To Russia, for Love - Part 2

Back in March I wrote this post.

You probably forgot all about it. No, let's scratch that. You definitely forgot all about it. But I couldn't, and didn't. The possibility of a family move to Russia has been there continuously, ever since, at the back of my mind. And once Husband started a consultancy stint in Moscow this summer, I decided that it was time to step out of denial and find out what living in Russia would actually mean.

This is not because such a move is imminent, however. It's not. It may happen early next year, it may happen next summer, it may not happen at all (though that last is probably the least likely scenario of the three). It's just that I prefer to be as informed as possible before I make life-changing decisions.

So, Husband and I have spent the last 5 days on our own in Moscow, investigating. And here is what we found out...

That amazingly, there are schools in Russia. Who would have thought it?

That just like everywhere else, some schools are good, and some are not. No names, no pack drill, but the school where the kindergarten teacher rushed past us on her way out during her break and, finding it impossible to shake the 3 year old clinging onto her, simply pressed his little hand into mine and left him crying before disappearing through the playground gate - without locking it behind her - is not on our list of possibles...

That, also just like everywhere else, expats can live as involved or detached a life as they like.

That a detached life can look pretty attractive when it includes a driver, a picturesque house in a secure compound, and the chance for your children to roam free inside that compound.

That a detached life can also look pretty lonely if your husband is spending his 'normal' amount of time in the office.

That Moscow has changed a great deal since we last spent time there. Though of course when we last spent time there we were without children, so most of what we saw on this visit had as much relevance to us then as a conversation about whether disposable nappies were better than non (they are), and whether or not you will use a washing machine more once you have a baby. (HA!)

That whilst Moscow has changed a great deal, it still has a lot of the same characteristics. Amazingly prompt trains (never more than 2 minutes between metros), incredibly entrepreneurial people, and more dust - a fine layer of it that seems to get everywhere - than you would expect in a capital city.

That I still get a buzz just from walking around it.

That I haven't actually forgotten all the cyrillic I learnt back before my first visit in 1995 - but also that since a large number of signs are now printed in the Roman alphabet, the letters I have forgotten are not that much of a problem.

That there are fewer cars you can hail as taxis by simply standing on the kerb and holding your arm out at a 45 degree angle than there used to be. (Husband muttered darkly that there is clearly too much money around if you can't find in a cab in the good old-fashioned way). Personally I was just delighted not to be on the road and in the Traffic, which is...

Awful. To the extent that what would be a 20 minute journey in London - not, as you may know, the world capital for successful road layouts and polite drivers - will take you at least an hour in Moscow, and if you make the mistake of looking out of the window will also decrease your life expectancy by about 10 years.

That Russian drivers love their tinted windows. This could account for their sombre mood in Winter as it is quite gloomy a lot of the time, and so looking at the world through dark glass is not advisable...

That sometimes though the sun will come out and tint the city a shining, misty blue, making you disregard the dust and the traffic, and notice instead the domes, the spires, and the possibilities.

That I would still prefer to be safe and cosy in reliable London, with the school we've chosen for our boys, the friends and family we have nearby, in the neighbourhood we have made our own.

But with that said, actually, I think we could do it.