Leaving so soon?

Even though Greg started work in Moscow the first part of November, I only arrived the first part of January, so officially, I’ve been here 5 months exactly before having to leave again.  Gearing up to move to a totally foreign country, arriving and then having to leave before we’ve gotten our bearings in the city has been disorienting and, frankly, a bit irritating.  People have asked me how I feel about all this and I really haven’t been able to describe the state of emotion in a clear and concise manner.   I’m really the type to marinate on things before coming to an organized opinion, so I’m sure a firm conclusion is sure to materialize at some point or other, however, I want to set down some generalizations while thinking about them.

Relief: Russia didn’t nearly live up to the dastardly reputation we had acquired of it sometime during the cold war and we were relieved to be fairly ignored as we navigated our way about life.  We didn’t stand out too much, and once people realized we were foreigners, they either tried to find a way to communicate with us (in Russian with an occasional English word) or begged off.  We weren’t liked nor disliked, but more accepted as another bump in the road of their daily life.  Of course, it hasn’t been easy trying to exist in a city that almost nobody speaks English in and ordering a cup of coffee, complaining that your order was wrong or even identifying whether what you’re buying is baking soda or flour are only a few of the daily obstacles we faced.  I’ve learned enough Russian to barely communicate, but not enough to barely converse.  It’s going to be WONDERFUL to go back home where I can read signs, talk to people, identify groceries, order familiar food and simply sail through my day with minimal effort.

Regret:  Greg and I fought transfers for a few years before coming to Russia and once it was even suggested that we go to Scotland for a bit.  My cats, the thought of putting them through a quarantine and the fact that I was wildly happy where we were at stayed any thoughts of moving and we passed on persuing the idea.  Now we can see we made a big mistake and I’ve learned an important lesson, which is comfort where you are at does not predict discomfort everywhere else.  Simply said, we can be happy no matter where we are at and I daresay even happier with new opportunities, new experiences and new people to make friends with and the paychecks weren’t too bad either!  We’ve met some really wonderful people here, both Russian and from other countries and feel like we’ve made some true friends for life.  It’s not going to be easy leaving our new friends before we’ve truly gotten to know each other well, but with the internet so available, we shouldn’t have any problems staying in touch.

Dread: I hate to move because I recognize that I’m a homebody and am happiest at home in my familiar environment in my normal routine puttering about in my house and garden.  The move to Moscow was stressful, but it wasn’t a FULL move because we just packed up what we needed and left everything else.  Well, since we can’t go back to Victoria, I’m facing a full move, complete with closet cleaning, junk clearing, room painting and house staging.  All the stuff I’ve put off (that extra coat of varnish on the front doors, woodwork that needs painting, etc) is waiting for me at home.  I hope to make this experience a lesson in minimalism and I’m going to adhere to a self-imposed rule: for every one thing I keep, I must get rid of one thing. Wish me luck!

Lastly, WHEW!  I’ve always felt this niggling uneasiness while here, a sense of impending doom if you’d like, and every time I survived a plane trip, made it through customs or passed by a car wreck, the relief would be palpable, but temporary.  I don’t know why, but I’ve just not felt completely comfortable while here.  Yesterday we got this bulletin from the American Embassy:

“Warden Message – Security Caution in Market Areas

Russian law enforcement authorities and the U.S. Embassy are in receipt
of potential threat information targeting those market areas in Moscow
frequented by Central Asian and Caucasian immigrants.  The information
is purported to originate from a Russian nationalist group and
specifically identifies the Cherkizovskiy Market, adjacent to
Izamailovsky Park, as a potential target.  The validity of the
information is being assessed at this time.

While the assessment process is ongoing, we caution U.S. citizens to
avoid travel to the market areas for the near future.”

As you can imagine, there will be a HUGE sigh of relief when we step off the plane and are hit with that hot wet blanket we call good ol’ Houston humidity.