How Bazaar

I have been in Moscow for a little over two months now. I was walking around an outdoor bazaar a few days ago looking for a warmer hat. As I walked through the rows of vendors, it hit me that this used to amaze me. The bazaar suddenly took on a new light as I remembered the things that were once so foreign to me--the coats that look like carpets, the haggling vendors, the rows upon rows of underwear (why the Russians need so much underwear, I'll never know), the stands filled with every food you can think of in pickled form . . . something that I see every day here suddenly became fun again. I just walked around the bazaar for about half an hour, even though they didn't have the hat I wanted. After that, I had to go home and thaw my face for a while (that's why I needed a warmer hat), but it was still worth the trip.

I think it will be important for me to keep in mind that things like this can be interesting, and I came here to experience them. It would be incredibly easy to just sit in my apartment all day, and not go out to experience the Russian way of life. My program has been constructed to allow that.

I think I'm growing accustomed to life here. After only a short time, I am seeing changes in my mannerisms, the way I communicate, and the items that appeal to me at a store. Who knows, maybe soon I'll even go so far as to get a mullet like my friend Dima Bilan.