Here's another edited version of an email recently sent home:
"...In other news, I'm ill. It's been 1000 degrees out, hot in the house, not enought rest, and I've caught some kind of cold. Marina told me,"oh, it's probably because it's so hot out and you drink cold things". Um...yeah, that probably did it... And what cold things was I drinking? They don't belive in ice in this country! Everything is lukewarm at best! So we'll see what kind of home remedies come up. I don't know if Marina fully realizes that this may be a multi-day event. Russians think that drinking cold things gives you a sore throat, so I don't think she's at the "virus" stage of thinking. Yeah Marina, all that "cold" stuff I drink. Bless her heart, she's working with what she knows.
I'm going to the dacha (Russian cottage) tomorrow with the family, just for the day. Anatoli went to Moscow on business yesterday but he's returning tomorrow morning, and we'll spend the day up there. Dachas are really different here; they're all clustered super close together on the outskirts of town. Whole little villages with tiny yards and gardnes, about twenty feet apart, all in little rows. It's strange. And it only takes about an hour to get to ours.
For my birthday me and Laura are going to hit the mall: it has an Ikea (n.b: this sounds like a weird thing to be excited about, but I've never been to an Ikea, and besides the mustard we eat here at home is from Ikea and I want to get them another bottle) and some other stores we like, then maybe come back here and bake cookies or something before dinner: sushi at a different mall with my peeps. Kazanites love sushi and Italian food. Go figure. There are sushi and pasta places ALL OVER. After dinner I'm having some friends over to the house. Anatoli and Marina are so cute: "Do you want us to leave when your friends are here? We can go if you want. Do you want us to be gone?" Um, NO! All my friends are dying to meet you. It's adorable. I told them they were welcome at dinner if they wanted and they wouldn't even entertain the idea of "intruding" on my party. They're great.
Also, we had a rebellion. All of us, that is. Our group is divided into three small groups for classes, but the levels in the groups are all over the spectrum, from the best to the worst in each group. It was making things really really difficult in all the classes, because for some people it was way too fast and for some it was way too slow, so at our last meeting we talked with Leslie, our on-site American director, and self-divided into three groups. I think I'm pretty squarely in intermediate, so that's where I am now. Natasha, our Russian group director (btw Natasha is probably 45 or 50, Leslie is probably 23) was ok with it because she's a lovely woman and has our best interests at heart. Hopefully on Monday things will go better.
Well, that's about all the news I have. I'm alone at home relaxing and trying to recoup, but I'm already bored with Russian TV because I can't understand it. I'll check a little email, goof on the internet, and do who knows what else.
I love you and I'll talk to you all on Sunday.
XOXO Jane"
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