...you begin to forget what streets look like without 2-6 foot snowbanks on the curbs
...you wonder what your neighborhood looks like without the layer of snow pack...and don't believe the pictures online of how it looks in summer.
...the commute to school on the metro becomes a game that you can lose (or occasionally win) in several ways.
...10˚Farenheit seems warm.
...you're suspicious of someone else trying to enter your apartment building even if it's someone who has a key.
...your professor asks you if you've tried Russian vodka yet. And is disappointed/insulted if you haven't.
...being 5-10 minutes late to class is ok, because your professor has yet to arrive.
...you know all multiples of 30 and constantly calculate them in your head.
...someone expertly playing violin in a bar is unexpected but appreciated by all present.
...you need to go on a quest to get smaller bills. And get berated for using large bills in most situations.
...you appreciate always being offered tea.
...you constantly wear long underwear.
...you know the announcements on the metro by heart. And are disappointed when the conductor says them himself instead of playing the recording.
...every day you relearn words that you should have known long ago.
...you spend most of the hockey match trying to figure out what the fans are chanting instead of watching the game.
...while trying to learn more about Russian culture by watching TV, you find that more than half the films/shows playing were originally in another language (most often American English) and are now dubbed in Russian with varying degrees of effort on the part of the dubbers.
...going to the food court is intimidating because the people who work there speak quickly.
...hearing there's a serial killer on the loose not too far from your neighborhood only gives you pause for a day or so.
...you're disappointed that your host mother does not insist you eat more when you're already full.
...you wish that it was warm enough to snow.
...appreciating a sunny day is difficult as your eyes tear from the wind.
...you constantly check the time when out at night for fear that the metro will close before you can get home (and you don't want to pay for a taxi).
...you always check that you have your passport with you.
...you're not surprised when buying something that the store requires you to pay in cash.
...you miss the rock-hard bed in your dorm room because it was more comfortable than your current couch.
...classes often make you feel like you're back in first or second grade.
...you harbor deep resentment for friends living in warmer climates. Both when they complain of the cold where they are and when they marvel at the unseasonal warmth.
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