Russian Beauty Haul #1

If you don't like makeup or beauty I'm sorry, but today's post is not going to be for you. This isn't a typical post, and I honestly don't know how often I'll do something like this. It probably won't be too often, though, because make up and beauty products are expensive here. I had to buy some things, and my friend, Ariana did something similar so I thought maybe some people would be interested since it isn't something I normally do.

Ulitsa Lenina

This post really has no point except that I wanted to share some photos of my favorite place in Ufa. Ulitsa Lenina (Lenin Street) is my favorite street. The buildings are so colorful and beautiful, and it's the center of the city which means that it's not busy on the weekends! Actually, during the summer, it's like a ghost town because everyone goes to their dachas on the weekend. I walked to the center last week because I figured it was a good way to get my exercise in. I brought my camera with me because I had to take some pictures for my work and thought it would be a good opportunity to take some additional photos of the city since I don't do much of that and I want to remember everything when I leave.

I Got a Haircut Alone

The title sounds like it could be clickbait, but let's be honest, you were probably going to read this anyways. Last week was my third time getting a haircut in Russia. The difference, though, was that this time I went alone. My friend, Katherine, went with me the first time, and A went with me the second time. Although, the time going with A was kind of useless because he didn't know any of the words because he doesn't have a lot of hair so why would he know them? We did get ice cream after that time though.

Helsinki, Pt. 6

Our last day in Helsinki was pretty easy. We went back to Senate Square because it was the first day of the Christmas market! I need to move to Europe every December because Christmas markets are magical! I wasn't sure what to expect before going. I thought it would be a market filled with plastic garbage from China, but it wasn't at all! The booths were filled with handmade goods and local foods. I was so glad to finish my Christmas shopping as well! There were so many people out and about, and I couldn't believe the number of vendors braving the cold to sell their items. I grew up in the north, but I don't think I'd be able to embrace the outdoors as much as Finns and Russians do!

Snow Mountains

It's been snowing like crazy here lately. I swear, for what felt like two weeks straight it snowed every day. For a few days it would start at 4 pm and just snow through the night. One downside to this snow is the fact that a 15 minute bus ride can take up to 40 minutes! For example, I left for work at 2:30 today and didn't get there until around 3:15. That's absolutely crazy, in my opinion. Luckily, I just had to be at a work meeting so the education of children was not harmed by my late arrival.

С Новым Годом

Being American, or maybe just me, New Year's was never a big deal. When I was a kid I used to go stay with friends, but as I got older I just didn't really care. I was in Spain last New Year's, but being in Russia on New Years is kind of lonely because it's a family holiday and if you don't have family there isn't anywhere to go. Elizabeth and I decided we would get together and make tacos. We asked our friends to come over and were surprised that they were able to because I was under the impression it was a big family holiday. Of course, they didn't spend the whole night but they were able to enjoy tacos for the first time.

Helsinki, Pt. 5: Kärpät Hockey Game

Friday night was the whole reason for this trip. Well, it wasn't the WHOLE reason for the trip but it made a good excuse to go to Finland. My cousin, Johnny, plays hockey for Oulun Kärpät. I actually didn't even know he played for a Finnish team until this trip! (As you can tell I talk to my family a lot...). I'm not going to pretend I know anything about hockey, so I don't have much to say in this post. I am used to going to sporting events for the home team, and this game was an away game for my cousin. This might be why I had completely different experiences at this hockey game compared to the Salavat Yulaev game in Ufa. It wasn't bad, it was just different.

New Year's Work Party

The Thursday before New Year's was my work's New Year's Party. New Year's is a big deal here in Russia, and I was looking forward to attending this party since I was in Spain last year and missed it. I was mostly curious to see how this would be different from our beginning of the year parties. It wasn't so different. There was plenty of champagne and everyone stood up every so often to give a toast, but the main difference was the abundance of Russian salads.

Helsinki, Pt. 4

Looking back on my trip to Helsinki I realized how much we actually packed into our Friday. It didn't seem like we did much at the time, but the fact that I have four separate blog posts tells me a different story. We knew we would have some time during the day to sightsee, but we had to be back around 5 pm in order to make it to my cousins hockey game.