You say it's your birthday - it's my birthday, too!

There's not much to report, but I thought I'd write a post anyway since it's been a few days. The title is, I suppose, pretty self-explanatory - I turn 23 today! It's my brother's birthday, too, which is why I chose that particular quote. (We're not twins, although it feels like it on our birthday!) Happy birthday, TJ! I wish you were here!

This is my second birthday spent in Moscow, and hopefully this evening's "Babylonian" restaurant (supposedly a fusion of Turkish, Israeli, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi food) will be as tasty as last year's Indian restaurant was! Currently I'm delighting in the wireless internet at Moscow's version of Starbucks, Kofe Haus. A girl could get used to this, but I probably shouldn't, because who knows what there'll be in Taganrog. (Not Kofe Haus, I think.)

My history of having strange things happen at Novodevichy Convent (you know, the nun story) continued yesterday - Amara and I tried to go to the cemetery there, where many famous Russians are buried, but it had closed half an hour before we got there. However, the guards were willing to let us in if we bribed them 50 rubles. (Surprisingly, that's the first time I've been asked for a bribe in Russia.) We didn't, although we half-regretted it afterward. They were flirting with us enough that we think maybe if we had tried acting cute for a few more minutes they would have caved. Oh well.

And tomorrow, off to Rostov Velikii, a not-so-velikii (velikii means 'great,' and Rostov is quite small) city to the north of Moscow! Just a few days of rest and relaxation there (because we've been doing sooo much work in Moscow *cough*), then on to Taganrog next Wednesday on the train "Tikhii Don" ("The Quiet Don," translated to English as "And Quiet Flows the Don") with a stop in Ryazan' on Tuesday. I'm so excited to see my new home!!