Blogs from Russia, Europe - page 299

I had more luck at the market this afternoon without Yulia to distract me. On the street it was much colder than yesterday, and there was a strong wind blowing wet snow into my face. The sky has turned dark grey again which makes everything seem more unhappy. I turned right at the end of the rows of tables and stalls, into one of the parts of the market that is just for clothes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a black corduroy coat with a wool trim, and asked the man in the stall if I could try it on. When he said it would set me back three 500 rouble notes I didn't complain or try to haggle, so relieved was I to have found something to wear. He stored the ... read more

Our friday excursion this week was something slightly different. We walked in double file half an hour from the obshezhitie, to the Z.A.O-Hleb bread factory on ulitsa Chaikovskovo. Industry is a huge business in Russia; every type of juice, milk, meat or bread that is not imported arrives in supermarkets from factories in little-known industrial towns, many in Siberia and to the east. First we went upstairs to leave our coats and bags, and to get kitted out for the trip to the factory floor. No blue plastic-bag shoes were needed this week, but each of us was handed a light blue knee-length cotton smock and a blue shower cap, to be worn at all times. A warm, cheerful blonde lady showed us around. She greeted us with a big loaf of brown bread - fresh ... read more

Hey, Habe grad eine Endlosdiskussion in einer russischen Kueche abgebrochen da der PC frei geworden ist. Also kurzer Ueberblick - Ich bin in Ekaterinburg angekommen. Dies nachdem ich eine wirklich klasse Zeit in Chelyabinsk verbracht habe. Super cool alle wiederzusehen. Ich hoffe das es nicht das letzte Mal war. Den genauen Ablauf kann ich nicht beschreiben da ich quasi von einem alten Bekannten zum naechsten gereicht wurde. Vier Naechte bin ich dort geblieben (zwei waren geplant…) dabei habe ich in vier verschiedenen Raeumen gepennt, und bin immer noch total uebermuedet. Aber es war wirklich toll… Nun bin ich in Ekaterinburg, *Mein Bericht wird etwas kuerzer ausfallen da ich noch ein paar Photos hochladen will und ich nur begrentzten PC-Zugang habe…* und heute haben wir, nachdem alle besucht und begruesst wurden, beschlossen die Grenze zwischen Asien und ... read more

My season-sickness had died down to to a head cold this morning, so I was well enough to go to classes. Zhanna talked with us about hobbies and how we spend our free time. I realised at some point in the middle of the lesson, that when I taught little Anya in Yaroslavl I spoke to her at the same level as Zhanna does to a class of people in their twenties. In the break Natalia called the hostel reception telephone from Moscow, for her weekly Tver 'check-up'. As we were talking a lady entered the conversation, I have no idea where from. There was a distant crackle and a 'clunk' as she picked up a receiver somewhere, then both of us heard her saying confusedly "allo? allo? allo?". Both myself and Natalia replied to no ... read more

I felt slightly better today but still couldn't leave the flat. All that was left of the sickness was the soreness in my body, but the headache had got worse and I couldn't stop coughing. The most depressing part of being sick in Russia is having nothing around you to make you more comfortable. My mattress is rock hard and lies on top of a wooden board, my duvet doesn't cover the entire bed. When I wanted a hot bath and a shave to freshen up this afternoon all that came out of the tap was tepid, murky water. A cup of hot milk - the medicine that all the Finnish girls advised- is only just drinkable with two spoons of honey added to it. I got up in the evening and watched a variety show ... read more