minats_zone

Well, the Shrove Tuesday is coming. In Russia it's called the Pancake Day. Actually this is the whole week when people are eating, going to see relatives and friends and drinking. This time is before the Great Fast, which proceeds the Big Christmas Day. The latter is going to be fairly early this year, on April 19th. So the incoming week will be full of fairs all over Moscow where people can eat pancakes with honey, butter, caviar, or even Russian herring. I love this holiday, though it's pagan (non christian) it's typically Russian and there is usually a lot of show and sun on these days. We walked around our dacha and took some nice photos of the snow drifts and some places with lots of snow. Now it's -12C. So, we love such weather. Anyway, remember and love you all and look forward to hearing from you...

Well, today I've been following Christopher Graham to RMAT (Russian International University of Tourism and Hospitality). Their building is outside Moscow, in Skhodhya, Leningradskaya highway so we had to spend quite a time driving there.. Christopher is a freelance teacher trainer from London. He works not only for Garnet but for other publishing houses as well and also writes his own books about Russia. He has got his little office in Moscow and rents a flat not far from Prospekt Mira metro station. He seems to be a very intelligent professional in Academic Literature. Women in RMAT were impressed. The strangest thing on our way to Skhodnya was that we got lost 2-3 times as all roads in Moscow seem to be under construction and no signs at all. He was shocked, me either...

Well, I have two news to share with you. Don't get prepared for the worst. It's not bad news, whatsoever. Firstly, it is that a bright, sunny and frosty weather has eventually arrived in Moscow and now we can enjoy it in full. After so many grey days of slush and rain without show, it's really great. The temperatures are fluctuating around -25C - 15C by night and day. You can see it from some photos. Those guys are plunging in the ice water after Russian banua. People love it here. Second news is, perhaps, much more significant - Stanislav obtained his professor's certificate. It was given to him after a long time of considering lots of papers and documents by a board of educational experts. These docs proved that he deseves it. I am really happy as it was not easy at all. At the time when he defended his doctor's degree (in 2000) this idea seemed to be not so worthwhile as business outweighed other interests and ambitions. Now, it is more valuable for his job. I d