave Expected Later This Week
The Moscow metro stations are really deep. The escalators at the deepest station are 126 meters long and have 740 steps (Thanks Wikipedia), and look something like this. So this morning I’m spacing out on the long escalator ride up and I see this guy, looking all smug and proud of himself, sliding down the escalator … More You Should Never be too Cocky
The Wrigley office is so far outside of Moscow that no one has been able to show it to me on a map. I think we’re northwest of the city. I take the metro to a pickup stop and catch the Wrigley shuttle to work. It takes about 1 ½ hours each way (assuming no … More My Commute to the Land of the Super Rich
My first weekend in Moscow I participated in the ‘Last Stoppers Club’, essentially a bar crawl for expats. Once a month, one metro line is chosen, a random bunch of expats (and some locals) meet in the subway and head to the last stop on that line, and then find nearby bars. It was a … More My First Russian Bar Crawl
I’ve been in the Moscow office for a week now, and no one has given me any office supplies. The desk is completely cleaned out. Luckily I brought my own pen. I ask the admin for a notebook. She looked concerned, quickly asked a couple of other people something in Russian, took down my full … More Lost in Translation
Moscow, Russia So lunch at the Moscow office is…interesting. A little after 1:00pm it’s announced that it’s time to go to lunch. Then my group (all 4 of us) goes down to the cafeteria to eat together. The choices are plentiful. You can choose to have or not to have the soup. You can then … More If lunch is so bad, why am I getting fat?
One Girl's Wanderlust Adventures 