The Sisters' Finale (a blog by B)

So, we're back to our regular lives again, studying and going to class and the like. Since we never finished talking about the trip my sisters took here, I will do so now. There is not really much to tell. We went to several markets and touristy things where Kellie and Andrea got to experience a good piece of Russia.

I don't think they will be eating meat and carbohydrates for a while. Here some examples of what we had:

Of course, I had to bring some of our friends over to show off my sisters (I love you, girls):

and of course, we made them work for their stay:


Kellie definitely had some experiences. One of her bags got lost and we spent several hours trying to pick it up. Then, after bargaining for about 30 minutes for some sunglasses and a price 600 rubles cheaper than what the guy wanted, I guess the salesman felt like he needed something extra so he took the liberty to grab her backside as she left. It didn't dawn on her what happened until she was a few steps away (it was the shock that slowed her brain down).

And of all the subjects to have in Russian, she actually found someone (a taxi driver) to talk about marital arts with. Guess who was her translator? Let's just say I know a lot more about how to talk about martial arts in Russian (who would have guessed?).

Andrea also had to get used to some differences in what is acceptable here. For example, salary and cost of living are freely talked about (even among strangers). If someone asks you how you are doing, they really want to know (not just "fine"). And patience is definitely a virtue here since you have to wait and wait and wait (something I have had to perfect). Speed is not of the essence here. Also, tipping is not very common (if seen at all) among Russians. By the end, the temptation was too great for them and they tipped one of our taxi drivers. Let's just say he gave us his number in case we ever needed a taxi again.

Of course, after being here for a while we had to get a taste of home. So, we found a Starbucks and a H&M to shop at.


In between going here and there, we just stayed at home and hung out. The boys loved the attention.


All in all, we had a great time and I will miss them very much but I'm sure they are glad to be back to normal life. Now, I am just looking forward to my parents visit the end of May. YEAH!

I don't have a whole lot else to say, so I'll close with some cute photos for your enjoyment:

I am starting a collection of bribery pictures. This is one of them (hehehehe).


Note: one of our coworkers posted her essay in T on their blog, so if you'd like to get a sneak peak of the next few years of our lives, you can click on this link. Other than that, enjoy your week, and we'll see you around the same time next week.