Quick update, we went to Listvyanka this weekend. It wasn’t awful, but it was pretty boring and horrendously cold. I suppose we managed to drink two liters of vodka between the five of us, but that sort of shit is getting old (generally, I don’t really drink that frequently hereabouts – maybe a few beers a week). I didn’t have a bad hangover, but it wasn’t worth it the next day. It wasn’t at all like choir, which I heard may or may not have occurred recently (besides, beer is so much more pleasant than vodka). I’m hoping to come home with a decent Russian drinking song or two, but no luck so far. The thing that’s getting me about travel is all the awful food you have to eat – I’m not saying I don’t eat good food while I’m traveling, it’s just that so much of the food is greasy pre-prepared food.
I dig the seals, though. The Baikal seals have these terrifyingly awkward flat faces like flounder....and they are incredibly tubby. Russians themselves have really silly reactions to animals, “Ookh ty! Nerpochki!” “Mama, kupi mne nerpu!” “A gde budet zhit?” And so on. Quick translations – the first is something like in between, “Oh boy!” and “Oh my god!” “Sealies!” The second two are just parts of a silly conversation between a mother and daughter that was extraordinarily nonsensical involving a seal living in the banya or bath tub or some such thing. However the general sentiment of excitement regarding seals and other cute animals just gets ridiculous, especially when you understand that the Russian idea of leisurely interaction with nature tends to be along the lines of a picnic...or maybe even a trip to a well developed hot springs camp. Maybe I’m unfair.
I’m still waiting to start my internship...with Irkutskenergo, at this rate I might work there for two weeks before I leave. Ugh.
Seems like winter break plans are almost set, I’m planning to spend New Year’s in Moscow and then jet off to Norway for a new visa and if that works out head off to the Kola Peninsula for a ski trip. Hopefully, I’ll have a multi entry visa because I’d like to head out of Russia before orientation.
This week we’ve got a full schedule and projects are starting to come up, I think I have about two weeks to research the economic history of the Baikal region and the economic crisis of ’98. Apart from that we’re planning on bowling tomorrow, the theater on Wednesday, and a hockey match on Thursday now that the basketball season seems over. The last game we saw was pretty awful...I’m pretty sure Saguaro’s team would be capable of beating the Irkutsk team...they couldn’t penetrate on offense, frequently missed free throws and lay-ups gave them much trouble...and their defense was unacceptable, the other team ought to have won by much more than they did.
What more? Well, babushka and Liza seem to have the chicken pox and I’m praying that I’m immune to it...they have these really weird green marks on their bodies...anyone know what this really is? I’ve never heard of chicken pox like that, it would really suck to get sick.
This week should be good.
TTFN