Oh my back....

I did get my fax sent off yesterday... I hope. It took a while to track down a working printer anywhere in this building, and then I left the papers with a disconcertingly high mucky muck who said he'd have it dealt with. Fingers crossed!

I realized yesterday as I trooped out of the house on time that I was sick of Russia. Just sick of it. Everything was weird and annoying and I was done with it. I didn't want to go home that badly- I just wanted Russia to quit being such a stupid place and let me go somewhere else while it was at it.

Luckily, I had the good sense to realize that if I was sick of Russia, I was doing something wrong. Therefore I made sure I had time on the computer, sqeezed as much fun as I could out of our classes, sang loudly in Russian Songs, and then fearlessly plowed through red tape to get my papers sent. That accomplished, I stuck around to go to a classical music concert, instead of creeping home with my tail between my legs.

It was lovely! A famous Korean soprano (who has, by the way, sung at the Oregon Bach Festival, which was weird to see printed in Russian) and a fairly well known Russian pianist performed a selection of classical and opera music from around the world. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And free! Awesome.

Then it turned out that two of my fellow CLSers- Olivia, and a girl named Lydia- were also there. Olivia introduced me to a new acquaintance of hers, a Chinese girl who speaks better Russian than I could dream of, but after a few minutes she took her leave. That left us three Americans with some time on our hands, and so I fought my run-home-and-hide instincts and the disable wave of tired that was enveloping me, and instead of going home to sleep, we all went to a cafe. Socializing win!

Shokoladnitsa is like the Russian starbucks, but it's a little higher-end and specializes in classy desserts and fancy drinks (and, at this location, hookahs and sushi as well.) I decided that I had gone long enough without coffee, and by god I was going to try some Russian espresso. I ordered a latte.

It came with a straw in it and more than an inch of foam on top, but it was quite pretty, and rather tasty!

This means that I have found passable espresso! In Russia! On my way home from school!

I managed to stop weeping from joy after a little while, and we three girls sat around and looked hopelessly at homework assignments and commiserated, since all of us are in hellishly slow processes for various desirable jobs back at home (or abroad, for that matter).

As afternoon wound down into evening, we split up and Olivia and I made our way home. I outlined my plans for convincing my host mother that she should go to dacha without me over the weekend, and we both trembled in excitement at the idea of having an empty apartment to play in again. Personal space! Silence! Lack of Russian commentary! OOO!

Then I went home, did more laundry, and then wrote out an entire hour and a half yoga class, which I obediently followed down to the letter. Ahhhh. My rather rickety hostess came home and scared the daylights out of me by trying what I was doing, in her street clothes and sandals, with her trick knee, hip, and back, but otherwise it was wonderfully peaceful.

I am sore as HELL today.

Needless to say, though,I feel much better.

And that's all, folks! A boring recounting of my day for ya. I promise there'll me more interesting stuff on Monday, or possibly sooner if I get some computer access. Now, off to our week's end meeting, and then into the wild, sleep-infested freedom of the weekend!