Imagine a world where almost everyone goes on vacation…

That world is Russia…

August is vacation month and I mean vacation month. Yes, Russians have lots of holidays and lots of other vacation times, but August is almost like a mandatory, take a vacation month and many take the whole month. In Russia people get a full month or more of vacation off of work and paid for….some break it up into small vacations and some take it all at once…

This makes August one of the most wonderful months to live in Moscow, everyone is gone. Gone fishing, gone to Turkey, gone to Tunisia, gone to the villages, gone to the dachas, gone drinking, gone anywhere, but mainly gone from Moscow and other big Russian cities…


School started for the Moscow monkey’s yesterday…

I talked about how everyone was back. Well yesterday, yes a Saturday, school started. Tidbit: school runs basically six days a week, but shorter hours a day…

“Today is September 1. As it happened it’s a day off, Saturday, and in many schools classes will start only on September 3. But we always mark September 1 as the Day of Knowledge as a holiday.” Putin said addressing to the students of the Sirius educational center in Sochi.

Putin also said, “I cordially congratulate you and all students of our huge country on this holiday, on the Day of Knowledge.”

Big day in Russia…


Moscow is packed, no room to park, kids crawling all over the city and mothers, fathers, grandparents & adults in general trying to catch and corral the free running all summer kids…. 😉 Then get them in school…

I have spent two days in shock. What use to be a leisure walk has become a Indian Jones escapade from the movies…

Could you image having a month vacation, a month that you have to take, a month vacation that is paid for and if you take the whole month (at least two weeks of it) at once, they pay even more money than if you break it up…

Now yesterday, kids carried flowers to their teachers and I mean all kids carry flowers. We have a teacher in our building and her and her husband made ten trips to the car to carry up armload’s of flower bouquets. It is nuts, forget that apple to the teacher, grab the flowers…

All day families walking their kids to school. I mean grandpa, grandma, mom, dad, uncle, aunt, the dog, the cat and the local hedgehog all traipsing around taking pictures and just in general having a party hearty day. School is a big thing in Russia and kids here love school…

What made yesterday even worse? Glad you asked; It was some birthday of the city of Korolyov, the city we live in in the Moscow area. Fireworks all night and yes, party hearty…

Today is my rambling day….I am done!

WtR

About the Author

Russian_Village

A survivor of six heart attacks and a brain tumor, a grumpy bear of a man, whom has declared Russia as his new and wonderful home. His wife is a true Russian Sweet Pea of a girl and she puts up with this bear of a guy and keeps him in line. Thank God for my Sweet Pea and Russia.