Mostly just really international

Ok. So, yes, I completely realize how long it's been since I put up anything, and I sincerely apologize. I have been soo busy!

So, straight into things! It has been verry multi-culti here in Yaroslavl the last couple of weeks! I'll start from the beginning. My sister, Dinara, decided to make sushi for me and her boyfriends and--wow! She is an amazing cook! She tries new recipes all the time, but I've got to admit, this is my fabourite. She only made one kind of roll, but it was delicious! Her boyfriend brought her large white day lillies and so we set them on the table and ate to candle light, the sweet smell of lillies, and pop music courtesy of Evropa Plus!

Although I did not realize it at the time, that was only the beginning of my totally multi-culti...ness. (I sounded very commercially, right up until that last bit, tehe ;) Around the same time, I started to take Thai lessons! Yes, I know how random that seems... But it sort of makes sense and here's why: my friend, Ploy (I think I put up a picture with her a post or two ago...) is from Thailand and as it turns out, my Russian teacher, David, is super into languages, specifically Thai. He had already started to learn with one or two of the Thai students he had hosted, and asked Ploy to help him continue. She was really excited by this idea and was totally game, and then I joined in too, 'cuz--what the heck, why not? So, there's part to of my Yaroslavl's multi-cultiness.

Part Three: The weekend before last, we finally had our full orientation (thanks AFS, only a month late ;) It was... interesting. I ended up being an hour late, because a friend of mine misunderstood the 24 hour clock here and told me 4 o'clock, instead of 14 o'clock. Which was peachy. Really. But it wasn't too bad. I made tacos that turned out surprisingly well and they were a total hit! They were eaten in like seconds (and I mean that actually kinda litterally--go me! ...and everyone who helped me while we were rushing to be at the school half an hour ago. Thanks guys!) Anyways. That's when things went even crazier, because I found out that it was not in fact the orientation on Saturday, but only our "international dinner" (that's why I made tacos, btw. Everyone else also made something from home-- very tasty!). We then stayed with one night "host families" which was fun, because I made new friends. I was completely unprepared, but it all turned out great. The girl I stayed with, Yulia, was soo sweet! (That's her next to me in the pink coat) She had a dochson (I don't think I spelled that right, but I can't tell because the computer I'm on says that everything in English is wrong...) named Sonia who was soo freaking adorable!!!! And some of her friends also hosted students for the night, so she and I along with them and three other AFSers (from Germany, Brazil, and Italy) all went for a walk in the center as well as went on one of those swing rides at the permanent carnival type thing they have here (sorry, I don't know what those things are actually called.... ) and then to a cafe because we were all so cold from that!

The next day was the actual orientation where we learned about things like trips (Which by the way, I'll be spending my Autumn holiday by the Black Sea!!!) and other stuff that we had kinda figured out. But it was cool, because then we talked about all of our different little surprises that we've had from being here. It was really interesting, and funny, to hear what other people were surprised by here!

Finally, we all went to the center of Yaroslavl, on one of the little buses here, called Marshutkas and I swear, I would just die to know what the people on the bus must have thought was going on. Normally here, you only ever really hear Russian, and maybe you'll see a foriegner every once in a while (though I would imaging mostly only tourists in the summer). But we were like from all over the place, and we were speaking Thai, English, Italian, and German. Awesome. XDD

Part four: Okay. So then, we had our Teacher's Day here in Russia, something which is like a holiday at schools around the country. Basically, all the classes did little things for their teachers and then the teachers all go out together to like a restaurant or something. My class, the 11th class, decided to have a tea party for the three teachers which they had (Idk whether they chose them, or if the were just assigned...) Two of the girls from my class dressed up as Geishas and served them tea! Later, some girls from another class came in to give our teachers little gifts, and they were all dressed like belly dancers! It was so cute!
So that's about all that's been going on about that. Now onto other things.

It snowed today!!!! Well... sort of. It kind of actually snow-rained. The snow didn't really hit the ground or anything, but it still looked really cool even though it is really cold now. I have to go get my winter coat asap! I already got my winter boots, and not only are they really really cute, but they are very warm! I have also begun to dawn warm tights beneath my jeans, and so that's cool, but the coat which I am wearing right now is not keeping me warm (having no hat or gloves probably doesn't help either...). But I'll prolly do that after school tomorrow, since I need it asap (not the hat or gloves, just the coat. Idk what I want to do about a hat and gloves yet, but when I get some, I'll prolly also get my own scarf!).

It is so beautiful here, and Fall has seriously taken on an entirely more literal meaning for me now. Every day now, leaves fall from all of the trees at an almost constant rate, and it sometimes looks like it's raining leaves! Sadly, I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet (maybe later). I have seriously learned to appreciate a good sweater (Renee, you are a genius woman, I love you). Oh, also, here is a picture of Harry Potter--IN RUSSIAN (because I am a dork and this really, really excited me ;) Which, btw, I went into a book store the other day, because I am having serious book withdrawal here, and even though I can't understand almost anything in a real book, I wanted to have one really really bad! So I bought me a book, and I am working on it now (One page down, only 216 to go!) Oh, and I'd like to say how awesome Russian cartoons are. I watched one today about this little boy who's a really bad student, so his homework came to life and he had to solve all of the problems to save all of the characters from the exercises. It was seriously epic. An elephant like floated away at one point and then there was a huge flood and these black swan/2s were like taunting him, but then a swan/5 sang to him and he started doing math problems at the swan/2s and they sank into the water. Then the flood went away and the elephant came back to earth and started dancing. YES. So that was cool.

I think that's about all the news from Lake Woe-be-gone--Oops, I mean Yaroslavl. ;D I'd like to really quick make a shout out to the noisy pipes in Glendale, you guys are nonexistant compared to the pipes here which you can here from three stories down they are so loud. ;D

Love everyone, and miss you!

Bettina