What a Way to Greet

                                                      2014 Winter Olympics Logo



Russia has many different social customs that separate it from other countries. Russians are very proud people and they are prideful that their lives are difficult and that they have managed to flourish. As far as etiquette goes in Russia you must give a typical bone-crushing hand shake while maintaining direct eye contact and giving the appropriate greeting for the time of day. Also when men shake hands with women, they shake less firm. When female friends meet they kiss on the cheek three times, starting with the left and then alternating. When male friends meet they pat each other on the back and hug. Due to the years of communism in Russia, women have been given equal rights in everything in Russia and as far as treating women you would treat them just as you would treat a man. Another thing that is interesting is that Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th. Russia also happens to view Easter as a bigger holiday then Christmas! May 9th is another big deal in Russia because it is national Victory Day which celebrates the defeat of Germany in WWII. One of the coolest things about what is happening in Russia right now is the fact that the 2014 Winter Olympics are going to be held in Sochi, Russia. Ice hockey of course is one of the main sports in Russia due to the fact that it is freezing in Russia practically year round. But the most popular sport in Russia is soccer because Russia was the very first European country to win the European soccer championship. So overall Russia's social customs are far different from Knoxville, Tennessee.

Living In Moscow VS. Living In Knoxville?

                                                    (The Apartment I'll be Staying in)

                                                 (The street by what will be my home)

So it's obvious that there are a lot of differences between Moscow and Knoxville. But for now I'm gonna keep it simple and talk about the differences in living. Right now in Knoxville I live off the corner of a busy street in West Knoxville and I am currently homeschooled. I eat three square meals and go run three miles a day, also I get to play guitar and every Sunday I go to church and lead worship in youth and then go work in children's ministry and preform in choir. In Moscow I will be living at the address 5 ulista Novyy Arbat right near the central part of Moscow. I will be living with the Krovskys, a family of five. They are strong Christians and the father Antonin is the head pastor at their church and their mothers name is Svetlana. They have three boys Burian, Casimir, and Dmitri. Dmitri is my age but is a grade above me even though the schooling system is a little different. I will however be attending the same classes as him and will be moved up into his grade because if I were Russian I would be in that grade. It is a very busy part of town and the traffic is crazy all day long. The average size of a family in Russia is 4 including parents of course. The standard of living in Russia is a little bit worse then the United States but the family I will be staying with is rather loaded so I'll be able to do pretty much anything. Lastly for fun the people of Moscow is watch tv, listen to music, and go see the latest ballets.

Learning the Basics

So this past month I found out that in 3 months I am doing to be leaving to Moscow, Russia as a foreign exchange student! I've just started looking at places to go while I'm there because I never thought I would be picked to be an exchange student! God has blessed me with the opportunity to not only go to Russia and live there for a year and attend a Russian school but has also given me the opportunity to minister to the people of Russia that I come in contact with. If you didn't already know Moscow is located in the far eastern part of Russian and is just about in the middle of the country height wise. Moscow is roughly 2,215 feet above sea level and ranges from full out city streets to calm snowy country roads. The weather in Moscow is what keeps a large crowd of tourists away except in the summer when it is around 70 degrees F but in winter it only gets up to the low 30's. Moscow is the capital city of Russia and has a estimated population of 11,514,330 which for one city is pretty large. It will definitely be hard adjusting from nice and warm Knoxville to cold and crowded Moscow. Ever since the 14th century Moscow has been building its self around the Kremlin and is largely populated by white people. Russian is the official language and they use the Rouble as currency and the main form of transportation is the Moscow Metro and hitching a ride on a trolly. The main religions in Russia are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. In the past couple of years Russia has developed some major economic and political problems and has been working constantly to fix them unlike our current president. I am super excited to go and live in Moscow and I hope you will all pray for me as I plan on the trip.