My Moments in the Motherland

I could have chosen to study any place in the world and yet I chose Moscow. Not only did I just choose Moscow, I chose to go during the winter. This is the same winter that drove the French out in 1812 but I had a sudden urge to go, and now here I am, sitting admit a political crisis between the United States and Russia all while freezing to death. I've been getting numerous emails from the United States embassy warning Americans about anti-American sentiment in Russia, and numerous government sponsored 'concerts,' but yet, I haven't experienced any of this. Instead, Russians that I have met and associated with tend to love Americans and are always wondering the same question I'm trying to answer, 'How did I end up here?' I can never really give anyone a specific answer. One of the most amazing experiences so far was when a group of Americans and I got together with a group of Russians and watched the US-Russian hockey match. The game ended up with a shoot out, we all kept ordering more rounds of beers and the air in the bar was tense, but in the end, the United States took home the win and we all celebrated together, both Russians and Americans. After the game, the Russians took us to red square to experience Russia through their eyes. Between the glistening lights, joy from winning the game and beauty of St. Basil's cathedral, I was mesmerized and in love with the strange country of Russia.
Take that for anti-American sentiment.
I guess that is pretty much how I ended up here. A young girl wanting to expose the truth about Russia, you know the parts they don't tell you about on CNN. I knew in my heart that Russia couldn't be as bad as they make it out to be through media, and I was right. I've found the beauty in the Russian winter and the smiles hidden deep on the faces of the Russian people. I've been to the city, the country and countless cathedrals. I've witnessed poverty, religion, culture, faith, kindness, family and a country that has somewhat fallen behind as compared to my own. But most of all I've witnessed the truth, and that is pretty much how I ended up here.