I wasn't sure that I wanted to wake up right at nine today (I was at a four-year-old's birthday party until late last night), but Iolanta's call for yoga pulled me up out of bed, into the super-warm clothing I put on every day and then out into the not-so-cold weather. Again, not-so-cold means about 0 degrees Fahrenheit - but, really, no joke, that doesn't feel too cold to me anymore. It's good walking weather.
That started my Sunday. Here's how it continued:
I wasn't able to balance on my hands with my knees resting on my elbows today in yoga. Жаль! But, hey, what's new?
Blini - you could call them crepes - waited for me next. Iolanta filled them with tvorog (farmer's cheesy/cottage cheesy??) and then fried them. I put berry jam and honey on top. I love this meal, especially in a friend's kitchen listening to family small talk.
Next, I was invited to sing with a small choir that meets on the eighth floor of one campus building with a great view of the snowy city and surroundings. This was my first day singing with them. I liked how we first sang around the piano, then in our own circle facing inward, then outward. After singing, four of us got tea at the new pizza place around the corner. It's the second Senor Pomidor in town.
Next, focused Russian. A few months ago, I asked an English teacher at the university to be my Russian language tutor. This was my first class back after the long vacation. She works a lot on my pronunciation of hard and soft sounds, gives me grammar exercises, listening and summarizing practice, and we watch segments of a 1961 Soviet comedy - "Devchata." Today, after pointing to an article that I read in one of the university's publications about students taking exams, Olga told me something fun. The night before exams, students, praying that they will do well the next day, often open the small corner window that's in all big windows here, and scream халява (meaning, give me a freebie) 3 three times while waving the little booklet which contains all of there grades, written and signed by teachers. They do this right at midnight. I will definitely make sure to open my window at midnight some nights for a chance to hear these calls.
Next, my weekly Sunday meeting with a group of four students who are preparing to go to America this summer for work. They will go with the program Work and Travel, which sets them up with employers in the US. Usually we meet in the cafe across the road from my apartment, but tonight I invited them to my place. I wanted to host, and found myself preparing by running to the store for the regular 5 liter bottle of water to make our tea with and then putting candies on the table--neither which I could have done without. Usually, our meetings just consist of questioning and answering, sometimes role playing, hanging out with the English language. They can have pretty interesting questions for me about how things are done in America, how people carry themselves, what type of laws are there, etc. Today, though, I read little puzzle stories, had them repeat them and then answer them. They sat on my couch for practically two hours with scrunched up, thinking faces. We finished up the evening by playing a game of Bananagrams. Great game! It's been a hit with every group I've taken it to.
So now, it's night time. I ran to the store right before 11 when it closed, but it was out of milk and eggs, both. There was something extra which I hadn't seen before, though: a dog, hanging out around the noodles and sausage section. No one seemed to be too bothered. It was probably too cold for it to hang out on the streets, so I don't blame it for sneaking inside. I would also. And, I do - very often. When I'm out for a walk, I sneak into stores for the sake of warming up my toes.
That's my Sunday.
Thanks for reading.
