English Dad In Moscow

Technical drama & tantrums

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:06:44 PDT

I sometimes think I have a gypsy curse on me, when it applies to living in Moscow. The city is a hard bitch, that often plays dirty. As a result, a blog is the perfect place to offload a pile of frustrations to an invisible audience. A blog can be therapeutic in getting it all out, like bursting a huge spot on the bathroom mirror. I will burst my spot with you dear reader. last week, I had my Samsung Ace phone stolen from my teaching bag, while taking the Moscow metro. Sleep deprivation,...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Airports, tax and sausages

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 09:23:25 PDT

Family and I have just escaped the iron clutches of smoky Moscow and had a wonderful break in the land of sausages, lederhosen and the birth place of its most famous mass murderer, Mr Adolf Hitler . Of course, you won't see that mentioned on any tourist pack advertising Austria. I have a soft spot for Austria, not because of Adolf but in my opinion it has the most beautiful nature in all of Europe. You can walk by pure clear streams, smell pure fresh oxygen and not see a dumped plastic...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

A soap opera

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:04:00 PDT

The block of flats that I live in, is not your standard stereotypical situation that many expats have while they stay in Moscow. We don't have a doorman, we don't live in a private gated community and we don't live in the Patriarchs Pond area like so many expatriates do. I am thankful for it as have the chance to live as many Russians do. Admittedly, we do not live in a poor situation or in flat with a family of ten, as some Russians do, in some parts of this vast city. We are fortunate....

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Spare the rod spoil the child?

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:06:05 PDT

This expression may very well be true, although on a personal level, I don't believe in beating children with a stick or with a rod if they are bad. However, these last few months, I have been teaching two twins, that we will call twin X and twin Y and a smack bottom would certainly help the situation. You may recall in "through the keyhole", I mentioned that they live in flat, on one of the main socialist avenues of glory, that leads into central Moscow. Their flat is a grand old red...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Gone with the skin

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:21:06 PDT

I love to complain about my feet, like an old man complains about his wife, mistress, back or teeth. As I have mentioned before, the water in Moscow is very hard. Some people and that includes me, get very hard skin on their feet due to the Moscow water. The skin on my feet often becomes harder than a Rhinos bum, tougher than an old Swiss cheese left down in an old dark cellar for six years to mature. I have tried to soften my feet by rubbing my feet with a stone, I have sanded my...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

The waters of God

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:52:09 PDT

A small Orthodox church in Moscow Getting your kids baptized is totally down to individual choice, belief and need. I got my baby and toddler baptized today here in Moscow. I did it, as I believe it to be the correct thing to do, I believe it be morally and spiritually correct. I believe in an after life, good, bad and a god. This is my justification, like it or leave it. Like many people, I don't go to church, except for weddings and funerals and I don't read any bible. Does that...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

A brief guide to British culture

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:24:07 PDT

With the United Kingdom always in the press for all the wrong reasons, it is interesting to ask what is it to be British? The UK and other European countries are undergoing massive population explosions caused by immigration numbers. The UK is expected to reach a crisis point very soon. As an Englishman, I have a love for many things that I consider English. If you are not English, you may have little or no idea what I am talking about. In my opinion, anyone wanting to settle in...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Go it alone

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:19:40 PDT

From experience, it is far better working independently, than as an employee in any type of profession. This is especially the case when teaching English. Schools in Moscow, will offer all kinds of things to hook the fool in and then pay him or her peanuts. I fell victim to one such school in Moscow. It had just started operating as a franchise and I was contacted by a Russian women named Elana Rigby (probably a made up name) offering me three hours a night, five days a week to teach...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Witches of the children

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:09:25 PDT

As previously reported in "Out of my comfort zone" I have been teaching twins English for the last month or so here in tropical Moscow. I go every day and spend ninety minutes separately with each child. Teaching adults is far easier than teaching children and I would prefer to teach adults any day. However, some kids can be fun to teach, some can be cute, while others can be total monsters. I think how a child develops, is down to his or her parents, their home environment and due to...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

The next game level

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:09:52 PDT

Having one kid is hard work, having two kids is the next game level and a different set of rules, a double whammy of endurance. Your head hits the soft pillow and your tired body sinks into the soft mattress. The bed springs have taken your body shape, each spring supports your body. Your body is supported by the bed springs, like a reticently discovered old viking ship in a harbour, held up by strong scaffolding. You lay in the harbour, ready to take your nightly journey into the land...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Moscow's eccentricities

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:14:28 PST

Eccentricities make life interesting, Moscow is rich in eccentricity. You will find many eccentricities within other posts on this blog but here are some of the main ones. I define eccentricity as meaning different and unusual to the expected norm. Eccentricity can be normality to one man and eccentric to another and is based on personal experience. Today, I saw a man on the metro carrying a very long length of wood and a builders club hammer, he was wearing a suite, perhaps he was going...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Children & the home in Moscow

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:47:23 PDT

I have not offered any advice on looking after children and domestic issues in Moscow. This is a bit ironic, since that has been my world since moving to Moscow. I can only offer advice, based on my own opinion and I am only a simple, knuckle dragging hairy man, who only just broke free from his dark damp cave some million years ago but I do have good experience here. My advice is special and from a man's perspective. Sites and guide books won't generally give very much real or useful...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Credit cards welcome - Having a baby in Moscow

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:08:47 PST

In the spirit of a make believe and a helpful expatriate community that few people inhabit, I thought I would offer a review of the main baby hospital in Moscow, as used by insurance rich expats and by middle class Russian's. If I am honest, this post is really aimed at anyone who has just moved to Moscow or who is thinking of moving to Moscow and currently expecting a child. I know that having a child abroad, can be scary but if I am honest, I felt more relaxed about having a baby...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Out of my comfort zone

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:36:52 PST

This English dad in Moscow has been making a few coins teaching other peoples kids English. Moscow is an expensive city and we are not rich, so every ruble helps with living costs here. It gets me out the flat and gives me a purpose and a use in life. These last few weeks, I have been teaching two twins, they are very young and don't speak any English. Teaching young kids a different set of skills to teaching a teenager or an adult. I now think that in order to teach children, a...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Poor little rich girls

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:41:11 PST

I've been teaching two non identical twin sisters for about a year now. We meet once a week at their flat, in a popular central area of Moscow, populated by wealthy expatriates and by wealthy Russians. We meet for ninety minutes and they pay me well. Their flat is on the top floor of an old restored pre-revolutionary building. The flat is massive and about 290 square meters in size. It has dark hard wood polished floors, high ceilings, a coffee table the size of a my flat and expensive...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Through the keyhole

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:41:24 PST

Happy New year, in this my first post in 2012. Teaching in peoples homes, in a foreign country and in a country so alien to your own, is a wonderful sociological voyeuristic experiment that I recommend to any gossip queen or amateur sociologist. You can see how other people live, how other people function and how other people decorate their homes. I always used to like watching a TV program in the late 1990's, in the United Kingdom called "Through the keyhole", it was a bad cheap show, that...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

The end of a year and

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:57:49 PST

So we reach the end of another year. This is our 3rd Christmas in sunny Moscow. This year has been family busy, yet a slow one for me in my current role. I have changed nappies, taught Oligarch brats and had chronic Bronchitis. In Moscow, we had a terrorist bomb attack on the metro, we had a few fatal Russian air crashes, an airport bomb and a rigged Russian election. World wide, we have suffered floods, hurricanes, earth quakes, the end of dictatorships and the start of new ones,...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Countdown to a baby

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:42:35 PST

Just when I thought I could run for the hills and be free from baby poo and dribble, another baby is due to touch down, this time on planet Moscow. The last kid was born in Slovakia and I must say the birth experience was easy and not stressful. As my wife lay in hospital, I sat at home, feet up, shoes off, beers and crisps within easy reach on the sofa, while I watched movies at home all day. This is not entirely true but more of a fantasy than a reality for me. The truth is, I was...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Your pension & red tape when abroad

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:04:19 PST

For anyone moving abroad, red tape bureaucracy is unavoidable. We all hate it but It's vital to be able to correspond with your bank, insurance company and pension organization so that you have what you need now or when you retire. I can only offer suggestions in relation to my own country the United Kingdom (UK) with particular reference to the UK state pension. In the UK we pay national insurance (NI) contributions directly from our monthly or weekly pay. If you move abroad...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Not my fight Mr Путин

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:49:09 PST

I was recently contacted by a radio show asking me to give my opinion on the Russian protests that have been all over the international news this last week. Although I was flattered, I declined their offer and told them the only opinion I have is sourced from what I have read and seen in the international and local media. I told them that I try to avoid being political on the world wide web. However on reflection, no blog like this, would be totally complete without making some comment on...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Miss X and a gun

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:27:08 PST

I went to meet a new student last week. It was my first paid work since losing fat boy and child X (see related stories below). I was given the usual Russian directions and told to take the middle wagon (carriage) and to turn left at the platform, go up the steps and turn left and wait outside for a black Mercedes. The reality was slightly different to the directions. I arrived at the platform, turned left, went up the steps only to be given the option of taking a tunnel in three...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Expatriate Christmas gift ideas

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:30:44 PST

Ask auntie Olga With Christmas coming soon, auntie Olga has kindly decided to offer some more pearls of wisdom and advice on Christmas gifts ideas for expatriates living in Moscow and for anyone else in living abroad in other countries. Being a mother of ten children, she knows all about buying Christmas presents. Olga is also an expert on beauty tips and can offer the ladies some secret tips for maintaining their looks. When you are an expatriate abroad, away from your extended family of...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Ask auntie Olga

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:42:28 PST

Welcome to a new feature on this blog. A new feature to English Dad In Moscow is this section called ask auntie Olga. She is here as an agony aunt to help you with any problems or questions that are related to some of life's headaches, she is also an expert on many things and an oracle to life's questions. She will take over with from me with regular articles. Auntie Olga will do her best to help you and you can post a question under comments at the end of this post and be ...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

For the love of their children

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:01:57 PST

Overseas Filipino Workers I recently interviewed a lady from the Philippines who is working in Moscow, to try to find out why people move here from a warm tropical paradise? I wanted to know how hard is to move here as an economic migrant, also known as a "OFW" (Overseas Filipino Worker) as I find it amazing that they move to a place like Moscow, to be so far away from home, in a country that has a climate and culture so alien to their own. The large expatriate and middle class...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.

Fun & winter games

noreply@blogger.com (- English Dad In Moscow -) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:56:56 PST

The winter has arrived. Long, cold icy fingers have wrapped around Moscow while a schizophrenic snow falls down on the city, turning the streets to a watery slush. Frozen human spit sparkles on the ground like unpleasant diamonds in the hazy winter sun. The sickness season is with us in Moscow and with it comes cabin fever. When the long cold days arrive, most parents are stuck inside with only the four walls for company. Many people are sick with colds, flu and fevers, the medical...

Slowly having a breakdown..... A travel blog and diary of life in Moscow Russia and the daily routine of being a 'SAHD' stay at home dad and other such things. Join me on a tongue-in-cheek fun journey into another universe. Sponsored by: Baby wipes, keeping those parts moist and clean. Published now & then: Price: Free. Copyright 2010. Poo Vision inc.