This Rugged JoyFull Home

How to See Real Dinosaurs and Enjoy a Birthday - On a Budget

It never fails to amaze us that in Moscow, there's always something for everyone, contrary to what many Westerners say on the blogosphere that this interesting city is one, if not, the most expensive city to live in. We beg to disagree. While it is true that there are commodities here that are ridiculously pricy, like nuts, mangoes, and rice, there are still a considerable number of consumer items that one can buy at the grocery stores that are fair enough for lower-middle income expats to afford. The prices of goods also depend on one's proximity to kilometer-zero of the entire Russian-dom which is found at Red Square City Center. The closer you are to the City Center, the pricier the commodities may seem including hotel prices and apartment rentals.

A Tangent

May I go off on a tangent and devulge a little secret? A cup of gourmet cafe Americano costs 100 Russian rubles ( PhP 73 / USD 1. 56 ) anywhere in Moscow. And if you're coffee lovers like us, you would quickly agree that this is a competitive price compared to what you'd pay for at Starbucks, say in the Philippines that would cost PhP115 / Russian Rub 155 / USD 2. 40. I once overheard one Russian guy said that in Russia, it's really all up to you. If you want it cheap, they have a plethora of stores for shoppers to choose from where everyone goes home happy. And if you like it expensive, just look around because malls are not hard to find. They are scattered like mushrooms all over the city waiting to cater to the Oligarch in you. After all, some stats read that the highest number of Oligarchs reside in Moscow, particularly concentrated in the City Center area. Hush.

Now For The Blog Post

On this blog post, it's all about persuasion through photos galore. And as I said, there's always something for everyone in Moscow. And that includes the Son, our birthday boy, who turned 10 years old last week. This special occasion proved that, in Europe, it is possible to see real dinosaurs and enjoy a birthday without ripping off your wallet. But first, see photos below. The Son is a true-blue dinosaur aficionado. It seemed he will never outgrow this phase in his life, the dinosaur age.

The Son "flesh-ifying" his dinosaur with clay that he painstakingly molded around the skeleton structure. Year 2014.

Zoom-in to see that the eyes looked real.

Here, he was knocked down for working hard till bedtime.

Two Things We Did to Prepare for the Big Day at the Museum

First, we googled for a dinosaur museum in Moscow and we found the Orlov Paleolontological Museum, the oldest natural-science museum in Russia that contains most types of fossils. The main attractions to this public exhibits are the presence of dinosaurs from Mongolia, mammoths from Russia, and fossils from Siberia. It was opened to public in 1987 at the south-west of Moscow in Profsoyuznaya Street.

We had our doubts that every information written at the museum would be in Russian, including their signages, so, we decided to equip ourselves by pouring over their website the night before. Thankfully, there's an English version to their website, thus, we were able to discuss matters to our kids to be able to manage our expectations ahead of time. Their website holds detailed information about over 5,500 paleolontological objects that were collected dating back to the founding of the very first public museum during the time of Peter the Great in the late 1600's. The museum is divided into five main halls and each part is dedicated to a certain era of the geologic history of the earth which were entirely based on the evolution theory. This brings us to our second step in preparing for our trip to the museum. We opened the conversation about what to expect when we get there particularly the dating system that they applied in identifying the paleolontological displays.

We thought that it was note-worthy to talk about evolutionism, thus, raising awareness to the contradiction that this great nation has a strong and traditional religion which is Christian / Russian Orthodox. As parents to our homeschooled kids, this was one opportunity for us to galvanize our family value system to them which is based on creationism since we're bible-believing-practicing Christians. Based on the book of Genesis 1:1a it says, "In the beginning GOD..." That behind all of creation, there is a God Who is The Great Engineer and The Great Architect Who designed everything according to His divine plan and for His glory. Nothing occured on earth by chance but everything has a purpose under God's loving care. What a sovereign God we serve! So, if you can engage a 10 and a 15 year-old kid in this kind of conversation, that is something worth all of your time. It had been a deep and meaningful conversation.

"If you were to look at this building, you wouldn't think it's a museum. But it actually is a museum." ~Bethany

"The lighting made our faces look like we're wearing a full-face make-up." ~Bethany

"Here is a picture of a dinosaur. Not the one on the left but the one hanging in the air to your right. It usually lives in the sea, but it stays on land when oxygen or rest is needed." - Noah

"The artwork of the dinosaurs below literally describes my brother and I's relationship. 😜 I'm the T.Rex and he's... Well... Whatever that dinosaur is called." ~Bethany

"The dinosaur on the left is called a Parasaurolophus." - Noah

"I don't know what this is, but I have a feeling that this creature is a carnivore ( meat-eater) because it has sharp teeth and claws." -Noah

"This is a Mammoth that lived thousands of years ago! And its tusks are about 5 feet long!" - Noah

"These hanging displays look like they're made from porcelain." ~Bethany

"It feels more like a castle than a museum." ~Bethany

"These are the bones of a Parasaurolophus. It's an herbivore ( plant-eater). It's about 20 to 30 feet long." - Noah

"Now this is what I like to see. A giant long-necked herbivore that is called a Diplodocus. It's about 40 feet long and is named by the bones on its long whip-like tail." - Noah

"This is a 4-foot long reptile. I don't know the name of this one but it's like a round-snouted crocodile." - Noah

"Nice to meet you! Hee hee!" -Noah

"Above and below are the heads of 2 T. Rexes" - Noah

"May I touch your tooth?" -Noah

"This is an armored dinosaur. It protects itself from predators like T. Rex. It has a spiky tail that it can use for a weapon."-Noah

"If you zoom in close enough to the picture, you can see a small dinosaur biting onto the foot of the T.Rex." ~Bethany

Mini amphitheatre...

"I had chills down my spine when I saw this scary-looking row of molars. Like, those are actual teeth! I wonder if it's a carnivore or an herbivore." ~Bethany

"It's an herbivore. Herbivores are plant-eaters. It is based on the shape of their teeth which they use to grind plants in their mouths. If it looks like human teeth or something, it's an herbivore. If it's sharp and longer, it's a carnivore." - Noah

"We weren't surprised when we saw these big sea shells. We've seen way more bigger sea shells in Puerto Galera, Philippines." ~Bethany

"It's fun to imagine how big these dinosaurs are if they're still alive up to this day. Just look at those skulls!" ~Bethany

"Most dinosaur eggshells are half a centimeter thick!" - Noah

"Another T. Rex. Here is a fact that will surprise you. The teeth of a T. Rex can crush bones!" - Noah

Can you count all the red bricks that you see behind us? And the rustic stump that they knocked down to be placed at the entrance of the museum to greet their visitors. Perfect seating area after almost two hours of walking the Jurassic world. Picture perfect almost. But it has its rough edges, too. Can you spot it?

Value for Your Cha-ching

Our entrance fee to the museum costs 300 Russian rubles ( PhP 221.00 / USD 4. 70 ) per person and 150 Russian rubles ( PhP 110.00 / USD 2. 30 ) for kids; that's a total of 1, 050.00 Rub ( PhP 776.00 / USD 16. 44) for all four of us.

Picture below is the birthday boy's take home souvenir, the egg of an Amargasaurus worth 250 rubles (PhP 185/USD 4). Talk about value for your cha-ching there! And wonderful precious memories were made once more, on a budget. As for the value of memories that are permanently etched on our children's memory bank, priceless.

Lessons From A Russian Doll

A Matryoshka Doll, also known as a Russian Nesting Doll is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside another. The first set of Russian doll was carved in the year 1890 by a Russian artist named Vasily Zvyozdochkin (repeat 3x for a quick tongue twist) from a design by Sergey Malyutin. The design principle behind the Russian Doll was patterned after the simple onion bulb with its skin that will reveal the same onion skin within when peeled. How exciting is that.

Russian Dolls showcase the artistry and craftsmanship of the Russian people and their love for elaborate designs. Consider the amount of time involved in creating a set of Matryoshka Doll as it is carefully carved out and painted to perfection. Indeed, you can't rush art. And you can't haggle, I mean, it's a shame, haggling on a piece of art. A Russian Doll is priceless, timeless, a thing of beauty to behold, such as these squad of dolls we found at Red Square tiangge's ( souvenir stalls).

And so to you, my favorite Russian Doll, hear me when I say... even with those small crumbs on the corner of your tiny lips...

You are beautiful. You were ready for this kind of life. I was amazed at how well you handled yourself since the day we got here; with ease and no complications. You ate the food they ate here, you wore the clothes they wore here, and you walked the way they walked here, in a stride, in a straight line. And you were enjoying it. Not only were you vacuuming the house and mopping floors but also you were cooking the family's breakfast. All of these, just before school time. Then I see you slay Goliath under the guise of Algebra and Chemistry; with one stone you slew your enemies. And sometimes even with tears on your eyes you recite, "I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me!" Philippians 4:13) How blessed is a mother to have you for a daughter my favorite Russian Doll.

Matipid. You look up the internet for the English translation to this Tagalog word and it generates words like "economical" or "frugal spending." But I would like to bring this word to a higher distinction of Godly character; more than just being matipid, you are a faithful steward. In Tagalog we call it mabuting katiwala, with the perspective that everything belongs to God and we are just carers and stewards of things that are temporal. You look over Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary where he further explains that "it is required in stewards that a man ( or a woman )be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1)." Look at this picture of your three year-old Stabilo markers and your two-inch long, err, short Faber Castell pencil below.

The empty marmalade jar that you recycled to be used as your personal effects holder.

This empty sparkling wine bottle that you are keeping for future use.

My dear Russian Doll, it is worth affirming that besides being matipid, you also exuded a certain sense of simplicity and contentment in you as revealed in our conversations a while back. Simplicity in that you repeatedly told your father and I that you're agreeing to go to the mall with us because you had our permission to buy only black outfits. That is how simple you will be.

"Are you threatening us about you buying all black outfits?"

"No. I'm just informing you so you won't get surprised."

"But why all black?" "It is called grunge. No pink, no flowers, no frills. It's simple and it's my kind of fashion, please."

You were contented for the staples you have in your wardrobe, some pairs of jeans, some T-shirts and that you were fine with mixing and matching them every once in awhile. But we've had this kind of conversation before, to the point of "argue-sation", much like taming a screw. We were informed ahead of time that as expats living in Moscow, while in public places like malls, parks, or in the streets, a politsiya may summon you and ask for your passport. That's all right. Just show them your passport. It's legal SOP even if we're law-abiding expat tax-payers here. Do not panic.

My dear Russian Doll, you were prepared for this kind of life. We all knew that there will come a time that we may face the unavoidable no matter how we shun the possibility of dealing with the politsiyas. It is part of the choice we made as an OFW ( overseas Filipino workers ) family. And so your father and I agreed that we will do our best to look our very best at all times in order to not catch their attention albeit our exotic looks being Asians with our brown skin and dark hair. We will camouflage.

Your father handed you your shopping money and I could tell that you have resolved to not spend all of it on a shopping spree. You knew what you wanted, something cheap but chic, bearing in mind what your father advised you to look out for in clothes to wear; those clean lines that are modest and not frilly, something that befits a stunning morena like you as he winked his eye. You gave your father a dagger look because you couldn't draw the line between awkward and flattery, my Russian Doll. But deep inside, you giggled, because you value every single word your father say about you. Your father has defined for you the true meaning of beauty; those clean lines that are modest and not frilly, something that befits a stunning morena like you as he winked his eye- and his voice always echoed deep down to your heart. And to you that has become your standard of beauty and not based on the number of thumbs sticking up on social media.

You got a few pieces of these for a bargain price of 499 Russian rubles each. Did we agree that these shirts cost cheaper than the ones we have back home at Tiendesitas?

It has become a habit of ours to have this handy-dandy currency converter app all the time because we always want to keep track of our spending.

And Russian Doll, this made you happy and feeling accomplished for the day because you knew that you have contributed something of value to our family; to be matipid, simple, and content. With all my biases on every lines of this post, I would like to tell you that these characters that you showed were admirable, bloggable.

What We've Seen At Red Square So Far...

Travelling 7km from our flat to our destination, we arrived here at approximately 2pm, at 32º celcius, that was hot! and I thought the sun was following us all the way from our beloved Philippines to the historic Red Square in Moscow City Center. Not quite though because back home, the rainy season had just begun; and here, it is summer that is why it is quite hot, and when it's winter, they say, it is quite cold. We thought it's interesting that Moscow has what they call a humid continental climate. The Hunny announced, "wanna know how hot it is at the Red Square this hour of the day? Check this out." His lips secretly pointing towards the two men pushing their baby carts, on their backs, i.e., the back of their shirts mapped with cascading sweat from strolling outdoor. They seemed to love it though.

We all decided we can wait for the temperature to cool down in the late afternoon, stroll around the mall area, and save the best for last, to see the Red Square and take our selfies there. Red Square is literally a central square because Moscow's major streets and highways originate from this point. The Red Square separates the Kremlin ( Russian citadel ), the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation, from the historic merchant quarter known as the Kitai Gorod. It is another scenic attraction that we plan on visiting next time. Kitai Gorod is a cultural and historical area within the central part of Moscow.The Moscow Kremlin is the most famous of all the Kremlins, meaning "fortress of the city" because of its location at the heart of Moscow; to its south is overlooking the Moskva River, to its east is the Saint Basil's Cathedral. ( Thank you, Teacher Wikipedia! )

What we've seen so far...

Jamie's Italian at Red Square...

And inside Jamie' s Italian, a nice arch window over-looking I don't know, I was too hungry to check.

Too bad I can't get the 180º view of the entire restaurant. Thank God for our nice servers, and we noticed that here at the City Center, most Russians can speak in English, especially at the malls.

This caught my attention. The white metal cup, beaten up. Back home in the Philippines, in Tagalog we call this "sartin." I felt home here...which was consistent to the entire rustic theme of Jamie's Italian.

My favorite part was when we ordered tea at a coffee shop which I forgot the name of, we were served these tea pots clad in knitted jackets!!!

The Daughter masking her disapproval of me taking her picture! Oh, those tea pots in jackets!

Our salt and pepper shaker pronounced "pyoh-joh." Ha!

Finally reached another family milestone. Kilometer-zero of the entire Russian-dom where all major streets and roads began!

On the backdrop is Saint Basil's Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church, aka the Onion Dome built C.1561.

Look to the left, look to the right, and when no one's looking, take a selfie in front of a mirror inside an LV store. My observation was that, it's too quiet inside the LV store. Moving on.