Stuff to do

Hello America,

Today, or tonight rather, I am starting my pre-typing of all my post. Don’t worry; I think I can still swing some randomness into my posts. I thought I would make this post a general update. To begin, Today marks the 4 week anniversary of my leaving home. 4 weeks ago tonight I was in a hotel in D.C. preparing for my trip to Russia. I don’t think I need to tell you that it has felt like ages since then. I really feel like I’ve been here forever, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because it means I am finally adjusting to living here and bad, because I have a whole year a head of me. If I don’t pay attention, it will pass me by. I should say that culture chock and homesickness really *expletive deleted* suck, but once you get over it, living in another country is pretty fun. Last weekend was especially fun. I celebrated two birthdays, went to a rock concert, and a football (that’s soccer people!) match.

Two of my new friends had birthdays over the weekend. So of course we celebrated, with eating, drinking, and dancing (I didn’t dance). One of the cafés we went to was Arab themed and we even ordered one of those big smoking things, with the long tube and the water at the bottom. I don’t know what it was called. Everyone told me it was strawberry flavored. No, I still can’t taste, although I didn’t smoke it anyways, something about smoke and allergies that just doesn’t mix (plus smokers are jokers).

That was Thursday, Friday, went journeyed to another café for some live music. The café was great (very good kalbaca sandwiches) and the band was excellent. I can only describe theme as a kind of Funk/Blues Rock (I say blues mainly cause a few songs used a blues chord). It was Russian, of course, and I the guys really knew there stuff, some great solos.

The Football match was also fun. I an now a proud fan of the Vladimir Torpedos (number 3 in the league, ya!). I even got myself a Torpedo’s scarf and everything. The Match itself only cost 30 rubles, which is roughly a dollar, that was awesome. To top it off the Torps won 4 to 1 (would have been 5 but the ref just had to call off-sides).

So that’s basically what I’ve been up to. Weekdays are filled with homework and some interesting home life. My Babushka got a new microwave yesterday, although Russia is far behind the microwavable pizza industry.