Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go...

Sunday, January 7, 2007 5:52 am St. Pete
I got back from Tanya’s (my old host mother) house around 10:00. I didn’t realize how nice it would be catch back up with her and her family. I thought I’d only been there for an hour or two, but 4 hours had flown by. Considering that we spoke Russian the entire time (with the exception of “coconut”), I’m surprised that it was so completely painless. That was the first real Russian-language conversation I’ve had since I left in 2006.

She sent me home with a bag of flour. Not randomly, I mentioned that I had to leave to buy flour (Ruth made rolls for the BK Gang again), and she told me that marshrutkas would be running less often by that time, and to just take her flour and not to waste time in the grocery store. I’d forgotten how nice she was.

While I was talking to Tanya, I found out that she’s working two jobs now. She used to work nearby the house—about a 5 minute walk away, but when she found out that the factory was closing, she decided to leave. She says that there’s almost no one working there anymore, so it was better to quit when she did. She works from morning until 11:00 with a three hour break from getting home at 5 and leaving at 8 to go to her second job. She doesn’t even have weekends or Christmas off. I complain about Language Link a lot (maybe too often), but at least there’s a lighter schedule and an end date for me. I can’t imagine how horrible it must be if your life is one never-ending work week. I hope she finds something better soon.

If she hadn’t told me, I never would have known what was happening, based on behavior alone. She’s the most cheerful person I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen her outwardly angry or sad, no matter what happens and I don’t understand how she manages to be so bright and chirpy. That kind of person mystifies me. I don’t think I could take anything as well as she does. I think I’d turn into a sad, bitter person if I had to deal with the same things that she puts up with.

In other news…
In accordance with the usual manner in which all my crises end: I give up. I can’t worry any more. I’m exhausted. It’s ok if I don’t get the Fulbright. It would be wonderful to get my masters here in St. Pete (say what you will about the European University system, a 2 semester M.A. is nice), but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be just as happy to take a break stateside. I think I’d enjoy a year of free evenings.

Looking forward to coming home to a South Carolina spring. Don’t start without me. J

100 days…

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Nate left at noon today. He’s going back to Utah to stay. Bang. Another soldier down.

The apartment feels emptier yet again. It's not the same without the people we started with.

School restarts tomorrow. I’m desperate not to go. The only consolation is that I’ve marked the number of working days I have left on my calendar. As soon as I start work, I can mark the first off. I’ll have 69 left as of tomorrow evening. Yes, I’m tragically obsessive.

98 days till I’m done with LL all together.

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