A first time flyer noted that her veteran Russian colleagues would speak in English to her NASA colleagues, who in turn would respond in Russian, as a sign of mutual respect.

An evening ritual for one crew was to gather around the Russian segment's dining table for dinner at 6:30 to share a meal and stories. When the food gets repetitive, the crew combines different parts of different meals together to make new recipes.

Each day, Moscow and Houston send a schedule with specific tasks assigned to each crewmate. Two calls are made with Ground Control, one in the morning to clarify and one in the evening for next steps. Even weekends have tasks to be done, systems to be repaired, and educational programs to be completed.

Given that days start at 4AM GMT, 'lights out' is at 7:30PM GMT. This time is used for crew to chat with each other, call family on Earth, and take personal time for hobbies and reflection.

Given the lack of running water, the crew has had to 'improvise' elements of hygiene - using wet wipes and towels, needing to swallow toothpaste after brushing, wearing a water bag over your head to wash hair.

Water is a valuable resource, and so wet things are left out to air dry. A water conduction collection unit then removes moisture out of the air to purify and recycle. The crew jokes that they're all very close, given they drink each others' sweat.

Sauces -- including salsa, hot sauce, pesto, mayo, and mustard -- are critical to food enjoyment for some, as sauces are relished to the last drop.

Opening the hatch after docking releases "the smell of space," which to one flyer smelt like burned almond cookies.

For a first time flyer, space sickness started after overzealous flying on the first day in microgravity led to nausea. Motion sickness injections were used but it took a few days to recover.

Sleeping in sleeping bags hung from the ceiling in Soyuz reminded one participant of how bats sleep. Sleeping in zero-g felt like floating on a lake.

The Soyuz spins on its axis while chasing the space station, which one crewmate linked to prior 'spinning chair trainings.' It was still hard to resist looking out the window.

A self described "people person" misses the company of his crewmates who have departed for Earth, but is grateful they've arrived safely.

Enjoying time on the ISS, but still missing sun rays and warm breezes, fresh cut grass, the sound of lawn mowers, and steak.

Recreating a meal from a previous mission for movie night by requesting specific preference foods, to share with the crew. Sauces 'glued' the meal together.

A female commander was gifted Kazakh riding whips by Russian dignitaries 'to keep the men in line,' but they were left at home on Earth.

It's easy to get bored of food when there are limited options. However, eating to stay healthy is important, and is akin to "sport eating."