Getting Settled

Having made the trek half way around the world (Exactly 12 time zones away from Mountain Time Zone) we know exactly how this banana feels that came from Ecuador! (I can't wait for the those Cuban mandarins we had last time we were here) One of my favorite things to do is see where the produce comes from whether we're in the US or Paraguay or, you guessed it, Russia. But that is another blog for another time.  The point is, after so many hours of travel we found our place of residence and started to get settled in.

 We live in an apartment on the 5th level, of a 9 story building, of Building 29 on Decembrist Street.  The Decembrist movement was a revolt of the Tsar in 1825.  There is a Decembrist Street or square in nearly every city.  These names were typically changed during the Lenin-Stalin eras and renamed after favorite generals, but almost unanimously were returned to their original names in the 90's.  Likewise, our apartment is nearly identical to thousands of others in this city and across the former Soviet Union. When I tell someone we live in a 9 story building they know that we have one of two apartment plans depending on whether you have a 3 room or 2 room flat.  We have a 3 room, which means a two bedroom with a living room, enclosed porch, and split bathroom (toilet in one space and the sink and tub in the other).  Our apartment has been upgraded so we also boast a washing machine (in the kitchen) and an extra toilet added to the bathing bathroom.  We still lack a dishwasher and clothes dryer, but we're accustomed to that already after lived at the Jones cabin.

 Now that we are back in Russia we can enjoy pelmeni and beet salad.  As you can see, our apartment is brightly colored.  I was apprehensive about the color scheme, but it contrasts with the typical drab coloring seen everywhere else.  This will be an oasis when winter hits!

We will keep you posted on all our happenings and tell you what life is like here in further posts.  Keep tuned in for blogs such as "The Art of Garbage Collection", "The Walking School Bus", and "We didn't get (or understand) the Memo".

For now you can follow the link to see Kreg's first house built in Russia (in a village outside Moscow)  http://intellihouse.ru/homebuild/Vehi/Stranic/Otdelka.html#31  Google will translate the Russian so you can see the entire project from start to almost-complete.  If that doesn't work simply click on the photos:)

I will walk you through some of the construction techniques in later blogs when I analyse "How Buildings are Constructed in Permafrost".