Short Skirts, Soccer Games, and SUVs

Every city is full of its surprises, some more enjoyable than others. Moscow is no different. Last week was filled with little cultural surprises, a few of which I'll share here:

SUVs: Our school dorms are located about a 15-20 minute walk away from the closest metro, along a six-lane road that is constantly clogged with traffic. Yesterday as we walked to dinner, suddenly one of my fellow students looked over his shoulder and quickly shooed the rest of us towards the grassy park along the broad sidewalk. In order to avoid rush-hour traffic, an SUV had hopped the curb and over a small grassy median – and was now driving ON THE PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK. During that short walk, we saw one other SUV and two motorcycles follow suit. After the first few days of witnessing the Muscovite drivers, I had only begun to just worry about crossing the streets here! Now I have to start looking over my shoulder as I'm walking on the sidewalk too??

Soccer Games: If you successfully navigate the Moscow traffic and manage to arrive at the soccer stadium alive, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Because I'm pretty sure that nowhere in Moscow – including inside the Kremlin – is as secure as an average soccer game. A few of our guys wanted to watch one of Moscow's teams and were rather shocked by the security measures in place. Lining the entrance to the stadium were dozens of guards, lined shoulder to shoulder, conducting body and bag searches as people arrived; the guards also stayed around as people filed out of the stadium after the game to keep order. (Hm, it seems that that Russia's soccer fans may have a reputation for being a bit rowdy...) One of our fellows was padded down five times on his way in. Sadly, I was not at the soccer game myself as I generally make a point of avoiding sports events. However, this information comes from a highly trusted source. (Mainly, I'm pretty sure the guy who told me couldn't tell a lie straight-faced if his life depended on it.) Also, another Russian indicated that heavy security is pretty standard fare for soccer games. Travel tip for the day: Guys, if you don't want to have your body padded or crotch grabbed by a Russian security guard, might I suggest skipping the sports tournaments?

Short Skirts: Trivia Question of the Day: Six-inch heels, barely booty-covering skirt, and drop-back neckline down to the waist. Is this an appropriate outfit for a) going to a night club, b) going to your graduation ceremony with mom, dad & your little babushka, or c) going for a jaunt around town with your friends? I'll give you a hint – it's a trick question! The answer?? ... All of the above!! It's true, Moscow is full of young stick-thin Muscovite females, all wearing very little around town, but towering high in their stylish stilettos. I still have yet to discover how they manage to run all around in these stilts. I've also become abnormally self-conscious about what I had previously assumed was a healthy level of fat on my calves.