Seems we're trying to get back to when we were 18 - and hitch-hiking across Europe again. This time it is snowing constantly, but we have some more money to survive then I had in 2008, for example. At that time huge 1 Euro cucumber saved my life for 2 days.
Tonight I'm stuck in the middle of snowstorm 30 km from Polish-Belorussian border.
Still don't know where we're heading to for the New Years.
Cheers everyone, I love technology and (surprise!) unexpected wi-fi spot in my room.

Friends on bicycles

I'm happy we meet from time to time - at least in Moscow, in between his Portugal and Mexico and my Jordan and Nigeria.
Vova Kumov with his bicycle project is touring the globe.

And seems that it's good timing - when Moscow has a new mayor, we might get some green adjustments to our terrible road situation.

Nigerian visa - start

That's the visa experience I've been longing for.
Am definitely tired of classic British-American-EU procedures, when u bring all the papers and get a stamp in ur passport.

3 WOW-questions from nigerian questionnaire:

- What is the color of your eyes? (options: brown, green, black, blue)
- What is the colour of your hairS? (options: black, grey, white, red)
- What's your height?

Got my appointment for 27 Dec. Called our embassy to make sure it's ok - and to know what time I have to show up.
Secretary: you know, 27th is a day off here. I'll connect you to the chancellor.
- and she did.
Chancellor: Can you come on Monday? What time? From 10 to 13. See you, sure. Any time.

wow.

Flush my blood away

Another sad story that follows the one about Elena Sadikova, Moscow State University student, example that proved that even in Moscow it's impossible to cure leukemia. In Russia we are lacking a bone marrow bank that exists, for example, in the US.

This one is worse: we don't have a united blood bank in this country.

What would this mean?

That only the main clinics have access to city blood banks; or they do have own facilities to collect blood from donors - limited, however. Always limited.
Others just purchase blood and its components from the above mentioned - or from the regions. And then they cover its transportation, conservation and lots of other expenses. Huge money flow. From one budget to another. Mind that most hospitals here are state, not private -  it's just another opportunity for money laundry.

At the same time even the main country clinics do not have facilities to conserve and keep enough amount of blood, that means, that the big part of what has been taken from donors is draining away, literally, to canalization. Sorry, guys, not enough refrigerators and bad planning.

I normally donate blood two to three times per year. Shall I better think of a federal blood bank program rather then waste 1,5 liters of my precious red liquid.

We needed a good reason for a party, so they got married

My friends Natalie and Lesha had a wedding last Friday. Their short story is ridiculous: Nat has old aristocratic last name - Oransky and Lesha wanted it so bad. That was her present, let say. They never lived together and never will, no kisses and flowers, no love story with teddy bears. But they are fun and the wedding was The Event of November, at least

Nat's dress was definitely a masterpiece. All night long in my kitchen we were trying to make a white sheet and a butter-cloth look good together, and I think we succeeded!

A bunch of flowers that we got for the bride (just for the ritual) and that I caught later on. 

 The rings were awesome and much more optimistic about what was going on than the couple

And all the guests were surviving terrible hungover after united hen and stag parties.

The wife is going for her honeymoon to Spain in a week - alone. The husband is furbishing up his flat and changing his passport to the one with Oransky last name.
After all these procedures they aim to apply for divorce.

What did happen in the train

 I recently mentioned in my TW and FB that I woke up in a train, having all my passports wet and lacking all the  cash I had, except egyptian pounds.

So here's the complete story that I still do not understand till the end. And I would be grateful if you give me any fresh ideas so that I do not think that people can be that bad.
November 28th was Pixel's birthday and I came to join partying crowd in Gomel, Belarus. My train from Gomel back to Moscow was to depart Sunday night, and I  almost skipped it - j
ust because we were having great time, 1st amazing snowflakes and a couple of drinks - actually, plain vodka. I had 3 or 4 shots, not a lot. Biggi walked me to the train - and yes, I do admit that I had some alcohol before, but I can't say that I was shit drunk. And I do not smoke anything.
I remember opening my Snob magazine, reading one interview, and then heading to the dining car, where I got some jack and 90% chocolate. Then - also very clear in my memories - am writing something in my notebook, let say, diary. I'm still wearing huge white wings, carnival costume we got for me two days back - and a guy at the next table is asking what is all this for, making fun, regular train conversation. Am just saying - Cheers! - and taking a sip of Jack. Some chocolate after.
Then it's all The Big Mess.
Then I wake up next morning in my car, my sweater is all in chocolate stains, bed is made very neatly, stupid wings are behind the pillow, wallet is in my bag, on the top - all wet, no money (nor russian rubles, neither dollars, nor euros), credit cards are all there.
No headache at all. It reached me only in 4 hours. And no memories. 11 hours off.
The guy I started speaking to last night suddenly appeared carrying all his bags - he was traveling in different car. He saw me checking out my wallet - "I have no cash", - "Huh, if you had your pin codes written on your cards, you wouldn't have them too".
He brought me coffee that I didn't drink and invited for a breakfast. I had no desire to even move. Ladies from the next compartment brought me my ring that I thought I desperately lost. That was the only good thing about this morning.
Seems that I was putting my makeup for 2-3 hours, that I never do.
Than the guy appeared again. He said he made a mistake when he was writing down his number for me. I opened my notebook and found out that on the last page there really were cell phone numbers and a signature. He corrected them and left.
Yesterday I tried to call, none of the 4 worked.

When I came home I realized I have 2 random bruises on my hand and chest.

I have no extra details.

But it's just scary - not knowing what you were doing and why during even 11 hours from 9 p.m. till 8-am. And trust me, in some areas hitch-hiking is definitely safer than trains.

Bloody Russian!

Just ran into AMAZING example of the whole bunch of stupid mistakes in Russian.
The web-site was translated by one hard-working british lady - and I'm sorry mam, I just have to publish it.
http://www.campbeaumont.ru/

Oldi and his Russian reggae

Oldi died in Kaliningrad hospital just tonight.
Sad I never heard him singing live.

He was not about "getting to the top", but about following his own way.

Watch the video, it's his #1 song. Hope he doesn't mind me putting here this number.

"Black on white", K.O.T.

Berlin Wall of the 21st century

You get the view crossing from East Jerusalem from Ramallah. Endless queue of buses, cars and taxis, blond palestinian kids selling coffee, sahleb and music CDs.
From one side of the border: fully equipped israeli tanks and armed soldiers,
From the other - palestinian police without even batons.

Words

He messes up words.
"Painful" and "far" - this is not the strangest example.

On the streets of Jerusalem

Written on the red T-shirt: Security.

I don't believe in guns and in "peaceful arms". If you keep a gun you mean to use it and that you will not hesitate to if there's a case.
Sick governments.

Being Russian girl in Amman.

I was walking back home at 8-30 in the morning.
Amman, Rainbow street. Shining pavements, me slightly hungover. White polka dots skirt, T-shirt and flipflops.
Taxi drivers always feel the urge to attract lonely pedestrians attention with a couple of loud "beeeps". You get used fast.
Almost there.
Suddenly. Fancy BMW, two guys at the front seat. And suddenly I hear, with the heavy accent: "dobroe utro!" - WOW! - and they pull back. "Kak dela?"
- Morning! How do I know you? - something makes me speak English
- This often happens. Somehow. What do you speak? - his English is too arabic.
I realize that it's the first time I'm seeing these faces. And don't want to see any longer.
- Ah, o'k, sorry. Gotta go. Bye.
- Stop! - the driver comes out of BMW. He's wearing classic arabic long dress for men, "dishdasha", - give me your number!
- No, - and I start walking away.
- One night we will have fun together! - his shouts followed me
- Fuck off!
- O'k! - (why would he say that?)

I crossed the road, sat on the bench at the point overlooking all the old Amman and couldn't stop crying.

What to do in Penza

I moved out of this town over 5 years back. Every time I come back I feel like an observer. And the comebacks are not that often - 3-4 times a year. I don't know that many people as I used to, and all the places keep changing so I can rarely get to the same bar I discovered the previous visit. I find it either closed or renamed or - which is worse - with different kind of public.
But I have my top-7 things to do if you are on a weekend in town.
1. Rent a bike and go in a city park for an hour or two
2. Go ice-skating - closed arena is opened from August till mid June
3. Visit Chistie Prudy area, which is 20 min driving from the city center. They have an amazing park of sculptures, just opened in 2010.
4. Shopping! The best second-hand shops offer all the variety of H&M and Marks&Spencer clothes (a bit used, but who cares) for the cheapest rates on the planet :)
5. Try kebabs Penza-style: everywhere around.
6. Take-away sweets: buy some donuts and cakes from Shokolad.ru and enjoy it out if the weather affords.
7. Go to the recently renovated Drama Theater. I haven't done this so far, but the old one was so good!

Migrations is the topic of my life

Starting my research on migrations in the Middle East.
Still have to concentrate on something - so very likely that it's going to be either displaced kurds or palestinians.
Any information or ideas welcome, please.

Moving to the Middle East, will be glad to meet everyone in Amman.

Room in Moscow available

Available accommodation in Moscow, close to the center.
Moving out for some studies in Jordan for dunno how long,
need someone to live in my room.
Shabolovka or Tulskaya metro station, messy neighbours and you can do whatever with the place.

Text me for details ))

Peace-building and no frames

I've decided to start my postgraduate studies. And I'm looking for proper topic for the Ph.D. research. It should have something to do with peace-building process.
Any ideas?

The hottest chick in hammam

Sveta is amazing.
We met hitchhiking together, then stayed in one tent for random 4 days before I left to Morocco.
Sveta takes just the most lively report pics in town. She loves cheese cakes and has the whole bunch of weird daredevil friend. This night before her 25th b'day she partly spent in jail for drinking port on the street.
She is a non-stop traveller, that's her way of perception people.
She survived 3 weeks with 12 kids in Edinburgh, being their mum/nanny/manager/teacher/interpreter/animator/psychologist at the same time.

She saved me in Amman with a bottle of fine whisky.

She was the hottest chick in syrian hammam is Damascus, I bet.

Yay! 0_o my friendly friend.

Notting Hill Carnival. Action!

I founded it a crash of british style. Drunk students and young secretaries (how are they going to work in the office the next day?), gentlemen pissing in people's gardens and big butts in tight skirts. Finally someone can forget about regular british complex attitude and allow 3 more cans of Jamaican Red Stripe beer.

Notting Hill Carnival

Starting tomorrow, 2-day madness on London Streets.
By Westminster all the mess started tonight (preparations?) with gay policeman show by one of the pubs and costume parade nearby.

In spite of all the rain, really enjoyed the early start.

Sober in Ramadan

If it wasn't my b'day I wouldn't mind traveling sober.
But - sorry - no way this time. That's just bad timing, Ramadan in Morocco. I thought, we can fix it.
If we were back on Russia, now worries, 100 places would sell any kind a stuff "from under the stall".
Morocco, we firstly tried a regular restaurant. Didn't work out. Then the french "Auchan" supermarket followed - 0% beer only. Then the huge "Marjan". Empty stalls, alco-section was closed.
"Should you respect the month of Ramadan," - the shopkeeper remarked.
And we had to crash to ***-hotel instead of beautiful Riyad, because only what's higher then 3 stars is allowed to have bars for tourists 365 days a year.

P.S. Even for this deficit all alcohol was cheap - 4 EUR for J&B. Yup, seems that they just don't drink here.

Fes. Africa on sale.

Arabs are not afraid

Just remembered.
When I was studying in Rabat, I had a host family accommodation experience. For just three days.
Once I came back from school later then it was planned and didn't find my host mum at home. I called her but understood nothing of what she was saying. So just decided to sit by the door and wait. I was 19 and had plenty of time.
In 3 min the door across the street opened and the old man came out, inviting me for a dinner. I just couldn't resist. He (approx. 85-90 y.o.) fed me great food and put news on the TV for me because the only thing I could understand. For a night I had a host grandfather and grandmother - unexpectedly.
Just imagine the opposite: Europe, late evening.
Who will let in an arab girl and invite her for dinner.
Europe is scared of arabs. Arabs are not, because they are arabs themselves.

Post-office

Photo by Denis De

Taking my mum out

I'm flying to London tomorrow.

Night in pubs with my mum, and a flight to Morocco, Fez.

It's the first time I'm really taking my mum out. Shame. Travelled half of the planet and never shared this experience with anyone.

But this time is gonna be a bit bizarre - we don't have luggage, we are traveling in Ramadan, and this time I have to take care of my mum who speaks bad English.