Lenin & Tsar Alexander look-alikes in Red Square

My trip to Russia started out disastrously: my famous purple luggage, stuffed to the gills with colorful outfits, was lost in transit. We had to fill out 5 different forms at the airport – our first introduction to the bureaucracy. To add insult to injury, my first few days were packed with action – 3 interviews, 2 shoots and no clothes to wear! I was ready to cry; good thing Kat came to the rescue with on-the-go styling skills which included combining her own clothes with whatever I had in my other suitcase (pink underskirt and 5″ heels). Luggage was found 2 days later safe & sound.


Interviewed by lookatme.ru in Moscow


Shopping in Moscow

One thing I noticed is that the deeper we delved into our Russian trip, the more difficult it became to be beautiful – or just clean for that matter. My nails began quickly filling up with dirt, hair grew back in places it shouldn’t be, soap & harsh water made skin break out. The minute we were ready for a shower hot water was shut off. For a week. Luckily, we had a flight booked to Izhevsk…


Kat posing in front of a Russian car like it’s some kind of a Porche :)

Upon our arrival we were immediately informed that there is no water of ANY kind, haha. My hometown, a smaller industrial city by the Ural Mountains on the border of Europe & Asia, is a good example of how most Russia outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg is: simpler people living simpler lives. A lot has changed since we left; malls were built, our dad re-married and had a baby (Masha is now 2 years old and looks strikingly like Kat!), and my best friend converted to Islam.


Zemfira & her family. I stick out like a sore thumb, haha.

Zemfira & I knew each other since kindergarten. At 5, we were bitter enemies and I fed her spoonfulls of sand. By the age of 7 we got over our differences, became best friends and stayed that way for life. Her becoming muslim came as a shock – if for no other reason than I remember us running around in short skirts and splashing around in city fountains all our childhood! Now Zemfira dresses conservatively, long gowns covering most of her body. At first I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but after talking to her it became clear that our friendship would not be affected one bit. As long as she is happy, I’m going to support her choice.

During our 10-day trip, we got to visit many fascinating places, including Russian countryside. In search of adventure and hot water, we headed down to a tiny village of Gozhnya. Grandparents bought a shack there in 1981 and most of our childhood summers were spent there. The place is etched in my memory as a green, idyllic paradise.


Me & Rita

I recognized aunt Rita from afar – a be-speckled woman in her 60s who had born 5 children in her life, pushing a baby stroller topped with a sack of chicken feed. Rita has been our neighbor for years; she is an Udmurt and speaks Russian with a funny accent. Now that her children all moved out, she is left alone to take care of the house, garden and the animals. We were invited inside her home for some home-made cheese and very strong tea. While we were eating, Rita poured us a huge jar of morning milk “to go”. She refused to take any money for it.


Fresh milk from the cow


Inside Rita’s home: onions weaved into long ‘braids’ to use throughout winter.

One advantage of living in the country is that water comes from a hole in your own backyard called a well. It’s been a while since we experienced a real banya – Russian steamroom/sauna were everyone beats each other with hot birch branches, haha. Here’s me, Kat & Arseny after banya. It was Kat’s idea to cover Arseny’s speedo with the branches, haha!


I had to borrow a swimsuit from my aunt – judging by the pattern, it’s from the 70s!!!


Cousin Ilya holding a turkey (who knew they were so soft & warm?!)


Russian table

It’s hard to believe that for 10 days our diet included non-stop kielbasa, cheese, bread and a lot of tea (3-4 times a day). I was mystified how Russians manage to stay so thin eating 25% fat sour cream daily – I didn’t know that even existed!!

Living in Russia is not a piece of cake. Customer service can be poor, bureaucracy out of control, and most everything you do requires dealing with an obstacle of some kind. But thanks to everyone’s kindness, we managed to have a great time. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with a smile, warm hugs and more tea. Thank you everyone for making this trip an unforgettable experience.

Next week: Things I brought from the motherland!