Hey, look!

So I got an email today concerning my living arrangements in Russia. It seems that I'll be living riiiight....


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there!

I think it's about a mile away from the university. The email says that I can get to class by walking or taking Trolley № 20.

I'll be living, it seems, with a host and two children. The gobbledygook below that reads "Mustafina Ilkam Yarullovna." That doesn't follow the naming tradition I know, so either the woman in question is named Mustafina and has a male middle name, or I'll be living with three people named Mustafina, Ilkam, and Yarullovna. Or I'm more confused than I think. We'll see! Whatever the case, the head of the family works in a school.

This is still more information, and sooner, than last time- when I went to Petersburg, I got a name when I was in Russia, and didn't know anything more until I showed up at their doorstep with my suitcase.

It seems that my apartment is one of the big modern ones with businesses on the bottom floor. According to Google Maps, I will share a building with a cell phone company (the same one I used last time), something that might be a mechanic, a pharmacy- no, wait, two pharmacies- a cafe, a holding company, a bank, and a real estate rental company... I think.

As an interesting side note, the cafe is named after these things:

All I know is that they have something to do with potatoes. I'll be sure and report back.


ETA: I found a picture of a building a little further down the street from mine, as well as a couple more of Kazan.