Journal 66
10-31-10
Happy New Year, to those of you celebrating it!
**********
Ballroom Comp - All day
Cheering for Friends -- Spent the morning with Masha (the girl I went to the Dacha with) and her partner, Nemig, while they weren't dancing. =^__^=
AMAZING DAY (And Evening!)
Double amazing that, instead of just watching crazy awesome dancers, I can say, "I KNOW them!" and to a degree, "They are my friends!"
Talk about warm and fuzzies when people that good are playing right to you, not just because you're random, and they hear you cheering, but because they see you as a familiar face.
Of note though, and I did find this odd: about everyone who I cheered for recognized me in some form or another. Some, more than others. Vova and Masha -- incredible dancers -- recognized me about every single time. Dasha, Vitaly's partner, whom I don't even really know, ever see, or get to speak to, recognized me bunches, too. I think Vitaly recognized me once or twice, at the beginning, and then didn't ever look at me again. Huh. I'll admit, I was surprised.
*****
Met up with Irina (the professor to whom I owe my dancing at Russian Club) for the last half of the day - but then we wound up sitting apart, because she had other friends, and there wasn't enough room for all of us.
Not sure of the exact results -- but Vitaly and Dasha weren't in the final… I have a feeling he's going to be upset about that tomorrow...
*****************
Got grabbed again tonight, on the way home.
[Chat log]
"I was on my way home from the tournament
I was sending a message asking Vitaly about our lessons tomorrow/mine on Tuesday
And I missed my stop, majorly
XD
So I got off the train, to turn back around
As I'm walking towards the staircase, this guy comes from behind me, and locks his arm into my own
Naturally, I look over, startled -- wondering who on earth I know who is sneaking up on me, on my line, at midnight
When I see I don't know him, I instantly yank my arm back to me
And as I do that, I realize he's got a friend, who's behind me
They both laugh, and mock my pulling my arm back
And basically start coralling me towards the edge of the Metro platform
I think, with some accompanying dialogue teasing me, asking what's wrong, etc
Eventually, seeing that it was going to be either the edge of the Metro platform or the guy on my right, I managed to shove past him, and ran up the stairs
Which of course, they loved -- being that I was in heels and a pencil skirt
:/
And, thankfully, they decided not to follow when I looped around back into the station
I'm ok, but it was unnerving
More than the guy just grabbing my ass two weeks ago
But seriously, what the f*&k?
I have NEVER been grabbed like that in the US
This makes the third time, and second time in less than two weeks.
And they were probably drunk - except that I didn't smell any alcohol on them.
Friend - But seriously, you're in a big city and on top of that a big city in RUSSIA.
Still
I don't think that makes it any less right for me to have been a little rattled by the whole thing
I mean, it's one thing if someone just comes and links arms with you, you shake the idiot off, and keep going
It's another when you realize you're surrounded, and by the edge of a Metro platform. = O-o =
(Wearing heels.)
So, not a great end to the night, you know?"
Now - I haven't shared this story in order to terrify my nearest and dearest back home/around the world -- I'm ok, I promise -- and, obviously, I've been in Moscow since last February without even a single incident, until the guy who groped me a two weeks ago, and those two idiots on the platform. (And the time that guy grabbed a hold of me in the Metro underground the day of the bombing. But I count that as a special circumstance...)
So, there are some things that just happen -- and this website and journal are places for me to record the honest story of my experience. Certainly, this was an unpleasant one, but that doesn't mean I'm going to just bury it away.
Believe me when I say that it's actually not even the incident itself that is so scary, so much as not understanding every word that gets said in the meantime. Simply because, those side commentaries give you so much more context to what on earth is happening to you. It's the difference between knowing, as I'm running up the stairs, "Are they saying, 'Hey, nice ass -- look at that!' or are they saying, 'We'll give you a 10 second head start.' ?"
See?
Thankfully, at least, I've been gifted with at least a good intuition for language and for reading people -- so even if I don't know what exactly is being said, from tone of voice and delivery, plus body language, I've got at least a slightly better idea of how much danger I'm in [or not].
Still I count myself lucky, and yes, you'd better believe I was happy to make it home safe. = @_@ =
And then I was pissed for a bit, that those idiots almost ruined my fantastic day. And then I thought about the good parts of the day.
Love,
Moscow Kitty
No comments:
Post a Comment