Sooorpris!

(Surprise!)

Definitely just spent the weekend back in the best place to surprise my mama on her 50th, and it was so worth it, even though I'd only actually been back in mother Russia for like 10 days… thank you student finance for paying for this!

It was sooo nice to pop home, eat some strudel and see the fam, but alas, now it's time for the proper start of my term, which kicked off last night when I taught an English lesson after being stuck in the plane because the runway was too slippery, and then stuck in the longest queue of life at customs because Russian service isn't the best, and then being stuck on a bus because it was rush hour and then being stuck in the metro because I hadn't topped up my card (yeah that bit was probably my fault) so yes, I literally legged it to the class and gave my students some Cadbury's in the hope that they'd forgive my lateness…they did.

Anywhom, I landed in a very snowy St Petes which is now a very mushy St Petes after the temperature rose to 1 degree(!!!!) but people are loving life here - the ooshankas (big Russian hats) are out, as are even more ridiculous coats, all is fun.

I was greeted by my babushka's voice saying "Elizabet, I can't talk, I haven't got any clothes on" - wasn't quite expecting that I must say.

On that front, well, we are moving out on Thursday yippeeeee to live in a place in the city centre which is all very exciting, or at least it was very exciting until I had to tell the babushka… awks. She was very disappointed in me and a wee bit angry but I guess that was expected, hopefully she'll get some new students, and hopefully she'll be nice to them.

So yeah, MOVING OUT SOON :) which means I need to pack everything into the suitcase that it came in…which seems like an impossible task, and probably is.

I'll write a longer post soon, but I have a lot to be doing now, I will just leave you with this…

I just saw a man walking down the road in shorts and flip-flops. In the snow. In Russia.

Love xxx