Budzdarova!

That's how you say 'gezundheit' or 'bless you' in Russian. (To a woman- male is 'budzdarov')

I know this very intimately now, because I have a lovely specimen of a cold. Yay for being sick in foreign countries! I'm already getting better, but I sound terrible today. I was absolutely pathetic, wandering the Hermitage Museum yesterday.

The folk cures are slightly different here, too- my newly acquired babushka tried to give me MILK of all things! I managed to turn that down politely, though, or I might have drowned in my own phlegm last night. Of course, there were also offers of an ancient bottle of Vick's VapoRub, which is now lurking on my nighstand.

Oh, did I say newly acquired babushka? Indeed! I heard that she was coming- she's my host's mother- and I asked where she lived. "Here," Lyuba replied.

???

Home is an interesting concept here, and combines in new and fascinating ways with the Russian concept of time. A friend of mine had her host go to Dacha (the ubiquitous suburban house that almost every family has) for 'a day' and she came back a week later. During the meantime, her adult son moved back in.

Anyway, it turns out that Marina Sergeevna, Lyuba's mother, lives at the Dacha during the summer and is now writing her next book out there. But, every once in a while, she has to come into town to pick up her pension, so Lyuba relaxes at the Dacha and Marina Sergeevna stays in the apartment. It's her room I've got, by the way, but she doesn't mind. She immediately adopted me as one of her own.

And it turns out that the Russian Diet backpedals on weekends. Lyuba has decided that I don't eat enough. AND then she went and told her mother that- I've practically had to barricade my door against study snacks, and I got off lightly last night when I went in for a cup of tea and came out with a plum, a giant stuffed pastry, and a wedge of cheese.

Danil was supposed to travel with me this morning, since he needed to be in early, but I run on American time- leaving at 8:30 means leaving at 8:35, which causes Lyuba and Marina Sergeevna both to cringe- and he runs on Russian time- ninish?- so I had to leave him a note and skedaddle. I got about six steps down the stairs when I realized I was still wearing my tapochki, or house slippers.

I am going to the Marinskii Theater to see the ballet of Romeo and Juliet tonight. I can't wait! Even if I do feel crappy, and I do have homework, I'm not going to turn down ballet. Especially not free ballet.

I'll be going back to the Hermitage for sure- students get in free, and I only saw art and interiors in the six fast-moving hours I spent there yesterday. I want to go back and see the dentists' tools used by Peter the Great! The teeth he pulled are in there somewhere too...

Aaaaaand I don't know what else to say. Pictures soon, but I didn't want to lug my camera through the day and then check it at the theater, and there's the usual Monday jam on computers. I've been trying not to cough on this one, so hopefully it's not too scary for other people to use.