A week and a half ago, I sent applications to the two biggest (and pretty much only) English-language newspapers here. Neither of them got back to me, so I called them today. I got hold of an editorial assistant at one of them, who gave me the impression that the person who deals with applications is on vacation or something. I sent her my resume and clips, and she said she'd pass it along to the editor-in-chief and if he was interested she'd get back to me. At the other newspaper, the line was constantly busy.

I go back on forth on whether I like teaching or not, and whether I can happily do it for the moment even though I'm pretty sure it won't lead anywhere for me. I'm seriously thinking of applying for science writing grad school in January, to start the following September, and the biggest piece missing from my application is journalism experience. Plus it would be a fascinating time to be an American dealing with current events in Moscow (at least, the New York Times gives me that impression. As I've mentioned, I wouldn't really know that from daily life here).

But then, I start thinking, if I want a newspaper job and don't get one here, what's to stop me from moving? St. Petersburg could be nice, and Vladivostok just got an English-language newspaper, but if I'm going all the way to Vladivostok (about 8 time zones to the east, I think), why am I staying in Russia at all? Then it gets kind of vertiginous. I'll see what happens with the two newspapers. I don't think I'm done with Moscow yet.