On every website and in every guidebook that I’ve read, they say that Moscow has five seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Moscow Winter.

The temperature in Moscow is forecasted to be between -7°C and -15°C this week. But that’s not too bad, the temperature in Kazakhstan was around there too. Thing is, it’s CRAZY windy in Moscow. Like INSANELY. 

So yeah, it’s cold. So of course I wear many layers. But when we enter the metro, museums and any building, it is SO HOT. I hate it. I swear, it should be a crime to sweat in Winter. It should not be allowed to happen at all.

So it’s already our third day in Moscow. We had McDonald’s that day, finally, after 5 months! It was all right. They don’t have meals here! Just ‘combinations’, where you can add a drink and fries to your McNuggets.. But everything’s the same price, not cheaper. And the guy at the counter was extremely impatient with us because we didn’t understand what he was saying. Seriously, some people can be so rude. If he came to our country, he definitely would not be treated as badly as he treated us. Grr. And in a McDonald’s! Where you are supposed to be always happy!

We went to a buffet.. Expensive and not good at all. I miss Singapore food terribly!!!

We have seen the Kremlin Armoury and it is SOOOOO cool. So many sparkly things that belonged to royalty! Thrones and crowns and carriages and jewels and all kinds of things. SO. AWESOME. Loved it. Hahahaha.

Anyway, it turns out that in Russia, the New Year is crazily celebrated. In previous years, they have had holidays from 1 January to 11 January. Yeah, I’m not kidding! But apparently this year they want to cut the holidays down by 2 days.. So maybe from 1 January to 9 January, or something like that. Thing is, nobody works during those days.. So I think Jingzhong and I can forget about visiting museums during those days. Apparently cafes and restaurants are still open, but not museums. So I guess our sightseeing will be restricted to things like statues. 

But we’re going to try and see a ballet! =)

Our first couchsurfing host, Lena, is really really hospitable. She even went to fetch us from the train station that the airport train stops at. So yesterday we cooked some food.. Chicken + corn soup (yummy!) and fish curry with chicken instead (yummy!) and rice. It was really good.

Okay, I actually have a lot to post, like pictures from our last days in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan pictures and videos, and of course Moscow pictures. But there’s no time! Sightseeing is the key! Especially since we may have not a chance to sightsee as much after January 1st! 

So, I’ll see you guys, later!!!

We are going to see Lenin today. Like LENIN. His actual body frozen in time so everyone can see his actual face. Scary but exciting. 

Okay, bye!!!!!

I wanted you guys to have a white Christmas too, but the Skype and Oovoo videos were not so good! So here’s a video of what you guys should have seen! =) And me being all bundled up with a belated Christmas wish!

We’d gone for dinner with our Great Traditions classmates and when we got back to the dormitory, it was snowing like MAD!!! -super happy face- 

I stopped right outside the dormitory door and started playing with the snow and we ended up spending about 2 hours there. Hahaha!

It was REALLY heavy snow. I would gather snow from one place for my snowman and a few seconds later (no exaggeration, for real) that place would be TOTALLY white again. It was THAT heavy. I LOVED IT!

The snow was really dry and sticky, PERFECT for making a snowman. I rolled my ball to and fro across the entrance to the dormitory and got a huge snowball in no time! Towards the end, the ball was up to my hips and I needed Jingzhong’s help to roll it, it was so humungous!

I made him a body and a head and that was all. I couldn’t find any branches or stones for his arms and eyes because EVERYTHING was covered in a thick blanket of snow. I didn’t really want to break off tree branches just so my snowman would have arms and the leaves I found for an alternative for eyes wouldn’t stick to his face.

I jumped in the snow, lay down in it, kneeled down in it.. I was totally covered in snow. The snow stuck to my gloves. Jingzhong’s waterproof jacket was TOTALLY wet but I didn’t feel cold because I was wearing loads of layers.

Oh but I was only wearing jeans and when they got wet, my legs hurt like mad.. You know, the pain you feel when you’re holding a bottle that’s too cold? When I was back in my room and changed, my knees and the area around it was very red. But I’m fine! =)

We placed my snowman in a corner but the security guard said that in the morning it will most probably be shoveled away. The security guard had fun throwing some snowballs and watching my snowman progress.

We left the dormitory for the cafe at 2.30pm the next day and I found that someone had added arms, drawn a face and added a snow nose to my snowman! He wasn’t shoveled away!

I was very happy.

And it added a magical touch to my night that would otherwise have been spent packing and missing all my Korean friends terribly.

=) I am going to enjoy the snow as much as I can!

Photos: Jingzhong