Just a quick post to say that I arrived okay after a surprisingly uneventful journey. I've settled into a new flat, haven't started teaching yet - apart from covering for a teacher who fell ill - and am feeling quite happy and adjusted.

We are just coming out of a cold spell. It's only about -2C today but on Saturday night it fell to -25 or so, the coldest I've ever experienced. So cold that your nosehairs freeze up after about a minute. In fact, I bought a 1.5litre bottle of 7-Up from a shop (not a kiosk) and it was frozen - a big bottle of ice.

The area I'm living in is called Planernaya, it's in the north-west. There's a metro station close by (the last one on the line - real suburbia!), a permanent market, a few shops and not much else! Oh, and a small supermarket about 10 minute's walk away.

The flat itself is two-bedroom, quite spacious really. No living room but one of the bedrooms is significantly bigger and doubles as a living room during the day. This is common Russian practice. We're on the first floor (2nd floor to Russians), we have a TV, a phone line, it's warm enough at night.

My flatmate is from New Mexico, he's been in Russia for three months but before that was teaching in the Czech Republic. We seem to be getting on quite well.

I have computer access at the main school, which is in central Moscow on the circle line (one change away, about 45 minutes from door to door). I will probably not be teaching there; instead, I think I will be posted to one of the 'schools' in the north of Moscow. Language Link have about 10 or so centres scattered around the city.

Managed to meet up with Kostya already; saw him to celebrate 'Old New Year' on the day before yesterday. He's living on the same metro line as me but the final stop in the opposite direction! So it's quite a long journey.

Well, I think that's enough for today!