Hello my people!

I, your Queen, have made it to an internet cafe. I even managed to pay for a computer and get set up without embarrassing myself. Yay! That means, among other thigs, that there are about fifty or sixty new photos my flickr account

Yesterday afternoon they gave us another bonus stipend, so I'm swimming in money, which is a good place to be. I am swimming a bit less now, since I went out and bought a buncha stuff today.

But, let's take this chronologically.

Yesterday, after I posted, I went around the internet and collected a few lace scarf patters so I'll have something to do on the cruise. Then I went to the restaurant for our wrap party.

The restaurant was Georgian- to those of you confused, this is the original small slavic nation for which our Georgia is named- and WONDERFUL. There is a myth that when God was creating the world, he took a snack break, tripped over the Ural mountains, and dropped his food into Georgia. I wholly believe it now.

When we came in, the tables were COVERED in food, wine, and juice, just waiting for us. This was the APPETIZER spread, and it was all everyone could do not to stuff themselves so silly that there was no room for the main course. I kept saying that I was done, I was done... and yet I kept eating! Wonderful. And apparently the wine was good (illegal) Georgian wine. Us non-drinkers had a wonderful pomegranate/cranberry juice that even the wine drinkers liked.

There were two hours between appetizers and the main course (the slavic version of barbeque, shashliki) and that was all that saved us.

The teachers started with a toast, thanking us and saying that we had ALL passed ALL of our tests. Massive cheers. Then everyone was toasting and talking and digging into the food. We were supposed to just ask about our individual grades whenever we wanted, and everyone just started eating and having a good time, since there was no reason to worry anymore.

As the evening progressed, everyone started wandering around to sit with everyone else. There was singing- we sang all of our silly, silly songs from phonetics, and then our phonetics teacher sang a bunch of other stuff. One student did a song, and then there was the singer who actually works at the restaurant, who was phenomenal. Some people said that they wished he'd sung all evening instead, but I think that for all of the students, it was great to do what we did.

By the time the main courses came out, hardly anyone was where they had been originally- everyone was trying to find out whose plate they had, and where their plate was.

Then more food (and more food and more food), and dancing, and flowers and wine and vodka for all the teachers- we passed the hat at our meeting today, and got everyone a lovely bouquette, or wine if they don't like flowers, or vodka if they didn't like wine. The teachers left eventually, making a little procession of toasts and wishes of good luck out of the restaurant.

Only after they had all left did we realize that NOBODY had remembered to ask about their grades. Oh well! I found, after I knew that I'd passed, that I didn't care. I just had a good time.

I finally wandered out with the last people at about ten thirty, and caught a marshrutka home.

While we were still hanging out outside the restaurant, a beautiful Russian wolfhound came by. I commented on how beautiful it was, and said how sad I was that you couldn't pet other peoples' dogs here. A teacher and our assistant said, "What? Why? Are you afraid you'll get bitten?"

"No. It just seems like no one does that here."

"Of course they do! I just petted someone's dog in the street yesterday! It's fine!"

So, of course, I went home with a little spring in my step, dog-deprived as I am.

As I was walking home from the marshrutka, I saw a gorgeous mastiff hanging out with his owner, who was talking to some friends. I was admiring it as I came up- huge, beautiful, mountain of muscles that it was- and wondered if I could pet it. I wasn't going to try, being very tired and on my way home, but it was a nice thought. As I came by, I smiled at it, but as I did so, I got a little feeling that something was wrong. The dog had its ears and and tail cropped all the way off- it was obviously a cold climate mastiff, so this is probably standard- so that it couldn't really emote. There was a look in its eye I didn't really like, so I started to walk at a little angle away from it.

At that point, the dog freaked out. It gave this huge snarl and leapt at me. It didn't get any piece of me, by some miracle, but it got my purse, ripped it off me- broke the strap- and shook it like it was killing something. The owner turned around and yelled, "Zhuzhka! What are you doing?" and the dog cowered and spat my (very drooly and broken) purse out. The owner handed to me, apologizing profusely, and I just took it, said "no problem" and went home.

The dog was on a leash, which was a good thing, but it was so weird- the owner seemed completely shocked at her dog's behavior. I don't know. I have a nice pair of welts on my neck from the sides of my purse strap, but it was only a seam that gave way, so I stitched it back together last night and it's working fine.

That actually begins my story today. I live like five minutes from two handbag shops, one of them called "one thousand and one handbags", so I thought I'd stop by and buy a new purse, since I don't think I did the most sturdy or attractive repair job on earth. However, I found out that all the handbags here are ugly and expensive, so I'm sticking with mine.

Then I went into town and took a lot of pictures of the main thoroughfare, and stopped in at the mall to buy- you guessed it!- amber (this piece had been haunting me, being perfect for one of YOU) and some yarn, as well as a scarf so I don't have to use any grody public head scarfs at the monasteries we'll be visiting.

After that I walked all over the place until it was time to meet my friends. Then I found the park where I was to meet them, sat down, and went to call them, only to find that my cell phone refuses to work. It keeps saying something too me, but the only word that I can understand out of it is "too much", so that doesn't help me at all. So then I bought an ice cream cone and sat in the park eating it, and when my friends didn't show up, I just went to the museum alone. They had uttered the famous phrase, "It can't take more than a couple of hours" about the art museum they'd been to that morning, so I assumed that they'd either gotten out hours ago or would be in there for hours yet.

The second proved to be true- as I was leaving the Ethnographic Museum, I ran into them coming in.

The museum was fascinating- displays of all the dress, tools, and lifestyles of all the major ethnic groups of the Russian territories, and a big temporary display of chinese artifacts. Really cool.

Then, after that, I walked for ten thousand years (or twenty minutes, depending on how tired your feet are) and found both this internet cafe and the jewelry store that had been recommended to me, where I bought something for myself for once, and something for Noni.

Tomorrow afternoon we leave on the cruise, so tonight I'm sorting my crap and getting packed. I'm basically packing for good, since I won't be spending another night in the apartment. I did all my laundry today, so of course the apartment is coated in it. I hope I get home before these grey clouds turn into rain- I really need my clothes to by DRY for tomorrow.

It was cool just wandering all over the city today. I think it was a good goodbye. I managed to communicate nicely with shopkeepers, and did things that I never would or could have done when I came. I feel wonderful, though sad to be leaving. Like I told my hostess, I wish that I could have St Petersburg and Portland right next to each other.

So, this is it. Au revoire, blog my darling. Someday we shall meet again.

FINALS

I am writing you this from beyond the academic grave.

I know I did well on the Reading test- it was WAY easier than I'd expected. The Listening test, I am fairly sure I at least passed. The grammar test is a toss up- I was sure about all my answers, but that hasn't been the best predictor before. The essay, who knows, and my Conversation final was just confusing. Either I did really well and made the panel of teachers happy, or I was really amusing. (it was done in the Russian oral final tradition, with a panel of teachers and a bunch of random questions. Ow.)

So I should find out about my grades in, oh, half an hour? EEEEEEEK.

I have tomorrow and sunday free. My hostess suggests that I go to these island-parks that are really beautiful tomorrow, but I don't know. I'm very tired and I still have some shopping to do (like for amber for noni!) and so forth and so on. I really want to get some pictures of the city and upload them, so I might just spend the day in the city and then stop at an internet cafe to upload my photos and post here.

Yesterday, as you read, I was very grumpy. Yay grumpy. AND the snack stand was closed, so no chocolate.

But then I went on the tour- it turns out that that WAS the activity, I wasn't skipping anything- of the gallery, and then the teacher and I went out for gelatto and buttons and yarn and yay. We get on like a house on fire, so it was a very good afternoon.

Lots of stories when I get home. I love you all- even you people who aren't even commenting!- and I can't wait to BE home again.

comments

Bridges make me nervous now, which is ironic because I'm in a city with several hundred bridges.

It is surprisingly tiring to speak a foreign language. I always surprise myself by how worn out I get, even on days when all I do is talk russian.

And it does seem to be a year for travel. The stars must be aligned or something.

Saw your email, noni. I realized that I hadn't bought myself any amber, and I need a scarf for monastery tours anyhow, so it seems that I'll be back in town for some shopping tomorrow or Sunday. I'll see what I can do for ya.

Barbara, it's wonderful to hear from you. I'm glad lily's getting back soon, and when I'm home I can sort out with her what she needs Shae to do. It's going to be a real vacation to get home and just sit around training my dog and reciting Shakespeare.

SO TIRED

GRAH

Well, first of all I'm sorry, but there will be no posts while I'm on the cruise or after, so tomorrow will be the last post, I believe. No, I might make it to an internet cafe before I go. Check anyway, I guess. I was going to try and do the cool thing where you can send text messages to your blog, but my phone is not compatible. Ah well. Cell service wouldn't be guaranteed, anyway.

I turned in my essay yesterday, as I said, and I just had my last two classes. Tests tomorrow, then one free day and off onto the boat.

The lectures and movies today and tomorrow are optional; I'm not going today. I'm going to go to an art thing and then tramp around the city a little with our translation teacher and some other students, camera in hand.

I can't wait to come home. I'm having the hardest time concentrating- one ear will be listening to the teacher or the discussion, and both eyes and the other ear will be at home, or in space, or anywhere but there. Oh well.

Mom, dad, you can call me tonight if you want. I feel like whining in English, and we might not be able to talk for almost a week once I leave for the cruise. However, we're still on for Saturday night regardless.

Blah.

At least I'm just worn out. Patrick, with whom I travel in the mornings, had to sit through all our classes not knowing if the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota was anywhere near his family, or if they were around it when it happened. He borrowed my phone card to call home just now, and everything's fine, thank heavens.

And now I am going to go buy an overdose of chocolate from the very nice girl who runs the ultrasecure snack place across the courtyard, and sit in the sun and be grouchy.

Onward with the days...

Lessee...

Yesterday afternoon I went to the Russian version of the mall and got a little shopping done. Then I went home and tried to do homework.

And tried and tried... I got a rough draft of my essay done before I had to pass out, and then tried to wake up early (succeeding marginally) to copy it over this morning. My god.... They count up all your errors and deduct them from the total points available. You need at least 60% of the points to pass, but there are only forty points and I turned in a four hundred word essay. The teachers said that she was confident we would all pass, but frankly I'm very worried. It didnt' help that I turned it in and she said that I'd misspelled the third word in the title. (She let me fix it, and I know why I made the mistake, but still nervous making.)

Talked to mom and dad last night... boy, I'm starting to miss home. I'm just so tired of constant study. Even when I'm not actually doing homework, I'm studying russian- which is the point of this whole escapade, but I'm getting worn out.

We have one more day of classes, then finals day, and then we leave on our cruise.

As for our itinerary, I'll try and put it up tomorrow. I forgot my copy today.

Today we will be having the translation workshop promised to us yesterday; yesterday, we all piled into the lecture hall and.... started learning about stress patterns in the declension of nouns. They did a little switcharoo on us. Oh well, we get it today, so it's all the same.

....they're also planning on doing language lectures ON THE BOAT. All our teachers are like, "you get to relax soon! yay!" but we know that they'll be herding us into the mess hall to learn about spelling rules or stuff.

Everyone's nervous about the tests. I walked by some people smoking in the courtyard, and one of them was saying, "...I just keep thinking, someone's going to say- 'Hey! The State Department called! They say thanks for wasting our money, retard!'" Then everyone laughed, but slightly nervously.

Victor, I'm still trying to track down your music. Promise not to kill me if I can't find any?

COMMENTS

I fixed the link on my previous post, and here it is again. CLICK ME

Nurmi, you will have to recommend me a few good books.

Grandma, a soviet comedy was made under the Soviet censorship regime- you only laugh at the right things at the right times. A Russian comedy could be soviet, or could be made freely before or after (or outside of) the Soviet Union.