Back again. Hi!

[Courtney]

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd reintroduce myself. I really love this forum and was really energized by it last summer ('07). I'm living in Russia, doing research for my second book. Things got hectic; I had to travel twice to Ukraine and then relocate to another Russian city, Cheliabinsk, in the dead of winter.

I started slipping into bad habits of coffee drinking, then chocolate, then fatty animal foods. Yuck! I'm sick of all that. Tired of feeling bad about myself.

Fortunately, I haven't gained any weight, still run every day, and have abstained from all alcohol for 54 days and counting! Now I want to get back to my morning green smoothies and evening salads. I've missed you all, and I'm eager to hang out on this forum again. I love to read about your successes and see my own daily improvements.

Courtney

[Frugal Raw]

Welcome back!!! I wish you the best of rawesome health!! I look forward to hearing more:D. My sis-in-law is from Russia, and while she was curious enough to buy my ebook, she has been unnerved by the thought of eating food "cold" (she even microwaves her ice cream to remove the chill)! My brother really wants to try it, but he's the main earner in the house and works long hours. Do you know of any Russian nationals there who are adopting the raw lifestyle?

[Courtney]

Hi Mattye Lee,

Thanks for the reply! I was just reading your blog about an hour ago. Hope nursing school's going well and your husband is OK.

Nope, I'd say most Russians are very un-health conscious, men especially. You see both men and women strolling on the streets carrying beer bottles, like it's soft drinks are something. Alcohol is sold 24/7 everywhere. Also, I am definitely in the minority as a non-smoker. Most people smoke, even surgeons in hospitals, and there are no "clean air" laws.

Winters in the Urals are a real killer. You can't say you've experienced a real winter until you've been here (and Siberia). Ohmigawd. So, yeah, they really like their hot food, their meat, their vodka.

Someone should start up a raw restaurant here and show Russians just how tasty the food can be.

In the mean time, I'll just focus on setting an example :-)

Courtney

[spicyfull]

Welcome Back..........

[Anastazia]

Yea, welcome back ,nice to see your face again! (Ya still look like Avril Lavigne to me, though!)
Is it cold there NOW?
I'm glad you're back to doing what will bring you abundant health, let us know how you're doing, k? How hard is it to find fresh produce? & is organic outa the question?
~Anastazia~

[Veganforlife]

Welcome back!!! You just took a sabbatical from raw. You'll get into it again. No fear!

[jacsam]

Welcome back.....we just spent time in the Ukraine also (Kiev). Yeah, the chocolate there is something else. We also had some wonderful fruits there. It's wonderful to have you back. See you around the forum.

[Courtney]

The only greens I can get here within my budget are parsely, cilantro, onion shoots, cucmbers, and cabbage. I have no idea why, but they just never grow and sell anything else. Once and a while you'll see imported avocados, but they are so outrageously expensive, a rational person living on savings wouldn't buy them. Grapes, red peppers, and pineapples are exorbitant. My usual "red" smoothies consist of parsley, cucumbers, bananas, beets, apples, radishes, cabbages, and oranges -- or combinations thereof.

My kittie Nikita eats cucmbers and radishes that fall on the floor. He acts tough around all the moths and mosquitos that fly in, circles around them, but he's too wimpy to eat them.

Courtney