Shopping and Cooking Russian Food!

14.10 Today we met Guyla and some of the Moscow 1 girls at the Strogino metro station for a day of shopping and food and girl time. Guyla showed us multiple inexpensive clothing stores in the area; one store had most things on sale for 200 rubles (about $6) and I purchased a few adorable pieces, including a satin pantsuit/jumper/romper and a turquoise peacoat. At another market, I found a pashmina faux Louis Vuitton scarf with which I am utterly in love. I also purchased rain boots and fashionable fur-lined snow boots for the increasingly cold weather. It was a successful shopping day! I had the opportunity to chat with Connie Zanabria, from Moscow 1; I absolutely adore her. When our shopping trip was complete, Guyla and Captains separated from Moscow 1. Guyla took my group back to her apartment, where she taught us how to make pelmeni (Russian ravioli), soup, and homemade pasta. By the end of the semester, she will have taught us to make rolls filled with fruit and pastries as well. I’m so excited to go home and impress everyone with my mad cooking skills. I want to make a meal for my friends and family where we have pelmeni, rolls, and compote (boiled berries that turn into juice) for dinner and pastries and hot cocoa with condensed milk for desert. I really appreciate Guyla and all she does for us. There’s no way I could do this without her; she’s incredible. A little surly at times, but she means well and works her butt off for us. It was a lot of fun spending time with her and getting to know her better. After dinner, we looked through pictures of her sons’ weddings and discussed future plans. I also made the mindless mistake of seeing a picture of her and her husband, Dimitri, by a large golden 50 and assuming it was of their 50th wedding anniversary. Fortunately, Guyla thought my mistake was hilarious and she had to share it with Dima when he returned home from visiting his mother. She told me, “Jillian, I am 53! That was my birthday.” I was so embarrassed, but at least she wasn’t offended. Of course it was impossible that she had been married for 50 years. Oh well, it had been a long day; a long but great day.