Match of the day.

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I am not trying to dislike Marina Ivanovna, but the little annoyances that made me uncomfortable with Tamara Aleksandrovna are already appearing with her too. She knocked on my door to wake me up fifteen minutes early this morning when had I told her there was an alarm on my phone, and she gave me a huge plate of lumpy hot mashed potato for breakfast when I said I never had an appetite in the morning. Are people ignoring me just because I'm not Russian?

It didn't snow again overnight but most of it has remained where no-one has walked or driven over. I found my way to Yartek from my new starting point this morning, with some help from Chiara.

Yulia's analytical reading class was good. I understood the short story we read, about a man who returns from a three year period in Siberia to find that all his best friends have married the girls he used to be in love with.

Somehow in Larissa's first lesson we ended up talking about donating blood. It's the kind of discussion that I enjoy taking part in, but I was already feeling weak and almost fainted. In the second half we spoke about the problems faced by Tony Blair, Ariel Sharon and Vladimir Putin. With Chris U recuperating back in London we didn't have a political expert, and as much as I would have liked to say something it was all I could to do keep my eyes open. In the break Ellie told me that Tamara Aleksandrovna had phoned her flat last night, to inform her friend (Ellie's hozyaika) that she had thrown "her boy" out. He could not pay his rent in time because he wasted all his money in gambling halls. I am not thinking about her reason for saying this about me, but it is certainly written in the letter that she told me to give to Boris Aleksandrovich. I regret having the conscience not to read it. On the plus side it made me talk with a lot of energy, and Larissa was good enough to listen and give me advice.

The evening made me feel a lot better. Thirteen of us - twelve students and Chiara's mum - went back to Arena 2000 to watch our first game of ice-hockey. Lokomotiv played Dinamo Moskva (Di-nà-ma Mas-kvà). The supporters in the stadium were incredibly excited and our seats in the front row could not have been better. Hockey is as physical as we thought; twice in the game players collided into the clear plastic window only two feet from where myself and Jamie were sitting. No-one really understood the rules but it was a good match. With less than two minutes remaining it was 0-0. Then Loko scored; the atmosphere was already loud but when the crowd realised the puck had gone in the roof nearly came off. There were 90 seconds of chaos, Dinamo charging for an equaliser and 2000 fans stamping their feet and screaming.

Mrs Vivaldi must be our good luck charm. She has only come to visit Chiara for a week but already she has seen only the second snow and our first victory at anything against Moscow!

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Photos

Sh-i-n-n-i-k
The football stadium, two days ago. The flares spell out 'Shinnik'. Almost.