Oh, to be a Child Again....

I had a unique opportunity today - I dined at the first Papa John's Pizza here in Moscow. Папа Джон'с has been around for 5 or 6 years now, but until today, I had never seen its flagship store, which is located not far from МГУ.

I don't know what Papa John's is like where you come from, but the one I remember from Jefferson City, Missouri, was not that big. It was also not considered an actual restaurant - it was a pizza delivery stand. There was room for its kitchen, and a window for placing orders, but that's about it. It wasn't a order-in-sit-down kind of joint. Therefore, I was really surprised when I got to Moscow and discovered not only is the Papa John's here considered a genuine restaurant, but that it also has an indoor playground for kids.

Indoor playgrounds weren't all that common when I was a child, and from everything I gather about American culture, the plethora of places that sprang up in the mid-90s are rapidly disappearing. That being the case, when invited to join in the fun unfolding in the maze of craze today, I left my sense of decorum & my shoes at the base of the slide, and scrambled up with the rest of the youngsters. I wasn't the only "adult" to do so - take a look at some of my co-workers!

My friends & I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even it the reason for this lunch out was rather sad. Some of our former students & their family are departing Moscow for good, and returning to England. We had been invited to join them for a final pizza party. One of the hardest things about living in the expat community is that it's so transient - people are always coming or going, and it's never easy to say goodbye.

More on that some other post.