Things Russia Has Made Me Thankful For:

A THANKSGIVING REFLECTION:
53 things either I've learned to appreciate from their absence
or learned to love from their abundance....

Hopefully this won't sound too depressingly negative.

1. personal space.
2. when people are helpful in stores.
3. leafy greens.
4. salad without mayonnaise.
5. fresh snow daily.
6. thick walls and privacy.
7. good pizza (that is NOT from Sbarro).
8. my real, English-speaking family.
9. my long-time friends who know me better than I know myself.
10. being fluent in at least one language.
11. when I can ask questions in English.
12. yogurt and творог in the mornings.
13. the metro not at rush hour.
14. deicer and salt and plows.
15. when books are in English.
16. чай! чай! чай!
17. canals and parks.
18. Stolle cafés for eating and sitting.
19. food that is made without meat or excessive grease.
20. thick, woolly socks.
21. good mattresses.
22. water pressure.
23. water-proof footwear.
24. polar fleece and turtle fur.
25. having access to the internet.
26. wrought iron fences.
27. street lights, christmas lights, lights at night.
28. making the last metro train home.
29. when bridges don't go up.
30. weird themed Wellesley parties.
31. activities like WZLY and Counterpoint.
32. skype, webcams, and hospitals with high-speed internet.
33. black & white film and that Яркий Мир can develop it. and darkrooms.
34. photos of my new niece.
35. when there's toilet paper in the bathrooms.
36. free WiFi that actually works.
37. complimentary water and bread with meals.
38. clean air and clean streets.
39. cobblestones.
40. old, oddly-shaped Russian apartments.
41. moisture cream.
42. the act of flossing.
43. successfully finding something you need.
44. all knitted items and things made from felt.
45. when incoming SMS's are free.
46. any and all Soviet junk.
47. water heaters & water boilers.
48. the days Olga makes перог.
49. the art of printmaking.
50. subtitles over dubbing.
51. produktis where you can actually touch the produce.
52. the warmth of fur.
53. intimate black and white portraits of domestic animals from the 70s.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!