Something to think about.

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I correctly guessed minus 7 today. It is so cold that my face turns purple from the minute I step outside, and my hands sting painfully if I don't keep them in my pockets.

My day at the language school was tiring. Lena taught us in the morning; we have finished our workbook so we moved on to grammar excercises from another one. Her classes have been a huge help to my Russian by topping up the basics in an organised way. Her teaching is still good but I think that my grammar has improved as it can for one semester. The topics are getting easier but I'm finding it much harder to concentrate.

In Olga's lessons in the afternoon we read part of a novel by Ilf and Petrov.

I took Katya to Yartek at 7 so we could watch Progulka on a comfy sofa. It's our favourite film - she even used to live in a building from the first scene. Afterwards we went to Evropa hotel where the rest of our group were playing pool. The tournament lacked the competitive edge without those who have left but the show must go on. I walked Katya home at midnight then re-joined them. I feel awkward thinking about saying goodbye to her in two weeks; so many of my best Yaroslavl memories are nights out with her.

The evening had undone most of the stress from the morning and I was ready for a good nights' sleep. I walked back with Chiara at 1.30, it was minus 8 by then and had started to snow. As I turned the corner to my block I found a woman of about 60 with messy black hair outside my building, crying pitifully. She was sat in the snow wearing just a thin tracksuit jacket, her skirt around her ankles because she had wet herself. I don't know if drink or drugs are to blame but she had lost all her self-control. She screamed and begged me to pull her up and let her inside, muttering that her son had thrown her out. I did all that she wanted and ran into my flat to wash and go to bed. What else could I do?

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Photos

Myself.
Complete with purple face!