Jessika in Moscow

	Jessika in Moscow
Dec.27, 2000 - Jan. 02, 2001
Dec. 27, 2000: I leave Erlangen at five a.m. The flight goes via Amsterdam, continues to Moscow. Everything goes smooth, and I even arrive on time at the Airport. My friends who left already before Christmas pick me up and are surprised. They don't have their luggage yet after five days with nearly -30 degrees and an 18 hour ride in a jeep without heating. But this is their story...as well as the one about the fight they got involved in....	Me standing stupidly on the Red Square	I am almost jealous because it seemed I missed all the exciting things. So all I can offer you today is what I learned about Russia and THE RUSSIAN in my five days in Moscow. More stereotypes...
Me standing stupidly in front of the Lenin Mausoleum	Some facts: The Russians celebrate Christmas on January 6th. On New Year's Eve they set up their Christmas trees. The stations of Moscow's subway, the Metro, that was constructed under Stalin, are equipped pompously, with baroque decorations. After taking down churches, people should still have places of beauty. I didn't see anybody pray in the subway station though. Nor was it really quiet... Lenin is still laid out embalmed in his Mausoleum where you can see him through his glass coffin. Between this building and the Kremlin walls there is a cemetery where all the former Soviet monarchs are buried. It was kind of surprising to me how many flowers were dropped on Stalin's grave!!!

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