Dogs, Babushkas, Cars, and Kazan.

Privyet! There is not much to update right now. I just have a few stories...

On the way home from school today, I saw an old babushka kneeling down; she had a bunched-up cloth to cushion her knees from the icy ground. She was crying, moaning, and repeating something in Russian. I asked Betsy what she was saying. "She's asking for money." It really upset me. Everyone's seen the homeless asking for money before, but to see an old woman begging for money -- it's very disturbing.

In the metro there were two stray dogs by the kiosks. Their fur was so matted and dirty. As I walked along, there was a mother and her toddler in front of me. Both dogs started to attack the little girl, and the mother quickly grabbed her up to get her away from these dogs. The kiosk workers yelled something at the dogs, but the dogs had already stopped as soon as the girl had been picked up by the mother. It was really strange, and I was so scared for the little girl.

I saw the old babushka today on the way home. She wasn't crying today. Actually, she was making the sign of the cross, praying, and moving back and forth on her knees. I saw someone toss a few rubles into her bag. I also saw the wild dogs in the same place they were yesterday, and they were sleeping.

Cathy and I talked about the dogs here in Moscow, and I told her my story. She said, "Oh, they were hungry." The dogs are known to attack small children because they are hungry. Cathy said at metro Teplystan, which is one metro stop below ours, a young boy was walking in a small field, and a pack of wild dogs attacked and killed him. She also said that David, her husband, on his way to work used to face vicious dogs that would bark and snap at him. And David is no small child! He's a big tall guy. So, when Cathy takes Cody, her big sweet English black lab who wouldn't hurt a fly, for a walk, she takes pepper spray -- not to protect herself from people, but to protect herself and Cody from any dogs that might attack. Cody has been attacked before on their walks through the forest near our metro. I'm surprised that people take care of the stray dogs as much as they do. I mean, Russians in general LOVE dogs, but these ones can be vicious if they're hungry. They keep feeding them though.

On a different note -- the cars don't stop for people here. I feel like Buddy the Elf. "Watch out for the yellow ones! They don't stop." Haha. I mean, that might be an overstatement. Sometimes the cars slow down for pedestrians, but most of the time they don't. I guess that is true for a lot of big cities. I am trying to become braver and quicker when crossing the street. You can't wait for cars to slow down to let you pass. You just have to go...and go fast!

Yesterday I thought a man was going to get hit by a big SUV. Fortunately, he crossed the road just in the nick of time. Christiana was with me, and she said, "People don't value human life much here. People get hit by cars a lot. I have seen people get hit before, and some situations I have seen were even worse."

Okay. I don't want to end on a depressing note! Monday night was girls' night, and we made baked potatoes. We went to a fruit/vegetable kiosk by the metro. There are tons of fruit kiosks all over the place. Anyway, I took a couple of pictures as I waited inside while Christiana picked up the potatoes and toppings. Sometimes people sell their fruits and vegetables out on the street in the snow though. I should have taken a picture today of this man and woman bandying words back and forth about which snow-covered orange he was going to buy.

Among other things, I am going to Kazan with some teachers for my winter break (February 13-16). I am really excited! We're taking an overnight train. Round-trip tickets were only 2,040 rubles which is about $57. Not bad at all!

Oh, and the exchange rate is now 36 rubles to an American dollar. From what the teachers tell me, that's the highest it's been in years! So, I came at a great time. :)