Paint. Bears, Chicken

Where do I start? Life has been kind for the past week. I cooked a chicken without making any fatal mistakes or poisoning anyone. Sorry, if I offended any vegetarians with this post..I do eat meat. Later that day, I was really fortunate to catch up with ED and Mahri from BFSIA via Skype. I still talk to some alumni from the summer camp of 2010, but I miss them so much. There are many times I wish I could go back and meet everyone there. But...being in Russia has been a great gift, because every day there's something that reminds me of my friends there. When someone asks me why I want to study Russian, I remember BFSIA friends, family members who studied Russian, and the overall feeling of accomplishment. I am learning something, because I want to, not for any tangible purpose. It's mostly for me, and not because I am required. I love this feeling. I'm also really happy that the language connects me back to people I hold dear.

The rest of the day, I played with paint, oil pastels and color pencils like a giddy little kid. Art supplies here are so cheap compared to ones in America, so I've had the chance to complete many art projects here. I feel so lucky. Maybe I should put some photos of the work here. At night, the family went to the market. A group of older teenagers noticed me as a stranger, and thinking I didn't understand Russian, jokingly asked how I was doing and where I was from, but I just calmly answered them back. "Normalno, spasiba". And there was that "O_O S*** she knows Russian" face. I love suprising people by speaking Russian to them.

Yup, all is well. I must have gained weight while in Russia, because I no longer fit into my blue jeans. Sadly, the belt button flew off when I tried to button the pants. It didn't just fall off, no...it FLEW. At least the extra fat will be good for the upcoming Winter and Siberia. I'll be like a winter bear, except I'm not allowed the lesuire of sleeping all day during hibernation. I told my host mother this, and she laughed hysterically. She teased me by saying that I should eat less, but then said it about all the girls, haha.