I will be staying with a woman in her 40s and her fifteen year old daughter Vika. Students who have lived with them in the past have noted that Svetlana makes very delicious meals and that they will be very involved in engaging me in Russian conversation. When we had to fill out housing forms in the spring I honestly had no idea what kind of family arrangement I wanted. You could choose to have a very independent situation where your family basically stays out of your way or you could have an involved family that expects you home for dinner at the same time everyday. You could make preferences about family sizes, habits, and interests. You could even specify a preference for the ages of host family members. This was all just too much for me to think about- almost like I had too much power to determine my own fate. Which doesn't seem like something you'd typically complain about, but you get what you asked for and end up hating it, it's essentially your fault. For this reason, I tried not to be too specific; the only things I knew would be less pleasant for me to deal with was young children and old Russian men. Seeing as I successfully avoided these two things, I feel like I will potentially have a very pleasant host family experience! I might have to tap into my inner tween a bit, but at least the situation will be diaper and denture free. It's also good to know that whatever happens at least there will be good food. And I cannot wait to shove my face in a huge plate of pelmeni!
This key piece of information, in combination with the fact that I'm leaving tomorrow and have been staring at my open suitcase for the past three days, finally makes the reality of this situation sink in. Moscow will be my home for two months. And the adventure starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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